Title: Ring Shout
Author: P. Djèli Clark
Genre: Horror/ Historical Fiction
Published: 2020
Description: In 1915, “The Birth of a Nation” cast a spell across
America, swelling the Klan’s ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts
of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence
among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can
die.
Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance
fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with
blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan’s demons
straight to Hell. But something awful’s brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell
is about to heat up.
Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?
Review: “Ring Shout” by P. Djèli Clark is a devastating novella that completely
blurs the lines between historical fiction, folklore, and cosmic horror. It is
a rare kind of book that is both an adrenaline-pumping action thriller and a
razor-sharp social commentary.
Clark makes a brilliant artistic choice by portraying the Ku Klux Klan
not only as an ideological threat, but as a literal infection. In this story,
the “Ku Kluxes” are monsters from another dimension on hatred and fear. By turning
Klan members into physical monsters, Clark exposes the inhumanity of their ideology
without trivializing the horrific historical reality. It shows that racism is
not an abstract concept, but a force that distorts people into something
unrecognizable.
The story is set in 1915, the year the film “Birth of a Nation” was
released. Clark masterfully weaves this historical fact into the plot: the film
serves here as a form of dark magic, a “shout” that propagates hatred and
empowers the monsters. He contrasts this hatred with the Ring Shout, a deeply
rooted tradition of enslaved Africans. As a result, the race issue becomes not
only a struggle for survival, but a spiritual war in which culture and shared
history are the most powerful weapons.
The horror element in “Ring Shout” is in a league of its own. Clark
draws from the tradition of Lovecraft’s cosmic horror, but strips it of
Lovecraft’s biased worldview. The descriptions of the Butcher Boys and the
transformations are visceral and terrifying. Here, the horror serves a higher
purpose: to visualize the trauma inflicted over generations. It is bloody,
imaginative, and at times deeply unsettling. The story reminded me of a mix of “Sinners”,
BlacKkKlansman” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”.
Maryse, the sword-wielding protagonist, is one of the most compelling
characters I have read about in a while. Her struggle against the monsters outside
her and the rage within her gives the story an emotional depth. “Ring Shout” is
a masterfully written book that proves horror is the perfect medium for
exploring the darkest pages of history. The book is short, under 200 pages, but
packs a punch.
Rating: 5/ 5
