Review – The Black God’s Drums by P. Djeli Clark (4.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk/Alternate History
Length: 114 pages
Publisher: Tordotcom
Release Date: August 21, 2018
ISBN-13 : 978-1250294715
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
“In an alternate New Orleans caught in the tangle of the American Civil War, the wall-scaling girl named Creeper yearns to escape the streets for the air–in particular, by earning a spot on-board the airship Midnight Robber. Creeper plans to earn Captain Ann-Marie’s trust with information she discovers about a Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon he calls The Black God’s Drums.
But Creeper also has a secret herself: Oya, the African orisha of the wind and storms, speaks inside her head, and may have her own ulterior motivations.
Soon, Creeper, Oya, and the crew of the Midnight Robber are pulled into a perilous mission aimed to stop the Black God’s Drums from being unleashed and wiping out the entirety of New Orleans.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book, I borrowed this book from the library.
Story (4/5): This was another really well done story and I enjoyed it a lot. I loved the African mythology/gods in here and loved the alternate New Orleans. I think if I had read this book before reading all of Clark’s other books I probably would have given it 5 stars. However, I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as his more recent books. His more recent books just have more solid world-building, more action, and a bit more “edge” to them.
Characters (4/5): This is again full of some really wonderful, and strong, female characters. While I didn’t engage with them as well as the characters in Clark’s other books, I did enjoy reading about them.
Setting (5/5): I loved the alternate historical New Orleans setting. It was very well done and interesting to read about.
Writing Style (5/5): While you can tell this was one of Clark’s earlier books, I still really enjoyed it. Clark builds amazing worlds in a very short page space and does a fantastic job of balancing this with characters that are fun and engaging. The plot was well done and I enjoyed the African mythology (something I would love to learn more about) in here as well.
My Summary (4.5/5): Overall this was a great read and I would recommend it. While not as polished as Clark’s later books, it does showcase his excellent world-building skills and his ability to make entertaining, strong characters that are a lot of fun to read about. He pairs this with excellent action scenes and a fast-paced plot that is engaging and easy to read. I am so excited for the next Fatma book to come out later in 2021 and even more excited that I just got a copy of it early to review!!! I would definitely recommend Clark to those who enjoy strong female characters and amazingly built alternate history worlds.
