Audiobook Review – The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle, Narrated by Kevin R. Free (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 3 hours and 9 minutes
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: February 16, 2016
ASIN: B0161YR0I8
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed From Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“ People move to New York looking for magic, and nothing will convince them it isn’t there. Charles Thomas Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father’s head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook. He knows what magic a suit can cast, the invisibility a guitar case can provide, and the curse written on his black skin that attracts the eye of wealthy white folks and their trained cops.
But when he delivers an occult page to a reclusive sorceress in the heart of Queens, Tom opens a door to a deeper realm of magic and earns the attention of things best left sleeping. A storm that might swallow the world is building in Brooklyn. Will Black Tom live to see it break?.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this as an audiobook from my library.
Audiobook Quality (4/5): This audiobook was well done and pleasant to listen to. No complaints about the audiobook quality.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this quite a bit. This was a unique book with some good history and some Lovecraft overtones to it as well. In fact, it is a retelling of “The Horror at Red Hook” by Lovecraft.
Charles Thomas Tester (Tom) hustles to put food on the table for him and his father in their house in Harlem. Then Tom runs a job delivering an occult book to a mysterious old woman and next thing he knows he’s getting paid big money to sing for a strange old man. That’s when things get real odd and Tom finds himself dealing with events both eldritch and evil.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novella. The first part of the book is told by Tom and then we switch to a private investigator for a bit. Both viewpoints are interesting. This was a great look at 1920’s Harlem through a black man’s eyes. It was also an excellent look at how immigrants were treated in New York City at the time. Additionally, I liked the creepy descent into evil and realities not quite of this earth.
This is a somewhat subtle read but also strangely vicious at parts. I found the journey Tom took to be fascinating. I think the ending has just enough closure to wrap things up well but it also leaves you wondering about both the future of New York City and Tom just a bit.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a well done historical fantasy. I enjoyed both the 1920’s New York setting and the heavy Lovecraft elements throughout. The whole story is well done and really makes you think. I would recommend this to those who enjoy Lovecraft retellings or are intrigued by the idea of a dark fantasy set in the 1920’s.
