Fantasy Novella Review: Ring Shout by P Djèlí Clark

 



Ring Shout by P Djèlí Clark:

Ring Shout is the latest novella by author P Djèlí Clark, responsible for Hugo/Nebula nominated novellas each of the past two years (The Haunting of Tram Car 015, The Black God's Drums).  And I loved both those novellas, which both take very different perspectives in their fantasy/steampunk tales, which made them both incredibly fresh and fun to read, while also dealing with some strong themes along the way.  And Ring Shout has been incredibly acclaimed well in advance, so I've been waiting for it for what seems like forever.  

And it definitely delivers, featuring a story of prohibition era America, and Black women - aided by other allies - facing off with the "Cosmic Horrors" of the Ku Klux Klan.  As usual with Clark, it's both very fun and yet at the same time, highly poignant, and is well well worth your time.

Note:  This wasn't the first time this thought came through my head, but watching FIYAHCon this past weekend (I'm writing this the week after) reminded me to point out a note of caution: I am a white (although Jewish) cis man reviewer, and stories like this are not necessarily written for me.  This does not mean I can't enjoy or review these works - I did enjoy this one - but it's very likely I'm missing some things because I don't have the background of the audience this is going for and thus can't quite see the full perspective.  I'll do the best I can, for me, but well I felt like I had to issue this disclaimer.

Plot Summary:  Maryse Boudreaux survived the Klan as a child by hiding while her family was killed.  It's a past that has hung over her all this time, and she has spent the years since searching for vengeance as the chosen wielder of a sword powered by the spirits of slaves and oppressed Blacks past.  Now she wields her sword alongside other Black Women (and other allies) who fight not just the humans behind the white hoods, but the demonic monsters, the Ku Kluxes, that hate seems to turn those people into.  

But something strange is happening in America, in Macon, Alabama where Maryse and her people are based - and the Ku Kluxes are up to something, spurred by a monster of a man with his own plans for Maryse.  Plans that could push the world into darkness and unleash hell on Earth - hell aimed first at people like Maryse....

Thoughts:  Ring Shout essentially re-imagines the Klan (and Birth of a Nation) as being literal demons - cosmic horrors formed of hate alongside the normal humans fueling that hate.  It uses that to give us what could seem otherwise like a cathartic setup of badass black women dealing with them in lethal ways, through cool swords, guns, and explosives.  

But it does more than that, because Maryse's sword, and her essential mother figure, are powered by magic conjured by Shouts, chants that were first devised by slaves on the plantations (which are explained in excerpts before each chapter).  Maryse's power is not just derived from a sword powered by the ghosts of her wronged people, but by the community and culture they devised together.  And this power is set against a number of evil forces, forces that seek to experiment, and forces devised of hatred toward the other - mindless irrational hatred (and not just towards Blacks, as Maryse's allies include a Jewish woman, Native women, and others).  But Ring Shout makes it clear that such hate is not what Maryse and other Black people feel: what they feel is not irrational, but righteous fury boiled towards a purpose, which can be wielded to create a better future. 

So yeah, this is pretty great, and you should read it, even if like me you're probably not the intended audience.