[Historical] [fantasy] [novella], written by [P. Djèlí Clark] and published by Tordotcom in 2020.

This is a story set in a strange, magical version of [Macon, Georgia] in 1922, deep in the heart of the [Jim Crow] [Deep South|South]. About a decade back, a [cabal] of [racist] [sorcerer]s, including [William Joseph Simmons], [Thomas Dixon, Jr.], and [D.W. Griffith], created a pair of [conjuring] books designed to [ensorcell] the souls of readers and recreate the diabolic post-Civil War Klans, and then made a movie of those books, "[The Birth of a Nation]," to spread their [hellish] word to even more people and to allow the [demon]s known as Ku Kluxes to possess their bodies.

Into all this comes our lead character, Maryse Boudreaux, a young Black woman who's able to see the true forms of the demons and who has the ability to summon a [magical] [sword] powered by the [spirit]s of the dead. Her [companion]s in the fight against the Ku Kluxes are Sadie Watkins, a very loud, very foul-mouthed [sniper], and Cordelia "Chef" Lawrence, a former member of the [Harlem Hellfighters] with expertise in [explosives], [subterfuge] ('cause there officially weren't any women serving in [combat] units in [World War I|WWI]), and [diplomacy] (useful in preventing fights between Maryse and Sadie).

Their leader, if that's the right term, is Nana Jean, a very elderly Black woman who normally speaks in a nigh-impenetrable [Gullah] [creole]. She holds ring shouts (musical [religious] ceremonies involving [dancing] and [chant]ing) in her barn and makes a substance known as "Mama's Water" that's able to [ward] off [evil] forces. There are other characters involved in the fight, including a host of freedmen and women, a [German] [Jewish] [socialist], a number of "[shouter]s" who participate in the ring shouts, and Aunties Margaret, Ondine, and Jadine, [fox]-like spirits who speak to Maryse in her dreams.

And there's Butcher Clyde. He's not human, and he's also not a Ku Klux. But he's running the show, and he's very, very bad news. He plans to stage a giant viewing with hundreds of racist filmgoers of "The Birth of a Nation" at [Stone Mountain], the birthplace of the reborn Klan -- and if it can't be prevented, it may mean [the end of the world].

It took me a bit to actually start reading this because I was a little worried it'd be a lot of Heavy Important Writing You Read to Become a Better Person -- which was probably a silly thing to worry about, as I've read plenty of Clark's other stories, and they've always been very enjoyable reads. In fact, the [plot] moved nice and quick and really drew you along. I wasn't reading to [learn] (though I did learn some stuff) but reading for fun. There's [action], [intrigue], [comedy], [tragedy], a little [romance], and a nice dose of [horror]. And it does feel like an [Important] Book, too, but the fact that it's the kind of book that'll be considered one of the best of the decade is in no way a weak point.

The [character] work here is also wonderful. Maryse, Sadie, and Chef, our three leads, play off each other very well, from Maryse's unflinching [ethical] nature to Sadie's [loud] [profanity] and [gleeful] [offensiveness] to Chef's quiet [good nature] and [sensible] outlook. They're far from [paragon]s of [perfection], thank goodness. Maryse's [rigid] [morality] is prone to potentially catastrophic [crack]s, thanks to the voices [whisper]ing to her from her sword, and Sadie is dangerously [volatile]. Chef is less prone to [feet of clay], but her primary purpose in the story is the be the [tower] of [strength] keeping everyone going.

Nana Jean is given something of an [otherworldly] nature, thanks to the thick Gullah Geechee creole she speaks. The Aunties are even more otherworldly, but it's fun to see how human their personalities can be. Even less human is Dr. Antoine Bisset, the future dead man who serves the nightmarish [Night Doctors] of African American [folklore]. Butcher Clyde, meanwhile, is all too horribly human, despite his hellish origins. He's a creature of coarse [appetite]s and [humor], fully dedicated to fostering greater and more extreme [hatred]. He's also tremendously [charismatic] -- he's a [despicable] creature, but it's very clear how he's attracted so many followers.

And yes, a big part of what makes this book so great is watching hundreds of Klansmen, along with their supernatural enablers, getting [slaughter]ed left and right. A bunch of dead Klansmen is something that always brings joy to the hearts of good people. "But J-P, shouldn't fairness dictate that we get fiction valorizing Klansmen?" No, go fuck yourself. Sure, you can find tons of books singing the praises of Klansmen and Nazis, and no one reads them because they're crap. But the Klan -- even the non-supernatural Klan -- was and is filled with [devil]s, and everyone enjoys some great fiction where [hatemonger]s get what the deserve. If that sounds great to you, then the Klansman-butchering going on in this thoroughly [excellent] book is going to be a [fantastic] [bonus].

"Ring Shout" won the [British Fantasy Award], the [Locus Award], and the [Nebula Award] in 2021. Its French translation won the 2022 [Prix Julia Verlanger]. It was also nominated for the [Shirley Jackson Award], the [Hugo Award], the [Ignyte Award], and the [World Fantasy Award].

ring shout (review)