cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/16605709

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle is a novella that reimagines H.P. Lovecraft's "The Horror at Red Hook" from the perspective of an African-American protagonist, Charles Thomas Tester, in 1920s Harlem. The story follows Tommy, a street hustler who navigates the city's racial tensions and occult circles while dealing with his own struggles and the looming threat of a catastrophic event.

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 skin that attracts the eye of wealthy white folks and their cops. But when he delivers an occult tome 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?”

Reviews

goodreads | bookjockeyalex.com | efsunland.com

Interview with Victor LaValle - article

The Ballad of Black Tom: A Love Letter to Eldritch Horror - video review