I have never read the original story, and I’m not at all familiar with Lovecraft. The novella was inspired by Lovecraft but also intended as a rebuke to his racism. Lovecraft’s story, “The Horror at Red Hook,” after I finished reading it. Will Black Tom live to see it break?ĭiscussion: I only learned that The Ballad of Black Tom is actually a retelling of H.P.

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.Ī storm that might swallow the world is building in Brooklyn. 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. People move to New York looking for magic and nothing will convince them it isn’t there.Ĭharles Thomas (“Tommy”) Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father’s head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook. When I learned that the novella was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2016 and has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker Awards, it motivated me to overcome my dislike of novellas and give it a chance. I was intrigued that The Ballad of Black Tom was set in Jazz Age New York City because I love historical fiction. Novellas are usually too short to satisfy me, and I never know whether or not I should count them on my yearly reading list. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. When I find characters and a universe that I like, I prefer sweeping epics with multiple, lengthy books, like George R.R.

Why I Chose It: I’m not normally a novella reader. Publisher: Tor.com/Tom Doherty Associates

The ballad of black tom