I wasn’t sure what to expect from Ring Shout, but I didn’t expect a part Buffy, part Sinners, part Lovecraftian story about a group of young Black women in 1920s Georgia facing off against the racist oppression of the KKK — and by the way, the Ku Klux are actual demons! And though that quick concept tagline probably sounds wild and attention-grabbing, I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy this novella as much as I did. Before reading it, I already liked the idea of this story putting a supernatural horror twist on real-world history. However, I was a little turned off by the setting of the American South with the KKK as the villains. They are already among the most despicable characters you can have in any story, and to literally demonize them felt like it could be incredibly heavy-handed. Turning human Klan members into actual monsters could possibly trivialize any atrocities that they commit, since it makes sense for a deformed creature with long claws and teeth to brutally maim or kill another human being. Thankfully, Clark seems more interested in creating an engaging fantasy horror story that (similar to how Buffy the Vampire Slayer did) turns an archetypal victim character into a butt-kicking monster-hunting heroine instead. Clark is not just preaching a message (to the converted or otherwise) but applying a fantastical imagination to re-envision a dark episode in our society’s past.

Though the story is not so similar to the first Clark novella that I enjoyed (The Dead Cat Tail Assassins) — other than both having feisty female lead characters — I loved how both stories featured a lot of skillful fantasy world-building. In Ring Shout, the main character, Maryse, is a self-proclaimed monster-hunter, carrying a magic sword that she can summon at will. Her world is full of Gullah folklore and magic, including the powerful ring shout of the book’s title, and also other dark realms that invade their reality through dreams and visions, full of terrifying creatures invading our world to feed on emotions like hate and misery. This novella is not long, but it feels like all the good parts of a season of Buffy, where Maryse and her allies are preparing for the big season-ending showdown with the Big Bad (who in this case is summoning an even worse eldritch horror at a screening of The Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith). The blending of the historical context with an over-the-top supernatural battle is the type of story that I love to engage with.

Clark’s prose writing is also really good. His descriptions and dialogue are richly steeped in the cultural context, with its patois and slang; and the flavour of the historical and social setting adds a lot to the storytelling. Even with a modest page count, we truly get to know Maryse and her fellow hunters, Sadie and Chef. We know their backstories and their personalities well enough to feel connected to them in their fist-pumping wins and their tragic losses. In particular, a series of dream-like scenes and encounters between Maryse and the villains of the story lead to her own reckoning with past trauma and emotional wounds. As part of a thrilling extended finale, these scenes really gripped me — and they would definitely have made for a great Buffy two-part episode.

Though I doubt it’s likely, I would love to see this story adapted to the big screen. It has such a cinematic quality, and despite some heavy and dark elements, it is also a thrilling monster adventure. Throughout, I kept thinking of the movie Sinners, not only with the setting and the fight against the monsters, but both strike similar thematic chords and share character types. However, there was a bit more Lovecraftian inspiration to this story. I don’t want to reveal too much, but there’s more than a little eldritch sorcery and cosmic horror in the mix. With so many of the tastes that I like, Ring Shout makes the perfect appetizer to start off a feast of spooky season reading this year. I’m getting hungry already.

4.5 stars

Since you’ve read my post to the end, please let me know what you thought by leaving a comment.

Or better yet, please join me on GoodReads and follow what I’m reading:  https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/78985113-alvin-ng

Or join me on Fable: https://fable.co/alvin-ng-324926061648