I think Victor Lavalle sums up perfectly the intent of this novella in its dedication - “For H.P. Lovecraft, with all my conflicted feelings.” This story is set in New York in the 1920s. Charles Thomas Tester is a man from Harlem who earns money to support himself and his prematurely aging father ...
"The Ballad Of Black Tom" is a powerful novella which appropriates H, P, Lovecraft's occult lore and ancient gods and places a young black man at the centre of the story. I'm not a Lovecraft fan but I was fascinated by the way Victor LaValle took possession and Lovecraft's world and used it to ex...
I am not a huge Lovecraft fan. I'm not a Lovecraft fan at all. I understand why he is a touchstone and all that, but yeah, he's not for me. So outside of the two characters, there are probably some Lovecraft references I missed.This is a fine book about racism, society, and what society makes people...
LaValle's re-imagining of Lovecraft brings race to the forefront, and the results are disturbing and sadly quite timely. The world Tom Tester walks through, and the trials he faces, were painful to behold. Ultimately I was far more invested in Tester's story than any of the Lovecraftian horror eleme...
These days we know from ranting, gibbering, racist, sexist, nasty-ass old men horrifying their friends and relations with pointless cruel stupidity, stunning everyone at the festive holiday gathering into silence. LaValle answers Lovecraft's most vile, offensive story, with a work of terrible beauty...
I've said before I'm not a Lovecraft fan. Besides his personal beliefs that are repugnant, I find most of his stories hard to get into. I did read him though due to his being the creator of Chulthu. Most modern horror writers pay homage to him in their works so it's nice to get a good base of what t...
Fills in Diverse Authors square The reason I read this book for this square is that someone on the bingo discussion boards here mentioned it and liked it. The book I originally chosen for the square was a contemporary romance, but I felt that didn't stay true to the spirit of Halloween Bingo. I ha...
It’s a myth that life was easier for black people north of the Mason Dixon line during Jim Crow. Charles Thomas Tester, a con man in New York, has to watch his step whenever he leaves the boundaries of Harlem, New York. White people will give him the hairy eyeball and question him on the train. Whit...
Tommy Tester is a hustler, doing what he has to to make ends meet and support his ailing father. When he meets Robert Suydam, things will never be the same...I've always been a bigger fan of things inspired by H.P. Lovecraft than the man's actual work. It's certainly been a good few months for H.P...
This was my first read from Victor LaValle and I am glad that I finally picked him up. This one was written very well with good characterizations and a fast moving, engaging plot. I don’t particularly care for much of Lovecraft’s work, but there are several authors out there today, LaValle included,...
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