jamiereadthis
Written on Jun 13, 2020
In an alternate New Orleans caught in the tangle of the American Civil War, the wall-scaling girl named Creeper yearns to escape the streets for the air – in particular, by earning a spot on-board the airship Midnight Robber. Creeper plans to earn Captain Ann-Marie’s trust with information she discovers about a Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon he calls The Black God’s Drums.
But Creeper also has a secret herself: Oya, the African orisha of the wind and storms, speaks inside her head, and may have her own ulterior motivations.
Soon, Creeper, Oya, and the crew of the Midnight Robber are pulled into a perilous mission aimed to stop the Black God’s Drums from being unleashed and wiping out the entirety of New Orleans.
- ISBN10 1250294711
- ISBN13 9781250294715
- Publish Date 1 September 2018
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 5 April 2024
- Publish Country US
- Imprint St Martin's Press
- Format Paperback
- Pages 128
- Language English
Reviews
celinenyx
Written on Apr 7, 2020
The writing of The Black God's Drums is very 'voicey', written in a way that closely resembles the main character's inner dialogue. This can be a bit hit or miss - sometimes it can be very jarring if the voice is too overpowering. I thought P. Djèlí Clark did a good job, striking a balance between Creeper's thoughts and more concrete description. In tone, The Black God's Drums resembles Elizabeth Bear's Karen Memory a lot; both are steampunk alternate history kind of stories featuring 'unlikely' protagonists. In the case of Karen Memory, that's a young sex worker, and in Drums, the orphaned child of a sex worker. Narratively the stories are very different, but because I read the two so close to each other, I experienced a strange overlapping where it felt like I was reading two books in the same series or universe (while they're obviously not - even though they both contain an unlikely rescue with an airship).
It's a common issue with novellas that they leave readers wanting more, and I felt similarly in this case. The gods inhabiting humans intrigued me, and by the end of the story, I felt like I still wanted to have more details on how this actually works. Ultimately, I think my enjoyment was slightly impeded by the fact that I know very little of the history of the southern United States, and the subtleties of the alternate history presented here were lost on me.
Content Warnings: slavery, weapon of mass destruction, death, death of parent.
inlibrisveritas
Written on Aug 31, 2018
The Black God’s Drum is a novella with a steampunk and supernatural twist. I have recently gotten into Tor’s novella selection, and I have to say that this is probably my favorite of their offerings so far!
This bit of alternate history takes place in Civil Ware era Lousiana. New Orleans is a free and neutral port, but still sees it’s share of activity closely related to the war of the states. Here we meet Creeper, a young girl who lives on the streets and who has an Orisha goddess on her side, Oya. Though the novella is short, so much is packed within the pages. New Orleans really shines on these pages, bursting with atmosphere and life with each turn.
I quite like Creeper and her desire to rush off to adventure on an airship, and I love her tenacity even when faced with problems far larger than her. Her relationship with Oya was quite interesting as well, and the entire set up for that portion of the story was kind of beautiful. Then there is Anna-Marie, a bisexual airship captain, who I would want to run away with if I could. She’s fierce and stubborn, and though she can be somewhat blunt toward Creeper she only means the best for her. Their friendship is fantastic, and it’s so nice to see both parties learning from each other. There are a small host of other characters that really stand out as well, like the sister nuns and Feral, and I find myself wishing this were a full-length book because of them. Clark’s characterization is absolutely on point. This is my first novel incorporating the Orisha pantheon, and though I’m not familiar with the gods and goddesses of it I really loved the version Clark painted for us. So beautifully subtle and yet there is no question to the power and rawness of their nature. I look forward to learning more about the Orisha on my own and hope to see more of them in other books.
Unfortunately, I can’t say too much more without possibly spoiling such a fun read, truly one of the few downsides to novellas, but I can honestly say I’d love to read more by Clark. He has an undeniable skill to paint a world with very few pages to do so, without ever sacrificing fleshed out characters and meaningful relationships.
I received this complimentary copy for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
Quirky Cat
Written on Aug 12, 2018
The Black God’s Drums is the first novella I’ve read by P. Djeli Clark, but I’ve got to say that I’m officially hooked. Her writing style and techniques are flawless. Here we have a blend of genres, yet the novella never once feels conflicted in what it is.
The Black God’s Drums is both alternate history and urban fantasy rolled into one. It’s also a little bit a coming of age story, which was a nice touch. Add a dash of Steampunk for good luck and you’ve got a perfectly balanced and extremely unique novella.
It relies heavily on local mythology, so the local accents used are a wonderful touch. The entire plot itself it based in New Orleans, but it doesn’t take long for us to learn that what is happening here could have far greater reach than that.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I first picked up The Black God’s Drums. I knew it was being published by Tor, and honestly that holds a lot of weight for me, and that it was based in New Orleans, but that was nearly it. Obviously the title gave me a few hints as well, but not as much as I would have liked.
What I got though? What I got was a compelling story. One that wrapped up so many elements and somehow managed to make it all its own. We’ve all read stories where a youth sees or does something that quickly gets them in over their head. However, P. Djeli Clark managed to make that whole concept unique and fresh again. Creeper (not her true name, naturally, but her preferred one to be sure) is a girl living out on the streets. She’s quick, bright, and shockingly observant. There’s likely nothing that goes through the docks that she isn’t aware of.
And that’s exactly the reason she found herself in a spot of trouble. It’s amazing how dangerous information can be. What’s more dangerous though, is allowing others to act on that information. I don’t think Creeper intended to get as wrapped up in this adventure as she did…but she handled herself well.
This novella was beautifully written. I’ll admit that I’m not always a fan of alternative history novels…but this one really managed to grab and hold my attention. The addition of the fantasy and steampunk elements really helped sell it too, so that’s a major plus. More than that though, the characters and the emotions they carried were so real, how could I possibly been anything other than charmed by them?
The Black God’s Drums ended in a way where it could very easily get a sequel…and I’m really hoping it does. In fact, I would love it if this became a series. I so badly want to see more of this world, and more of Creeper’s adventures. I want to see more of her goddess’s quirks and opinions, and I want to see if Creeper ever manages to get out of New Orleans. In short, I really just want another novella or two. Or three.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
shannonmiz
Written on Jul 31, 2018
Holy atmosphere! That is the one thing I loved the most about this novella- and there was a lot to love. The setting and world are incredible- an alternate Reconstruction-era New Orleans. This was extra fun having just been to New Orleans- I was able to even more vividly picture all the streets and areas that the author mentioned. But being an alternate history, things didn't exactly end as they did in our world- but I will let you read about it for yourself. Just know that you will be drawn in to it.
Creeper, the main character, is fabulously done. You want to root for her, and it's incredible how well she's developed in such a short page span. As are the secondary characters, who were delightful in their own right. My only real qualm is that while I loved the world building and characters, sometimes there was just so much going on that I had trouble keeping everything straight. There's the political end, the good guys, the bad guys, the alternate history weapons, and of course, magic. Perhaps because a lot is packed into a short amount, it overwhelmed me a bit. I really would love to read more about these characters and/or this world, so I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Bottom Line: A fabulous novella with well developed characters and a phenomenal setting, this is one that's absolutely worth reading.