The Black God's Drums by P Djeli Clark

The Black God's Drums

by P. Djèlí Clark

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.

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

4 of 5 stars

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You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 31 July, 2018: Finished reading
  • 31 July, 2018: Reviewed