The Ballad of Black Tom Audiobook By Victor LaValle cover art

The Ballad of Black Tom

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The Ballad of Black Tom

By: Victor LaValle
Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
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People move to New York looking for magic, and nothing will convince them it isn't there. Charles Thomas Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father's head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook. He knows what magic a suit can cast, the invisibility a guitar case can provide, and the curse written on his black skin that attracts the eye of wealthy white folks and their trained cops.

But when he delivers an occult page 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. A storm that might swallow the world is building in Brooklyn. Will Black Tom live to see it break?

©2016 Victor LaValle (P)2016 Macmillan Audio Fantasy Fiction Paranormal Paranormal & Urban Magic Scary

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great short story. really got the 1920's feel with the attitude of cops in NY. painted a beautiful tapestry of life in Harlem independent of what was going on in other parts of the city.

loved it

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Loved it, from start to finish I was enthralled. Compelling story and great execution by the narrator.

Awesome

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I loved everything about this. The narration pulled me in just as much as the plot did. A great short read for those who love the Lovecraftian lore

Amazing performance

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I feel it is rare to see an alternate pov on a lovecraft story. Specially one where the true horror is not on the supernatural but on the day-to-day society. A fantastic narration by Kevin R. Free!

A fantastic recommendation from Quinn's Ideas

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I liked the idea and the writing was good. The narrative and the voice seemed at odds in some passages. Those looking for Lovecraftian horror should pass on this one. it is a supernatural detective story with some light 'old gods' backstory.

Entertaining

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Boring story but great audio. If you're listening this for recreational use you might fall asleep due to its poor plot.

Boring

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Good Lovecraft inspired story, but it feels like it's missing a chunk of the story in the middle. Perhaps I missed it but it feels like it escalated and jumped ahead very quickly after a certain point. This could be due to the story being told from two different perspectives.

Overall it was a fun listen, performed very well. If you enjoy Lovecraftian stories, this is well worth the listen.

That escalated quickly

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I loved this story as it delves into the heart of something hard to talk about in Lovecraft mythos, racism. A black man in the 1920s just trying to get by day to day gets entangled in events that lead to the Old Ones.

Lovecraft in Harlem

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Can strongly recommend this book.
Will have to read The Horror at Red Hook again now.

Excellent.

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This audiobook was amazing! Victor Lavalle knows how to make an interesting story about pretty much anything, but he really captured the ugliness of racism, both aggressive and passive, during this time period. I was blown away how he incorporated both horror and terror, which are two different elements, in this historical fantasy novella. The later part of the story was by far the most hooked I had ever been.
As for the performance of Kevin R. Free, this is the best, if not one of the best, audiobook performances I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. The voices he gives each character, amazing. The emotions felt by the loudness of his voice, perfection. The clarity and clear pronunciation of his words, magnificent. Thanks to his performance, I felt as though the story was taken off to new heights.
I fully recommend this to anyone even if they aren't a fan of the genre, or unfamiliar with it like I was.
This is easily a 10/10 masterpiece.

One of the greatest audiobooks ever!

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