The Ballad of Black Tom Audiobook By Victor LaValle cover art

The Ballad of Black Tom

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Ballad of Black Tom

By: Victor LaValle
Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $10.39

Buy for $10.39

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

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 Scary
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Featured Article: Outstanding Black Authors Across Various Genres and Styles


Stories have the power not only to transport us, but to allow us to connect, understand, and feel represented. The work of phenomenal Black authors—like those featured in this list—has expanded the ambition, scope, and perspective of storytelling. These must-hear titles from some of the best Black authors of all time are also indisputably some of the most remarkable works of literature in both the contemporary and historical canon.

What listeners say about The Ballad of Black Tom

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,057
  • 4 Stars
    538
  • 3 Stars
    225
  • 2 Stars
    62
  • 1 Stars
    14
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,114
  • 4 Stars
    398
  • 3 Stars
    133
  • 2 Stars
    39
  • 1 Stars
    14
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    918
  • 4 Stars
    463
  • 3 Stars
    219
  • 2 Stars
    71
  • 1 Stars
    19

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful book

The author manages to speak in more then one voice and adds meaning and structure to the original half baked narrative. He has improved on the original to the degree that this story should be the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fast Paced

all of Walter Mosley books to me are fast paced and it take the reader along a long ride... I've been trying to follow all of his character books for years and I'm so glad audibles is here now so that I can keep up... I'm not going to give away any secrets to the book like most people do in their reviews I'm just going to say.. listen to it... if you're a writer you learn so much about prose and style from his verbage... he and Chester Himes.. genius writers that actually suck you in to a novel and you forget your surroundings when you listen... just what I need

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing performance

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Kid Cthulhu for the Win

I've never read much Lovecraft, but now I want to read ALL LaVelle. And I want Kevin R. Free to read ALL the audiobooks!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Cosmic horror for the modern reader.

The story builds pace rather quickly and grips the reader. Very unlike the slow burn lovecraftian horror I was expecting. However, it slows down towards the mid point but picks up again a little later.

The prose is fantastically written, Victor Lavalle's prose is like poetry but never feels over done.

The only gripe I have with this book, is that it kind of fizzles out and never does end properly. But then again, it's horror on a cosmic scale, us puny humans wouldn't get it anyway.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Great performance, uneven story

So many elements were so great, delicious for fans of Lovecraft Country. When the story takes a turn, I wasn't a fan of the POV switch.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely enthralled

I finished this in one sitting! The story and the voice actor was amazing!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful homage to Lovecraft

This story is beautifully written and wonderfully creepy. The story is one of cosmic Lovecraftian horror, yet it is mostly told from the point of view of a down-to-earth young man from 1920's Harlem who loves his father deeply and is only trying to make a living. It is a very clever retelling of "The Horror at Red Hook", yet it is all its own story. I was fascinated from the beginning and wished the story was longer. The author really makes the reader care about the main character and despite what he ends up having to do, you want him to succeed. Even if it means bringing Cthulhu to earth.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful