Book Review: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
One Star
“Mankind didn’t make messes; mankind was the mess.”
Fantasy historical fiction. I wouldn’t have finished this once I realized what kind of story it was, but felt constrained to read it all if I was to vote on it for the 2017 Hugo Awards. Can’t conceive why it was nominated, much less became a finalist.
“He thought of himself as an entertainer. Others … called him a scammer, a swindler, a con, but he never thought of himself this way. No charlatan ever did.”
Good storytelling, good character development and good voice. Good sense of time and place, which gradually–then with increasing speed–veers into the horrible. Shifting away from the main character propels the story, but dilutes the impact. If this is set in the Lovecraft universe, LaValle has done me a favor by warning me away forever.
“Walking through Harlem first thing in the morning was like being a single drop of blood inside an enormous body that was waking up.”
I don’t normally post negative reviews, but I am reviewing all the 2017 Hugo novella finalists. Not fair to the others to pass over this one just because I don’t recommend anyone read it, let alone vote for it.
“There was more to this world than what we touch to taste or see. His time as a detective made him sure of this.”
As a Matter of Fancy 
Maybe time to let go of genre writing for a while? There are so many good books out there. What about “Lincoln at the Bardo”? Historical. What about “H is for Hawk?” Both are fascinating and well written.