The Black God's Drums

By: P. Djeli Clark

Narrated by: Channie Waites

Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

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 onboard 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.

©2018 P. Djeli Clark (P)2019 Recorded Books

Exceptional story!

I cannot believe the author was able to tell such a compelling story with such rich characters in such a short story. I find myself desperately wanting to listen to more stories featuring the adventures of Ann Marie and “Creeper” and of course, Oshun and Oya. The narrator adds an element to this book that also makes listening to story in her voice even more immersive. This definitely made me look up more works by this author that I plan to dive into.

Not for me

I bought this because this book got a nebula nomination. But after tolerating it for an hour, I couldn't continue. The story wasn't making much sense. The writing style and the narration accent requires you to pay undivided attention to it, and even then I missed what was happening. I read the ebook along with it and even then it was extremely boring. Abandoning it.

good YA story, but distracting narration

The story was decent, and seemed like it would appeal especially to a young adult audience.

But I didn't like the narration at all. The actor tried to give the characters distinct voices, but it just fell short. The voice for the girl from New Orleans didn't sound at all like anyone from Louisiana. The voice for the airship captain from Haiti sounded like a caricature of a Haitian. Her imitation of a Cajun was way off the mark. I think it would've worked better if she just read the whole thing in her natural voice, or if someone else read it - maybe someone from Louisiana who knows better how all these different people sound.

I'm anticipating the movie

I fell in love with the characters. This book has been on my TBR shelf for awhile now and I decided to go ahead and see what all the hype was about.

It probably wasn't the best idea to read it after re-reading a beloved series but it's too late to go back in time. It was initially hard to grasp the worldview after reading worldviews based so closely on colonized societies worldviews. After I was able to let go of my preconceived expectations I fell in love with the MC and her strength. The secondary characters were colorful enough to enhance the story and to suggest ideas for other stories to explore at a later time. I can't wait to learn more about our MC and her future adventures.

A dazzling adventure in an alternate New Orleans

Another lovely little steampunk gem from P. Djeli Clark. I'm eagerly awaiting his forthcoming longer works, including a return to his historical fantasy Cairo. This novella takes place in an alternate history New Orleans, a free territory where people of all races can mingle peacefully. However, outside the city the country has split into Union and Confederate states, with an uneasy armistice in place.

Clark's worlds are places where people of color have an equal say in how things are run. He's also unusually skilled at writing female characters. Creeper, a street girl with a Nigerian storm goddess living inside her head, and Anne-Marie, an airship captain, are the main characters here, along with a pair of delightful minor characters - informer nuns who know everything that's going on inside the city. Put them together with vengeful Confederates, terrifying skull apparitions and a foray into a drowned Dead City in the swamps, and you have the ingredients for a rip-roaring yarn.

Amazing just Amazing

This book has everything unlikely friendships. Yoruba Goddess and all the beauty in New Orleans.

Great read

I don't usually like short stories but a lot was accomplished in four hours. I love it when a book draws me in. Writer and narrator are awesome. Thanks for the entertainment ❤

Luhd! That accented flavuh!

This YA story features steampunk airships and gas masks, but this is no Romulus Buckle or Aeronaut’s Windlass. Steampunk is secondary to the New Orleans, Haitian goddess vibe. For all of these features, however, the writing paints only broad brushstrokes. Thank goodness for the narrator’s excellent use of accents and emotion to fill in between the lines with vibrant color. Multiple unique, strong women and girls, including my favorite swamp rat, Hannah, all portrayed with grit and gusto.

While the atmosphere is strong, the plot and dialogue could have used some beefing up. The bad guys and motivations were a little one-note. Any violence and death is on the indirect, made for TV end.
As is, the story was fun to listen to, but won’t stick with me. It almost felt like this would have played better as a voodoo fable at half the length of this novella.

YA recommendation

Entertaining at best. Didn't love it and didn't dislike it. Read like a YA book.

Encore!

I want to see a full length novel, or better yet a series, following up on these characters. Fantastic world-building, a great cast of characters, and beautiful narration. Don't stop now!

great short story

voice acting was brilliant and added atmosphere. this short story can be read in one day but has so much going on.