Lovecraft Country

Published Jan. 5, 2016 by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.

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4 stars (22 reviews)

1 edition

A Gripping Novel About the Bonds of Family

5 stars

This book tells an awesome narrative about what it's like to not only face racism in America, but having to face a bunch of magic men as well. Through several stories about one family, you will see them come together to face threat after threat. Sometimes you'll be shouting at your book about what an idiot this person is, and other times you'll be amazed by the creative solutions they find to their problems. I highly recommend this one.

Review of 'Lovecraft Country' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

What a stunning book!
I really enjoyed the way the supernatural and Lovecraftian creepinness were woven in with the deeply racist society of the late 40ies US in this book. Particularly genius: All the truly scary creatures in this book are human.

Before starting this book, I did not realize this was actually a collection of stories that at the start only seem to be fairly loosely connected, but then become more and more entangled. Great format!

Emphatic recommendation!

Review of 'Lovecraft Country' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

So good! I loved these stories as Lovecraft-inspired fantasy, and I loved the perspective woven through them: the constant anxiety and tension of facing immense, inimical mystery which has no regard for your life combined with the similar psychological tensions and existential dangers experienced by black Americans during Jim Crow.

Told as a series of short stories, or the experiences of different members of a family, with a common thread of traveling for the Safe Negro Travel Guide. That mission and danger is always in the back of your mind, and it's so compatible with cosmic horror, that its use is electric and obvious and perfect.

Review of 'Lovecraft Country' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

Lovecraft Country has nearly an ideal blend of horror and fantasy, with great characters and a fun structure to pull it all together. I came into this book with pretty simple expectations: Lovecraftian horror in Chicago. I was not at all prepared for the extra layer of terror in the characters' lives just from the facts of black life in 1950s America. When the wizards, ghosts, aliens, and incomprehensible monsters come into play, it's often a relief from the constant tension of the mundane, yet very real, threats from police, racist neighbors, and good ol' boy lynching squads. On top of it all, the novel comes together as a series of short stories (an homage to H.P. Lovecraft's story collections), with a fantastic payoff as the interwoven tales culminate in the final act. Great stuff, and hard to put down.

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