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.