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Lovecraft Country

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( 50,704 ratings, 5,955 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Lovecraft Country follows Atticus Turner, a young African American Army veteran in 1954 Chicago, as he journeys to New England with his uncle and childhood friend to find his missing father. Their trip leads them to the Braithwhite estate, where Atticus confronts a secretive cabal plotting dark rituals entwined with his family's history. The novel blends horror and supernatural elements with the brutal realities of racism, offering a powerful critique of mid-20th century America through a chimerical mix of magic, power, and hope.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This novel is ideal for readers who enjoy horror and speculative fiction intertwined with social commentary. Fans of historical supernatural thrillers and those interested in exploring themes of racism and resilience in mid-20th century America will find this book compelling. It also appeals to viewers of the HBO series seeking the original source material.

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Matt Ruff, the critically acclaimed cult novelist, makes visceral the terrors of life in Jim Crow America and its lingering effects in this brilliant and wondrous work of the imagination that melds historical fiction, pulp noir, and Lovecraftian horror and fantasy.

Matt Ruff, the critically acclaimed cult novelist, makes visceral the terrors of life in Jim Crow America and its lingering effects in this brilliant and wondrous work of the imagination that melds historical fiction, pulp noir, and Lovecraftian horror and fantasy.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Now a major HBO series from J.J. Abrams, Misha Green and Jordan Peele (Director of Get Out)

A chimerical blend of magic, power, hope, and freedom that stretches across time, touching diverse members of two black families, Matt Ruff's Lovecraft Country is a devastating kaleidoscopic portrait of racism - the terrifying specter that continues to haunt us today.

Chicago, 1954. When his father Montrose goes missing, twenty-two year-old Army veteran Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip to New England to find him, accompanied by his Uncle George - publisher of The Safe Negro Travel Guide - and his childhood friend Letitia. On their journey to the manor of Mr. Braithwhite - heir to the estate that owned one of Atticus's ancestors - they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the weird tales George devours.

At the manor, Atticus discovers his father in chains, held prisoner by a secret cabal named the Order of the Ancient Dawn - led by Samuel Braithwhite and his son Caleb - which has gathered to orchestrate a ritual that shockingly centers on Atticus. And his one hope of salvation may be the seed of his - and the whole Turner clan's - destruction.

'At every turn, Ruff has great fun pitting mid-twentieth-century horror and sci-fi clichΓ©s against the banal and ever present bigotry of the era' - New York Times Book Review.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Lovecraft Country has been praised for its smart, fast-paced narrative and subversive take on pulp horror. Neal Stephenson calls it "a funny, fast, exciting, and affecting read." The New York Times Book Review notes how the book funnily pits classic horror and sci-fi clichΓ©s against the era's pervasive bigotry. Critics have highlighted its brilliant conception and execution, with Cory Doctorow emphasising its relentless momentum and the Guardian applauding its solidarity and conscience. The Telegraph appreciates the stark contrast between supernatural threats and the real terror of racial injustice, noting its successful adaptation by HBO.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781509883356

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 30 May 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Picador

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 272g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Matt Ruff was born in 1965 in Queens, New York. He is the author of the award-winning novels Fool on the Hill, Set This House in Order and Bad Monkeys. His novel, Lovecraft Country, was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 2017 in the novel category and has been greenlit as an HBO series. Matt lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife.

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