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The Black God's Drums

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
Set in an alternate New Orleans during the American Civil War, The Black God's Drums follows Creeper, a daring wall-scaling girl who dreams of escaping the streets by joining the airship Midnight Robber. She seeks to gain the trust of Captain Ann-Marie by uncovering secrets about a Haitian scientist and his weapon, the Black God's Drums. Complicating matters, the orisha Oya, goddess of wind and storms, speaks within Creeper, drawing them all into a dangerous mission to prevent the weapon's devastating release.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$1999

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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?

Ideal for readers of imaginative sci-fi and fantasy, especially those who enjoy alternate histories, steampunk elements, and culturally rich storytelling featuring strong young protagonists.

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Rising SFF star P. Djèlí Clark brings an alternate New Orleans of orisha, airships, and adventure to life in his immersive debut novella The Black God's Drums.

Rising SFF star P. Djèlí Clark brings an alternate New Orleans of orisha, airships, and adventure to life in his immersive debut novella The Black God's Drums.

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

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 on-board 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.

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?

Winner of the 2019 Alex Award and Nebula Award Finalist for Best Novella

Praised for its vivid setting and unforgettable characters, the novella blends Haitian sky pirates, street-smart urchins, and orisha magic into a thrilling steampunk tale. Critics hail it as a "lightning fast romp" with "elaborate language" and a "thrillingly original" plot that reimagines history and will captivate fans of alternate histories and fantasy alike.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781250294715

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 21 August 2018

Country: United States

Imprint: St Martin's Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 11.0mm

Width: 207.0mm

Height: 130.0mm

Weight: 128g

Pages: 128

About the Author

Born in New York and raised mostly in Houston, P. Djeli Clark spent the formative years of his life in the homeland of his parents, Trinidad and Tobago. His writing has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Lightspeed, Tor.com and in print anthologies including Griots I & II, Steamfunk, Myriad Lands and Hidden Youth. The Black God's Drums is his debut novella.

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