Book Review: 'The Black God's Drums' by P Djèlí Clark

Cover art by Chris McGrath

'The Black God's Drums' by P Djèlí Clark, is a novella set in an alternative post US civil war New Orleans, now a place of neutrality where the Unionists and Confederates mingle with the locals, British, French and Haitians that make up the population. And in and amongst the city streets, Creeper, a young quick witted pickpocket who also happens to have a divine presence inside her, overhears a plot about a kidnapped Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon, the Black God's Drums, information which could be her ticket off the streets, if she can find the right person to trade with.

I really enjoyed this. The world building of an alternative New Orleans in 1884, complete with skyships, magic and gods, is really deep and enriching. Even more so as the story is narrated through Creeper, complete with a slang dialect that makes the whole world really lived in and immerses you into the centre of the story.

It's a quick read (at only 128 pages), even still, the story introduces some really interesting characters that you fall in love with straight away. There's Creeper aka Jacqueline, Ann-Marie St Augustine - the one legged airship captain and her cohorts, a couple of questionable nuns, a feral orphan that is under the nun's care, and Madame Diouf of the Shá Rouj bordello in Madamesville. Really great characters that, although we're only with them briefly, draw you into the story and make you want to stay after you turn the last page.

Its an unusual, magical and delightful story that is fast paced and doesn't let up once it grips you from the start. I hope we get to revisit this wonderful world and people again. Recommended.

Available from: