Book #107 of 2021:
The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
This 2018 novella is short enough that it feels more like a proof-of-concept for the setting than a full story, and while that worldbuilding has cool potential — a steampunk Afrofuturist historical fiction version of New Orleans that’s neutral in a Civil War which never ended and populated by airships and avatars of African gods alike — the ratio of exposition to action is too skewed for so few pages. Neither the plot nor the characters make a great impression on me either, other than a passing nod of approval at the representation of marginalized identities including race, sexuality, and disability. I’d come back if author P. Djèlí Clark ever decides to expand this into a series, but as a standalone piece it’s a little underwhelming.
★★★☆☆
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