The Black God's Drums
ByPublisher Description
Rising science fiction and fantasy 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.
Alex Award Winner!
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.
“A sinewy mosaic of Haitian sky pirates, wily street urchins, and orisha magic. Beguiling and bombastic!”—New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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D3
Created about 8 hours agokait_92
Created 11 days agoScubatank89
Created 18 days ago
“Great characters and an amazing story! Also a quick read.”Eldralis
Created 19 days ago
“P. Djèlí Clark’s The Black God's Drums is a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling, effortlessly blending alternate history, steampunk aesthetics, and folklore into a novella that feels both expansive and intimate. Set in a richly imagined New Orleans—one teeming with airships, secret cabals, and gods who whisper in the ears of the chosen—this story is as much about place as it is about plot.
At its center is Creeper, a streetwise orphan with a restless spirit and an uncanny connection to Oya, the Orisha of storms. She longs to leave her life of petty survival behind and take to the skies aboard the Midnight Robber, captained by the effortlessly charismatic Ann-Marie. But the world has other plans, and soon she is entangled in a conspiracy involving a stolen weapon of unfathomable power.
Clark’s prose is brisk yet evocative, layering worldbuilding with an impressive economy of language. His New Orleans feels lived-in, its cultural and linguistic textures woven seamlessly into the narrative rather than explained. The characters, too, are striking in their presence—Creeper’s sharp wit and Ann-Marie’s seasoned pragmatism play off each other beautifully, making their dynamic one of the novella’s greatest strengths.
If there is any flaw, it is that the book feels almost too fleeting. The world Clark has built is so compelling that it practically begs for a full-length novel to do it justice.”About P. Djèlí Clark
Other books by P. Djèlí Clark
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