At Lit Hub she tagged ten books for fans of Sinners, the 2025 American musical horror film produced, written, and directed by Ryan Coogler. One title on the list:
Victor LaValle’s The Ballad of Black TomRead about another entry on the list.
LaValle is one of our strongest literary horror writers. The way he braids genres and subverts and honors magical tropes is consistently surprising. This disquieting Jazz Age tale follows a hustling musician who awakens a beast when he “delivers an occult tome to a reclusive sorceress in the heart of Queens.” Expect Black magic.
The Ballad of Black Tom is among Chase Dearinger's seven horror titles where the setting is a monster and Colleen Kinder's ten titles about chance encounters with strangers.
--Marshal Zeringue
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