Listen free for 30 days

Preview
  • The Ballad of Black Tom

  • Written by: Victor LaValle
  • Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
  • Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (47 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Ballad of Black Tom

Written by: Victor LaValle
Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $10.67

Buy Now for $10.67

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

People move to New York looking for magic, and nothing will convince them it isn't there. Charles Thomas Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father's head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook. He knows what magic a suit can cast, the invisibility a guitar case can provide, and the curse written on his black skin that attracts the eye of wealthy white folks and their trained cops.

But when he delivers an occult page to a reclusive sorceress in the heart of Queens, Tom opens a door to a deeper realm of magic and earns the attention of things best left sleeping. A storm that might swallow the world is building in Brooklyn. Will Black Tom live to see it break?

©2016 Victor LaValle (P)2016 Macmillan Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Featured Article: The Best Horror Movies Based on Books for Fans of Scary Movies

If you’re a horror genre fan, you’ve likely watched all the classic horror films and some eerie new releases. Audiobooks stand at the crossroads between books and movies, where you can enjoy thrilling horror novels and short stories with all the sound effects and acting talent of a Hollywood blockbuster. It doesn’t have to be Halloween for you to have a good scare. Whether it’s ghost stories or scary sci-fi tales that get you on the edge of your seat, we’ve gathered a list of the best horror movies based on books on Audible to add to your audio booklist.

What listeners say about The Ballad of Black Tom

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    28
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    34
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    26
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Strange

A mystical story of racism and Magic. Cosmic horror and strange occurrences. well worth reading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very good book

has a good mix of Lovecraftian cosmic horror and amazing story telling. it's the first book I've listened to from start to finish without any breaks because I just couldn't bring myself to pause it and do something else

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Haunting cosmic horror

A wonderful audiobook. The reader (Kevin R. Free) made the great writing even more compelling, with his different voices and accents. As for the plot, it's apparently a revisit of the H.P. Lovecraft story "The Horror at Red Hook" but told from the perspective of a black man. You get a bit of 1920s Harlem, some racist violence and a lot of cosmic horror. It's chilling in a very good way.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great lovecraftian story !

thoroughly enjoyed the story, made me think of the Jordan peele series Lovecraft country.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Very lackluster

I didn't really enjoy it all that much. It barely had proper build up and the characters are random tbh.
The twist was weak and didn't really use it's setting or time period well. Though it feels like it would have been great had it been much longer to develop its story and characters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!