Blackheart Man

May 1, 2024

Hopkinson's (Sister Mine) latest is a mesmerizing novel about colonialism, magic, and myth. Readers are immersed in her goddess-protected island of caimans and nutmeg, where books are memorized through intricate musical arrangements, and women may birth their own twins. Hopkinson's incredible skill for worldbuilding is obvious. Every piece of lore, magical element, and unfamiliar word is seamlessly layered into the story. Aspects of the world remain slightly out of focus until the plot demands them, readers are never left adrift or inundated with exposition. The world feels alive far beyond the text, making loose plot threads feel necessary. The characters are painted just as richly. Most of the focus is on the weighty character arc of Veycosi, who is training to be a griot, but Hopkinson uses subtle details to reveal the depths within all her characters. The politics of race, class, and colonization cause dangerous island-wide conflict, but personal questions about love, family, and camels are equally engaging. VERDICT Much like the Blackheart Man of legend, readers will be swallowed whole by this novel and reemerge completely changed.--Matthew Galloway

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 17, 2024
SFWA Grand Master Hopkinson (Falling in Love with Hominids) serves up a rich stew of folklore and history in this delightfully delirious fairy tale of a magical island resisting reconquest. The enslaved peoples of Chynchin banished the ruling Ymisen two centuries ago—but now the Ymisen are returning in force, ostensibly to discuss trade. Young scholar Veycosi is charged with collecting tales of how Chynchin won its freedom, a legend that involves three witches casting a spell to sink the enemy troops into a tar pit. When the boogeyman of that tar pit, Blackheart Man, appears in town, Veycosi fears a deal he made years before may be the reason for the monster’s resurrection. As a rationalist, Veycosi initially discounts magic, but as a budding folklorist, he learns how and why words create worlds. Hopkinson’s worldbuilding astonishes: the isle of Chynchin features its own patron twin caiman goddesses who watch over a culture that freely mixes words and foods from around the world, even as its own social order clings to vestiges of class and caste distinctions. This is a triumph. Agent: Donald Maass, Donald Maass Literary.

August 1, 2024
An ambitious young man tries to protect his magical homeland from external invaders and internal secrets. Veycosi's future is bright--at least, according to Veycosi. A citizen of the island nation of Chynchin, he's in training to become a "chantwell," someone trained to gather and share knowledge. And while the people around him, including his superiors and even his two fiances (Chynchin marriages are usually in threes), think Veycosi is overly confident in his schemes, he knows he'll impress them with his plan to use explosives to clear the blockage in one of the pipes that brings water to the city of Carenage. And while Veycosi's plan works--mostly--he accidentally destroys a precious book. His punishment is a fool's errand: collect folk tales about the legendary witches who saved Chynchin from invaders. But when mysterious ships appear at the harbor, the question of saving the island from outside invaders becomes frighteningly urgent. Hopkinson fills Chynchin to the brim with immersive details, from the oral tradition of the chantwells, to the tensions between different social groups, to the distinctive and engaging voices of her characters. However, there is too much of a good thing, and the story might have been served better by spending more time with one plot thread rather than splitting into several more after the invaders arrive. A magical adventure with a few too many twists and turns.

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Starred review from August 1, 2024
Hopkinson has been building immersive worlds for decades. Her latest (after the collection Skin Folk and the Salt Roads, 2020) plunges readers directly into a setting that feels both futuristic and familiar. Veycosi, a historian and scholar, has the bad luck to be trying to solve a plumbing problem right as unwelcome visitors show up on the shore of his home island, Chynchin. As part of his punishment, Veycosi has to collect ancient stories about three witches to see if they offer any insight on how to stop the island's possible conquerors. Meanwhile, he's got to keep his fianc�s, Thandiwe and Gombey, happy, which is hard when a mysterious presence is kidnapping children and altering them into violent zombies. Thandiwe's precocious daughter Ka�ra is one of the victims. There are so many characters, cultures, languages, and plot points in this novel, and Hopkinson weaves them together masterfully. Legends and fairy tales feature heavily and help to explain the current social and political issues of Chynchin. Veycosi is a charming protagonist who means well but has some growing to do. His perspective is a fun introduction to the island, despite some genuinely scary moments. Highly recommended for fans of vivid storytellers like Silvia Moreno-Garcia, N. K. Jemisin, and P. Dj�l� Clark.

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