Celestial | The Black God's Drums

The Black God's Drums

P. Djèlí Clark

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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

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Posts about this title from Celestial

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 10

disabled rep in SFF!

💭 do you have a favorite science fiction or fantasy story with disabled representation?

i love talking about books with disabled characters whenever i can! sometimes their disability is central to the plot & sometimes it’s just casually incorporated as part of their character, and both choices are great (we need both!!).

📚 books mentioned: - Warm-Blooded by J Greene - The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark - Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman - Junker Seven by Olive J. Kelley

👗💄: - dress is from Fanm Mon, rented from Nuuly - eyeshadow is Ellis Atlantis Palette from Blend Bunny Cosmetics and The Spring Symphony Palette from Dandy Lion Cosmetics - eyeshadow shimmer is Whisper from Ourbella Cosmetics - lip is EmpowerGloss Ultra-Glossy Lip Serum (Liliana) from Thrive Causemetics - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Ingram, Tordotcom, and Inkyard Press/HarperCollins for the gifted copies!

#disabledbooks #fantasybooks #scifibooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @ingramsparkbooks @tordotcompub @torbooks @inkyardpress @harpercollins @fanmmon @blendbunnycosmetics @dandylionsco @ourbella.us @thrivecausemetics

fantasy books • science fiction books • books with disabled characters • books by disabled authors • disability representation in literature • disabled fantasy characters • disabled sci fi charactres • diverse books

4 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 16 2025

what’s your favorite sci fi sub genre? science fiction books for lifeeee!!

📚 books mentioned: - The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente - Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon - The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei - This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - The Unmapping by Denise S. Robbins - Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - Kindred by Octavia Butler - The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark - The Seep by Chana Porter - Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson - The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart - Sunrise: Radiant Stories by Erika Kobayashi

thank you to Pantheon, Flatiron, Bindery, and Astra House for the gifted copies!

#scifibooks #sciencefictionbooks #scifibookrecs #sciencefictionbookrecs #bestsciencefiction #FlatironPartner #binderybooks #celestial #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @tordotcompub @pantheonbooks @akashicbooks @flatiron_books @sagapressbooks @bindery_books @torbooks @beaconpress @titanbooks @delreybooks @ballantinebooks @astrahousebooks

13 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Dec 5 2024

book gifts for sci fi lovers

book recs to gift your sci fi loving reader friends!

📚 books mentioned: - The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei - The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson - The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark - The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar - Singer Distance by Ethan Chatagnier - Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente - The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart

#scifibooks #scifibookrecs #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram

8 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 18 2024

novella recs

short books for reading slumps (like mine currently 😔)! i think any of these novella picks will help spark your reading love again.

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 20 2024

one star reviews of books i loved!

which one convinced you the most? 😉

9 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

The Gremlin’s Library\ \ Eerie (they/them)\ \ • Mar 26

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February Reading Wrap-Up

I’m a tad behind but at least I’m posting it. I had a fun February, but damn we’re there a lot of DNFs 😅

What was your favorite book you read in February?

#bookstagram #fantasybooks #monsterromance #scifibooks #horrorbooks

18 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 10

disabled rep in SFF!

💭 do you have a favorite science fiction or fantasy story with disabled representation?

📚 books mentioned: - Warm-Blooded by J Greene - The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark - Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman - Junker Seven by Olive J. Kelley

thank you to Ingram, Tordotcom, and Inkyard Press/HarperCollins for the gifted copies!

4 books

Fairly Queer Books\ \ Fareeha\ \ • Jan 14

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Book Club is Back !

Comic Cove Book Club 2026 Calendar

12 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 16 2025

what’s your favorite sci fi sub genre? science fiction books for lifeeee!!

thank you to Pantheon, Flatiron, Bindery, and Astra House for the gifted copies!

13 books

Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Mar 11 2025

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Black Books I Rarely See Recommended on TikTok

Have you read any of these? #booktok #blackbooktok #blackbooks #blackbooktoker #blackhistorymonth

5 books

Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Mar 11 2025

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12 Black Fantasy Book Recommendations

Repost for BHM! Books listed: Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko The Black God’s Drums by P.Djeli Clark Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron The Monsters We Defy by L. Penelope Legendborn by Tracy Deonn The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson The Final Strife by Saara el-Arifi Faebound by Saara el-Arifi Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye (only one I haven’t read yet!) #booktok #blackbooktok #blackbooks #fantasy #blackhistorymonth

11 books

Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Feb 26 2025

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\ \ Looking for something small but mighty? Here are 3 novellas I read in January 😉\ \ A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers \ \ Wow! This book is really beautiful. It’s slow-going, at first, because we need space to get to know Dex and their world. I think that the conversations between Dex and Mosscap hit this wonderful cross-section between humorous, reflective, emotional, and grounding.\ \ There are so many quotes that I loved but I think the message that affected me the most was about purpose. I’m not gonna share what exactly, as I don’t wanna spoil it for y’all!\ \ Also a heads-up, the adventure with the robot doesn’t begin until halfway through the book so you’ve gotta be patient! This is the first in a series.\ \ The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark \ \ This is a mysterious & kinda cute YA speculative fiction book. It has a sort of steampunk vibe & takes place in a version of the U.S. where the Confederacy doesn’t lose the war. However, this is done well as it imagines New Orleans as even more connected to Haiti & Yoruba gods. The MC is headstrong which is always needed in an adventure like this. Her story is filled with spy craft, powerful women, & love of her city.\ \ I enjoyed this book but would have loved a bit more character-building for the MC. The audiobook narrator also pronounces New Orleans differently than I’ve heard natives say it. This was distracting, at times.\ \ In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran \ \ I am hooked! In The Shadow Of The Fall is a story about belonging, secrets, and faith. Despite this being so short, I felt fully immersed and invested in Ashâke’s journey. She has longed to be with her peers as a priestess and feels like something must be wrong with her if the orisha have yet to contact her. The pacing of this book starts off a little bit slow, builds some intrigue and then picks up speed towards the end. I’m assuming that is because the second book is meant to bring the action. I’m ready for that! I highly recommend this book to everyone!](https://bookish-afrolatina.binderybooks.com/item/NhHAK9dHVm6xysipTVAD/)