The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Clark, P. Djeli. Ring Shout. Tom Doherty Associates: 2020.

The novel begins with three women on a rooftop waiting to catch Ku Kluxes in a trap in order to kill them. Ku Kluxes are former Ku Klux Klan members who have been emptied out and turned into monsters because of their hatred. A battle ensues, and the women are victorious as all three of the Ku Kluxes are killed.

The women go to Nana Jean, an old Gullah woman, who is their mentor in this battle. There they play card games and chat before heading to Frenchy’s. At Frenchy’s, they listen to music and dance with their romantic partners before heading to bed with them.

Maryse visits a man named Butcher Clyde who she learned is responsible for much of the Ku Kluxes’ behavior. There she sees people eating living chunks of meat. The meat moves on plates, but the people eating cannot see this.

Butcher Clyde and his forces attack Frenchy’s and burn it down. They kill one of Maryse’s closest friends, Sadie, in the process, and they take Maryse’s love interest, Michael George, hostage. Maryse is filled with anger and wants revenge. She tells this to Nana Jean.

Three beings who Maryse calls the aunties gave Maryse a sword before the narrative began. This sword taps into all of the pain of her ancestors. Maryse sees their visions and witnesses their memories. This motivates her in her fight.

She has been being watched, however, and Maryse soon learns that the Grand Cyclops is responsible for the killing of her family and the destruction of Frenchy’s. The Grand Cyclops is a being of pure hate, and it has a special interest in Maryse. She learns that these attacks were ordered specifically to produce an effect in her.

The movie, Birth of a Nation, is shown on Stone Mountain in Georgia. The women know the Cyclops will appear there. When Maryse gets to the top of the mountain, she learns that the Cyclops has always been in their midst. The Grand Cyclops, in fact, was the meat the people were eating in the butchery. Butcher Clyde explains that he wants Maryse to let them join her. This, he says, will give her power over life and death because she will have all the power the Ku Kluxes have used against her people.

Maryse is able to realize that if she sides with them, her people would be turned into monsters just like the Ku Kluxes were. She finds the strength to reject the offer, and a battle ensues. The Cyclops is captured, and Butcher Clyde is killed. Nana Jean performs a Ring Shout that conjures the spirit of all of those murdered by hate. Together, they are able to defeat the rest of the Ku Kluxes on the mountain.

The novel ends with Maryse talking to the aunties. They warn her that the battle is not over. They tell her of a new evil brewing in Rhode Island. Maryse agrees to continue fighting. When asked if she will keep the sword, she says she will because she still has some vengeance inside of her. She now knows that she is at risk of becoming consumed by hate if she continues to use the sword. Because of this, she knows she has to use it responsibly.