If you were captivated by the way Lovecraft Country intertwines eldritch horror with 1950s American racism, you'll love The Ballad of Black Tom. Victor LaValle reimagines Lovecraftian mythos through the eyes of Charles Thomas Tester, a street musician in 1920s Harlem who becomes entangled in supernatural forces and systemic injustice. It's a chilling, subversive take that deepens the horror by rooting it in real social history.

Did you enjoy following Atticus, Letitia, and their family as they each took center stage? In The City We Became, New York’s boroughs come alive as avatars—each with a unique voice and background—banding together against a surreal, otherworldly enemy threatening their city. Jemisin’s cast is as dynamic and varied as Ruff’s, with each character’s perspective adding depth to the battle for survival.

If you were gripped by Lovecraft Country's blend of supernatural horror and pointed social critique, Ring Shout delivers a similar punch. Maryse Boudreaux hunts literal monsters in 1922 Georgia—creatures spawned by the hate of the Ku Klux Klan. The novel’s monsters are both metaphoric and terrifyingly real, much like the unseen horrors lurking behind the racism faced by Ruff’s characters.

If you were drawn to the alternate history aspects of Lovecraft Country, where reality is tinged with the fantastic, The Underground Railroad offers a powerful reimagining. Whitehead literalizes the Underground Railroad as an actual subterranean train, following Cora’s harrowing escape from slavery through a shifting, sometimes surreal landscape. The speculative elements heighten the emotional and historical impact, much as they do in Ruff’s novel.

If the unexpected twists and genre-bending mysteries of Lovecraft Country kept you hooked, White Tears will do the same. When two white music collectors accidentally unleash a ghostly force tied to the blues and America’s legacy of racial violence, they’re drawn into a chilling supernatural conspiracy. The novel’s blend of noir, horror, and social commentary echoes the unpredictable journey through Ruff’s haunted America.