The Seven Days

In this uneven follow-up to 2012’s Antebellum, Thomas takes on another slave-reincarnation tale, loosely related to his first. After introducing slave Toby and his seemingly superhuman strength in the face of graphic and inhumane torture in the 19th century, the author returns to the 21st century (unlike Antebellum, which toggled between the centuries, this novel remains primarily in the present) and puts two new players on the stage: Xavier Turner, ex-CIA and ex-Special Forces, and Nathan Freeman, a 50-something academic and author. Although they’ve never met, Xavier and Nathan share a bloodline that reaches back to African royalty and also leaves them vulnerable to possession by their slave forebears who are avenging the atrocities of their servitude. “Somethin’ ’bout having king’s blood in yo’ veins that don’t allow you to bow down, even to white folks,” Nathan explains to his son of the “doole,” or Seven Days, possession curse. While Thomas creates compelling characters, the plot takes a sharp turn into the absurd with the possession angle, whereby seemingly normal men suddenly gain the strength of a dozen and are able to decimate entire crowds. (Apr.)