BLACK THUNDER

Historical fiction, with an unique episode as its focal point. The story of the abortive uprising of the Negro slaves in Richmond, Virginia (in 1800), is told in episodic flashes and we get the story of the blacks, aroused by the rebellion of Toussaint L'Ouverture, incited by the idealism of powerful, simple Gabriel, and by a situation precipitated through the needless killing of an old slave, to battle for freedom. The night of the march on Richmond, the heavens fall, the Negroes melt away, the revolt is postponed. It's a tragic tale -- told with some distinctive writing and moments of real power.