Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star Trilogy #1)

I enjoyed this as a book experience more than I enjoyed book itself. I've never read a fantasy anything like it; it reads like an orated epic a la the Odyssey with the world-building of Tolkien and the brutal violence of Game of Thrones, but all in a very distinctly pseudo-African voice and cultural history. I was fascinated by the way sexuality is portrayed (and that there are ostensibly no white people), the elaborate cast of characters, the consistency of voice, themes of story-telling & truth, lineage, love... but ultimately, this book is a very tedious read. There's no way around that. (Another way it's like Tolkien, I suppose... though I really shouldn't be comparing it to other works because it is so uniquely it's own, I'm just trying to grasp it.) I had to reread some parts a few times and still didn't quite get what going on. I wouldn't read it again, the same way I wouldn't read the Odyssey again, but I really appreciate what the author is doing.

One sentence synopsis.... This book was pitched to me as Game of Throne set in Wakanda... sounds dope, right? Nope.

Read it if you like... just don't. These 640 pages represent so many hours of my life I'll never get back. James' previous book was one of my favourites so I admit to having high expectations, but between the misogyny, pedophilia, rape, incest, unnecessary violence and vulgarity... this book was brutal, offensive, and worst of all managed to be all those things but also SUPER boring.

Dream casting... Michael B. Jordan has the film rights, which is another reason I was excited to read it. Now I'm just praying that the adaptation departs as far as possible from the text.

This was wonderful.

It’s similar to American Gods as it visits and explores the multifaceted world of gods and fables in a very profound way. But it is more like an epic fantasy story, but just set in a completely different world that most Tolkienesque fantasy explores.

It’s fun and edgy, violent, graphic, sensual. It’s all these things.

But! I found “A brief history of seven killings” by Marlon James a much more compelling read. And this story didn’t really engage me emotionally to the protagonist or any other of the characters. So. For all of the world building, African folklore and love for it’s breadth of stories, the complexity of story and language being used I give it 5 stars. But I subtract one star for not engaging me more and having me emotionally invested.

Can’t wait to read the next instalment.

This book is extremely hard to categorize. I was surprised to learn it won the Locus for best horror, but the more I read, the more that made sense. It's horror in the Heart of Darkness sense much more than the Stephen King sense. This is about the horror of people as much as any of the monsters.

That said, it's incredibly complex, beautifully layered, and an exploration of ancient Africa that I've never seen the likes of. My book club host compared it to Ulysses, and I think that's fair. I wished often that I had a reader's guide because my white suburban self certainly didn't recognize anything though it has the feel of being impeccably researched. It expresses a diversity of ancient African societies, many more technologically complex than medieval Europe, and that alone is worth the price of the book. It's got an extremely Freudian sensibility to it that at first was off-putting (mommy issues, anyone?), but gradually I came to see the narrative (especially Mossi) calling out Tracker for his attitudes towards women and children. He is rarely a likable character, but his journey, growths, and falls are all fascinating.

That said, little about this book is “fun” (with the exception of some of the lover's quarrel dialogues between Tracker, Leopard, and Mossi). This is a book about pain and trauma and it never shies away from it. Rarely is a book too graphic for me, but this one came close. I'd say, if you make it through the eyeball scene, you're fine after that. Even James notes in the acknowledgments that his mother is allowed to read all but 2 pages of this book (and I'm assuming it's those too. Nothing ever gets better for long, and just keep expecting tragedy. If you are in the mood for a cheerful fun read or if you have any triggers around violence or sexual abuse, do not touch this one. However, if you want a literary dark fantasy that explores a culture mainstream SFF has ignored for decades, this is worthy of the praise it got. I'm pregnant right now and not able to drink while reading it, but if you can read this with some strong alcohol, that might help.

I picked up this book because on Amazon it was described as “an African Game of Thrones.” It had a strong start, and I really liked the unusual mythology, but ultimately I got super bored with it. It's needlessly wordy at times, graphically explicit to the point where I feel it hinders the story, and I wanted to just read other things because it felt like reading it was a chore rather than entertainment.

This book deserved a greater effort than I gave it. Once started I just knew that if I did not (A bit like Tracker, I guess) soldier through it and not deviate to the end, I would not make it. I absolutely loved [b:A Brief History of Seven Killings 20893314 A Brief History of Seven Killings Marlon James https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1399045083l/20893314.SY75.jpg 40236328] and although not a avowed fantasy fan I do enjoy dipping into the genre so I was surprised when I found that this book was not gathering any traction for me. I was ready for the grime, the violence, the depressing cheapness for life. Brief History had me ready for that. However the plot never hooked me in and although appreciative of James' prose and turn of phrase I was pretty glad when I got to the end. I'll probably pass on the next one.

This book derailed my 2019 reading challenge progress and I couldn't care less. It felt longer than the page count suggested, but James's visceral prose really pulled me in. The framing device for the trilogy is absolutely brilliant (think Lord of the Rings meets Rashomon) and I can't wait to read the next volume. In the meantime, I think I'll have to pick up a copy of A Brief History of Seven Killings.

I'm kind of mad I spent so much time slogging through this. It had SO MUCH hype and the premise was super intriguing, so I thought it would eventually get better, or all the terror and violence would have some sort of satisfying payoff, but no. This book was A LOT. “Brutal,” as many reviewers described this, must now be code for “contains a lot of rape and pedophilia and pseudo-bestiality,” so my bad, I guess, for opening the cover anyway. And further my bad for continuing even after the book pretty much told me in the first few pages what it was going to be. And I do mean told. This is not a book that shows you anything. It prefers long-winded, nonsensical, overly stuffed exposition at every turn, with as many mentions of penises, violent sex, and egregious bodily harm as possible. And look, I'm not usually a delicate reader and I'm rarely offended and this is not my first book set within an African mythos, but what the hell, Marlon, and what the hell, National Book Award committee?

I've a contentious relationship with Marlon James. I find him at once a compelling writer but also a difficult read. I DNF'd his Brief History of Seven Killings and if Black Leopard, Red Wolf wasn't our book club pick I might have, in a moment of weakness, put it down never to return.

It was a confusing start - disjointed and abrupt. I couldn't quite settle into the unique voice of the narrator. The bookclub assured me that it was slow going at the start but picks up 100 pages in. I kept going. I found myself not exactly eager to pick up the book each time I put it down and felt it would have done better being read in larger swaths, taking a while each time to settle into the cadence of the novel.

It's the first book of the Dark Star trilogy, the subsequent books telling the same story but from different perspectives. I keep noticing the gaps in the story, places left conveniently blank for future narrators to fill in.

Such measured praise I know. This is a violent fantasy novel steeped in African myth. Not familiar with the fantasy genre I found it surprisingly visceral and bloody. The Omoluzu Roof Walkers are brilliantly imaginative, their intended victims never daring to step under a ceiling again. The Bad Ibeji is pure nightmare fuel, Tracker's experience with the Hyenas won't soon be forgotten, and the Adze still leaves me entirely creeped out. At the same time I loved The Buffalo, Sadogo and The Mingi.

It is a book chock full of imagination with a sprawling cast of characters that inhabit a massively compelling world. Michael B. Jordan has bought the rights to the series and there is much to mine here. But as to reading - it remained a challenge that I wouldn't recommend to everyone.

I respect this book more than I love it. It's a fresh take on the fantasy genre with extremely vivid settings and characters and some seriously brutal violence. At the same time, it never really hooked me and by the end it didn't feel like the sum was greater than the parts.

I'm sure there's an argument for it being the point but to me it felt like - after the first 200 or so pages - you could put this book down at any time and you'd be taking away as much as someone who read the whole thing.