Scan barcode
catsforlenny's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have such mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the pacing is very slow so it's quite hard to get through, especially the first 200 pages. Also it has very graphic depictions of violence and rape and it's very dark overall. On the other hand, the writing style is very beautiful and I grew to love the characters.
Overall I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone, and I won't be reading the next ones in the series but I did enjoy some parts of it.
Overall I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone, and I won't be reading the next ones in the series but I did enjoy some parts of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Blood
annabelreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
mcz_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a difficult book to review, just as it was a difficult book to read. The narrative resists becoming clear until it is good and ready; when it is clear, it's fantastic.
This book has a lot to say about power, corruption, sexuality, as well as homophobia and misogyny. These themes are addressed through a cast of characters I grew to love. Our antihero Tracker's journey is immensely satisfying, and I particularly enjoyed the arc of Sadogo. The dialogue can be hard to follow because it doesn't follow traditional forms for speech on a page, and only a few characters have distinct voices. The dialogue isn't only unreliable--it's deliberately obscured. But overall the writing style is excellent. It's particularly percussive and poetic when read aloud. When I finally got into the flow of the story, I was swept away.
The content is probably the most challenging aspect of the book. There is violence, gore, torture, and rape throughout the story. These are part of the story because of the earlier-mentioned themes, but I think there is room for discussion about intentionally crafted violence in art. Depictions of violence are necessary to demonstrate the consequences of violence, but how many scenes are necessary to convey the novel's idea?
I did enjoy the book and I'm looking forward to its sequel. I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy and classic epics.
This book has a lot to say about power, corruption, sexuality, as well as homophobia and misogyny. These themes are addressed through a cast of characters I grew to love. Our antihero Tracker's journey is immensely satisfying, and I particularly enjoyed the arc of Sadogo. The dialogue can be hard to follow because it doesn't follow traditional forms for speech on a page, and only a few characters have distinct voices. The dialogue isn't only unreliable--it's deliberately obscured. But overall the writing style is excellent. It's particularly percussive and poetic when read aloud. When I finally got into the flow of the story, I was swept away.
The content is probably the most challenging aspect of the book. There is violence, gore, torture, and rape throughout the story. These are part of the story because of the earlier-mentioned themes, but I think there is room for discussion about intentionally crafted violence in art. Depictions of violence are necessary to demonstrate the consequences of violence, but how many scenes are necessary to convey the novel's idea?
I did enjoy the book and I'm looking forward to its sequel. I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy and classic epics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence
abbyleinbach's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I don't think I could ever explain this book to people, but I really enjoyed it. This is not a book I would recommend to everyone, but the story really enthralled me.
This is a dark, unhappy book. There's rape and murder in fairly graphic detail. Every character is morally grey. If that's not something that you enjoy, I don't recommend this book. What kept me reading was the world building and the relationships, platonic and romantic.
One thing I did not like about this book was the main character's hatred towards women. I don't think this went unexamined, but I also feel like ultimately, his hatred was validated.
If you decide to read this book, I highly recommend reading the book and listening to the audiobook in tandem. That really helped me to understand it and get through it. Seeing the maps was also helpful and was very fun.
This is a dark, unhappy book. There's rape and murder in fairly graphic detail. Every character is morally grey. If that's not something that you enjoy, I don't recommend this book. What kept me reading was the world building and the relationships, platonic and romantic.
One thing I did not like about this book was the main character's hatred towards women. I don't think this went unexamined, but I also feel like ultimately, his hatred was validated.
If you decide to read this book, I highly recommend reading the book and listening to the audiobook in tandem. That really helped me to understand it and get through it. Seeing the maps was also helpful and was very fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Pedophilia
samanthand's review against another edition
Disgusting, dense, and pretentious. Was a struggle to even get to 150 pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
taleofabibliophile's review against another edition
I just wasn't finding myself bothered about reading this. I tried to give it a good chance as I've heard if you get so far in its worth it, but I just don't think this is for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Other CW: FGM, beastialitythecolourblue's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Brutal and beautiful. Marlon James did the impossible and crafted something completely unique within the world of fantasy, not purely for it’s setting, but for it’s approach, writing and characterisation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tldr; incredibly violent with intensely misogynistic characters (especially the main character/narrator who has severe parent issues) but a super compelling story/atmosphere with incredible worldbuilding you're just thrown into. Also Sogolon is amazing, and knowing what her breasts look like doesn't change that fact.
Because this was a buddy read I didn't give up in the first 50 pages. Despite having read and loved A Brief History of Seven Killings, I had a harder time reconciling/handling the extreme violence and sexual, graphic nature of James's writing this time. However, it really took a turn 150 pages in and I was sucked in (like many reviews suggested would happen). The violence and the references to women's breasts never ceased, but the writing and worldbuilding and plot really compelled me to continue reading a chapter a day. James really doesn't hold his readers' hands through the novel, he expects you to keep up - something I found refreshing this time around. The ten and nine doors, which are introduced halfway through the novel, are such an inventive twist on magical doors/portals, and I loved every paragraph dedicated to them. I hope they show up again because there's so much about their existence - how they work, how long they've been around, etc. - that we don't know.
I will say that a lot of the rape, sexual assault, and violence doesn't have a strong emotional component. There's so little emotional reflection and trauma processing from every incident, including the non-consensual bestiality with hyena women shapeshifters , that it was only the shock value that stuck with me. When I compare and contrast with female authors writing similar violence, there's such a stark difference in how the emotional aspects are handled. Part of it is due to the unreliable, intentionally unemotional (except anger) main character whose perspective we're in throughout the text, and part of it is due to James's writing choices. Since he did (or rather didn't) have a similar approach in A Brief History, I'm inclined to think it's just a (largely negative, to me) aspect of his writing.
My other main critique is the pacing is a little off. He will spend so much time having his characters travel, and explore the world and their pasts, and then build-up to a key action sequence or information reveal. And then it's over in 2-5 pages. And we're on to the next scene. For example, the Darklands are hailed as big and scary and fucked up (think Mirkwood or Fangorn Forest of LOTR but wayyyyy worse) and then it was a short chapter. I was constantly disappointed that we didn't spend a lot of time in key action scenes, or seeing the fallout of the characters actions.Like in Dolingo, there's a slave revolt after it's revealed that the city uses slaves in the walls and interiors to mechanically manipulate the city. And we're thrown in the middle of the action with very little pages dedicated to it. I'm hoping that some of it's intentional as the sequels are intended to explore the same events through different perspectives. Like Sogolon's.
Speaking of Sogolon - she's one of my favourite characters. For all that James can't seem to ignore women's breasts in his writing, he sure knows how to write (mostly tough) female characters that exist wholly in and of themselves, and are constantly pointing out the inequities and problems women face in this world. All the female characters had great insights into both Tracker (our MC) and the world's attitudes and actions towards women.
There's also a lot of queerness throughout the book. This world both accepts and villifies homosexuality and it's talked about in a lot of violent, less than nice ways. Yet, throughout the novel, Tracker, and other gay characters, come to terms with their identities - however, this is NOT a novel about exploring your sexual identity and becoming comfortable with who you are. That's very much tertiary, almost subtext, element.That said, I was rooting for Mossi and Tracker so hard, since Leopard kinda ditched for middle of the book.
In addition to the queer elements, there's a fair amount of discussion (really mostly through dialogue) of gender roles, women as witches, slavery, skin colour, and tribal/political conflicts. James really packed a lot into his fantasy mythology novel!
Finally, I will say that the final section felt disjointed. The main portion of the story finishes in Section 4, with Section 5 as an interlude of 4 years in verse. Section 6 then rushes through the second tracking of the child (which is mentioned at the beginning of the book) with unsatisfactory explanations of what's happening and lots of missing information. Again, I can only hope that it's explored in the sequels because as an ending to what was up until that point a relatively standalone novel, it was a bit of a letdown. We very much ended in the middle of the grand, mythological, story.
Overall, for those who can handle (or want to handle) *really* dark, violent, sexist/misogynistic (from characters, not the author himself) fantasy, I recommend giving Black Leopard, Red Wolf a try. It's a long read, and there's a bit of work on your end (maps and character lists are provided) but a worthwhile story if you jive with it.
Because this was a buddy read I didn't give up in the first 50 pages. Despite having read and loved A Brief History of Seven Killings, I had a harder time reconciling/handling the extreme violence and sexual, graphic nature of James's writing this time. However, it really took a turn 150 pages in and I was sucked in (like many reviews suggested would happen). The violence and the references to women's breasts never ceased, but the writing and worldbuilding and plot really compelled me to continue reading a chapter a day. James really doesn't hold his readers' hands through the novel, he expects you to keep up - something I found refreshing this time around. The ten and nine doors, which are introduced halfway through the novel, are such an inventive twist on magical doors/portals, and I loved every paragraph dedicated to them. I hope they show up again because there's so much about their existence - how they work, how long they've been around, etc. - that we don't know.
I will say that a lot of the rape, sexual assault, and violence doesn't have a strong emotional component. There's so little emotional reflection and trauma processing from every incident,
My other main critique is the pacing is a little off. He will spend so much time having his characters travel, and explore the world and their pasts, and then build-up to a key action sequence or information reveal. And then it's over in 2-5 pages. And we're on to the next scene. For example, the Darklands are hailed as big and scary and fucked up (think Mirkwood or Fangorn Forest of LOTR but wayyyyy worse) and then it was a short chapter. I was constantly disappointed that we didn't spend a lot of time in key action scenes, or seeing the fallout of the characters actions.
Speaking of Sogolon - she's one of my favourite characters. For all that James can't seem to ignore women's breasts in his writing, he sure knows how to write (mostly tough) female characters that exist wholly in and of themselves, and are constantly pointing out the inequities and problems women face in this world. All the female characters had great insights into both Tracker (our MC) and the world's attitudes and actions towards women.
There's also a lot of queerness throughout the book. This world both accepts and villifies homosexuality and it's talked about in a lot of violent, less than nice ways. Yet, throughout the novel, Tracker, and other gay characters, come to terms with their identities - however, this is NOT a novel about exploring your sexual identity and becoming comfortable with who you are. That's very much tertiary, almost subtext, element.
In addition to the queer elements, there's a fair amount of discussion (really mostly through dialogue) of gender roles, women as witches, slavery, skin colour, and tribal/political conflicts. James really packed a lot into his fantasy mythology novel!
Finally, I will say that the final section felt disjointed. The main portion of the story finishes in Section 4, with Section 5 as an interlude of 4 years in verse. Section 6 then rushes through the second tracking of the child (which is mentioned at the beginning of the book) with unsatisfactory explanations of what's happening and lots of missing information. Again, I can only hope that it's explored in the sequels because as an ending to what was up until that point a relatively standalone novel, it was a bit of a letdown. We very much ended in the middle of the grand, mythological, story.
Overall, for those who can handle (or want to handle) *really* dark, violent, sexist/misogynistic (from characters, not the author himself) fantasy, I recommend giving Black Leopard, Red Wolf a try. It's a long read, and there's a bit of work on your end (maps and character lists are provided) but a worthwhile story if you jive with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death and Domestic abuse
Minor: Pedophilia
midnarose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
To be honest i almost DNF this book within the first 100 pages.
After the first 3 chapters i was just not feeling the story. The sexual imagery (specifically how any woman was described when tracker the main character meet them or the description of cave walls being compared to a woman's body part) really put me off the book. However once i got past pg 150 I really enjoyed the story especially the unique spin of tracker telling his side of the story. I am intrigued to read the next book reading another character's side of the story and trying to figure whos story is true.
This book was a dark fantasy, with tones of African inspired imagery and culture. It was very different and fresh to read once you get past the beginning.
After the first 3 chapters i was just not feeling the story. The sexual imagery (specifically how any woman was described when tracker the main character meet them or the description of cave walls being compared to a woman's body part) really put me off the book. However once i got past pg 150 I really enjoyed the story especially the unique spin of tracker telling his side of the story. I am intrigued to read the next book reading another character's side of the story and trying to figure whos story is true.
This book was a dark fantasy, with tones of African inspired imagery and culture. It was very different and fresh to read once you get past the beginning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Incest
ketreads's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
I am immensely disappointed by this book.
During the reading of this, I found many times I wanted to DNF/ rate 1 star but did find there were redeemable aspects to this book, even if my overall feelings regarding it are negative.
I don't know when I heard about this book, but I definitely bought it during the initial hype. Seeing many people mention just how good it was, it's cool setting, and the amazing blurb really drew me in. Murder mystery adventure WITH African folklore based fantasy?? Yes please!
While I'm sure if I leaned back and squinted real hard I could see the blurb is being somewhat faithful to what we get, the choice of prose really threw me off and was not something I enjoyed.
The author's choice of prose is a meandering mess, often setting up promise of pay off with none in sight. His obsession with genitalia based descriptions and smells was almost off putting to the point of DNF'ing it 50 pages in. It thankfully either lessens as you progress, though I still found gratuitous moments involving overly descriptive text involving genitalia.
The book also suffers from a massive pacing issue that is prevalent throughout the book. I'd often find myself finally feeling the rhythm of the story and characters, and actually ENJOYING the book. Pages later the author would decide to focus pages of content to very specific scenes/ areas which would completely stunt the momentum he had just created. His attempts at character focused moments in time often felt pointless as none of these characters ever seemed to like eachother. Even the long time friends and main duo of the book (as seen in the title: Black Leopard & Red Wolf) seem to take any opportunity to bicker and insult one another.
This book isn't about a group of friends rescuing a child, it's a group of strangers constantly splitting up and quarrelling their way through 600 pages. I kept expecting for some sort of bond to grow between these people traveling and sometimes even fighting for their life's together but then Tracker would go ahead and insult someones entire existence out of nowhere.
So no, I wouldn't recommend this book nor will I expect to continue the series. Just looking at the next book and seeing it's about the Moon Witch (one of the least likeable characters of the bunch) I'll be staying well clear.
During the reading of this, I found many times I wanted to DNF/ rate 1 star but did find there were redeemable aspects to this book, even if my overall feelings regarding it are negative.
I don't know when I heard about this book, but I definitely bought it during the initial hype. Seeing many people mention just how good it was, it's cool setting, and the amazing blurb really drew me in. Murder mystery adventure WITH African folklore based fantasy?? Yes please!
While I'm sure if I leaned back and squinted real hard I could see the blurb is being somewhat faithful to what we get, the choice of prose really threw me off and was not something I enjoyed.
The author's choice of prose is a meandering mess, often setting up promise of pay off with none in sight. His obsession with genitalia based descriptions and smells was almost off putting to the point of DNF'ing it 50 pages in. It thankfully either lessens as you progress, though I still found gratuitous moments involving overly descriptive text involving genitalia.
The book also suffers from a massive pacing issue that is prevalent throughout the book. I'd often find myself finally feeling the rhythm of the story and characters, and actually ENJOYING the book. Pages later the author would decide to focus pages of content to very specific scenes/ areas which would completely stunt the momentum he had just created. His attempts at character focused moments in time often felt pointless as none of these characters ever seemed to like eachother. Even the long time friends and main duo of the book (as seen in the title: Black Leopard & Red Wolf) seem to take any opportunity to bicker and insult one another.
This book isn't about a group of friends rescuing a child, it's a group of strangers constantly splitting up and quarrelling their way through 600 pages. I kept expecting for some sort of bond to grow between these people traveling and sometimes even fighting for their life's together but then Tracker would go ahead and insult someones entire existence out of nowhere.
So no, I wouldn't recommend this book nor will I expect to continue the series. Just looking at the next book and seeing it's about the Moon Witch (one of the least likeable characters of the bunch) I'll be staying well clear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture
Moderate: Slavery