Reviews

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

moth_dance's review against another edition

4.0

*full disclosure* I haven't finished this book. Yet. But I felt compelled to leave a review.

I'm half way through. I'm fully invested. But I need to take a break.

I'm reading this during COVID-19 days, and its been a lot to sit with and digest on my own. Thankfully, Nerdist Book Club picked it up last month and I fell in love with it while digitally discussing the fine points of the first half of the story.

But I can't continue it in a rushed, homework style way. This is a book that demands respect and attention to detail. And I don't have that to offer as a reader and consumer right now.

I will return to this book. Soon. And I can't fucking wait. Because this book is the very essence of E P I C.

tiannaedwards's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The book was beautifully and artistically written. But it was just so much story for me. There were stories within stories and things I considered tangents. Again, beautifully written. But not my preferred style.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury

anyajulchen's review against another edition

5.0

Este libro no es para los principiantes en el género de fantasía oscura para adultos. Y la de verdad, la que tiene sangre, tripas, sexo y todo lo que se te ocurra de canibalismo al límite. Es una historia dura, bellamente contada, que debe tenerse como lectura de larga duración entre otras historias más ligeras.

valetparkering's review against another edition

5.0

Ah yes, my favorite type of book: one that hates you.

This books is intense and probably has every trigger warning under the sun but the most upfront ones related to sexual assault sometimes including minors and gore/violence. I don't think it was quite as pervasive as some other reviews but do to the style of narration I think it comes up suddenly throughout.

I'm a sucker for second person narration, here it's mostly used in the framing device

(the main character is being interrogated/submitting testimony)

. I love the quipiness and small moments of humor. Tracker feels like a whole person with complicated emotions and I love his relationship with the Leopard and Mossi.

A lot of other reviews talk about the misogyny and while it is present, I think this is a case of depiction not endorsement. Like the text is trying to talk about this issue. Tracker is confronted several times about how silly it is to assume every woman is a witch and how he's blatantly blaming all women for his bad experiences with his mother. 

I had to read this over the course of a month to let it steep, this isn't something you should force your way through

sarahspencerknits's review against another edition

challenging 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? No

4.0

bayrayj's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Crazy bonkers bananas thrill ride from start to finish. I can barely remember where this book started but I was invested in all 620 pages of this adventure. It was very strange at points in the best way. The characters felt endearing. The monster felt genuinely creepy and the stakes kept getting higher. The voice of the story didn’t always feel consistent, fluctuating between what felt like a historical voice to a more modern or silly tone. But none of it got in the way of an epic adventure and beautiful landscape. Highly recommend for those trying to start reading longer fantasy stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Slavery, Blood, and Rape

goslin's review against another edition

2.0

Finished to 75%

Simply couldn’t press through. On one hand not for me. On another hand like you’ll read with others, incredibly strong content and some that questionable artistically.

Consider other reviews before diving in. I don’t dislike James’ style overall and what he tried to accomplish.

I may pick up Brief History at some point to round out a take on this author for me.

lfitzmaurice's review against another edition

1.0

Just not for me.

sonanomander's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

motherofladybirds's review against another edition

3.0

I read this at halloween because it is fantasy horror. The fantasy element was very gritty and immersive, based on African folklore. There was violence, sexual violence, child abuse and body horror, so no more or less than Greek myth or European fairy tales. I enjoyed the supernatural elements and the snarky interactions of the characters. I felt for Tracker on his chaotic journey. However, it was the chaotic nature of the story that I struggled with. The author did explain this and I understand that a narrative is a coherent but false presentation of life and life is messy and usually lacks overall purpose. Despite this, I was still constantly searching for that arc of meaning.