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hagwife's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
This book is insanely good and a read that greatly expands the audience's view of what is possible in fantasy writing. Perhaps the super short version is from Amar El-Mohtar, which described the books as "if Toni Morrison had written Ovid's Metamorphoses"(NPR, 2018). The slightly longer version starts with awe at this beautiful landscape woven out of African history and African mythology.
One of my favourite aspects of the novel is its narrative style. The entirety of the book is Tracker relaying his version of events to an inquisitor, though we never hear the inquisitor speak. As far as Tracker's story, most of that is told through conversations between characters, thus making the book almost entirely dialogue. Given that we are only receiving Tracker's version of events, there's a malleability to the story that is different from other uses of unreliable narrators. It feels less like intentionally diverting attention (Westworld) or subconsciously lying (Mr. Robot) and more so like an oral history. What is truth but the way one man saw the events and how he then chooses to remember them? And even if his version of the story doesn't match the "actual" events, what is to say that those events are any more true? This is a story where authenticity is not yoked to correctness, where truth is not an absolute because people are not absolute.
The theme of truth, the oral history style, and James' use of language combine into a worldview that feels authentic to the world in the novel. While written in English, it doesn't sound like English. James put a lot of effort into crafting a voice for his characters that sounds like a dialect, and not one where it's been translated, but one where the reader has a Star Trek-esque translation device – the characters speak and we understand. Perhaps the last novel I read where I was conscious of the amount of effort put into the way language works and how characters communicated was Zora Neal Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. The fact that many readers have found it hard to read means, at least in my opinion, that James succeeded in writing pre-colonial communications with a post-colonial language. There's that has been written on this, but recently I've been thinking about a quote from wa Thiong'o's Decolonizing the mind: "language was the most important vehicle through which that power fascinated and held the soul prisoner...Language was the means of spiritual subjugation".
I also enjoy how unapologetic and frank this book is in its queerness. We see many examples of platonic love, romantic love, and sexual attraction in all its various combinations between men. These relationships and encounters are vivid and intense; for Tracker, the line between love and hate is extremely thin and are characterized by the intenseness of his feelings, of the time and energy and many ways in which Leopard and Nyka and Mossi are intertwined with his life. And this queerness is shared and explored in a way that honors and explores the broadness of masculinity and how that impacts one's identity and vice versa.
I should point out that for any test related to the treatment and inclusion of women, this novel fails, and I think that's intentional. Tracker's relationships with women are extremely fraught, and though born out of trauma, extremely unfair to generalize, as several characters point out. It's interesting, because we don't meet any women or female presenting characters who challenge Tracker's beliefs with their actions, but we're left to wonder whether that is how these characters are or how Tracker sees them. I'm extremely interested in the second book in the trilogy, which tells the same tale, but from Sogolon's perspective.
This is also an incredibly hard book to recommend. James does not care about your sensibilities, particularly if they are European or derive historically from European ones; he's not interested in White-washing events or making them more palatable. He has built a stark reality in the world of Black Leopard, Red Wolf, one that understands that you gain nothing by trying to make it pretty or talk around it. You're going to be uncomfortable and you should be uncomfortable; it's not supposed to be easy to read about violent acts or intense grief. Most importantly though, please, please, please read the content warnings and take care of yourself first and foremost.
One of my favourite aspects of the novel is its narrative style. The entirety of the book is Tracker relaying his version of events to an inquisitor, though we never hear the inquisitor speak. As far as Tracker's story, most of that is told through conversations between characters, thus making the book almost entirely dialogue. Given that we are only receiving Tracker's version of events, there's a malleability to the story that is different from other uses of unreliable narrators. It feels less like intentionally diverting attention (Westworld) or subconsciously lying (Mr. Robot) and more so like an oral history. What is truth but the way one man saw the events and how he then chooses to remember them? And even if his version of the story doesn't match the "actual" events, what is to say that those events are any more true? This is a story where authenticity is not yoked to correctness, where truth is not an absolute because people are not absolute.
The theme of truth, the oral history style, and James' use of language combine into a worldview that feels authentic to the world in the novel. While written in English, it doesn't sound like English. James put a lot of effort into crafting a voice for his characters that sounds like a dialect, and not one where it's been translated, but one where the reader has a Star Trek-esque translation device – the characters speak and we understand. Perhaps the last novel I read where I was conscious of the amount of effort put into the way language works and how characters communicated was Zora Neal Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. The fact that many readers have found it hard to read means, at least in my opinion, that James succeeded in writing pre-colonial communications with a post-colonial language. There's that has been written on this, but recently I've been thinking about a quote from wa Thiong'o's Decolonizing the mind: "language was the most important vehicle through which that power fascinated and held the soul prisoner...Language was the means of spiritual subjugation".
I also enjoy how unapologetic and frank this book is in its queerness. We see many examples of platonic love, romantic love, and sexual attraction in all its various combinations between men. These relationships and encounters are vivid and intense; for Tracker, the line between love and hate is extremely thin and are characterized by the intenseness of his feelings, of the time and energy and many ways in which Leopard and Nyka and Mossi are intertwined with his life. And this queerness is shared and explored in a way that honors and explores the broadness of masculinity and how that impacts one's identity and vice versa.
I should point out that for any test related to the treatment and inclusion of women, this novel fails, and I think that's intentional. Tracker's relationships with women are extremely fraught, and though born out of trauma, extremely unfair to generalize, as several characters point out. It's interesting, because we don't meet any women or female presenting characters who challenge Tracker's beliefs with their actions, but we're left to wonder whether that is how these characters are or how Tracker sees them. I'm extremely interested in the second book in the trilogy, which tells the same tale, but from Sogolon's perspective.
This is also an incredibly hard book to recommend. James does not care about your sensibilities, particularly if they are European or derive historically from European ones; he's not interested in White-washing events or making them more palatable. He has built a stark reality in the world of Black Leopard, Red Wolf, one that understands that you gain nothing by trying to make it pretty or talk around it. You're going to be uncomfortable and you should be uncomfortable; it's not supposed to be easy to read about violent acts or intense grief. Most importantly though, please, please, please read the content warnings and take care of yourself first and foremost.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Grief, Rape, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Gore, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Violence, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, Sexism, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Vomit, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Excrement, and Infidelity
Minor: Drug abuse, Incest, and Drug use
This book is not written with regards to Western conventions. It does not condone or uplift violence towards others but it is also not going to shy away from the realities of such acts. You will be uncomfortable because you should be uncomfortable.emmasnowball's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I took quite a bit of time to reflect on my experience reading this before before writing a review. My feelings remain complicated, and unfortunately, quite negative. I found this to be a particularly frustrating read because James develops such a promising concept that felt needlessly sabotaged by certain stylistic and narrative choices. I also think this book was wildly mismarketed: this is not an "African Game of Thrones", and readers seeking epic fantasy may be disappointed.
James builds and explores a vivid, remarkably original folklore inspired by African mythology. I was captivated by the first page and wanted to learn more about the societies James constructed and the truly menacing monsters that plagued them. Stakes (at first) felt high, dangers real, and consequences material. The dialogue and humor, when used, was fast-paced and effective.
That is where my positive experience ended. In terms of structure and style, the prose varied inconsistently between beautifully evocative in some parts to wildly incoherent in others, especially during action sequences. As the book uses non-linear storytelling, the constant use of passive sentence structure burdens clarity of plot. I've read that James deliberately did not follow arcs to reflect the messiness of life and topple fantasy tropes---whether true or not, my ability to 'track' the action suffered for it. The characters themselves seemed to quickly lose interest in the plot , which ultimately lost urgency and became an afterthought in favor of meandering side quests.
The most offputting aspect of the book, however, was the gratuitous (often sexual) violence, scatology so ubiquitous it became boring, blatant misogyny, and characterization of queerness that was insensitive at best and offensive at worst. As a disclaimer, I recognize upfront that the narrator is a unreliable (and unlikable). I also flag that I do not balk at including graphic, traumatic themes in literature when done intentionally and cautiously. This was neither.
Graphic scenes of sexual violence seemed to be included more for shock value than narrative purpose. Physical descriptions of objects and people so often included comparisons to bodily excretions or genitalia (especially female bodies) that they became tedious. While recognizing the narrator has a sexist vantage that colors the writing, the way women were characterized was both objectifying and unpleasant. The few women included are either victims or villains, often falling into shallow tropes. While I've read in interviews that James intended to include gender fluidity in his worldbuilding, the only non-conforming characters were portrayed as sexual predators who violently assault the protagonist, traditional gender roles take precedence, and women are framed as "weak" with being feminine treated as an insult. Likewise, the narrator's exploration of his own sexuality includes internalized and externalized homophobia in ways that seemed like they were intended to shock rather than interrogate.
In brief, I wanted very much to like this book. However, I could only give two stars because the flaws outweighed the positives. By the end of the book, the frequency of graphic sexual violence and scatological language seemed like cheap and juvenile attempts at shock value. The prevalent misogyny and homophobia were deeply unpleasant to read. None of the characters were likeable, not in a way that created conflict and character development, but in a way that detracted from my personal investment in them. Since I finished reading a few months ago, I found the positive aspects of the book slipped from my memory while the sour aftertaste lingers.
James builds and explores a vivid, remarkably original folklore inspired by African mythology. I was captivated by the first page and wanted to learn more about the societies James constructed and the truly menacing monsters that plagued them. Stakes (at first) felt high, dangers real, and consequences material. The dialogue and humor, when used, was fast-paced and effective.
That is where my positive experience ended. In terms of structure and style, the prose varied inconsistently between beautifully evocative in some parts to wildly incoherent in others, especially during action sequences. As the book uses non-linear storytelling, the constant use of passive sentence structure burdens clarity of plot. I've read that James deliberately did not follow arcs to reflect the messiness of life and topple fantasy tropes---whether true or not, my ability to 'track' the action suffered for it. The characters themselves seemed to quickly lose interest in the plot , which ultimately lost urgency and became an afterthought in favor of meandering side quests.
The most offputting aspect of the book, however, was the gratuitous (often sexual) violence, scatology so ubiquitous it became boring, blatant misogyny, and characterization of queerness that was insensitive at best and offensive at worst. As a disclaimer, I recognize upfront that the narrator is a unreliable (and unlikable). I also flag that I do not balk at including graphic, traumatic themes in literature when done intentionally and cautiously. This was neither.
Graphic scenes of sexual violence seemed to be included more for shock value than narrative purpose. Physical descriptions of objects and people so often included comparisons to bodily excretions or genitalia (especially female bodies) that they became tedious. While recognizing the narrator has a sexist vantage that colors the writing, the way women were characterized was both objectifying and unpleasant. The few women included are either victims or villains, often falling into shallow tropes. While I've read in interviews that James intended to include gender fluidity in his worldbuilding, the only non-conforming characters were portrayed as sexual predators who violently assault the protagonist, traditional gender roles take precedence, and women are framed as "weak" with being feminine treated as an insult. Likewise, the narrator's exploration of his own sexuality includes internalized and externalized homophobia in ways that seemed like they were intended to shock rather than interrogate.
In brief, I wanted very much to like this book. However, I could only give two stars because the flaws outweighed the positives. By the end of the book, the frequency of graphic sexual violence and scatological language seemed like cheap and juvenile attempts at shock value. The prevalent misogyny and homophobia were deeply unpleasant to read. None of the characters were likeable, not in a way that created conflict and character development, but in a way that detracted from my personal investment in them. Since I finished reading a few months ago, I found the positive aspects of the book slipped from my memory while the sour aftertaste lingers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Excrement, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Torture, Physical abuse, Body horror, Death, Homophobia, Gore, Rape, Sexism, and Child abuse
j_e_n_n's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Sexual content, Child abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Incest
bitter_critter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Pregnancy, Confinement, Excrement, Child abuse, Torture, Sexual violence, Addiction, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Rape, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Sexism, Grief, Body horror, War, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, and Cursing
fravenwood's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
What is this man's obsession with rape and pedophilia ???
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Sexism, Rape, Sexual assault, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Child abuse, Murder, and Child death
hello_kara's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
If you have any triggers, just imagine this book as one big red flag. Horribly brutal and violent. Cruel and gruesome. Intensely graphic and crass. Disorienting and unnerving.
This is not a comfortable or easy read. But content riddled with trauma should not be comfortable. Gratuitous mention of shit, piss, blood, rape, gang rape, genital mutilation, child abandonment and sacrifice, kidnapping, corruption, slavery, torture, dismemberment, and murder. Is the overall story still intriguing though? Yes. Not a book I could ever rate on a simple scale though.
“There was always someone or some two or some three who will grab me like a stick and break me, grab me like wet cloth, and wring everything out of me. And that was just the way of the world. That was the way of everybody’s world.”
Took me forever to get through this one, and I didn’t feel invested until about a third of the way through. That’s also about how long it takes to get to the advertised plot of the book. I was drawn in by the premise of an epic quest of a group of people each with different supernatural gifts, knowledge, or skill, with the goal of finding a missing child of prophecy. The story is told from the point of view of Tracker, The Red Wolf, and is being told to the Inquisitor questioning him regarding this quest. Rooted in African inspired mythologies and folklore, this quest takes them to several different cities, through cursed lands and hidden doorways, and they cross paths with a plethora of terrifying creatures.
This book is the first in a planned trilogy, with each book more companion than sequel, telling the story from different points of view. I think it’s a very interesting concept, especially with unreliable narrators, a plot thick with political intrigue, characters with supernatural gifts and some with unnaturally long life spans. At times the writing was rich and easily immersive, other times disorienting with a stream-of-consciousness-mania. The style was so unlike other books I’ve read.
Audiobook performance was excellent, but with the writing style it was difficult at times to tell when characters switched back and forth during dialogue. I did read along with the ebook for most of this which helped. There are also several maps and character lists at the beginning of the book.
“We don't own truth. Truth is truth and nothing you can do about it even if you hide it, or kill it, or even tell it. It was truth before you open your mouth and say, That there is a true thing.”
This is not a comfortable or easy read. But content riddled with trauma should not be comfortable. Gratuitous mention of shit, piss, blood, rape, gang rape, genital mutilation, child abandonment and sacrifice, kidnapping, corruption, slavery, torture, dismemberment, and murder. Is the overall story still intriguing though? Yes. Not a book I could ever rate on a simple scale though.
“There was always someone or some two or some three who will grab me like a stick and break me, grab me like wet cloth, and wring everything out of me. And that was just the way of the world. That was the way of everybody’s world.”
Took me forever to get through this one, and I didn’t feel invested until about a third of the way through. That’s also about how long it takes to get to the advertised plot of the book. I was drawn in by the premise of an epic quest of a group of people each with different supernatural gifts, knowledge, or skill, with the goal of finding a missing child of prophecy. The story is told from the point of view of Tracker, The Red Wolf, and is being told to the Inquisitor questioning him regarding this quest. Rooted in African inspired mythologies and folklore, this quest takes them to several different cities, through cursed lands and hidden doorways, and they cross paths with a plethora of terrifying creatures.
This book is the first in a planned trilogy, with each book more companion than sequel, telling the story from different points of view. I think it’s a very interesting concept, especially with unreliable narrators, a plot thick with political intrigue, characters with supernatural gifts and some with unnaturally long life spans. At times the writing was rich and easily immersive, other times disorienting with a stream-of-consciousness-mania. The style was so unlike other books I’ve read.
Audiobook performance was excellent, but with the writing style it was difficult at times to tell when characters switched back and forth during dialogue. I did read along with the ebook for most of this which helped. There are also several maps and character lists at the beginning of the book.
“We don't own truth. Truth is truth and nothing you can do about it even if you hide it, or kill it, or even tell it. It was truth before you open your mouth and say, That there is a true thing.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cannibalism, Child death, Death of parent, Excrement, Grief, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Ableism, Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
tlbignerd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
I really, really didn't want to finish this. I kept thinking it'd get better, but the story and slog through all the activities just didn't click for me at all.
The narrator was great, but I really didn't like anything else about the story.
The narrator was great, but I really didn't like anything else about the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Rape
readingelli's review against another edition
Too much body horror and gore for me. I liked the writing style and the fantasy elements but it was too dark for my taste.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Rape
Moderate: Sexual content
bookishkarina's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.5
Hated this. Disgusting and vulgar language that was so unnecessary. Women were described in such a foul way for no reason whatsoever. Has pedophelia, violent rape scenes, bestiality and so much more disturbing and disgusting stuff. I was in pain the entire time. Read something else. Don’t go through the pain and suffering I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexism, Incest, Death, Gore, Murder, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Child death, and Torture
samanthaleereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Violence, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Sexism, and Confinement