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A review by sidharthvardhan
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
4.0
I liked the tv series based on Game of Thrones but have stayed away from book series - the food for thought and imagination per word seems too little to me in books categorised as fantasy (and they seem to so often repeat same fantasy elements) that I try to stay away from them. Anyway the bigger the book, the less likely I am to love it and all fantasy books are big. GOT won my attention due to its portrayal of underdogs and more than anything else Peter Dinklage's acting as Tyrion Lannister.
That said, the very idea of African Game of Thrones! I mean I know about fantasy elements that make culture of Europe, America, India, Arab, a few Japanese ones and even Urban Fantasy thingy. But what elements would form an African fantasy novel? What is their substitute of dragons? Or fairies? Or Zombies? Because there seems to be a sort of connection between culture of a region and it's fantasy elements.
This is why I went for BLRW. To a great extent I am satisfied. Some elements included - albinos, dismiss twins and other children born with mutations, witches, white scientists (probably from America's and Europe), people who can take form of animals, slavers etc. James' prose is a treat too - full of (often dirty) humor and the LGBT get the center stage here. Personally I think it (and McEwan's 'Machines like Me' too) should have made it to at least long list of Booker award.
The trouble with this book will be Marlon James is too much of a writer to like a sterotypical fantasy author who typically works from scene to Scene in a chronological manner and with a prose that would be unchallenging to reader even if at cost of compromising with aesthetic prose. Thus it won't probably won't win the love of those who read American fantasy genre books.
That said, the very idea of African Game of Thrones! I mean I know about fantasy elements that make culture of Europe, America, India, Arab, a few Japanese ones and even Urban Fantasy thingy. But what elements would form an African fantasy novel? What is their substitute of dragons? Or fairies? Or Zombies? Because there seems to be a sort of connection between culture of a region and it's fantasy elements.
This is why I went for BLRW. To a great extent I am satisfied. Some elements included - albinos, dismiss twins and other children born with mutations, witches, white scientists (probably from America's and Europe), people who can take form of animals, slavers etc. James' prose is a treat too - full of (often dirty) humor and the LGBT get the center stage here. Personally I think it (and McEwan's 'Machines like Me' too) should have made it to at least long list of Booker award.
The trouble with this book will be Marlon James is too much of a writer to like a sterotypical fantasy author who typically works from scene to Scene in a chronological manner and with a prose that would be unchallenging to reader even if at cost of compromising with aesthetic prose. Thus it won't probably won't win the love of those who read American fantasy genre books.