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A review by aqsa_ayman
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
4.0
While this book is full of perverse violence, and even though I felt a weight of discomfort in the pit of my stomach for probably the entire first third, as I kept going I couldn't help but get invested in the story, especially when James has such a rich style of writing.
In a typical fantasy novel I might come away with thoughts of one mythical character who caught my interest but there are so many to choose from here, especially because I'm not at all familiar with the folklore that inspires them. The main characters were harder to figure out, since they spoke to each other either in riddles or would bicker in the style of an old married couple. There were many little jibes and taunts back and forth even when a simple question was asked, but with Tracker I did like how it was easy to tell how he really felt no matter what he said.
I really was impressed by this book though. The things that happen are undoubtedly disturbing but somehow it doesn't feel gratuitous, maybe because of how it's built into the fabric of this strange world.
In a typical fantasy novel I might come away with thoughts of one mythical character who caught my interest but there are so many to choose from here, especially because I'm not at all familiar with the folklore that inspires them. The main characters were harder to figure out, since they spoke to each other either in riddles or would bicker in the style of an old married couple. There were many little jibes and taunts back and forth even when a simple question was asked, but with Tracker I did like how it was easy to tell how he really felt no matter what he said.
I really was impressed by this book though. The things that happen are undoubtedly disturbing but somehow it doesn't feel gratuitous, maybe because of how it's built into the fabric of this strange world.