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A review by matt_and_cheez
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
5.0
My first feeling about this book before even reading it was hesitation. From what I had heard, it was very difficult to read, both for its complexity and its content. It did take me a month to read, as it did and should be read carefully. For those used to the western-inspired fantasy realms a la Tolkien, Le Guin, and Martin, James' creation will be something refreshingly complex and new. I'll break down my review as follows:
THE WORLD: Incredibly rich, full of mythological reference that was mostly over my head, but so, so intriguing. From what I understand, James draws on African myths and characters, of which I know very little. The world itself is vibrant and hallucinatory, and also violent and scary, adding to the overall dark tone of the novel.
The setting is both dream-like and realistically brutal. The way magic is intertwined in the story is not superfluous or kitschy in my opinion. The societies depicted are complex and varying, with respect to race, class, gender, species, etc. I also loved the way James turned usual paradigms on their head- for example, evil and darkness were often depicted as white rather than black.
THE CHARACTERS: Luckily James provides a cast list that can be referred to, as I did several times. Admittedly that adds a challenge to the reading experience, but if you could understand A Song of Ice and Fire with its enormous character list, then this should be relatively painless.
The main protagonist, Tracker, is a very well-written anti-hero. He is motivated ultimately by vengeance, and isn't afraid to commit violence when he feels it necessary. His counterpart, the Leopard, is wild, sarcastic, with untamed sexuality that adds to a problem many had with the story (I will touch on this). The supporting characters were all unique and memorable in their own ways. Their stories interwove to a masterful degree, and the homosexual romance factor was exciting to see in mainstream fantasy.
THE PROBLEMS: It should be known that this novel does NOT hold back. It is violent and graphic, depicting horrid acts of physical and sexual violence against men, women, and sometimes minors. Virtually no taboo is left untouched, and I can see why this is off-putting. But for me, I was able to push through the difficult scenes and enjoy the story as a whole.
I have also heard complaints about the novel's grand complexity of language and structure. It does take a good deal of concentration, as it is told by Tracker as a story within a story within a story. The prose is dream-like and complicated, but also quite beautiful. I guess ultimately these challenges did not greatly hinder my reading experience and my enjoyment of the novel.
There's so much more to say about this story, but I will stop here. If you are a lover of fantasy, I recommend giving this a try, knowing you need to be prepared for difficult moments and concentration. I would rate this more than five stars if I could.
THE WORLD: Incredibly rich, full of mythological reference that was mostly over my head, but so, so intriguing. From what I understand, James draws on African myths and characters, of which I know very little. The world itself is vibrant and hallucinatory, and also violent and scary, adding to the overall dark tone of the novel.
The setting is both dream-like and realistically brutal. The way magic is intertwined in the story is not superfluous or kitschy in my opinion. The societies depicted are complex and varying, with respect to race, class, gender, species, etc. I also loved the way James turned usual paradigms on their head- for example, evil and darkness were often depicted as white rather than black.
THE CHARACTERS: Luckily James provides a cast list that can be referred to, as I did several times. Admittedly that adds a challenge to the reading experience, but if you could understand A Song of Ice and Fire with its enormous character list, then this should be relatively painless.
The main protagonist, Tracker, is a very well-written anti-hero. He is motivated ultimately by vengeance, and isn't afraid to commit violence when he feels it necessary. His counterpart, the Leopard, is wild, sarcastic, with untamed sexuality that adds to a problem many had with the story (I will touch on this). The supporting characters were all unique and memorable in their own ways. Their stories interwove to a masterful degree, and the homosexual romance factor was exciting to see in mainstream fantasy.
THE PROBLEMS: It should be known that this novel does NOT hold back. It is violent and graphic, depicting horrid acts of physical and sexual violence against men, women, and sometimes minors. Virtually no taboo is left untouched, and I can see why this is off-putting. But for me, I was able to push through the difficult scenes and enjoy the story as a whole.
I have also heard complaints about the novel's grand complexity of language and structure. It does take a good deal of concentration, as it is told by Tracker as a story within a story within a story. The prose is dream-like and complicated, but also quite beautiful. I guess ultimately these challenges did not greatly hinder my reading experience and my enjoyment of the novel.
There's so much more to say about this story, but I will stop here. If you are a lover of fantasy, I recommend giving this a try, knowing you need to be prepared for difficult moments and concentration. I would rate this more than five stars if I could.