“ Black Leopard, Red Wolf “ is the first of the “ Dark Star Trilogy “ by Marlon James. The key character in the story is a guy called Tracker, a hunter well known for finding missing people. He has been hired to find a missing boy. What he quickly realises is that this is not a normal case, lots of hidden secrets attached to it. With his motley crew, they start their fantasy journey. Marlon James weaves African myths, folklore into his magical fantasy world with full of amazing characters. The world he creates is almost a nightmarish dream, full of sweat, blood and gore. At the same time, it is full of almost poetic love and power. It is a dark, unique and perfect literary fantasy. Let’s wait and see how the story will carry on for the second book.

This is a huge, expansive, transformative fantasy novel. The deliberate strangeness of the writing & the barrage of unfamiliar concepts for western fantasy readers make it a challenging book to get into, but the commitment it demands is richly rewarded. It is completely unlike any book I've read, fully inhabiting the fantasy genre without using any of the stale Eurocentric tropes of the form. It feels like a huge deal, & I can't wait to see how the genre responds to James' explosive arrival.

I found this book a slow burn. After battling through the first 150-odd pushes, I genuinely wasn't sure if I'd finish and was pretty confident I wouldn't read the rest of the trilogy. By the end, I was doing my best to find time to read it and I'll certainly read the second book when it comes. It's certainly not a straightforward book to read, but I found it ultimately to be rewarding as I gradually became increasingly immersed in the story. James' style may not be the easiest to tackle - I also found this in 'A Brief History...' - but at the same time it paints vivid, hallucinatory images, rewarding the persistent reader. Having also read American Gods in the last year, the influences are clear. This isn't a book for everyone, but I found my patience rewarded.

‘Black Leopard, Red Wolf’ follows skilled hunter Tracker who, along with a motley crew of mercenaries, witches and shapeshifters, is tasked with finding a three-years missing child. During a journey that will take them through ancient cities, dense forests and creature-infested dreamlands, Tracker begins to wonder who the child is, why so many people seem to want him, and what it is that makes him so mysteriously important… Rooted firmly in African mythology and epic fantasy, with plot and prose you can follow by never quite latch onto, like shadows flickering at the corner of your vision which vanish when you turn your head, this is a tale both unsettling and intriguing. Woven into the narrative are currents of danger, eroticism, magic and superstition, and with definite vibes of ‘American Gods’ and ‘Game of Thrones,’ this makes for an epic and exciting read. I’m so glad that this is only the first book in a projected trilogy, because I absolutely need more of this world and its characters!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is the first Marlon James book that I read and honestly it has blew my mind. I’m a regular fantasy and science fiction reader but this book is simply amazing, different and it will blow your mind. The world that James has created it’s simply amazing. Rich in myth and African culture but brilliantly woven with magic and fantasy to the point to which is difficult to differentiate between what could be real and what comes from the mind of the author. The main story follows Tracker, whose mission is to find a boy that has been lost. Tracker and some other characters will begin a surprising journey to find this boy. From my point of view the strength of the book is the characters and the world-building. They both seem to come alive before our eyes as we turn the pages. The plot is devastating, like a thriller, you never know what is going to happen next, and even if you think you do, the actions will be unpredictable and raw with passion and dark magic. The writing is beautiful, lyrical and dark. Full of details, vivid descriptions and intricate sentences. For me, it was a bit intense and to much descriptive, at times. Sometimes the description would made my imagination wander and I will have to force myself to focus again on the book. It took me a couple of pages to get used to his unusual writing style, as it was my first novel of his, but it was definitely worth it!