“The child is dead. There is nothing left to know.”
So begins Black Leopard, Red Wolf, the first book in The Dark Star Trilogy by Man Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James. To say that this is a sweeping novel is an understatement. At 620 pages, there does not appear to be much that this epic work does not tackle. It is a one-of-a-kind story of journeys and adventure, kinship and love, sex and violence, creatures and humanity. Based heavily in African history and mythology, this tale centers on Tracker – a young hunter who is tasked with finding a missing boy and just so happens to find a bit of himself along the way. Accompanied by an endlessly entertaining cast of characters that includes Leopard, a snarky shape-shifter, Tracker unravels the mystery of who the boy is and why finding him is of such critical importance.
Because the plot is so expansive, it is difficult to give much more of a synopsis without ultimately spoiling the many surprises that this novel contains. What I can say, however, is that James has done a masterful job of weaving complex themes throughout the novel. He touches on race and ethnicity, obviously, but pushes into a broad range of subjects including sexuality and gender roles, power and purpose, remorse and regret, the nature of man, and the ties that bond us together. His characters are complex and three-dimensional, each having flaws and strengths, trials and successes, pains and hope.
It is also imperative to mention the quality of James’s writing. The style that he has chosen is deliberate, reflecting an air of the ancient. It requires attention and focus to process all that he lays before you. His language is rich and descriptive, and the world of Tracker and Leopard is so carefully and convincingly constructed, on both a macro and micro level, that I could literally imagine myself set down in each scene. Some readers have reported finding it difficult to get into this book at first, however that was not my experience. (I must make a disclaimer, though, that I am generally a fan of long, rambling books!) It should also be mentioned that some readers have had difficulty with the graphic nature of the sex and violence portrayed within, however James is unapologetic about this as both a part his writing and indeed life itself.
I honestly don’t think I have ever read a book in my life where so much happened. And I’m certain that I haven’t had to “work” so hard while reading for some time. The entire reading experience was punctuated by flipping back and forth to examine maps and character lists, jotting down notes, and tabbing meaningful quotes. Every bit of the work was worth it, though.
Reading this book is an undertaking, much like the journeys that are set forth within it; however it is one that is well worth taking and I highly recommend this novel to others.
Is your interest piqued? Here are a few additional interesting tidbits worth noting, as well as links for further reading on this unique novel and it’s author:
James spoke of this novel/trilogy as stemming from his “dream of writing fantasy that honoured the African diaspora.” This truly appears to be a passion project for him. He is even responsible for drawing the maps found throughout the book himself! For additional information, see The New Yorker profile on Marlon James.
In terms of background and inspiration for the novel, James has stated that he was trying to follow the rise of the Iron Age. He was also inspired by imperial-age Ethiopia, as well as a number of African epic tales. Each book in this trilogy will reportedly have a different narrator and James has stated that it will be up to the reader to decide who is telling the truth in the end. For additional information, see the conversation with Marlon James from Electric Lit.
Marlon James is the author of three other novels: John Crow’s Devil (2005), The Book of Night Women (2009), and A Brief History of Seven Killings (2014), which won the 2015 Man Booker Prize. He was born in Jamaica but currently resides in Minnesota where he teaches literature at Macalester College in St. Paul. He was recently named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2019.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter: “He has a nose,” people say. Engaged to track down a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy. The band is a hodgepodge, full of unusual characters with secrets of their own, including a shape-shifting man-animal known as Leopard.
As Tracker follows the boy’s scent—from one ancient city to another; into dense forests and across deep rivers—he and the band are set upon by creatures intent on destroying them. As he struggles to survive, Tracker starts to wonder: Who, really, is this boy? Why has he been missing for so long? Why do so many people want to keep Tracker from finding him? And perhaps the most important questions of all: Who is telling the truth, and who is lying?
Drawing from African history and mythology and his own rich imagination, Marlon James has written a saga of breathtaking adventure that’s also an ambitious, involving read. Defying categorization and full of unforgettable characters, Black Leopard, Red Wolf is both surprising and profound as it explores the fundamentals of truths, the limits of power, the excesses of ambition, and our need to understand them all.
