Reviews

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

missjaycee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

rach_reads_books's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jmm3rs's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Finally, a fantasy book whose language is up to the task. Extraordinary worlds and workings, in a style that coyly moves among events like a myth unfolding and distorting in real time.

mdelao630's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

jcurtis86's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

graysand's review against another edition

There are two options: 1. I am too stupid for this book 2. I am currently unable to give this book the attention it needs while my country co-sponsors genocide. I will try to pick this up again when I am able to focus better.

ebgat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bluumage's review against another edition

2.0

Interesting things happen but I had a very hard time following what was going on in this book. Many times I got lost and could not figure out who was speaking. Lots of things had no explanation and were just confusing like the whole bit with the grandfather.

rat7115's review against another edition

3.0

this was a MONSTER but i'm a slut for a found family trope

jpraska006's review against another edition

5.0

This is a tough book to describe. It's challenging - especially at first - to really grasp. The prose is both flowery and lyrical, yet also vulgar and sometimes shamelessly witty. It's fantastical, darkly funny, and at times quite moving, yet also unyieldingly nihilistic, grim and downright disturbing. 

All in all it's an absolutely wild and imaginative ride. The characters are all memorable and intensely fascinating, the settings are vivid, and the monsters and creatures that we meet - both from the mind of Marlon James and drawn from African mythologies - are both awe-inspiring and grotesquely menacing. 

My instinct is to say this isn't a fun book because of how dark it can get, but I'd by lying if I said that I didn't have a good time reading it (while also experiencing a very wide range of different emotions, of course). I certainly don't want to live in the world of Tracker, the Leopard, Sogolon and the rest of the so-called 'fellowship,' but I'm absolutely certain I'll revisit it when James returns to it for the sequel!