Booker winner pens an African fantasy saga to rival Tolkien in the first part of a planned series.
Marlon James’ fourth novel has already been showered in Tolkien comparisons, but don’t expect a genteel tale of an unexpected journey. Black Leopard, Red Wolf opens as it means to go on – with defiance and challenge, as a captive showers his interviewer in threats and insults. The prisoner is Tracker, a supernaturally gifted mercenary known by no other name. The story he grudgingly unfolds is one of a strange and dangerous quest. It’s also a story he insists is over: “The boy is dead. What else is there to know?”
This story is from the February 16-22, 2019 edition of New Zealand Listener.
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This story is from the February 16-22, 2019 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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