The second book will be told from the perspective of the Sogolon, the Moon Witch who is also part of the group, and will tell the story (as well as hopefully fill in a lot of missing pieces) from her perspective. By the end the boy is dead (that's not a spoiler, that's literally the first line of the book). He along with a group of others are employed to find a missing boy, abducted three years earlier. The framing device has Tracker in prison, relaying his story to an unseen Inquisitor. Given a scent, he can track anyone, anywhere, even across a continent. The first book is told from the perspective of the Tracker, a man 'with a nose' (and also a mouth). The conceit of the trilogy (Book 2 comes out in March), is a story told from three different perspectives, Rashomon-style.

I read a comment saying that this book teaches you how to read it as you go along, and that is definitely true. However on the second readthrough, it was like a light switched on and I was hooked.

It is densely plotted, written in a confusing stories-within-stories-within-stories style, and if you are not familiar with African myths and legend, many of the terms used may have you reaching for Wikipedia (shades of an unapologetic Gene Wolfe, there). I must admit I struggled with this book the first time through. Part adventure tale, part chronicle of an indomitable woman who bows to no man, it is a fascinating novel that explores power, personality, and the places where they overlap.With the upcoming release of the second book of the Dark Star Trilogy, I thought I would re-read the first book again.

It takes brains and courage to challenge him, which Sogolon does for reasons of her own.īoth a brilliant narrative device–seeing the story told in Black Leopard, Red Wolf from the perspective of an adversary and a woman–as well as a fascinating battle between different versions of empire, Moon Witch, Spider King delves into Sogolon’s world as she fights to tell her own story. It is said that Aesi works so closely with the king that together they are like the eight limbs of one spider. It’s also the story of a century-long feud–seen through the eyes of a 177-year-old witch–that Sogolon had with the Aesi, chancellor to the king. In Moon Witch, Spider King, Sogolon takes center stage and gives her own account of what happened to the boy, and how she plotted and fought, triumphed and failed as she looked for him. In Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Sogolon the Moon Witch proved a worthy adversary to Tracker as they clashed across a mythical African landscape in search of a mysterious boy who disappeared.

Marlon james trilogy