Moon Witch, Spider King
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- Create Date：2022-02-24 08:52:18
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Marlon James
- ISBN：0241315565
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Summary
In this stunning follow-up to Black Leopard， Red Wolf， Marlon James draws on a rich tradition of African mythology， fantasy and history to imagine an ancient world， a lost child， an extraordinary hunter， and a mystery with many answers。。。
Marlon James weaves a tapestry of breathtaking adventure through a world at once ancient and startlingly modern。 And， against this exhilarating backdrop of magic and violence， he explores the fundamentals of truth， the limits of power， the excesses of ambition， and our need to understand them all。
Marlon James weaves a tapestry of breathtaking adventure through a world at once ancient and startlingly modern。 And， against this exhilarating backdrop of magic and violence， he explores the fundamentals of truth， the limits of power， the excesses of ambition， and our need to understand them all。
Reviews
Dana
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3。5⭐️ much easier to follow than the first one It’s so interesting how Marlon James tells this trilogy。 Book number two doesn’t pick up where 1 left off but starts about 200 years prior to the first book。It was great to see it all come together in the end。I love the powerful character of the moon with who does not take crap from anyone and just does the things she sets her mind to。
Taylor
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Holy fucking shit。 This book is astonishing。 More to say but—wow。
Ayre
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The second book in the Dark Star Trilogy follows Sogolon throughout her life。 We see her feud with the Aesi， how it started and how it ends （for now） along with an overlap of her adventures with Tracker in book one。 Its extremely interesting how Marlon James decided to tell this trilogy。 Where book two doesn't pick up from the end of book one but happens almost 200 years prior to the start of book 1 and eventually overlaps from a different prospective。 Cant wait for book 3 and to figure out how The second book in the Dark Star Trilogy follows Sogolon throughout her life。 We see her feud with the Aesi， how it started and how it ends （for now） along with an overlap of her adventures with Tracker in book one。 Its extremely interesting how Marlon James decided to tell this trilogy。 Where book two doesn't pick up from the end of book one but happens almost 200 years prior to the start of book 1 and eventually overlaps from a different prospective。 Cant wait for book 3 and to figure out how it will be told and from whose prospective。I love that this is grimdark fantasy outside a medieval setting but be warned that it really is grim and dark。 Check for content warnings before diving into this story。 。。。more
Teresa （tqlikesbooks）
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“I learn to live through it。 First rip the day in half， time to sleep， time to walk。 Then tear it down more， then more， and more after that。 Tear a day into pieces you can swallow and soon the whole thing will pass。”Beginning over 100 years before the key events in Black Leopard Red Wolf and telling the story of Sogolon， Moon Witch Spider King is doused in the same immersive world-building and complex characters as it’s predecessor。 As we trade narrators we get to see this world in a whole n “I learn to live through it。 First rip the day in half， time to sleep， time to walk。 Then tear it down more， then more， and more after that。 Tear a day into pieces you can swallow and soon the whole thing will pass。”Beginning over 100 years before the key events in Black Leopard Red Wolf and telling the story of Sogolon， Moon Witch Spider King is doused in the same immersive world-building and complex characters as it’s predecessor。 As we trade narrators we get to see this world in a whole new way and gain greater insight into the events of BLRW， while adding new layers of complexity。 I found I could enjoy this book more than BLRW because I could understand more about how and why the events were unfolding。 I felt the narrative structure was more accessible and flowed a lot better than with Tracker’s story。 I enjoyed reading from Sogolon’s perspective and I was engrossed in her journey— one filled with misery and vengeance。 Another heartbreaking and epic tale set in a vivid and well crafted world。*Thank you to Penguin UK and Netgalley for the eARC。This does not affect my opinion。 。。。more
Paromjit
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I have not read the first in Marlon James's Dark Star fantasy trilogy and the search of the lost missing boy thought to be crucial to the survival of the kingdom， but it did not stop me becoming totally immersed in this ambitious and epic follow up， his world building is rich and vibrant， steeped in ancient African legends， folklore， mythology and history。 It is a haunting， blood soaked， and heartbreaking read， focusing on Sogolon， an orphan， and her traumatic rage inducing personal experiences， I have not read the first in Marlon James's Dark Star fantasy trilogy and the search of the lost missing boy thought to be crucial to the survival of the kingdom， but it did not stop me becoming totally immersed in this ambitious and epic follow up， his world building is rich and vibrant， steeped in ancient African legends， folklore， mythology and history。 It is a haunting， blood soaked， and heartbreaking read， focusing on Sogolon， an orphan， and her traumatic rage inducing personal experiences， her grief and sorrow， abused， living on a termite hill， brutalised， and her transformation into the moon witch。 We learn of the long history， the constant state of turbulence， the powerful King's chancellor， the deadly and murderous Aesi， his ability to wipe memories and Sogolon's battles with him。 Where women and girls are oppressed， Sogolon is the ultimate female survivor， with her own powers， willing to do whatever it takes， she will fight to right wrongs， seek retribution， bowing to no-one， uncaring if she lives or dies in this misogynistic world。 James's writing is wonderfully captivating and expressive in this gut wrenching， unflinching， harrowing novel of political intrigue and machinations， corruption， relationships， magic， memories and truth。 Yet despite the bleakness and grim realities， it manages to be an enthralling and totally gripping read， with brilliant characters and terrific dialogue。 Highly recommended。 Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more
Jessica Rampersad
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[Received an ARC]Rating 4。5/5Plot 4。5/5Character Development 4。5/5Overall Synopsis for the Trilogy: The Dark Star Trilogy follows eight mercenaries who are hired to locate a missing boy。 Nine years later， the boy is dead and only three mercenaries remain， locked in the dungeon of a dying king awaiting trial for the boy’s death。 Each book takes on different perspectives including the Tracker， the Moon Witch， and the Boy。 Each book also reveals what the previous books got right and wrong about th [Received an ARC]Rating 4。5/5Plot 4。5/5Character Development 4。5/5Overall Synopsis for the Trilogy: The Dark Star Trilogy follows eight mercenaries who are hired to locate a missing boy。 Nine years later， the boy is dead and only three mercenaries remain， locked in the dungeon of a dying king awaiting trial for the boy’s death。 Each book takes on different perspectives including the Tracker， the Moon Witch， and the Boy。 Each book also reveals what the previous books got right and wrong about the story。“Moon Witch， Spider King” is the second book in The Dark Star Trilogy by Marlon James。 In “Black Leopard， Red Wolf，” Sogolon the Moon Witch proved to be helpful to Tracker as they come together to search for the child who disappeared。 As book one focuses on Tracker， this book focuses on the Moon Witch and shares her perspective on what happened to the missing boy。This novel is a great follow-up to James’ first book “Black Leopard， Red Wolf”。 The story continues to share African history and mythology along with adventure-filled moments。 Marlon also continues to use great imagination and creativity in this story。 This series is unique and something I haven't read before。 The cover is as stunning as book one and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Marlon。 This series discusses serious issues and dark topics so keep that in mind before jumping in。 。。。more
Aria Harlow
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I hadn't read the first book when I got accepted to read this book， but I was pleasantly suprised。 I was able to read this reasonably well with only a light bit of confusion at the beginning。 It was well written with a good narrative that was intriguing and engaging， a great storyline， well developed characters and good worldbuilding。 I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down， I will definitely be looking for more from this author。 I hadn't read the first book when I got accepted to read this book， but I was pleasantly suprised。 I was able to read this reasonably well with only a light bit of confusion at the beginning。 It was well written with a good narrative that was intriguing and engaging， a great storyline， well developed characters and good worldbuilding。 I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down， I will definitely be looking for more from this author。 。。。more
Linda
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What a brilliant book。 It took me a bit to adjust to the rhythm of the voice， but once I did， it was like magic。 A deep， dark， jungle magic。 This is my kind of tale where it is hard to tell the magic from the reality。 Where the magic is the reality。 Where the reality is the magic。 Brilliantly told。
Ron Charles
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Three years ago， Booker Prize winner Marlon James sliced through enough carotid arteries to fill an ocean。 "Black Leopard， Red Wolf，” the first volume of his Dark Star trilogy， washed into fame on a wave of blood。 James joked that he was writing “an African ‘Game of Thrones，’” but his real target was higher and older: He reanimated modern fantasy with the bones and sinews of African mythology。 The result was a genre-stretching， canon-scrambling triumph that The Washington Post called one of the Three years ago， Booker Prize winner Marlon James sliced through enough carotid arteries to fill an ocean。 "Black Leopard， Red Wolf，” the first volume of his Dark Star trilogy， washed into fame on a wave of blood。 James joked that he was writing “an African ‘Game of Thrones，’” but his real target was higher and older: He reanimated modern fantasy with the bones and sinews of African mythology。 The result was a genre-stretching， canon-scrambling triumph that The Washington Post called one of the top 10 books of the year。In an ancient world riven by war， “Black Leopard， Red Wolf” spins a story about the search for a boy who may be the key to the kingdom’s survival。 Much of the book — a collection of adventures oxidized by the mist of legend — describes a posse that sets off to find the lost child。 Throughout their years-long search， the Red Wolf and his lover， the shapeshifting Black Leopard， work in uneasy collaboration with a buffalo， a melancholy giant and a witch named Sogolon。That old woman， who insists she’s not really a witch， is now the subject of the second volume of the Dark Star trilogy。 “Moon Witch， Spider King” is a companion rather than a sequel to the earlier book。 Its story begins more than a century before the adventures of Wolf and Leopard — indeed， you’ll want to sit down: They don’t appear in this new volume for 500 pages。This is the memoir of a reluctant killer， a 177-year-old disconsolate woman who claims， “I never have a happy day ever。” She wants nothing more than to be left alone or to die。 She never gets either wish。 “Everything annoy me，” she says in her heavy patois。 。 。 。 To read the rest of this review， go to The Washington Post:https://www。washingtonpost。com/books/。。。 。。。more
BookOfCinz
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Some people neither day or night。 Some people not set-out point or destination， some people is the journey…One thing you should know， Marlon James knows how to tell a story and he does just that in Moon Witch， Spider King 。 Unlike the first installment in the Dark Star Trilogy， this book， I found flowed a lot better and I felt I could understand （for the most part） what was happening。 When we first met Sogolon we did not know a lot about her back story， why she is the way she is and how she end Some people neither day or night。 Some people not set-out point or destination， some people is the journey…One thing you should know， Marlon James knows how to tell a story and he does just that in Moon Witch， Spider King 。 Unlike the first installment in the Dark Star Trilogy， this book， I found flowed a lot better and I felt I could understand （for the most part） what was happening。 When we first met Sogolon we did not know a lot about her back story， why she is the way she is and how she ended up being that person。 With this book we journey from her childhood to adulthood and everything in between。 I enjoyed being immersed in Sogolon’s story， which was well told！I received an ARC so I didn’t get to see the map of the world， that kinda threw me off sometimes but outside of that James did an amazing job of world building。 I wished we stayed more in the city that floated at night and was grounded during the days。 I am not a big fantasy reader but Sogolon’s story is a truly one to be read！ I can see a lot of people enjoying this one！ 。。。more
Joel Larson
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My pre-order just shipped and I am LOSING my ever-loving mind
Darryl Suite
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FINAL REVIEW // In Marlon James we trust。There are no spoilers in this review of MOON WITCH， SPIDER KING， just giving you an idea of what vibe to expect。First off， this book is much easier to get through than its predecessor BLACK LEOPARD， RED WOLF; it’s a much smoother read。 Whereas BLRW seemed to purposely keep you at arm’s length， consistently shrouded in uncertainty and abstraction， this new one is the polar opposite。 It’s told in a linear style; we’re discovering and embarking on the same j FINAL REVIEW // In Marlon James we trust。There are no spoilers in this review of MOON WITCH， SPIDER KING， just giving you an idea of what vibe to expect。First off， this book is much easier to get through than its predecessor BLACK LEOPARD， RED WOLF; it’s a much smoother read。 Whereas BLRW seemed to purposely keep you at arm’s length， consistently shrouded in uncertainty and abstraction， this new one is the polar opposite。 It’s told in a linear style; we’re discovering and embarking on the same journey as our protagonist Sogolon。 It is far less withholding and far more charitable and accommodating to the reader。 Bear in mind， this doesn’t mean this book is an easy read。 Sure， James makes it easier for you to go along for the ride， but he does not water down the complexity。If you were worried that MWSK will be a retread of BLRW just with a different POV character， have no fear。 James is smarter than that。 This felt like a whole new story。 In fact， it was an even better story。 We follow Sogolon from her monstrously bleak childhood all the way to the badass Moon Witch we knew her as from the first book。 The first half of the book plays out like an origin story。For those of you who felt that BLRW was too testosterone-heavy， MWSK flips the switch。 This book is more female-centric in its vision。 There are several strong female characters， relationships， and rivalries galore。 Here， the women run the show， they light these pages on fire。 This book gave me THE BOOK OF NIGHT WOMEN vibes， especially in the first quarter of the book。 Young Sologon’s plight is reminiscent of Lilith’s from that book。Expect haunting imagery， straight-up terrifying and nightmarish moments; a better understanding of this fantasy world with all of its riches， poverty， royalty， authoritarianism， supernatural violence， political shenanigans， gender and power dynamics， and survival of the fittest mentality。 This was a bloody good time， pun intended。 I’m itching for Book 3。 This book proved we’re in good hands。https://www。instagram。com/p/CaAesvQL_。。。 。。。more
Kerry
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First， I should say， I'm not a massive fan of 'fantasy' genre novels， so this one had some work to do for me。 I'd read the first novel， Black Leopard， Red Wolf， and wondered how this might proceed。 This second novel answers some questions left by the first: Sogolon and the issue of nature/nurture， for instance， as in the first book， her actions and thoughts were left to the reader， but in this novel， we learn how they were， in fact， prompted by her abusive background as well as a set of other ci First， I should say， I'm not a massive fan of 'fantasy' genre novels， so this one had some work to do for me。 I'd read the first novel， Black Leopard， Red Wolf， and wondered how this might proceed。 This second novel answers some questions left by the first: Sogolon and the issue of nature/nurture， for instance， as in the first book， her actions and thoughts were left to the reader， but in this novel， we learn how they were， in fact， prompted by her abusive background as well as a set of other circumstances。 James is the master of creating atmosphere， and there really is a sense of travelling shoulder to shoulder with Sologon， which makes， perhaps， the reading of the first novel an imperative to understand what's what here。 I pin great praise to the quality of the writing here though， as it's possible to read this novel as a stand-alone。As the genre demands， there's a shed-load of mythical， magical themes， but the necessary gore is something that doesn't feel gratuitous， and is handled well。 It does feel as if there is a bit of an overwriting of the 'women are oppressed， but they're strong' and I think there's room for some debate about the way that's portrayed， but clearly， there's more to come here， and I'm quite looking forward to that。My thanks to Netgalley for the pre-read。 。。。more
Adele Saunders-sutcliffe
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Much easier to read than the first instalment。 The writer took us on a magnificent journey in to a magnificent mind。 A true fantastical read。
seren✨ starrybooker
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Thank you to Viking for providing me with an ARC of this through NetGalley！I am…just bereft。 Marlon James has done it again。 Black Leopard Red Wolf is my favourite book of all time， so I was both desperate for and hesitant about this sequel。 I knew it would re-tell the story from Sogolon’s point of view and I didn’t know whether I really wanted that， I was happy with the story as it was， right？Wrong。 Moon Witch Spider King is more than just a re-telling。 It’s a contextualisation， a deepening of Thank you to Viking for providing me with an ARC of this through NetGalley！I am…just bereft。 Marlon James has done it again。 Black Leopard Red Wolf is my favourite book of all time， so I was both desperate for and hesitant about this sequel。 I knew it would re-tell the story from Sogolon’s point of view and I didn’t know whether I really wanted that， I was happy with the story as it was， right？Wrong。 Moon Witch Spider King is more than just a re-telling。 It’s a contextualisation， a deepening of the world and an expansion of the mythology， as well as an origin story to a character who dominates all the pages she’s on。 Sogolon is a character who’s tough to love but impossible not to root for as you follow her through misery and suffering and love onto ultimately a path of vengeance。 The world James has created us deeply misogynistic， and to see it through the eyes of a woman who wields as much violence as is wielded against her made for fantastic reading。 This book is more interested in the politics of it all than Black Leopard was。 While Sogolon herself doesn’t care for royal intrigue and power plays， she’s sucked into the world and gives us an expansive insight into the politics of the kingdom。 While the backstory elements are gripping and make for an interesting read， for me Moon Witch really comes alive in its back half。 I’m not going to spoil anything， but it takes the story from a simple retelling to a larger statement on truth and memory。 It takes the phrase ‘unreliable narrator’ and runs with it to the hills， making you question everything you thought you knew from the previous book。 I have so many thoughts and even more questions， and will remain on edge until the final book comes out。 Until then I might have to go and re-read Black Leopard Red Wolf…。 。。。more
Annie
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Moon Witch， Spider King is the story of Sogolon， the 177-year-old Moon Witch， who insists she is not a witch。 Fans of Marlon James will not be disappointed: the characters are fantastic， the dialogue outstanding， and the story provides radical twists and shifts in perspective。This story is all Sogolon — her life， her love， her grief， her vengeance。 The events are told in a linear timeline， starting with Sogolon’s birth， childhood and youth， her unconventional family， her transformation into the Moon Witch， Spider King is the story of Sogolon， the 177-year-old Moon Witch， who insists she is not a witch。 Fans of Marlon James will not be disappointed: the characters are fantastic， the dialogue outstanding， and the story provides radical twists and shifts in perspective。This story is all Sogolon — her life， her love， her grief， her vengeance。 The events are told in a linear timeline， starting with Sogolon’s birth， childhood and youth， her unconventional family， her transformation into the Moon Witch， and her relentless search for justice and revenge。 In fact， the mysterious quest at the center of Black Leopard， Red Wolf really only appears in the end， now seen through Sogolon’s eyes。 Dominating the novel is Sogolon’s fight to make a place for herself in a corrupt kingdom run by monstrous men。 Her clashes with The Aesi， the ageless unscrupulous chancellor to many kings， and their mutual hatred fuel most of the dramatic events in the first half of the novel。 Later in the story， Sogolon transforms herself into a vigilante avenger of sorts， defending girls and women from violent and depraved men， and providing her own form of justice。Sogolon is prickly and sarcastic， and she argues with everyone she meets。 The witty dialogue is excellent and brings so much energy to the story。 I did find the pacing of the narrative exposition， mostly consisting of minor character background and complex world building， slower and more deliberate in this volume for better and for worse。 Overall， the violence is less excessive， but be aware that it’s a grim and dark world， especially for women and children。This is one of the most impressive fantasy series I’ve ever read。 Although it’s the second book in Marlon James’ Dark Star trilogy， Moon Witch， Spider King could stand alone or work as an introduction to this spectacular world。 Highly recommended for fans of epic fiction and fantasy！ Many thanks to Riverhead Books for an early gifted copy and NetGalley for the ebook。 。。。more
Martin Paul
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A compelling tale of secrets， savagery and power。"Moon Witch， Spider King" is the second book in Marlon James's Dark Star trilogy， described as where myth， fantasy， and history come together。 In the first book， "Black Leopard， Red Wolf" ， we met Sogolon the Moon Witch and also Tracker， when he is sent in search of a Boy who has disappeared。 Much of the narrative was centred on Tracker。 In "Moon Witch， Spider King"， the narrative is mainly seen through Sogolon's eyes and offers her account of wha A compelling tale of secrets， savagery and power。"Moon Witch， Spider King" is the second book in Marlon James's Dark Star trilogy， described as where myth， fantasy， and history come together。 In the first book， "Black Leopard， Red Wolf" ， we met Sogolon the Moon Witch and also Tracker， when he is sent in search of a Boy who has disappeared。 Much of the narrative was centred on Tracker。 In "Moon Witch， Spider King"， the narrative is mainly seen through Sogolon's eyes and offers her account of what happened to the Boy。 The events of the previous book are cleverly woven into this one and fans will love comparing the two viewpoints。 It's wonderful to learn how the events were viewed by both protaganists。 We also learn more about Aesi and the gods working behind the scenes。 Aesi’s power is considerable and to challenge him， Sogolon needs to match that power and strength。 Sogolon definitely comes into her own in this bookThe world-building of this mythical African world is well done and both it and its inhabitants are well fleshed out。 The imagery is bright and bold。 I found the prose in the first book， "Black Leopard， Red Wolf" rather dense and hard to digest in places - not so in this sequel。 The tone is much lighter when compared to the harsh voice of Tracker。 The story flows nicely and the reader is drawn slowly but surely back into the tale。 It's graphic in places and explicit - not always necessarily， in my opinion， but it's never dull。That said， the book will appeal mainly to fans - I'd not recommend jumping in without having read the first book。 I was pleased to receive a Netgalley ARC， and will likely re-read book one before book tow is published in March 。 Definitely recommended！ 。。。more
Christine
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[Copy gifted by publisher]READ IF YOU LIKE。。。• Gripping and dark fantasy• Fierce and powerful female protagonists• Worlds steeped in mythologyI THOUGHT IT WAS。。。A captivating adventure， gripping you to your core with its action， violence， and quest for justice/vengeance。 Unlike the first book of the Dark Star trilogy， this book has an new perspective -- that of Sogolon， who we first meet as a girl with no name， abused and forced to live in a termite hill。 The journey of how she comes into her wo [Copy gifted by publisher]READ IF YOU LIKE。。。• Gripping and dark fantasy• Fierce and powerful female protagonists• Worlds steeped in mythologyI THOUGHT IT WAS。。。A captivating adventure， gripping you to your core with its action， violence， and quest for justice/vengeance。 Unlike the first book of the Dark Star trilogy， this book has an new perspective -- that of Sogolon， who we first meet as a girl with no name， abused and forced to live in a termite hill。 The journey of how she comes into her womanhood， her power， and her renown as the Moon Witch is dramatic， thrilling， and throws a whole new sheen over the story told in Black Leopard， Red Wolf。I cannot adequately express how I much loved this book。 James is a writer who pulls no punches and his story benefits all the more for it。 The joys are exhilarating， the atrocities burn your eyes with horror， the fighting makes your heart race。 Never have I ever experienced a male author write about female struggle， pain， oppression， and heartbreak so beautifully and so truly。 All this and I haven't even talked about the world of the novel， how rich it is and how much better we can now understand it， as James provides the history and connection between different cities and kingdoms that I feel was muddled or lacking in the first book。I anticipate many readers wanting to read this book， but not sure if they want to tackle the first book in order to do so。 Here's what I'll say: I think this book can be a strong standalone。 I also think it can be read first。 If you are still new to fantasy， if keeping track of unfamiliar names and places can be a struggle， the second book will provide a strong context to the world while giving you the familiar structure of a protagonist's journey to stand on。 If you want more of a challenge， if you like investigating how the puzzle pieces fit together and want the plot-twist moment， go with book one first。 。。。more
Nancy
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Readers' Most Anticipated Books of February Readers' Most Anticipated Books of February 。。。more
Louise Page
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I dont know where to start， but I will say that this book could be quite triggering on certain subjects。Now I have said that， I will add that this book simply must be read。 There is no excuse not to， it is simply a must read！Though I will point out that I do feel so very sorry for the main character， as I have never seen someone lose so many things in a course of a story and still continue on。 It took me a while to get used to the style， though that is neither here nor there， but once I had the I dont know where to start， but I will say that this book could be quite triggering on certain subjects。Now I have said that， I will add that this book simply must be read。 There is no excuse not to， it is simply a must read！Though I will point out that I do feel so very sorry for the main character， as I have never seen someone lose so many things in a course of a story and still continue on。 It took me a while to get used to the style， though that is neither here nor there， but once I had the amazing world that was laid out before me opened up。 I dont feel like I can go into any more details as I want this to be spoiler free。Just trust me， read it！ 。。。more
BookofElves
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I received this book an ARC， and I really wanted to enjoy it， but unfortunately I couldn't get into this second book of Marlon James' trilogy。I found it difficult to read， and hard to finish。 Part of the difficulty is probably due to the fact that I couldn't connect to the story or the characters。 There's a lot of heavy information， and I didn't enjoy how some parts were written。 Despite this， I can appreciate the world building and the descriptive language。 It's evident that Marlon James is ins I received this book an ARC， and I really wanted to enjoy it， but unfortunately I couldn't get into this second book of Marlon James' trilogy。I found it difficult to read， and hard to finish。 Part of the difficulty is probably due to the fact that I couldn't connect to the story or the characters。 There's a lot of heavy information， and I didn't enjoy how some parts were written。 Despite this， I can appreciate the world building and the descriptive language。 It's evident that Marlon James is inspired by African history and fantasy， and that is seen throughout the book。 The idea of the book is an interesting one， no doubt！I imagine that the readers who thoroughly enjoyed the first book， will enjoy this one， due to the change in perspective （as Sogolon narrates）， and the book has vivid descriptions and goes into great detail。 Unfortunately this book just isn't the one for me！ :） 。。。more
Katy
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WOW。
Cecile
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I'll be happy to just read the reviews herein。 Tried the Leopard one and had to put it down。 I could get through some of the violence against children， but pooping in someone's mouth was the last straw。 So， I'll be waiting for your reviews。。。Cheers to all who wish to be f*！ked up by his （brutal） storytelling。 I'll be happy to just read the reviews herein。 Tried the Leopard one and had to put it down。 I could get through some of the violence against children， but pooping in someone's mouth was the last straw。 So， I'll be waiting for your reviews。。。Cheers to all who wish to be f*！ked up by his （brutal） storytelling。 。。。more
Jonathan Hawpe
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The trajectory and spin of Marlon James' Dark Star trilogy is altered wildly with book two， giving us the brutal and adventure-filled backstory of the titular Moon Witch while also looking at the events of Black Leopard， Red Wolf from her intriguingly different perspective。 This Afrocentric epic of blood & magic， shadow & light， power & personhood， just got one step closer to joining the rarefied shelf of challenging， ambitious SF&F masterpieces such as Gene Wolfe's Sun Cycle， Margaret Atwood's The trajectory and spin of Marlon James' Dark Star trilogy is altered wildly with book two， giving us the brutal and adventure-filled backstory of the titular Moon Witch while also looking at the events of Black Leopard， Red Wolf from her intriguingly different perspective。 This Afrocentric epic of blood & magic， shadow & light， power & personhood， just got one step closer to joining the rarefied shelf of challenging， ambitious SF&F masterpieces such as Gene Wolfe's Sun Cycle， Margaret Atwood's Maddaddam trilogy， John Crowley's Aegypt books， and Susannah Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr。 Norrell。 。。。more
Dreebs Lee
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If you loved BLRW， you will love MWSK。 The story so far has followed the origins of Sogolon， who we meet in the first book。 So far reading the advanced copy version I'm feeling blow away and blown apart。 But I wanted this gutting and Marlon delivers。 Wow。 The amount of grief， rage， and power displayed by and internalized by women in this book is written so so well。 So many 2nd books in a trilogy suffer from not punching as hard as the first and serving only as connective tissue。 Marlon has easil If you loved BLRW， you will love MWSK。 The story so far has followed the origins of Sogolon， who we meet in the first book。 So far reading the advanced copy version I'm feeling blow away and blown apart。 But I wanted this gutting and Marlon delivers。 Wow。 The amount of grief， rage， and power displayed by and internalized by women in this book is written so so well。 So many 2nd books in a trilogy suffer from not punching as hard as the first and serving only as connective tissue。 Marlon has easily avoided these traps。 MWSK can easily stand on its own， outside of the trilogy， as an amazing fantasy work centered on women。 Pick it up in February and prepare your insides for this harrowing journey。 。。。more
2TReads
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'Tell me what it mean that my memory is of a man telling me what my life was and me choosing to believe it， when even the gentlest of men can tell only so much story about a woman。 But look at you。' —Sogolon 🕸🕷🕸🕷🕸A tale full of political machinations， deceit， power， intrigue， corruption and the struggle for the soul of a kingdom。🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷At the turn of every page of #MoonWitchSpiderKing， from the mistreatment and violence that Sogolon endures， to the evolution in her quickness and sharpness of tongu 'Tell me what it mean that my memory is of a man telling me what my life was and me choosing to believe it， when even the gentlest of men can tell only so much story about a woman。 But look at you。' —Sogolon 🕸🕷🕸🕷🕸A tale full of political machinations， deceit， power， intrigue， corruption and the struggle for the soul of a kingdom。🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷At the turn of every page of #MoonWitchSpiderKing， from the mistreatment and violence that Sogolon endures， to the evolution in her quickness and sharpness of tongue， is her shrewdness， capacity to observe， learn， and thus adapt; we glean that she will become a force to be reckoned with， and in turn will have a reckoning of her own to face。🕸🕷🕸🕷🕸It is engrossing to see the turn of the machine that is molding Sogolon: the magic， intrigue， betrayals， punishments， and warnings; all of which she observes and learns from。 Sogolon is a character that is very much a learning character rather than one that just exists for the narrative。 But it is her spirit that truly captivates the reader。 Sogolon will fight。🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷All the usual suspects of James' style is here: wicked wit， frightful violence， irreverent dialogue， feisty interplay， slight of hand; ingenious， complex and twisty plotting that really culminates to just suck a reader in， engendering questions and comparisons while revelling in a world that is always changing， with characters that just absolutely tickle one's fancy and are just as easily liked as they are despised。 🕸🕷🕸🕷🕸And yet I am left full of questions， because a lot is lost to the mystery and structure of the telling， whereby important storylines are never fully resolved， leaving the reader equally frustrated and intrigued。 🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷 。。。more
Kiki
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Where will you go？Keep yourself afloat。Feeling old until the wings unfolded。Caught me a long wind。Where will we go？Keep ourselves afloat。In Sula there are two women: one willing to live within certain boundaries and one determined to live outside them。 Sogolon lives somewhere in between， a woman of many names and none。 This is not a triumphalist narrative of a woman overcoming the many abuses others subjected her to in her youth but in many ways a grim tale of a woman shaped by violence living o Where will you go？Keep yourself afloat。Feeling old until the wings unfolded。Caught me a long wind。Where will we go？Keep ourselves afloat。In Sula there are two women: one willing to live within certain boundaries and one determined to live outside them。 Sogolon lives somewhere in between， a woman of many names and none。 This is not a triumphalist narrative of a woman overcoming the many abuses others subjected her to in her youth but in many ways a grim tale of a woman shaped by violence living on revenge's desire。 Yet she managed to forge generations of family and community though she could not， ultimately， claim them for herself。 I have questions about some of the decisions Marlon James made in the writing of this character's story but I am grateful for and wholly invested in the creation。 This is my initial response after a first read。 Other reviews will come。And now the current tellswhat the wave withheld。And then the lightning sangof where the light would land。Where will you goTo keep yourself afloat？Bookstagram | Twitter | The Book Slut 。。。more
Jasmin Brooks
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Better than Black Leopard， and Black Leopard was my favorite book of 2019。 I can't say enough how amazing this trilogy is shaping up to be。 100% must read for anyone interested in fantasy and/or literary fiction。 Better than Black Leopard， and Black Leopard was my favorite book of 2019。 I can't say enough how amazing this trilogy is shaping up to be。 100% must read for anyone interested in fantasy and/or literary fiction。 。。。more
Yasmijn
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look at that cover omg 🤤 first book I've pre-ordered in a hot minute。 I'm STOKED look at that cover omg 🤤 first book I've pre-ordered in a hot minute。 I'm STOKED 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Moon Witch, Spider King
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Moon Witch, Spider King&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft