Fantasy

Moon Witch, Spider King

Moon Witch, Spider King

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-19 09:51:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Marlon James
  • ISBN：0241314437
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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。

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Reviews

Drakeryn ，

You think this is about setting right what is askew， disorder back into order。 That is the shit men think， to make any wicked action right in their eyes。 No fool， this is about revenge。 tbh I love SogolonMarlon James is definitely a furry though。 just putting that out there

Marques Jenkins ，

An instant classic。

Mr H ，

Refreshing。 Not perfect but I went through a very fun and interesting journey with the characters of this story。 The gaps book#2 creates and fills-out are nice touches that make me anticipate the final book in the saga。 Now lets talk about that buffalo。。。

Elena ，

Marlon James plays with ideas of time， truth， and memory like no author I’ve ever read before。 The world he has created is complex， magical， and deeply human， and his prose is so beautiful that at times I had to stop and read a line again just to let it sink in deeper。 I’m reading this as a “sequel” to “Black Leopard， Red Wolf，” but can already see his vision for a triad of books that can be read in any order。 This book is a triumph。

CB_Read ，

This book excels in its world-building and in its ability to recast the drama of the first book from a completely different perspective。 It disappointed me with its pacing and length; also， a surprising amount of distracting and confusing copy errors。 Sogolon is a woman， and in the land of the Two Kingdoms， this is her first crime。 She is devoted to longevity， and because of that her personal history is a long one。 We read almost the entire history of her life and watch her grow from a girl who This book excels in its world-building and in its ability to recast the drama of the first book from a completely different perspective。 It disappointed me with its pacing and length; also， a surprising amount of distracting and confusing copy errors。 Sogolon is a woman， and in the land of the Two Kingdoms， this is her first crime。 She is devoted to longevity， and because of that her personal history is a long one。 We read almost the entire history of her life and watch her grow from a girl who is so understimulated and uncared for that she is barely conscious， to an ancient woman known as the Moon Witch who witnesses the rise and fall of generations of kings。 Political intrigue and the machinations of the court are the main propulsive forces of the book。 This becomes tiresome early on， because the implications of what is being discussed will not play out for another one hundred years。 So we spend more time than necessary on the small details because all Sogolon can really do is wait and bide her time。 There is considerably less action in the first 500 pages of this book than in the last 100 pages of it， and much less action overall when compared to the first book。 But the battle scenes are satisfying。This book is great， but in a way that is different from its predecessor。 It's difficult at times to compare the two， although I think that's what's intended。 The biggest impact it had on me was the immersive effect of being Sogolon， a woman in a brutally misogynistic world， and her struggles to assert her personhood against massive， coordinated resistance。 The action and audacity of the first book amazed me; the foresight and rich details of the second book made me slow down and think deeply about this fictional world and how it points to essential truths in politics， and maybe even gender--perhaps humanity's most ancient war is that of man vs。 woman。 。。。more

CF Dracarys ，

I really enjoyed Moon Witch， Spider King。 The first book was very LGBTQIA and this book was about a fierce woman with special powers。 There is A LOT of depth to this book/series。 It was very challenging for me， but the lore and the worldbuilding， and just the quality of the story， was so intriguing that I never wanted to give up on the story even though I struggled to get through some of it。 The way the book is written， it's almost in an accent， and while I loved that about the book， it did （for I really enjoyed Moon Witch， Spider King。 The first book was very LGBTQIA and this book was about a fierce woman with special powers。 There is A LOT of depth to this book/series。 It was very challenging for me， but the lore and the worldbuilding， and just the quality of the story， was so intriguing that I never wanted to give up on the story even though I struggled to get through some of it。 The way the book is written， it's almost in an accent， and while I loved that about the book， it did （for me at least） create somewhat of a barrier and I think some of the emotional impact that Marlon James might have intended didn't land with me。 I read the first book right when it came out and I think I forgot some of the smaller details that might have connected these two books together that I also missed out on。 The world， writing style， and just the grit of this novel is engrossing and captivating。 It is a slow-burn， challenging novel that I think some readers might have a hard time syncing with （at least from my perspective）。 I really enjoyed it though and I look forward to the last book in the trilogy and to whatever future project James puts out there。 。。。more

Dimitris Kopsidas ，

This sequel to "Black Panther， Red Wolf" feels more epic in scope and at the same time more contained and more intimate because we become more invested to the protagonist， Sogolon。Marlon James's prose once again is fantastic and his storytelling skills really shine as we follow Sogolon to her long journey。 The history of the world is expanded and better explained and even though the book is supposed to be the story of "Black Panther， Red Wolf" told through the eyes of the Moon witch character， t This sequel to "Black Panther， Red Wolf" feels more epic in scope and at the same time more contained and more intimate because we become more invested to the protagonist， Sogolon。Marlon James's prose once again is fantastic and his storytelling skills really shine as we follow Sogolon to her long journey。 The history of the world is expanded and better explained and even though the book is supposed to be the story of "Black Panther， Red Wolf" told through the eyes of the Moon witch character， this is much more than that。 In fact only the last quarter of the book （or less） describes the events we witnessed in BPRW。 The rest is the story of Sogolon and how she came to be the Moon witch。 In truth that was the part I found most interesting。 I felt a stronger connection with this protagonist than the character of Tracker of the first book。My main issue was the pacing which at times was a bit a slow and combined with the length of the book， resulted in taking me longer to finish it。I strongly suggest that you binge through both the books， because you'll have to remember a lot of stuff from the first book to enjoy it at 100%。In the end I enjoyed every page of it and I truly believe that when the trilogy will be completed， it will be considered as one of the most influential of the modern fantasy genre。Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for providing me with this eARC。7，7/10 。。。more

Lisa Boyd ，

This was an epic read。 Epic in the sense that it was long and that it spanned a lifetime of the character。 I did like this installment better than the first， but it could be because the audio is read by Bahni Turpin， who makes everything better！ I have read a lot of books featuring African lore/mythology and can see connections between this book and others。 I look forward to the final book being published in the future。

Matt Armato ，

Incredible follow up。 Even better than the previous book， but also less challenging。 Can’t wait for the next installment！

Lisa Bowman ，

Herein lie the humble and horrific beginnings of Sogolon， no-name girl and eponymous Moon Witch， in Marlon James’s powerful latest title of the ‘Dark Star’ trilogy。 From a barely fed wastrel living with termites to the powerful witch in ‘Black Leopard Red Wolf’， we are lucky the now 177 year-old Sogolon is compos mentis， such is the scale and import of her life history。 Unaware of her powers at the beginning of the novel， by the end she becomes an avenging angel （or demon depending on which side Herein lie the humble and horrific beginnings of Sogolon， no-name girl and eponymous Moon Witch， in Marlon James’s powerful latest title of the ‘Dark Star’ trilogy。 From a barely fed wastrel living with termites to the powerful witch in ‘Black Leopard Red Wolf’， we are lucky the now 177 year-old Sogolon is compos mentis， such is the scale and import of her life history。 Unaware of her powers at the beginning of the novel， by the end she becomes an avenging angel （or demon depending on which side of the avenging you’re on）。The tale borrows from Caribbean and African folklore to create a magical realism backdrop for African history。 The political intrigue and affairs at court lifted the book from schlock-Fantasy into the otherworldly Shakespearean realm for me， though others have likened it to both Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones。Sogolon herself is a fully rounded character。 I went to an event （lucky me！） where Ayanna Lloyd Banwo （‘When we were birds’） interviewed Marlon James。 She asked him straight out， “How do you write woman so well？” And I must agree， all the female characters are deeply considered， however fleeting their appearance。 However， few characters get the ‘wooden’ treatment in this masterful work。 It is to fall into step with the complex and twisty world that James describes。And good news， if you’re new to ‘Dark Star’， no problem。 The book sits well as a standalone as Sogolon is unaware of the opinions of Tracker （Book 1）。 By the end of this book， you’ll either search out the first， or be gagging for the third。 Whether you are into Arthurian myth or World History， you’ll be pleased with this literary tour de force。Thanks to NetGalleyUK and the publisher for the eARC。 。。。more

Simms ，

I confess that I did not like Black Leopard， Red Wolf very much， but I have enough respect for Marlon James's writing that I thought I would give the sequel a shot anyway。 And I did like it better！ I just still didn't like it all that much。 Moon Witch， Spider King isn't a conventional sequel -- rather than continue the plot forward， we instead re-center on a different character from the first book， the witch/not-witch Sogolon， and swing 177 years into the past to follow her life from childhood a I confess that I did not like Black Leopard， Red Wolf very much， but I have enough respect for Marlon James's writing that I thought I would give the sequel a shot anyway。 And I did like it better！ I just still didn't like it all that much。 Moon Witch， Spider King isn't a conventional sequel -- rather than continue the plot forward， we instead re-center on a different character from the first book， the witch/not-witch Sogolon， and swing 177 years into the past to follow her life from childhood all the way through to the events of the first book。 The narrative is HEAVILY skewed， spending the majority of the time in her youth and early adulthood as she arrives in the capital of the North Kingdom and becomes enmeshed in the politics between the King， the King's sister （appropriately titled the King Sister）， and the mysterious chancellor to the king known as the Aesi， followed by a section where she falls out of the court politics scene and raises a family。 After this we skip forward by decades in only sketchy detail （also unexplained: why she can live so long） before finally arriving at the plot of the previous book。 In interviews James has mentioned wanting these books to be readable in any order， but I don't think that would really fly。 We take a full five hundred pages to get to the part that overlaps with BLRW， with only about 150 pages left to go to cover the events that took 4+ times longer to cover last time around， and as such that section feels extremely cursory。 If one read this book first， I imagine that section would be frustratingly oblique （and as someone who barely remembers the events of the previous book， I can sympathize）。 As for Sogolon's backstory， I had an easier time with it than Tracker's story in the first book。 It benefits from settling down in one or two locations and plots for extended periods， which keeps things easy to follow， and there's some good emotional payoff in the family-rearing section。 It still suffers from the general problem of being a pretty tough hang， though -- nearly everything is bleak， and Sogolon herself is utterly humorless and dour。 And not in a "what a charmingly cantankerous person" way， but a "what an insufferable asshole" way。 That's not to say she should be a barrel of laughs -- her life is HARD， and she goes through a lot -- but it doesn't make the book any lighter。 And it could have used some lightness; the whole book is a parade of violence， sex， and especially sexual violence -- Sogolon does have a happy， if bestiality-ridden （her husband is a shapeshifter） marriage， as far as that goes， but nearly every other depiction of sexuality in the book IS rape， and more often than not the rape of a child。 The prose is strong， but the story is pretty grueling。Which brings me to a side point to muse on。 Game of Thrones got a certain amount of grief for its portrayal of a fantasy-medieval-European society that hewed largely to the social and sexual mores of historical medieval Europe， which perforce included misogyny， homophobia， etc。， from people for whom "well it was like that in medieval Europe" was an insufficient excuse for reading about those unpleasant things。 In most ways describing this series as an "African Game of Thrones" is horribly inaccurate publicity-bait， but I am curious how much its own portrayal of a fantasy-medieval society is hewing to historical examples in African cultures。 Specifically， the society we spend most of our time in is depicted as being stereotypically patriarchal and misogynist （but inconsistent in its prejudices towards gay sex， curiously） in a "medieval" way， yet the tradition in the North Kingdom is that the heir to the throne is not the king's child， but the oldest son of the King Sister。 This strikes me as inconsistent， since it's hard to understand the origin of that tradition in as misogynist of a society as shown， and indeed a major plot point is the kings trying to arrogate the line of succession from their sisters。 But I don't want to be too hard on it in case this is directly inspired by some particular historical example that I'm unaware of due to my Eurocentric history education。 。。。more

Maureen Pena ，

Couldn’t finish not my schtick

Henry Sell ，

So good to see all my friends again。

Dominic Piacentini ，

It's been a while since I could sit down and read 100+ pages without getting distracted。 I had to edit my rating of Black Leopard， Red Wolf because the second installment in this series is in almost every way an improvement upon the first。 The world， the politics， the magic， the plot — everything — is more clearly described by our new POV， Sogolon — a Moon Witch or a girl with no name， depending on who you ask。 The first five hundred pages build up Sogolon's powers （the wind/not wind）， her animo It's been a while since I could sit down and read 100+ pages without getting distracted。 I had to edit my rating of Black Leopard， Red Wolf because the second installment in this series is in almost every way an improvement upon the first。 The world， the politics， the magic， the plot — everything — is more clearly described by our new POV， Sogolon — a Moon Witch or a girl with no name， depending on who you ask。 The first five hundred pages build up Sogolon's powers （the wind/not wind）， her animosities， and her regrets until she finally meets Tracker and the plot of the first book in the final hundred pages。 "If the rope pulling everything， what pulls the rope？" Looking forward to the next book！ 。。。more

thewoollygeek （tea， cake， crochet & books） ，

This is such an enthralling read， an exceptional instalment in the series， again there is a lot imagery， poetry and violence， the world building of this mythical African world is absolutely fantastic， I found tone in this book to be much lighter。 I am definitely looking forward to the last book of the trilogy and highly recommend this series and the bookThanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Nadine in NY Jones ，

I wait and I nurse my hate， for I am an old woman， wait is all that is left to do。 I am so confused and I have no idea what just happened but I'm pretty sure it was amazing。This was violent， dark， sexy， mysterious， crude， confusing， disgusting， sad， long， and exciting。 It was also surprisingly funny， because Sogolon has a sharp， sarcastic humor。 Bahni Turpin did an excellent job reading the audiobook， but the production could have been better - in the text， there are visually obvious breaks I wait and I nurse my hate， for I am an old woman， wait is all that is left to do。 I am so confused and I have no idea what just happened but I'm pretty sure it was amazing。This was violent， dark， sexy， mysterious， crude， confusing， disgusting， sad， long， and exciting。 It was also surprisingly funny， because Sogolon has a sharp， sarcastic humor。 Bahni Turpin did an excellent job reading the audiobook， but the production could have been better - in the text， there are visually obvious breaks in the story when time passes， but they were not made clear in the audiobook。 I often had to pause the audio and go back to read the book to figure out what happened。 。。。more

Michael ，

Black Leopard， Red Wolf is my favourite book。 Full stop。 Moon Witch， Spider King was the first book that I had ever pre-ordered。 I’ve never been so excited to read a book before。 And it was amazing。 Just as amazing as its predecessor。 It was mind-bendingly， soul-shatteringly brilliant。 I really don’t have words for how much I love this series。

Nosemonkey ，

This second book in James' planned trilogy is far more straightforward and easier to follow。 My abiding memory of the first is my utter confusion。 I can't fully remember if it actually was non-linear as well as dream-like， but it was certainly extremely hard to keep track of what was happening and why - the patois English and unfamiliar nouns （some borrowed from African mythology， some invented） lending an imprecision that gradually built it into a book you experienced more than simply followed。 This second book in James' planned trilogy is far more straightforward and easier to follow。 My abiding memory of the first is my utter confusion。 I can't fully remember if it actually was non-linear as well as dream-like， but it was certainly extremely hard to keep track of what was happening and why - the patois English and unfamiliar nouns （some borrowed from African mythology， some invented） lending an imprecision that gradually built it into a book you experienced more than simply followed。Because of this， I barely remembered the narrative of the first book coming into this one - though bits of it， especially key events and characters， came back to me as this one progressed， especially in the final third。This lack of recollection didn't matter in the slightest。 Indeed， James has said it won't matter which order you read these books in， because the whole point of them is that they're different perspectives on the same events。 And considering that this book starts somewhere between 170 and 370 years before the first， and ends a good decade or more afterwards， it almost makes the core McGuffin of the first book - the kidnapped boy that Tracker and Leopard were hired to hunt down - even less important this time around。What this means is that here we get more world-building。 More context。 More understanding of this still extremely confusing place James has invented。 Yet all this through the lens of a far more traditional narrative that， for the first half of the novel or so， feels almost clichéd in how it sticks to the standard fantasy tropes of a child discovering their great powers and destiny。At times this made me wonder if I was wasting my time here， if James had lost his ability to surprise。 Have faith。 This is a series of books about the nature of myth， memory， and different perspectives - so the fact that even the central character/narrator here doesn't know which of her own memories are true gradually builds this into something far more complex and satisfying than if first appears。4。5 stars， really。 I may revise upwards to 5 once the final book comes out and I re-read them all， because these novels will definitely stand up to re-reading。 。。。more

Czytatnik ，

~Thanks to NetGalley for my eARC~4。5 starsThis book was a real adventure。 Even more so， that English is not my first language。 I fell in love with “Black Leopard， Red Wolf” and I’m absolutely delighted to say that “Moon Witch， Spider King” is even better。 I was a little bit worried about the second book course but nothing like that has happened here。 I was swept away right at the beginning and stayed like that all the way through to the very end。For some time， at the beginning， I was thinking th ~Thanks to NetGalley for my eARC~4。5 starsThis book was a real adventure。 Even more so， that English is not my first language。 I fell in love with “Black Leopard， Red Wolf” and I’m absolutely delighted to say that “Moon Witch， Spider King” is even better。 I was a little bit worried about the second book course but nothing like that has happened here。 I was swept away right at the beginning and stayed like that all the way through to the very end。For some time， at the beginning， I was thinking that this second installment should’ve been made first。 The plot， or rather Sogolon’s story， starts so much earlier than anything that was told in book one。 By the end however， the author convinced me that it is exactly the order that they should be in。 As it dwindled to the finish， we were once again in the same mysterious dungeon？ prison？ in which we’ve left the Tracker。 And now I’m painfully itching to read the next and last installment in this trilogy。 I have so many questions left after reading this book and also simply wanting to get into this fascinating world again。 My only hope is that it won’t be a three-years-wait again。As I said at the very beginning， I loved the first book。 But this one is even better。 It has so much more to tell and， I have to say it， Sogolon is a much more interesting character to see the world through her eyes。 She’s fierce and she’s brave。 Sometimes she’s maybe a little bit naive。 She might be coarse and harsh but that’s just a surface。 Underneath which a big and loving heart is hidden。 That is why it hurts so much more to read about all that she had to go through to become the woman she was at the end of it。 I cried for her and I was happy for her， as the plot took me through this rough path of her life she became my close friend。 I love this book for doing that。 For making her some much more than just another character in a book。 The author gave her life and meaning and wrote it so I could experience it wholly。If you haven't yet read the first book， do it quick and read the second straight after。 If you read book one and are not totally convinced that you should read the second， leave your uncertainty behind。 If you didn’t like the first book， I dare say you’ll change your mind upon reading this。 。。。more

Wei Han ，

Within the challenge of The Dark Star trilogy is the brilliant counterpoint to Eurocentric fantasy。 Sogolon's focus and determination as a character lends this installment a lot more focus and drive that I found significantly easier to navigate compared to Black Leopard， Red Wolf -- there's a sense that James is using the form of the competing viewpoints and oral histories to make a larger political point about whose stories get told。 It will be interesting to see how James concludes the trilogy Within the challenge of The Dark Star trilogy is the brilliant counterpoint to Eurocentric fantasy。 Sogolon's focus and determination as a character lends this installment a lot more focus and drive that I found significantly easier to navigate compared to Black Leopard， Red Wolf -- there's a sense that James is using the form of the competing viewpoints and oral histories to make a larger political point about whose stories get told。 It will be interesting to see how James concludes the trilogy。 。。。more

Hannah Krueger ，

So， I legit had to go and look up the events of the last book， because it has been a） so long since I had read it and b） I had been so turned off by the narrator’s misogyny that I was genuinely reconsidering picking up the rest of the trilogy。 However， should have put faith in Marlon James being very upfront about Rashomon being a core influence on this trilogy。 So， to counter the gay misogynist that we get as POV from Black Leopard Red Wolf （which is now in my reread pile because I want to rere So， I legit had to go and look up the events of the last book， because it has been a） so long since I had read it and b） I had been so turned off by the narrator’s misogyny that I was genuinely reconsidering picking up the rest of the trilogy。 However， should have put faith in Marlon James being very upfront about Rashomon being a core influence on this trilogy。 So， to counter the gay misogynist that we get as POV from Black Leopard Red Wolf （which is now in my reread pile because I want to reread it with this relatively fresh in my mind）， we get the Moon Witch， Sologon， as our pov character， and a look at just how far fucking back this goes， and a fuller picture of what the hell might actually be going on。 Of the five parts of this book， we don’t even get anything that happened in book one until part four， and now， it’s entirely recontextualized by the time we get to it。 The misogyny is still there， but here， it’s experienced from the POV of someone experiencing it rather than from a man。 One of the most touching moments （to me） is the moment where an older woman tending to our POV character calls any woman in the room who was touched by the Moon Witch’s actions to come forward and testify。 You get a sense of just how much the Aesi plays into the misogyny， and how utterly wrong everything goes。 Have to admit， I laughed out loud at “Some of it even have one or two women he call neither witch nor bitch。” I’m also gonna go reread the first book with this in my mind， because I have a feeling that it’s gonna benefit immensely with this in my head。 More to come there。 。。。more

Erin ，

"People call me the Moon Witch。""Witch。 The world is fickle about witches。""The world is fickle about women。" After being pretty meh on "Black Leopard， Red Wolf" for a variety of reasons， I'm pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this one。 I almost didn't read it all， but thought that maybe， just maybe， the massive misogyny of the first one wouldn't be as bad with a lady protagonist。 The misogyny is still there of course， it takes place in a misogynist society。 But at least this time there's a pr "People call me the Moon Witch。""Witch。 The world is fickle about witches。""The world is fickle about women。" After being pretty meh on "Black Leopard， Red Wolf" for a variety of reasons， I'm pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this one。 I almost didn't read it all， but thought that maybe， just maybe， the massive misogyny of the first one wouldn't be as bad with a lady protagonist。 The misogyny is still there of course， it takes place in a misogynist society。 But at least this time there's a protagonist who fights back against it and refuses to be put in her place by it。Sogolon is a cool protagonist。 She escapes from her abusive brothers to being a pet of sorts for a noblewoman to being a pet of sorts for a princess to being the revered Moon Witch who helps abused women and the nemesis of the mysterious and powerful Aesi， the advisor of the northern king。 She's messy， complicated， a badass， a killer， a lover， a mother， and she suffers no fools。 I don't know if it's just because I like her better as a character than Tracker， but I also found the story much easier to follow here than I did with the first book。 。。。more

Annarella ，

It's a riveting read， the excellent second instalment in this series。 I found it more gripping than Black Leopard， Red Wolf but hard to follow as the first book。There's a lot of images， poetry， and violence。 Great world building， dreamlike storytelling。Looking forward to the last story。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine It's a riveting read， the excellent second instalment in this series。 I found it more gripping than Black Leopard， Red Wolf but hard to follow as the first book。There's a lot of images， poetry， and violence。 Great world building， dreamlike storytelling。Looking forward to the last story。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more

Emily Johnson ，

As incredible as the first。 This series lives rent free in my head with such ease I had little difficulty immediately recalling the events of the first book， and set all other books to the side。 I couldn’t write enough compliments about this series， so I will express sincere wishes more people have the pleasure of reading it， and that an film or series adaption graces this series should the author wish it so it brings even more joy。

Dan Abromowitz ，

gaslight gatekeep girlboss

Kit Wren ，

when I finished Black Leopard Red Wolf， the first in this trilogy， I wasn't quite as longwinded as I am now。 So the only bit of scrap of opinion of mine on the record is one sentence where I call it "kinetic，" by which I meant something was always happening。 This was an understatement; it was a novel so vivid with incident and sensory detail that at times it seemed to give off a smell。 There was a tradeoff for this， in that there were parts that were unclear， and our narrator， the Tracker， felt when I finished Black Leopard Red Wolf， the first in this trilogy， I wasn't quite as longwinded as I am now。 So the only bit of scrap of opinion of mine on the record is one sentence where I call it "kinetic，" by which I meant something was always happening。 This was an understatement; it was a novel so vivid with incident and sensory detail that at times it seemed to give off a smell。 There was a tradeoff for this， in that there were parts that were unclear， and our narrator， the Tracker， felt no need to go in chronological order， shifted alliances with the ease of a mercenary， and was obviously hiding something， though we had no way to tell what that was。The second book in the trilogy sheds some light on that， and makes us feel like a fool for ever falling for Tracker's charm。 This is Sogolon the Moon Witch's tale， a sometime ally sometime foe of Tracker， which could describe everyone's relationship to Tracker， even the men he sleeps with。 Sogolon tells her life story in as complete a way as she can manage。 Her version of events is more complex， and more clear。 Her life has many phases， as she is older than any character even guesses， and the battle between her and The Aesi， the reincarnating devious counselor to the kings of the North， is a blood feud that lasts centuries， and is not a matter of political intrigue but vengeance。Most interestingly， Sogolon's narrative/testimony completely rebukes the Tracker， not even as a liar， but as a child who misunderstands everything he sees， completely ignorant of the larger picture， following his own desires。 Some of the funnier parts of the section of Moon Witch Spider King that interlaps with Black Leopard Red Wolf （only the last quarter or so of the book， which is remarkable considering how huge Black Leopard Red Wolf was） is where Sogolon stumbles on or overhears one of Tracker's many trysts with other members of the fellowship， baffled at the total lack of discretion。 To the degree we trusted Tracker in the first one， we trusted him because of his wit and his refusal to completely buy into anything he was being told， but now that we have nearly two hundred years of context that he doesn't have and never tried to get， his outbursts are not the frustration of the last sane man， but of a teenager walking into a movie late。This Rashomon effect is exactly what Marlon James had in mind， and I should instead say has in mind， because there is a third book planned， keeping all of this in the present tense。 So before I take the Moon Witch at her word， perhaps I should wait for the third spirit to enter the witness stand。 。。。more

Gautam Bhatia ，

Demands as much from the reader as Black Leopard， Red Wolf did。 Longer review to come， in Strange Horizons。

Jonno ，

I absolutely hated reading this book， but I had to know how it ended。 Even now， knowing that I was miserable while reading both this book and "Black Leopard， Red Wolf"， I want to read the final book in the trilogy。 This series is utterly confounding。 I absolutely hated reading this book， but I had to know how it ended。 Even now， knowing that I was miserable while reading both this book and "Black Leopard， Red Wolf"， I want to read the final book in the trilogy。 This series is utterly confounding。 。。。more

Melanie ，

This is about malcontent growing in land and sea， like a lump that grow to a coral that burst out of a woman breast。 This about lands awash in war blood because many more are going to suffer。 This is not about me。I recently read in another book that sequels， when done right， should be better than the original。 It's clear from this novel that the books in this trilogy are intended not so much to build on one another but be in conversation with each， redeem or criticize parts of each other。 I imag This is about malcontent growing in land and sea， like a lump that grow to a coral that burst out of a woman breast。 This about lands awash in war blood because many more are going to suffer。 This is not about me。I recently read in another book that sequels， when done right， should be better than the original。 It's clear from this novel that the books in this trilogy are intended not so much to build on one another but be in conversation with each， redeem or criticize parts of each other。 I imagine by the end of this James will have a 1500 page tale that only comes together in totality with all 1500 pages。 Compared to Sogolon， Tracker and his quest seems childish， and that does nothing to diminish what happened in the first book， simply put it in context of both theme and the larger events of the world。 Sogolon's story is a 626-page response to Tracker's unmitigated misogyny without ever becoming didactic。 By the time we meet Tracker in this story it's almost a let down after 500 pages of Sogolon's epic， tragic， and twisting life。 Tracker， the protagonist of the first installment， is little more than a pest to what Sogolon is trying to accomplish in her 100+ years of life。 This novel also had a very interesting commentary on the tradition of oral stories and a brilliant criticism of the written word。 What the western world might call an "unreliable narrator" is simply one version of events， and the written version taken as the canonical "director's cut" of events is flawed and even lazy thinking。 There were times I was sure I understood the larger picture only to have the rug pulled out from under me。 I chased "the truth" through the pages of Sogolon's story and came away still unsatisfied at the answers offered and hungry for more ways to view the events and the world。 。。。more

Pam Klein ，

I really， really want to give this book 5 stars because it has everything; action， drama， mystery， politics， fantasy， science fiction， romance， comedy， horror， super natural， theology。 Add to that list confusion and density。 I spent much of my time wondering 'who' was talking as it seemed to switch POVs constantly。 There's layers on top of layers of fantastic stand-alone stories and time lines that sometimes have endings， but many I couldn't find within the convoluted narrative which strangely I I really， really want to give this book 5 stars because it has everything; action， drama， mystery， politics， fantasy， science fiction， romance， comedy， horror， super natural， theology。 Add to that list confusion and density。 I spent much of my time wondering 'who' was talking as it seemed to switch POVs constantly。 There's layers on top of layers of fantastic stand-alone stories and time lines that sometimes have endings， but many I couldn't find within the convoluted narrative which strangely I loved。 I had trouble keeping up with names of people and places as they all started to run together。All-in-all， for me， the title was more "The Life and Times of Sogolon"。 。。。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

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Moon Witch, Spider King&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0