Black Leopard, Red Wolf

by Marlon James

The plot, narrated in flashback and with non-chronological episodes, centers on the character of Tracker, a man known far and wide for his skills as a hunter: "He has a nose," people say. Engaged on a tracking quest by the slaver Amadu Kasawura, to find a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier in the North Kingdom, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy. Over nine years, Tracker's trials connect him with the Leopard, a shape-shifting hunter and Fumeli his bowman; Nyka, a skin-shedding mercenary (both of whom are former lovers of Tracker); the Sangoma, a divinatory healer who protects children cast out for having unique abilities, casts a protective charm on Tracker and taught him minor spells; a centuries-old Moon Witch named Sogolon that Tracker does not trust (whose story is the subject of [[Moon Witch, Spider King]]); a giant called an Ogo that they call Sadogo; a prefect soldier named Mossi that "smells of myrrh" and is sexually attracted to Tracker; and dozens more. The band in the quest is a hodgepodge full of unusual characters with secrets of their own. The plot of the book is largely framed as a conversation between Tracker and a captor of his, with Tracker narrating his life and the quest non-linearly. Several shifts occur throughout the novel, leading to a seemingly intentional obfuscation of the narrative and plot. The larger plot involves political tensions between different tribes, as well as historical and mounting tensions between the North Kingdom and the South Kingdom.

As Tracker follows the boy's scent—from one ancient city to another; into dense forests and across deep rivers—he and the band are set upon by creatures intent on destroying them. These fantastical creatures and figures include the Omoluzu, roof-walking "night demons from an age before this age", bultungin (were-hyenas), a creature called the Aesi who sends assassins made of dust and can telekinetically control masses of people, an impundulu (which drains victims blood, turning them into zombies filled with lightning) who kidnapped the boy to use as bait to enter the homes of victims, swamp trolls, a minor water goddess/potential water demon/trickster named Popele (also called Bunshi), and more. Other supernatural elements of the novel include the Darklands, where dangerous creatures live and time and distance are seemingly irrelevant, and the Ten and Nine Doors, magically linked doorways scattered throughout the North Kingdom and surrounding territory that both Tracker's "fellowship" and their enemies use to move quickly. Throughout the novel, Tracker starts to wonder: Who, really, is this boy? Why has he been missing for so long? Why do so many people want to keep Tracker from finding him? And perhaps the most important questions of all: Who is telling the truth, and who is lying?