When Marlon James published his lavish and obsessively detailed adventure/fantasy tome, BLACK LEOPARD, RED WOLF, he said that he had imagined it as his own answer to the Game of Thrones empire. However, what he failed to mention is that he would tell this insanely imaginative story, drawing from all aspects of the lore of the African diaspora, with violent and compelling wit and artistry (not to mention blood and guts, and everything that adventure books by men tend to emphasize).

After that first attempt went so well, he turned around and produced this latest (and even more compelling) tale, MOON WITCH, SPIDER KING. Told from the point of view of Sogolon, the witch of the title, it is the same story but with a fierce woman’s voice.

"MOON WITCH, SPIDER KING is a long, strong saga that takes you for the ride of your reading life.... It is an unforgettable, dynamic fantasy that will keep us waiting on the edge of our seats for the conclusion of the Dark Star trilogy."

The main plot hinges, as in the previous book, on the search for a mysterious boy. However, Sogolon has knowledge of his origins and knows that he brings trouble to the world she navigates. It is one of toxic masculinity, anger and very troubling, ungentlemanly behavior throughout. Sogolon saves her greatest acts of will and determination for her nemesis, the Aesi. From whorehouse to monkey forest, she must overcome the tragic flaws of her vile oppressors. She learns things, information being kept from her, by remaining in the background. She withstands terror, humiliation and violence by staying quiet, watching and waiting.

Sogolon is fierce but not without empathy. When she kills her own rapist, she spends a lot of time considering her actions and feeling guilty about it, even though she was acting in self-defense. She’s not some sprite who flies through tall ageless trees and alights in a new land when she needs a respite. Sogolon begins her life in captivity and spends it relishing in the fact that this difficult start gives her the fervor to take care of whatever tries to take away her autonomy. She turns the tides of fate towards her so that her adversaries unknowingly give her everything she needs to survive in these elements. As she travels with the mercenary Tracker, her cohort from the first novel, she finds the strength to battle the Aesi.

Marlon James has spent a lot of time creating fantastical worlds in which to put Sogolon through her fictional paces. The heat and flavors of the world around her, the violence and the terror, the loves and joys of the kingdoms she inhabits are visceral. Every detail makes the story jump from the page, embedding itself in your gray matter forever. When she first serves in the royal court, she becomes close to Keme, a royal scout, who helps her use her passions and anger for her own good. It is through him that she becomes the Moon Witch. Her transformation is seen in all its stages, and James entrusts the power of his remarkable language skills to ensure that readers can muddle through the many scatological and violent moments, as difficult as they are to read about.

This book is not for everyone. Its graphic accounts of assault may be too much for some readers. But there is not one wasted word in this majestic volume. James is not scared to force us to look at oppression and violence in the same way that his protagonist must as she fights for autonomy in a world that would rather destroy her than celebrate her.

MOON WITCH, SPIDER KING is a long, strong saga that takes you for the ride of your reading life. Two hundred years is not enough of a time frame for the telling of Sogolon’s story. It is an unforgettable, dynamic fantasy that will keep us waiting on the edge of our seats for the conclusion of the Dark Star trilogy.