It does not take much to peer pressure me; I’ll be honest.
“Hey Ang, wanna go to the bar today?”
“No, I have to get some work done.”
“Oh really?”
“Nah, I’m in.”
That’s basically how easy it is.
And so, I have maintained for all of my reading life that I do not like fantasy. This is based on the idea of it and on The Hobbit, the only fantasy book I have ever read.
When my book club decided on 2 books for February’s meeting, I clearly did not pick the fantasy one. And then my 3 closest friends in the book club were all reading it. They had only begun talking about getting the book and I was like “nah, I’m in.”
And now, I am not fully ready to proclaim my love for fantasy, but I will say I am about to buy up all of the books written by Marlon James.
I am currently in the middle of his Black Leopard Red Wolf novel. It is long- 600 pages or 24 hours (I am listening to it and reading it–I switch back and forth. I highly suggest this for books that are complicated, have humor and have words that are made up or foreign!)
Nothing I write will do this book justice. It is funny, complex, fun and fills a hole in literature, not just fantasy, but literature in general. That sounds hyperbolic, I know, but I contend it is not.
Black Leopard Red Wolf is the first in a trilogy. I likely will not continue with the trilogy, at least not immediately. This has nothing to do with the book and more of just the type of reader I am.
But I will be rushing out to buy another book by Marlon James: A Brief History of Seven Killings. It spans over decades and explores the attempted assassination of Bob Marley and the crack wars in New York.
If Marlon James is not on your radar, I urge you to check him out ASAP!
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