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Anyone read the sequel?
Why Marlon James Decided to Write an African “Game of Thrones”
- Thread starter Dave24
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I couldn't get past the "patois" that the main character uses. It might be better as an audio book.
Plus MJ loves to grind your face in the feces, blood, period blood, and other sorts of bodily functions and body horror.
And the first one?
Major
Fantasy/Science Fiction - I'm already not trying to see no type of romance to begin with.
The fact that the author pursues an alternative lifestyle, and wanted to bring that to bear (He calls it the nasty bits in an interview)....
Michael B. Jordan bought rights for the first one. I doubt that he read it.
For those that haven't read book 1.
The main story revolves around a character named "Tracker".
He's hired, along with a cast of characters, to find a boy, a boy who would be king.
At some point, the party separates. The "Witch" goes one way (and the 2nd book is the same story told from her perspective), and Tracker and the crew go the other way.
Details
Tracker's character is just anger. That's it.
Imaro was a better "fantasy" book/series than this - and that's written just okay imo.
Rage of Dragons is better than this, in terms of African themed fantasy.
There are plenty of Black women writing fantasy and sci-fic, but most of the popular ones that i've read, do a fair amount of "gender-swapping" of traditional roles, and there's a lot of "soap-boxing".
We need more straight Black/African/Caribbean men writing fantasy and science fiction - cause this ain't it.
The one thing he said he would do is put out what is essentially a West/CentralSouthern Africa "Lore" book.
I'd love to see that personally.
Book 2
I pre-ordered book 2, even though I gave book 1 a 2/5....
I can't push through the horrible prose. I love patois, I just don't like reading it. I also don't like child characters that are thinking and speaking as actual children/6 year olds. And the front end of book 2 is all that.
The main story revolves around a character named "Tracker".
He's hired, along with a cast of characters, to find a boy, a boy who would be king.
At some point, the party separates. The "Witch" goes one way (and the 2nd book is the same story told from her perspective), and Tracker and the crew go the other way.
Details
- Much has been said about the LGBT stuff - but it's all over this book. It's not quite pornographic, but definitely leans towards the prurient.
- It's a pretty common trope in fantasy for the lead character go to a whorehouse to get information - well that happens in this one.... and that's all I'm gonna say.
- He has some interesting parallels between male and female circumcision - but i'd rather not read that again.
- There's some discussion of slavery from an African perspective
- Some commentary on special needs children
- There's some very scary mutilation of body stuff.
- The fight scenes suck. My god they are horrible. [edit for typo]
- The descriptions get literary and lean into stream of consciousness/poetry
- The best character is The Giant, imo.
Tracker's character is just anger. That's it.
Imaro was a better "fantasy" book/series than this - and that's written just okay imo.
Rage of Dragons is better than this, in terms of African themed fantasy.
There are plenty of Black women writing fantasy and sci-fic, but most of the popular ones that i've read, do a fair amount of "gender-swapping" of traditional roles, and there's a lot of "soap-boxing".
We need more straight Black/African/Caribbean men writing fantasy and science fiction - cause this ain't it.
The one thing he said he would do is put out what is essentially a West/CentralSouthern Africa "Lore" book.
I'd love to see that personally.
Book 2
I pre-ordered book 2, even though I gave book 1 a 2/5....
I can't push through the horrible prose. I love patois, I just don't like reading it. I also don't like child characters that are thinking and speaking as actual children/6 year olds. And the front end of book 2 is all that.
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Veteran
I might give the audiobook a try thenI couldn't get past the "patois" that the main character uses. It might be better as an audio book.
Plus MJ loves to grind your face in the feces, blood, period blood, and other sorts of bodily functions and body horror.
And the first one?
Major
Fantasy/Science Fiction - I'm already not trying to see no type of romance to begin with.
The fact that the author pursues an alternative lifestyle, and wanted to bring that to bear (He calls it the nasty bits in an interview)....
Michael B. Jordan bought rights for the first one. I doubt that he read it.
Would it work as an audiobook?
My wife and I listened to Book Of Night Women on audiobook and LOVED IT
It would be good in that situation imo.
We all have idiosyncrasies, but having grown up with Patois, (this is an African Patois, not a Jamaican one) - I just don't like seeing it transliterated/transcribed sound for sound.
It actually was great. (Wife is Jamaican born)