Contents
THOSE WHO APPEAR IN THIS ACCOUNT
1. A DOG, A CAT, A WOLF, AND A FOX
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
2. MALAKIN
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
3. ONE CHILD MORE THAN SIX
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
4. WHITE SCIENCE AND BLACK MATH
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
5. HERE IS ONE ORIKI
TWENTY-TWO
6. DEATH WOLF
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
About the Author
Marlon James was born in Jamaica in 1970. He is the first Jamaican to win the Man Booker Prize, for his bestselling novel A Brief History of Seven Killings. This novel also won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and the Minnesota Book Award, and has been translated into twenty-one languages. Marlon James is also the author of two other novels, John Crow’s Devil and The Book of Night Women. Black Leopard, Red Wolf is the first instalment in his Dark Star trilogy.
ALSO BY MARLON JAMES
A Brief History of Seven Killings
The Book of Night Women
John Crow’s Devil
To Jeff, for quartermoon and a million other things
Those Who Appear in this Account
IN JUBA, KU, GANGATOM
KWASH DARA, son of Kwash Netu; King of the North Kingdom, aka the Spider King
TRACKER, hunter known by no other name
HIS FATHER
HIS MOTHER
BELOVED UNCLE, a great chief of the Ku
KU, a river tribe and territory
GANGATOM, a river tribe, territory, and enemy of the Ku
LUALA LUALA, a river tribe and territory north of the Ku
ABOYAMI, a father
AYODELE, his son
WITCHMAN, necromancer of the Ku
ITAKI, a river witch
KAVA/ASANI, boy of the Ku
LEOPARD, shape-shifting hunter known by a few other names
YUMBOES, bush fairies and guardians of children
THE SANGOMA, an antiwitch
THE MINGI, who are:
Giraffe Boy
Smoke Girl
Albino
Ball Boy
The joined twins
ASANBOSAM, monstrous eater of human flesh
THE GANGATOM CHIEF
IN MALAKAL
THE AESI, chancellor of Kwash Dara
BUNSHI/POPELE, river jengu, mermaid, shape-shifter
SOGOLON, the Moon Witch
SADOGO, of the Ogos, tall, mighty men who are not giants
AMADU KASAWURA, a slaver
BIBI, his manservant
NSAKA NE VAMPI, a mercenary
NYKA, a mercenary
FUMELI, the Leopard’s bowman
BELEKUN THE BIG, a fat elder
ADAGAGI THE WISE, a wise elder
AMAKI THE SLIPPERY, an elder nobody knows
NOOYA, a woman possessed by the lightning bird
THE BULTUNGI, avengers
ZOGBANU, trolls originally from the Blood Swamp
VENIN, a girl raised to be food for the Zogbanu
CHIPFALAMBULA, a great fish
GHOMMIDS, sometimes-nice forest creatures
EWELE, a vicious ghommid
EGBERE, his cousin, vicious when hungry
ANJONU, spirit of the Darklands who reads hearts
THE MAD MONKEY, a deranged primate
IN KONGOR
BASU FUMANGURU, elder of the North Kingdom, murdered
HIS WIFE, murdered
HIS SONS, murdered
THE SEVEN WINGS, mercenaries
KAFUTA, lord of a house
MISS WADADA, owner of a brothel
EKOIYE, a whore who loves civet musk
THE BUFFALO, a very smart buffalo
KONGORI CHIEFTAIN ARMY, local constables
MOSSI OF AZAR, third prefect of the Kongori chieftain army
MAZAMBEZI, a prefect
RED OGO, another Ogo
BLUE OGO, another Ogo
THE MASTER OF ENTERTAINMENTS, the Ogo fight master
LALA, his slave
THE MAWANA WITCHES, dirt mermaids, aka mud jengu
TOKOLOSHE, a small gremlin who makes himself invisible
IN DOLINGO AND THE MWERU
OLD MAN, lord of a hut and southern griot
THE QUEEN OF DOLINGO, as it says
HER CHANCELLOR
DOLINGON SLAVE BOY
THE WHITE SCIENTISTS, darkest of the necromancers and alchemists
BAD IBEJI, a malformed twin
JAKWU, white guard for King Batuta
IPUNDULU, vampire lightning bird
SASABONSAM, winged brother of Asanbosam
ADZE, vampire and bug swarm
ELOKO, grass troll and cannibal
LISSISOLO OF AKUM, sister of Kwash Dara, nun of the divine sisterhood
SHADOWINGS, night demons who serve the Aesi
IN MITU
IKEDE, a southern griot
KAMANGU, a son
NIGULI, a son
KOSU, a son
LOEMBE, a son
NKANGA, a son
KHAMSEEN, a daughter
IN THE MALANGIKA AND THE SOUTH KINGDOM
A YOUNG WITCH
A MERCHANT
HIS WIFE
HIS SON
KAMIKWAYO, a white scientist turned monster