Black Leopard, Red Wolf

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