I held out because I knew that a story as deep and emotionally resonant as this had to be going somewhere, and I was riveted by Dion Graham’s masterful narration. I’m ultimately glad I stuck with this one.

This is an unbelievably well-crafted story, characters, and world. Based on African myth and lore, it’s difficult to find an apt comparison in modern epic fantasy for this book. Because it doesn’t take from Western fantasy, it feels new and intimidating in a way I haven’t experienced for some time. The world itself is as unknown as the characters and the plot.

James writes with a ferocity of emotion that Graham only elevates with voice changes and ornamentations worthy of the greatest dramatic pieces. Black Leopard, Red Wolf has to be one of the best fantasy epics in recent memory.

My reading and understanding of it was lost during the first third of the story, where I found it difficult to understand what was happening and where the story was headed. It was extremely detailed, and kept jumping around in time between the protagonist, Tracker’s, early life, and his questioning by an inquisitor sometime in the future.

By the middle of the book, I had found the story’s rhythm, and by the final act, I was enraptured. At the moment, I can only recommend this as one of the best written fantasy novels I’ve read in a long time.

I intend to get the novel in hardcover to read it again. As for the sequel, Moon Witch, Spider King — I may just have to read both the hardcover and audio versions, to sink into James’s story and float away with Graham’s narration.

Steve D