Moon Witch, Spider King

Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James, originally published in 2022, is the second book in James’s Dark Star fantasy trilogy. Black Leopard, Red Wolf (2019) is the first, and Moon Witch both serves as a follow-up and as a stand-alone novel, providing both crucial context for the first book as well as the epic backstory of one of its main protagonists. The post-colonial fantasy novel is infused with elements of West African mythology as well as more standard fantasy tropes. James won the 2015 Man Booker Prize for his novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, and Black Leopard, Red Wolf was a finalist for a National Book Award.

Content Warning: Moon Witch, Spider King depicts child sexual abuse, violent sexual assault, and enslavement.

Plot Summary

Sogolon—initially referred to as “No Name Girl” because she never knows her real name—is raised by her abusive brothers, forced to live in a termite pit and plow the fields of the small family farm. When she escapes, she is found by Miss Azora, who runs a brothel in the city of Kongor. She takes Sogolon in, and she becomes a prized asset for men who prefer young girls.