Marlon James Working on ‘African Game of Thrones’

Marlon James Working on ‘African Game of Thrones’

Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings, is ready for more inclusion and representation in the myriad worlds of fantasy novels.

The Booker Prize-winning author recently told Man of the World that he’ll be “geeking the fuck out” for his next book, Black Leopard, Red Wolf, which he describes as “an African Game of Thrones.” James told the magazine:

“I realized how sick and tired I was of arguing about whether there should be a black hobbit in Lord of the Rings. African folklore is just as rich, and just as perverse as that shit. We have witches, we have demons, we have goblins, we have mad kings. We have stories of royal succession that would put Wolf Hall to share. We beat the Tudors two times over.”

And when James says “geek,” he means it. He’s already promising an almost-excessive attention to detail and multiple appendices on different races and magic techniques.

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19 Comments

  1. ken
    December 20, 04:43 Reply

    3 words: “Long Overdue Gurl!”
    Its hightime we get our own african lord of the rings as well. Marlon sweetie, u go gurl!

  2. Dennis Macaulay
    December 20, 05:06 Reply

    I’m kind of on the fence about this. Let me read the book first and decide what to think, because we can write our own magical fantasy stories without “borrowing a leaf” from Lord of the rings or GOT.

    You people should check out Nnedi Okoroafor btw, she writes what she calls “African juju fantasy and magical realism” and her stories beat Lord of the rings, GOT hands down!

  3. Uziel
    December 20, 05:31 Reply

    The only way to really imitate something is to make it better. If this book isn’t better than GOT, then the joke’s on James. He could have just told us he’s writing a new book that’s going to be great without bringing The Song of Fire & Ice and Lord of the Rings into it.

    • Dennis Macaulay
      December 20, 05:44 Reply

      Finally! Someone read (and spoke) my mind!

      Uziel where can I kiss you?

  4. Mandy
    December 20, 05:38 Reply

    The moment James linked his impending book to George R.R. Martin’s work is the day he set the bar high for himself. If this news gains traction and people actually begin to pay attention to him and anticipate his book, that’s when he’ll know the pressure on delivering something that should read better than Game of Thrones.

  5. Colossus
    December 20, 06:10 Reply

    Here is an excerpt from the book

    THE BUM BUM THAT DIDN’T WOBBLE.
    The onye Ara king took one disdainful look at his underage bride and felt nothing under his lion cloth. His preek did not stand, his bum bum did not wobble, nothing. He looked at his chief palace guard and immediately his preek stood at attention, clearly he’ll be raping his guard tonight.
    “Off with her head and feed her clitoris to the dogs” Screamed the onye ara King. She didn’t make my bum bum wobble.

    • Hester
      December 20, 07:20 Reply

      Don’t Stop.
      So what happens next?

      • #Chestnut
        December 20, 11:19 Reply

        As in ehn! My eyes were already popping and I was already sliding towards the edge of my seat. I won’t even lie,Colossus, if u write this “bum bum” book, I’m sooo buying it,lol!
        (Chai,I haven’t had time to read an actual novel in a loooong time…*sigh*)

  6. Delle
    December 20, 06:29 Reply

    ‘We have royal successions, we have witches, we have demons, we have goblins (or do we?)’, but we do not have OUT GAY MEN or anyone who would agree to play the character of a gay (or even bisexual) in an overly graphic movie like GOT in this god forsaken continent.
    Well, lemme just be crossing index finger and watch as this turns out. You people should give Mugabe more reasons to be relevant.

    • pete
      December 20, 06:56 Reply

      You realise that gay marriage is legal in South Africa & last time I checked my map, they were still in Africa. Mozambique decriminalised gay relationships.

      • Delle
        December 20, 09:11 Reply

        I wonder how thrilled you’d be knowing all the characters in the movie or book(seeing as most of us are too homophobic to be on set with two kissing and fondling guys) come from South Africa or Mozambique? I just don’t see this working biko

  7. Mr. Fingers
    December 20, 10:08 Reply

    Just write a book about Africa. No need comparing it with something else.

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