In 2015, Marlon James became the first Jamaican writer to win the Man Booker prize with his incredible novel A Brief History of Seven Killings, about the 1976 assassination attempt on the life of Bob Marley.

In 2019 he returned with the Dark Star Trilogy: an epic fantasy series set in a mythical African landscape, centred around the search for a missing boy.

The three novels unravel each character’s tale of what happened over those nine years — one perspective per book — building a rich world brimming with African myths and legends. In his own words, Marlon “ wanted black pageantry” with the work aiming to reclaim all the stuff he likes — “court intrigue, monsters, magic”. 

He joined me to discuss the second instalment: MOON WITCH, SPIDER KING.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.