Black Leopard, Red Wolf , the first book in Marlon James' Dark Star Trilogy, was one of those novels that broke my brain in the best possible way. Unwieldy and unrelenting, it systematically dismantled everything I thought I knew about epic fantasy.

With the sequel, Moon Witch, Spider King , James once again shattered my expectations. As awed as I was by Tracker's story in the first book, Sogolon's tale makes this a rare sequel that is better than the first.

The novel follows the travels and travails of Sogolon, the aforementioned Moon Witch that Tracker frequently conflicted with in his novel. Some of her story retells Tracker's, Rashomon -style, but much of it is her own life, one that begins with oppression and ends with a hard-won semi-freedom. James sections Sogolon's journey into five parts, throughout which we witness the growth of her power, both physical and magical. She trains as a fighter and is smart and observant enough to outwit her enemies. Add to that her "wind (not wind)" — a force she never fully controls but one that is there when she needs it the most — and you have a very formidable woman.