Reading an African fantasy and a forgotten science fiction epic

Reading an African fantasy and a forgotten science fiction epic - Reading Vlog
#reading #readingvlog #booktube
Join me, Jimmy Nutts, for another reading vlog. We'll cover BLACK LEOPARD, RED WOLF by MARLON JAMES, an African-inspired fantasy, and MANY COLORED LAND, by JULIAN MAY a forgotten science fiction epic...
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[@jeroenadmiraal8714]

Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to science fantasy

[@thefantasynuttwork]

🤔

[@jeroenadmiraal8714]

@@thefantasynuttwork Just kidding, I love it

[@benjamincrowhurst5998]

Something about stubble Jimmy talking to me about BLRW just hits right ❤ great thoughts, thoroughly enjoyed this

[@thefantasynuttwork]

stubble is generous mate hahaha

[@tdrdavies2]

I almost gave up on BLRW about a third of the way through. I put it down for a few months, and picked it up and and suddenly it clicked. I loved it. 2nd one also, and am waiting impatiently for the 3rd.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Yeah if it clicks then it really works

[@jodell86]

"African inspired fantasy the way it ought to be written" -Gurm

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Facts

[@MagusMarquillin]

"This is actually what I imagine to be happening in Sothoryos. Thanks Marlon! Don't have to write that now."

[@lacys340]

I really enjoy this format. Good job.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Thank you 🙏

[@Kryten52]

I've been so curious about Black Leopard, been staring at it at the bookstore I work at for ages. The covers are fantastic!

[@thefantasynuttwork]

They really are!

[@briankregg6329]

Just say no!!

[@reggiega7989]

Great video man, you've really persuaded me to buy Black leopard Red wolf. As a black guy myself I do find there is a lack of African/black influences fantasy. Admittedly, as someone who only started reading at the end of 2022, I'm not someone that goes out of my way to search for new books myself. I rely on booktube, channels like you, Allen, phillip, mikes book reviews etc and naturally that's going to typically going to bring light to more popular fantasy that tends to take influence from medieval, roman types of influences. So I appreciate you bringing light to an author like Marlon james and I think this will urge me to try look into books that I don't see from booktube and explore some of the things I consider interesting even though I don't see them popularised on booktube. Long winded message, but again great vlog 🫡

[@thefantasynuttwork]

My pleasure to help shine light on the less hyped stuff! I think Marlon James is pretty incredible, and the African inspiration is so fascinating. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

[@tracejefferson3169]

Thank you, look forward to more reading vlogs.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Thanks for checking out the video!

[@gamesaregood9904]

Gotta say I love the thumbnail Jimmy

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Thanks to my boy Jared!

[@PhilBrillant]

Love the vlog era!

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I’m glad cause I do too

[@currangill430]

"Umm...actually..." never gets old 😂😂

[@thefantasynuttwork]

it happens so often

[@currangill430]

@@thefantasynuttwork Um actually it only happens once a month

[@MattonBooks]

Woo! Julian May! 😀 I read the Pliocene books in high school about 100 years ago, and was recently trying like hell to remember who wrote them and what they were called. They left a real impression on me, and were hugely popular back then. It’s odd, and a pity, that May and her bangers dropped off the world’s radar. Might be time for a re-read.

[@MattonBooks]

And I’ve been wanting to say to you for years, “WOLF Jimmy! There’s an L in it! Dogs woof!” 😆

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@MattonBooks hahah it’s an ongoing bit in almost all my videos now lol

[@nicholasloftis1913]

Great vlog! Also, great cats 😊

[@thefantasynuttwork]

They’re the best, and thanks!

[@anothersarahreading9961]

❤❤❤ Saga of the Exiles and its sequel. You are so making me want to reread it after all these years. And no, I didn't call a child or even a cat after a character (although it's not a bad idea 🤔 😂).

[@thefantasynuttwork]

It’s a great name for a pet honestly lol

[@Nico-lk5hb]

I looooved this video !! It felted so real 🎉

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Thanks!

[@Jillybeanzxo]

Well I’m sold on Black Leopard. I really like this hanging with Nutts vlog style

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I’m so glad 😀

[@novisob2233]

I only made it 30 or 40 pages into BLRW and still the Marvel comparison made me chuckle

[@thefantasynuttwork]

It’s so outlandish for someone to say lol

[@e.matthews]

This vlog sparks joy!! Thanks Jimmy! I started BLRW in audio and loved the prose. Will have to get a print copy and take on the journey. Also very excited for Borne thoughts 🦑 It's one that has left a long-lasting impression on me.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I’m 100 pages into Borne and really liking it

[@bartsbookspace9798]

Saga of the Pliocene Exile sounds fabulous, I’ll most definitely look for it and add it to my already bloated tbr.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

The list forever grows 😅

[@bartsbookspace9798]

@@thefantasynuttwork Ain't that the Truth, It's like swimming upstream, running on a treadmill, or some other halfwitted analogy. 😂

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@bartsbookspace9798 hahahaha, excited to check out your top 10 video soon btw

[@bartsbookspace9798]

@@thefantasynuttwork Thanks! 😀

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@bartsbookspace9798 no thank you for posting it!

[@HenrikBrosveet]

I’m glad you kept this format Jimmy, stellar content as always! Damn it, you got me psyched for both of these books. Now I have to buy them 😆. Many colored land seems rad in itself, not that many time travel books out there with an epic scope(as far as I know). And Black Leopard, Red Wolf sounds nuts, I’m in.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

BLRW is definitely wild, I hope you like it!

[@72mje]

Big fan of your reading vlogs, hope you decide to keep doing them. Got to check both of these books out.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Thank you so much

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

Got me intrigued to try Black Leopard Red Wolf for sure! Loving these vlogs

[@someokiedude9549]

Please do, Ben. I'll have someone to talk about them with. From what I've heard of the audiobook, I liked.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I have no idea if you’d like it but hope you do!

[@AleksReads127]

Black Leopard Red Wolf sounds super interesting! I’ve been on the fence about whether to pick it up or not, but you’ve convinced me to give it a try. Eh…I guess one more book on my TBR pile won’t hurt 😅

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I recommend trying the sample!

[@jeroenadmiraal8714]

With Black Leopard Red Wolf I started to get into it at around 40 percent. Very visceral. With the sequel, I had some more trouble getting through it.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Hoping I love it

[@GrapplingBook]

your vlogs are my favorite new thing about this channel

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I’m glad you’re digging it!

[@mattkean1128]

Speaking of African fantasy, I've really been wanting to try Wizard of the Crow by Ngūgĩ wa Thiong'o. He was imprisoned and exiled from Kenya for many years, and writes in a lot of African traditions. The novel is almost more of a screenplay, the way it's designed in the oral tradition. I hear it's more like magical realism, speaking to corrupt dictators, colonialism, and governance mistreating the people. A ruler stealing from the people to build a modern tower of Babel, and the wizard of the crow, an avatar of African folklore speaking against him.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

This sounds so interesting

[@thirdspacemaker9141]

@mattkean1128 thanks for the title. I’ve been trying to find African inspired fantasy. It seems easier to find sci-fi than fantasy. I just bought Scarlet Odyssey by C.T. Rwizi.

[@mattkean1128]

@@thirdspacemaker9141 I'll definitely check that out!

[@whispersofthewind8401]

Got the Saga of the Exiles tetralogy in a charity shop this year and it is definitely among the best things I have read recently together with Tad William's Dragonbone Chair.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Yessss! Tad rules

[@pranavroh]

Since you have already started reading Gene Wolfe Black Leopard is an easy recommendation. I have read both Black Leopard and its sequel Moon Witch- they are incredibly difficult books to read but extremely rewarding. The weirdness takes on a concrete form towards the end of the first book - things start making sense. Marlon James is a great prose stylist and has a fevered imagination - this is a must read !

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I couldn’t agree more

[@henryjack6227]

Marlon James is one of my favorite writers out there I can’t wait for the third book in the series. I definitely didn’t like Sologons perspective as much as trackers but I appreciate the 2nd book still. Also a history of 7 killings is so amazing but so hard to get through it takes a while to start understanding what’s even going on.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Yeah seven killings is brilliant but very very dense

[@cyrilturlan6727]

I'm really liking that new reading vlog format. Don't get me wrong, there's never been a type of video you produce I didn't like, they're great, entertaining and easily digestible. But this, such as your One Piece ones (R.I.P. One Piece vlogs) are very interesting, especially when you can see the highs and lows and doubts about some parts of a book. It's easy to say in retrospect that a book is ultimately great and yaddah yaddah yaddah, but it sometimes feel like the person saying it is trying to convince us it is (unconsciously or unintentionally), whereas with this vlog format we actually witness (sort of) how you came to that decision.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Thank you so much

[@esmayrosalyne]

I have been so scared to try Black Leopard, but everything you said here makes me cautiously optimistic. Will keep it on my radar for when I am in a daring mood, lol. Also, you should definitely try Anna Smith Spark, her prose is something else... and I love it!! Oh and thanks for including all those kitty pics, my heart is full 🤩

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Allllll the kitty pics! My gut feeling is that 90% will hate BLRW tbh but if you try it I hope you enjoy it

[@esmayrosalyne]

@@thefantasynuttwork I've been known to enjoy the marmite books, if you will, so I will just go in with an open mind and hope for the best. And if I don't like it, I will just blame you :))))

[@salomealhusami594]

Hey, Jimmy! Nice to see you back! You definitely got me interested in the African-inspired fantasy series. Usually, we get the regular Europe-middleages-inspired fantasy. So, it would be a nice change to read an African-inspired one. 😊 Unfortunately, I'm not into the Si-Fi stuff at all. So, I'm gonna leave that one to the Si-Fi crowd. I was wondering if you got around to reading any Malazan-related books after you finished the main series two years ago...? I'm eager to hear your thoughts on them.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I read Night of Knives but I haven’t read the others yet

[@salomealhusami594]

@@thefantasynuttwork Yeah. I know. Hope you get around to the others soon and I hope you enjoy them just as much as you enjoyed the main ten. Your discussions on the main ten with other Malazan fans are very fun to watch and very enriching to listen to. I'm looking forward to watching you go on another Malazan journey and discussing it with the Malazan veterans. All the best! ❤

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@salomealhusami594 thank you so much!

[@JosephReadsBooks]

I'm searching for a copy of The Many-Colored Land locally but if I can't find one in the next few weeks I will pick up a copy online. I'm really interested in it. Great vlog!

[@thefantasynuttwork]

its kinda hard to find!

[@andrewhanson405]

I might have to check out Black Leopard, Red Wolf. Everyone who has good taste that has read it, always speak well of the novel. I used to see The Many Colored Land at bookstores when I was young. I haven't even thought of the book since, but you have caught my attention with your praise of it. I'm really interested in reading it now.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

It’s really fun, MCL that is lol

[@arekkrolak6320]

Marlon James is maybe the first fsntasy auyhor of substance since JRRT. His other books are also great

[@thefantasynuttwork]

He’s super talented

[@sw3dge]

Wow The Many-Colored Land sounds wild.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

It’s so good!

[@readingwithrebeccanicole]

Yes more reading vlogs!

[@thefantasynuttwork]

They’re too fun to make!

[@thirdspacemaker9141]

Enjoying the vlogs. I look forward to seeing how your recording and editing style evolves as you do more of these. Personally, I don’t care for the mixing of different books into one vlog unless you’re doing some sort of correlation between them. Have you considered limiting/editing the vlogs to one book or topic per video? I’ll continue watching either way.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

It’s possible I could do that but I like the variety

[@readbykyle3082]

Glad you enjoyed them both. Black Animal Red Animal is the 4th oldest book on my kindle and I have never started it, we will see if it ever happens 🤣 Many Coloured Lands sounds great. Two vlogs in and you're already getting in those sweet sweet animal cut-aways, you love to see it.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

It’s just an excuse to post my cats tbh

[@chadia25]

Keep the vlogs coming, pls 🙏 ❤

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Absolutely!

[@jefferyheileson7188]

I own the first two books in The Dark Star trilogy. I'll eventually get to them!

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Hoping the third comes out soon

[@stuart1346]

I always kinda heard black leopard red wolf was a bit dense and written quite archaically so never felt like something I’d enjoy? Plus I haven’t yet been sold on the idea on the same story repeated from different perspectives. Didn’t even like seeing a Jon and Sam chapter for the same meeting in Feast and Dance.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Yeah I’m confident this one wouldn’t be something you’d enjoy lol

[@stuart1346]

@@thefantasynuttwork now I have to read it 😂

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@stuart1346 nooooo don’t do it 😂

[@shadowoflugia]

Okay I just placed an order for Black Leopard, Red Wolf, cause I was planning to read it soon anyway.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I hope you like it!

[@kevin.jenkins]

Black Leopard, Red Woof also more vlogs plz

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Thanks buddy ❤️

[@itsgonnabeanaurfromme]

One of my favorite book people. I don't like the term booktuber. On a side note. With all due respect, Jimmy, those guys who made Final Fantasy Tactics podcast, Avantris, Dr Noc, Jacques ze whipper, where TF did all these hot nerds come from and how can I quantum link myself to one?

[@thefantasynuttwork]

😂😂😂

[@micahhall8822]

Fucking love BLRW. You gotta get to Moon Witch stat. I'm a Marlon James mega fan. Up there with second apocalypse, ASoIF, dandelion dynasty, LOTR, mst and last king of osten ard. Fire Sacraments by Robert VS Redick is amazing too..

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I gotta check that last one out

[@BooksRebound]

I didnt finish Black Leopard, cause I dnfd it early. But I picked up the sequel and loved it and only then went back to read BLRW. But imo Moon Witch Spider King is a better book!

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I’ve heard this!

[@sweetlard2113]

I LOVED about 60-70% of Black Leopard, Red Wolf and then it seriously went to shit. I mean, typos, formatting errors, clear "I have no idea what to do with the story now", etc just started showing themselves everywhere. AKA, they rushed it out. Don't know why, but it's super clear it wasn't ready. If you've read it you know exactly what I am talking about.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

interesting! i didn't catch the typos but wouldn't be shocked at all

[@BookishTexan]

Don’t get old?!? Why didn’t you tell me sooner. It’s too late now.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

if only we had known hahah

[@sam1503cd]

Great vid new sub

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Thanks!

[@SarahJ70]

I always think “Red Leopard, Red Wolf” instead of “Black Leopard, Red Wolf” for some reason. I love the title but I can never get it right

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Took me a solid week to get the name right lol

[@ReadtoFilth]

So how does a reading vlog work? You read them you stop and film yourself taking about it then start again?

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I record after some meaningful progress, but it’s not like a super constant thing where I’m filming constantly as I read

[@lifeandbindings]

Jimmy is himmy 🫡

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Jimbo the himbo

[@lifeandbindings]

@@thefantasynuttwork even better 😂

[@mitch8948]

Would you recommend Many Colored Lands to someone that has absolutely 0 desire to deal with any degree of new world building right now? Asking for a friend.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Probably not hahah

[@someokiedude9549]

I'm glad that you liked Black Leopard, Red Wolf Jimmy. For my money, it's one of the finest novels of the fantastic in the 21st century. That's hilarious that you brought up Kakutani's blurb for Black Leopard, Red Wolf, because I remember when I first read it, I laughed at the blurb. I'm honestly shocked it got on the cover of the book, because it makes Kakutani seem so out of touch with the times, but I digress. I find that the magic of Black Leopard, Red Wolf really comes from when you read it aloud. Marlon James took a lot of inspiration from African folklore, and much of those stories were told orally. It's also shocking once you find just how much James took from African lore. The inpundulu and the two trolls who were always giving Tracker trouble are real creatures from African lore. Black Leopard, Red Wolf did for me what fantasy often should do: give me the doorway into another world I hadn't seen before. I have to say that I agree with most of the points you made, though I thought the ending itself was an appropriate one. Tracker got what he wanted, but it didn't make him whole. Anyways, I don't want to go on for too long. Keep up the good work Jimmy!

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Completely agree with reading it out loud

[@someokiedude9549]

@@thefantasynuttwork fantasy as it ought to be written, I might dare say. 😉😉

[@ericF-17]

First!

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Congrats!

[@ericF-17]

Certainly not shooting to the top of my TBR, but I kind of want to read Black Leopard Red Wolf now even though I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't like it. Which is weird.

[@angelamccollister]

Sweet kitties

[@feverfiori5887]

Hyenas innit

[@IcePrinceYuki1]

I learned female hyenas have a pseudo penis, so it makes sense.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

they are everywhere

[@kaizacorp]

Wtiches will be witches

[@thefantasynuttwork]

truuuuuuu