Hi, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. I think one of the things that

stops me from reading a lot of high fantasy is that I'm not a very fast reader. And the idea of

starting book one of a big epic trilogy that'll take me the better half of a year to get through

seems so daunting that

it ultimately just stresses me out. But Booker Prize winning author, Marlon James's

Darkstar trilogy, seems much more accessible to me. The second book of the series is called

Moon Witch Spider King, and it's out now. And it tells the same story as the first book in the series, Black Leopard Red Wolf,

but from a different point of view.

It's a Roshaman take on an epic fantasy where everyone's a little full of it,

which actually means you can read whichever book you want first.

But as James tells MPR's Michelle Martin,

it also means the truth of this series is slippery.

Amario Glass.

On this American life, we tell real life stories, really good ones.

My mother said, I'm sorry that you weren't here because Father Sager was here visiting,

and he found a very nice orphanage for you.

And I said, but I'm not an orphan.

Surprising stories. In your podcast feed, This American Live.

Best-selling author Marlon James is known for creating vast, intricate worlds with compelling characters.

That skill has earned him much acclaim. In 2015, he won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for a brief history of seven killings, and in 2019, he was a National Book Award finalist for

Black Leopard Red Wolf. Now he's showing us his powers once again with a new novel,

Moon Witch Spider King. The book is epic, spanning decades and involving many characters,

...