The Dark Star Trilogy
#6403.56 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Ongoing 2019–present Reading commitment Low Marlon James Last reviewed 2026-08-26
Overview
The Dark Star Trilogy is a dark, myth-dense epic fantasy drawing on African history, folklore and oral storytelling traditions across a sprawling secondary world. Each published volume retells overlapping events from a different narrator's perspective, deliberately leaving the reader unsure which account, if any, is reliable. Its first volume centers a mercenary tracker hired to find a missing child; its second retells much of the same span of years from the vantage of an immortal witch centuries older than he is.
Mythic fantasy, Dark fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
The Dark Star Trilogy Marlon James
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Black Leopard, Red Wolf | 2019 | core | 3.45 (31,554 ratings) |
 | Moon Witch, Spider King | 2022 | core | 4.16 (5,481 ratings) |
Two of three planned novels published so far.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Dark Star Trilogy? The Dark Star Trilogy's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for The Dark Star Trilogy? Publication order, starting with Black Leopard, Red Wolf. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Dark Star Trilogy finished? Ongoing (2019–present).
- How much reading does The Dark Star Trilogy take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books).
- How is The Dark Star Trilogy ranked? #640 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 37,035 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #640?
Ranked #640 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.56 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (37,035 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.45 to 4.16.
- 0.01 behind #639, The Rages Trilogy.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 2 books · Ongoing · 37k ratings · Ranks #640 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- Black Leopard, Red Wolf (2019)
- Moon Witch, Spider King (2022)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.56 across 37,035 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit The Dark Star Trilogy (Marlon James) accepted 2026-08-26
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26
Rule: Core Canon is the two published novels; a third is planned but not yet released.