Review: Scarlet Odyssey

Scarlet Odyssey by C.T. Rwizi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this book free via an Amazon Prime program. I had not heard of this author before, but the elevator pitch was intriguing.

This is destined to be one of the best books published in 2020. It will be on my Hugo nomination list for the 2021 awards.

The story centers on Musalodi (known as Salo). He is the son of a tribal chief and the tribe's "witch".

Within this fictional world, magic is only performed by women. It is thought that men are unsuitable for that purpose and are instead fit only for combat, fighting, and hard physical labors such as tending cattle.

Yet Salo's mother has taught him some of the basics of magic. After her death, he learned even more on his own; much to his father's embarrassment. Salo is also mechanically gifted and repairs various equipment used by his tribe.

One source of power is found in crystals taken from the carcasses of various animals. Anyone who has placed Ark: Survival Evolved will recognize some of the mechanical creatures present in the story that live alongside more normal blood and bone creatures.

The use of these crystals to power equipment and larger magical workings lends this book an air of steampunk. I generally dislike steampunk novels. I loved this book as the method of using the crystals was made logical within the context of the story.

Of course, Salo is not the only person to pursue crafts nominally forbidden the character's gender. Ilapara is a young woman who was instructed by her father in the deep arts of physical combat. The two meet up with a mysterious wanderer who seems to be part machine and part human.

The entire story is told within a nominally "African" environment. All of the animals are analogous to animals found in Africa and perhaps south Asia.

There are various powers vying for a superior position in this world. Some are deities...or near deities. Others are powerful magic users. Yet others are just normal people using the available resources to advance the interests of their people.

This book is a tour-de-force initial outing from this new author. Go get this book. You will not be disappointed.

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