Scarlet Odyssey

Written by C. T. Rwizi

Narrated by Janina Edwards, Korey Jackson, Robin Eller and 2 more

“Thrillingly refreshing, a propulsive story built around a fascinating cast of characters…brutal and beautiful and bold and Black in every way.” —Tor.com

Magic is women’s work; war is men’s. But in the coming battle, none of that will matter.

Men do not become mystics. They become warriors. But eighteen-year-old Salo has never been good at conforming to his tribe’s expectations. For as long as he can remember, he has loved books and magic in a culture where such things are considered unmanly. Despite it being sacrilege, Salo has worked on a magical device in secret that will awaken his latent magical powers. And when his village is attacked by a cruel enchantress, Salo knows that it is time to take action.

Salo’s queen is surprisingly accepting of his desire to be a mystic, but she will not allow him to stay in the tribe. Instead, she sends Salo on a quest. The quest will take him thousands of miles north to the Jungle City, the political heart of the continent. There he must gather information on a growing threat to his tribe.

On the way to the city, he is joined by three fellow outcasts: a shunned female warrior, a mysterious nomad, and a deadly assassin. But they’re being hunted by the same enchantress who attacked Salo’s village. She may hold the key to Salo’s awakening—and his redemption.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jul 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781799755654

C. T. Rwizi

Debut author C. T. Rwizi was born in Zimbabwe, grew up in Swaziland, finished high school in Costa Rica, and got a BA in government at Dartmouth College in the United States. He currently lives in South Africa with his family, and enjoys playing video games, taking long runs, and spending way too much time lurking on Reddit. He is a self-professed lover of synthwave.

Reviews for Scarlet Odyssey

[kiaya40 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to NetGalley and 47North Publishing for letting me read and review this interesting story. This is a book by a debut author so I've never heard of him before, but this story was quite a bit different and intriguing than the ones I'm used to reading in this vein of fantasy/epic fantasy.
This story had a lot of tribal and Africa/south Africa heavy influences and settings in it - It really gave me a good feel for the type of folklore, stories and such that I imagine would be told in Africa/South Africa and gave me a good idea of tribes, tribal nature, and customs. It was all very interesting and so very unique and there's a lot to keep track of with the various characters and such going on in the story.
This is about a few different characters, connected in various ways, but it starts with following and getting to know the story of one of the main characters, Salo, who is an 18 yr old man who has the talent and an interest in magic and becoming a mystic as his mother was before him, but in his tribe, it's the women who are meant to be the mystics with learning and using magic and the men who are meant to become warriors to defend and protect their village and tribe and such. Salo is, of course, not the norm and chooses to pursue using magic and wishes to be a mystic and after there's an enchantress who attacks his village and people, he decides he's going to become a mystic to better help protect and aid in defending his people and village from threats.
Salo is looked down on for his choice to become a mystic and treated as less than a man, but their Queen is supportive of Salo becoming a mystic and chooses to use him and send him on a quest. She sends Salo to go and be a spy and gather intel on a threat to their village and on the way he's joined by some of the other characters that have to travel with him to protect and help him on his quest.
This group of companions goes on the quest to go and gather intel on the threat to Salo's village and are being hunted as they travel by the evil enchantress and others.
There's political intrigue, love, finding and figuring out yourself, your identity, and how to follow your dreams as well as an intriguing array of types of magics and spells and such that are displayed, used, and explained in this story.
There's a lot to unpack and a lot in this story and if you like fantasy/epic fantasy with a bit of a new/different feel to it along with new and different magics and everything then you should put this on your list to check it out. It's not like anything I've ever read because of the unique story, magics, and background influences with the tribe politics and aspects and such.

[eldang-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I like the idea of this book, and it has some charming characters, but it felt just generic-fantasy enough to not quite work for me.

[quickmind · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great start to what will hopefully be an epic world. We start the story small, in a remote village of the main character Musalodi, but the world doesn't feel small. It already feels quite large, and as the story is told, the world grows with it, and all of the pieces start to fit together, much like the creation of the axioms in the book. The reader starts to realize just how large this world with two suns is, how many cultures exists, how these cultures get along or don't, and how much pain and cruelty exist in this world, where magic exists, but it comes with a large price tag. This book is about trauma, and learning to live with it, and about misfits trying to find their place. I loved that the fantasy elements were based on African cultures, which are rich and plentiful, and multi-faceted. The magic system, and the societal structures were all fresh and interesting, but also familiar, which is a testament to the author's worldbuilding skills. I want to learn more about this world, and I hope many more books are forthcoming. The writing is lyrical and interesting, and I was compelled by all of the characters stories. Overall, 4.5 stars.