Great book, I always love going back to stories I enjoyed and being able to go and follow Cego’s journey again was exciting. Would recommend for anyone to read.

This book was Gladiator meets Mortal Combat meets Harry Potter. I loved it! Set in a world where single combat decides the fate of nations we follow a boy with a mysterious past as he is scouted by a grizzled old champion to train to become the next Grievar Knight Champion.

The juxtaposition between the two POV's was perfect. Murray brings the old grizzled warriors view and Cego the bright eyed and curious neophyte.

The world was imaginative with a blend of mysticism and tech. I really enjoyed learning more and more about the world the Grievar inhabit as the book unfolds and there is plenty left to explore in the up coming books.

This book had the best hand to hand combat writing I have ever read. I could see all of the fights as the unfolded and physically cringed at some of the blows.

I can't wait to read what happens next!

(social post will be shared closer to publish date.)

The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin, an interesting title but ultimately not for me. Thank you for giving me a chance with this book and I do think others will enjoy it.

Thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for this eARC!

I love seeing unique pitches for books, but I especially love it when the author has the knowledge to back it up. In the case of this book, I loved knowing that Darwin comes from a strong martial arts background.

In saying that, I did take a big risk on this book, knowing it would have lots of action and fighting scenes. But I trusted the author's extensive knowledge would translate onto the page and help me through the fighting scenes. And it did! I really enjoyed the detailed fights and clear descriptions.

I think The Combat Codes will appeal to a select set of readers. I do think you need to have an interest in martial arts (watching or participating) just because that is such a huge focus in this first book. But there is still a lot more to offer outside of the fighting in this book. I think the characters are well done and are in positions to grow and change throughout the series. There is also a unique blend of science fiction and fantasy in this world, which I enjoy. Additionally, there is a lot of world building left to explore. I am hoping to see some expansion in the next books. I would love more world building outside of a school setting.

My main issue with this book is the pacing. I will preface this with the fact that I found this book to be highly readable and I really flew through it. But the pacing felt off to me. When both stories' apexed, they felt like a large enough climax for the book. But separately, Cego's main story line once in the Lyceum didn't have the high stakes that I wanted. I also think the pacing suffered from the nature of the story. This follows the narrative structure of a "no one to some one/Chosen one" story that takes place in a school setting. So in some ways, it felt predictable and the pacing suffered for it. But the twists and reveals at the end very much set up book two to have a much better pace (as long as it doesn't fall into more school drudgery). One of the reveals I had pegged from very early, but the rest got me, for sure.

The Combat Codes shines when it comes to detailed fighting and action scenes as well creating an interesting sci-fi world with a complex main character that you can root for. I would highly recommend this for fans of Red Rising that wanted more fighting and less scheming and politicking!

Who doesn’t love a battle of champions? Why sacrifice thousands of poor idiot’s lives when wars can be determined by one on one combat by the best the nation has to offer?

The Combat Codes takes place in a Science Fiction like setting setting where countries settle grievances in these “one on one” battles of champions. Think of them as MMA fights with tech giz and extreme settings. We have two main characters we follow. Murray is a former champion and now a scout looking for talented fighters. He feels like his job is pointless because the real skilled fighter come through breeding programs through selected bloodlines and cannot be found in underground fighting arenas. He stumbles upon a prodigy named Cego and what follows is Murray trying to solve the mystery of Cego’s origins and acting as a sort of mentor as he takes him to the elite training school in the country to be a champion. It’s all interesting, fun and very easy to read. I don’t have any real complaints, but just feel everything was done at a four star level. I’d be interested in reading the next book and see what happens next.

Combat Codes is a well-paced sci-fi brimming with action, brutality, thoughtfulness and heart. From ruthless underworld to storm-harried, glistening academy, every fight is clear and visceral, and I couldn’t help but be ensnared by the mystery and tension woven throughout. I can’t wait for the next chapter in Cego’s journey!

Full disclosure, I did not finish this but I read enough to know that I wanted to get the physical copy when it is released.

TCC is a love letter to martial arts with a dystopian sci-fi Ushiro Geri to the solar plexus. Darwin has written a splendid debut that takes a handful of tropes we see across SFF & breathes new life into them. I can def see why he was a SPBO finalist, and why Orbit nabbed him..

I really enjoyed this book, and I’mglad since I got an advanced copy. Mixed martial arts inspired scifi where “gladiators” fight to resolve international issues? Super cool. And Darwin’s structuring of scenes makes it read like a movie playing in your head.
Highly recommend, and detailed review to come.