SPFBO 10 Champions’ League: By Blood, by Salt by J. L. Odom – Review

Azetla has served the Maurowan Army for thirteen years. There are seven left to pay. A pariah and a debt soldier, he is a commander with no rank, a soldier without citizenship, and wears a sword it is unlawful for him to either own or use. He has learned to hold his tongue or risk losing everything.

When Azetla’s battalion is sent into the desert to catch a Sahr devil—one of the famously brutal inhabitants of the region—his tenuous position is threatened. He discovers there is far more to this mission than catching a fiend. For the Emperor of Maurow, it is a way to prove he fears nothing, not even devils. For the Emperor’s brother, it is a stepping-stone to rebellion. For Azetla it could be deadly either way, as he is cornered into choosing a side in the coming coup.

But the devil Azetla finds in the desert is not what anyone expects or wants. As the conspiracy against the Emperor becomes entangled with the simmering ambitions of the desert tribes, Azetla must decide if he’s willing to strike a bargain with a devil in order to survive.

Naturally, she is not to be trusted. But then again, neither is he.

It feels like we reviewed this a moment ago, as it’s such a recent winner! But here we go, with our thoughts on By Blood, By Salt!

Kerry

I really enjoyed this tight, well written military, low magic fantasy (at just over 300 pages, it did what a number of chonkier novels often don’t achieve for me) that deals with real world issues such as colonisation, racism, the subjugation and subversion of cultural practices, as well as the difficulty of keeping one’s cultural identity whilst working for your oppressor. It was refreshing having a story set outside “Western civilisation” as it were; instead we are treated to deserts, tribal affiliations, and lifestyles akin to the Middle East but, as in the real world, the “West” are trying to force their way of life amongst the “barbarians“.

The characters were well fleshed out and it is they that drive this story. Some people may find the beginning of the story a bit slow going but for me it set up the world and the main characters perfectly. It certainly picks up when the djinn becomes part of the cast of characters and when it is revealed what the djinn really is, and they have to rely on it to be their translator and guide, hackles certainly rise.

There is also the mysterious Samuel Aver, the son of a sycophantic King, supposedly dead but rumoured to be alive. The name itself is a carrion call to rebellion and I’m certainly looking forward to where the story line goes. I was absolutely engrossed with this novel, the prose and storyline enticed me so much I ended up reading it in a day. I think the author has done an astounding job with this, their debut novel.

*I’ve recently finished book two, A Haunt for Jackals, and I was just as enamoured with it as I was for By Blood, by Salt. Highly recommend.

Adawia

I’ll start by saying WOW! I just love this book.

I love the prose—it’s far from purple but it’s often very pretty and there’s no rambling or excessive details and descriptions which suits me perfectly.

I love the story—it’s clever, and peppered with beautiful and poignant passages that speak to my soul.

“He asked for something borrowed. Pilfered, really, from unsuspecting mouths. She was asking for something that was his, kept hidden preciously under his tongue, tasted through ritual and prayer and almost nothing else. It was not a fair exchange. Except… if he bartered with his language, he would be using it. It would be at his lips always. Not only the odd word […] but the whole, rich breadth of it. He could dust it off and waken it. This idea had a fiery effect on him, burning past the reticence, for there was more savor in speaking his language than in hoarding it for he knew not when.”

I love that the author appears to have borrowed phrases and habits or practices from real-life cultures—many of them have a sort of ethnic cadence that not only adds interest and relatability, they help solidify the worldbuilding. The settings, the scenarios, the characters, the whole world actually, doesn’t just come across as plausible or occasionally relatable, it feels real and immersive, with an Arab vibe.

I love the pacing—it’s very smooth. There’s not much frenetic action, but the beautiful writing made that unnoticeable while reading. The author took me right inside the character’s heads and helped me feel what they were feeling. This book spends most of its time building characters and the world in which they reside, and, while I’m usually a plot-whore, I enjoyed every moment. Good writing will always win me over (even if the story is a little dull (which this one isn’t—I’m just trying to make a point)).

I love the characters (even the ones I really don’t ‘like’)—how they relate and interact with each other and with the world.

“He was treated like nothing more than a dull, discolored piece of the shifting landscape.”

I love the world—which is so very much like our own—mainly because of the characters that are in it. Their struggles are real, and their motivations are valid, even when we don’t quite know all of the truth behind their motivations.

“When at last the room began to burst at the seams with the smell of cardamom, that was the sign that the conversation too could gain its flavor, for there would be food and drink at their lips to soften the harsh sound of truth and haggling.”

A beautiful book, beautifully written.

Julia

By Blood, by Salt by J. L. Odom left me with mixed feelings. There is a lot to appreciate here, especially when it comes to the worldbuilding and cultural depth, but as a reading experience it did not always land for me.

The novel follows Azetla, a character I found immediately compelling. She is a clear outsider, rising to leadership in a military world that was never designed to accept her. That tension made for an engaging dynamic, and I really appreciated seeing how the story handled questions of power, tradition, and resistance. The clash of cultures, both in ideology and personality, added another interesting layer to the narrative, and one late-arriving character in particular added a spark that kept me reading.

Odom’s prose has a confident voice, and the setting feels lived-in and thoughtful. It is a story that clearly has something to say, and I admire how carefully it builds its world.

Where I struggled was more on the emotional side. Aside from Azetla, I never quite connected with the rest of the cast, and that distance made the slow pacing harder to sit with. The first third pulled me in, but after that, I found my attention starting to slip. I caught myself rereading sections not because they were confusing, but because I simply had drifted. A few weeks after finishing, I still remember the early parts well, but most of what happened after the halfway point has already grown a bit hazy.

This might be a case of timing or taste more than a flaw in the book itself. Sometimes a story can be well crafted and still not quite click with the reader. I think By Blood, by Salt will work much better for readers who enjoy slow-burn military fantasy with a heavy focus on culture and power dynamics.

Yaniv

I just finished listening to this last night for the SPFBO Champions’ League. Firstly, I had heard about it from quite a few people and it won SPFBO 10, so the hype was real and I dove in.

I feel this book is unique in giving us, as readers, the perspectives of characters in the fringe in different ways. Most books will mix up the inferior with the superior, and here we focus mostly on the former. We had Azetla, a slave made soldier whose position and rights are always under suspicion. James, the brother of the emperor who’s often more perplexed than anything else. Wesley, the sneaky politician who has a grand plan, but doesn’t notice immediately when things get out of hand. And of course, the Saar, perhaps the greatest mystery of them all. I did enjoy greatly the extremes Azetla went to throughout the book as his very life is on the line, paired with much political machinations, and the other members of the battalion trying to understand him and figure out what to do.

I also thought the process of capturing and analyzing just who and what they found in Saar territory was fascinating and extremely well crafted. The said individual had a very interesting story, and we only got a portion to enjoy but not to sate. At times the plot was quick, surprising, and full of blood and salt as a desert scene is expected to be.

I will say that for me, the pacing of the book felt a bit off in the middle portion, and the amount of tribes, alliances and tongues was a bit overwhelming and could have possibly been reduced with no major negative impact. Also, I was holding my breath towards the end expecting a climactic payoff, and suffice to say I didn’t feel like I got it. However, I still think this is a solid first entry in a series, and if you enjoy slower burning political military fantasy, try this one out!

Patrick

By Blood, by Salt was the winner of the most recent SPFBO contest, and I was delighted by that result. For me, it was the best of the SPFBO finalists by quite some distance, and it was very near to flawless.

The novel is a powerful story about outsiders, how they try to fit in, and how they are treated. It’s also an incredibly well constructed fantasy set in a lush, carefully-constructed Middle East analogue. The word “worldbuilding” gets used for a whole bunch of different things, from Tolkien’s languages to Sanderson’s magic systems and movie-style big ideas. In By Blood, by Salt, the worldbuilding is primarily focused on cultures, and we get very distinct, rich cultures our characters move through. It’s also a book about myth, religion, politics, and how they intertwine, as well as tolerance and intolerance. All of that makes it sound heavy, but it isn’t. It’s handled with a confident, light touch.

This isn’t a high-action fantasy. It’s a fantasy about people and the situations politics and bigotry put them in. I found it a highly compelling read. The only reason it wasn’t a 10/10 for me was the end didn’t quite stick a strong landing. It’s the first in a series, so this is understandable, but I would have liked a stronger ending nonetheless. I highly recommend this if you’re into character- and culture-driven stories in a vivid setting.

Our ranking now stands at:

1. The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble’s Braids by Michael McClung (champions’ review/original review)
2. By Blood, by Salt by J. L. Odom (original review)
3. Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang (champions’ review/original review)
4. Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater (champions’ review/original review)

You can see the full score sheet for all the other blogs judging the contest here.

Print Friendly