The Combat Codes

• Author: Alexander Darwin
• Genre: Sci-Fi
• Publication Date: June 13, 2023
• Publisher: Orbit
• Series: The Combat Codes Saga #1

Thank you to Orbit and Angela Man for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: violence, bullying, enslavement, blood, murder, grief, trauma, trauma, gore, mention of abuse, mention of death of a parent

They were born to fight. Now it’s win or die.

In a world long ago ravaged by war, the nations have sworn an armistice never to use weapons of mass destruction again. Instead, highly skilled warriors known as Grievar Knights represent their nations’ interests in brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Murray Pearson was once a famed Knight, until he suffered a loss that wounded his homeland—but now he’s on the hunt to discover the next champion.

In ruthless underground combat rings, Cego is making a name for himself. Murray believes Cego has what it takes to thrive in the world’s most prestigious combat academy—but first, Cego must prove himself in the vicious arenas of the underworld. And survival isn’t guaranteed.

I heard great things about this book before I started reading it, and just based on the number of quotes on the front and back covers from authors I love, and what they were saying about it, this was going to be right up my alley. In fact, by a third of the way through the book, I had already called up one of my nephews who isn’t a fan of books and told him a bit about it, and asked if he’d like to read it when I’m done, and he said yes.

I went into this thinking it was fantasy, but it leans more towards something like post-dystopian sci-fi with a heavy martial arts emphasis. And there’s no one better to write a book like this than an author who is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teacher and trainer. The battle scenes are written in such an incredibly detailed way that it’s easy to picture every movement, even for someone who isn’t familiar with martial arts in any way. 

In a world that was once devastated by war, all the nations got together and agreed to avoid wars in the future, instead training Grievar Knights. These Knights engage in hand-to-hand combat in Circles, similar to MMA fights, except these fights are used to determine the outcome of conflicts. However, since the Combat Codes were developed thousands of years ago, things have changed significantly. 

There are two main characters in the story. Murray is a washed-up Grievar Knight. After losing an important fight, he kind of faded into obscurity and gave up on his training, yet still holds to the codes. Currently, he works as a scout, trying to find new talent to train as Grievar Knights. This is especially important because their country’s Knights aren’t performing as well as those from other countries. On the other hand, we have Cego, a young boy fighting in the underground Circles, simply fighting for his life. When Murray happens to see Cego fight, he knows he has to acquire the boy, yet his owner won’t trade him for money—he’s got something less conventional in mind. 

I loved watching the bond between Murray and Cego develop. Initially, Murray is jaded and to an extent, so is Cego. Cego doesn’t know what’s in store, has experienced some of the worst of humanity, and has more than a few questions. But he trusts the process and his own abilities. And over the course of the book, Murray and Cego form a great bond. I also liked seeing how Cego interacts with his teammates and has to change from being a loner to being a leader.

Overall, this was an exciting story, full of martial arts battles and intriguing characters that I wanted to get to know more about. The fight scenes are amazing, and there’s representation for a fat main character and chronic pain, both of which I was happy to see, especially since I wasn’t expecting them. This representation didn’t feel out of place either; an aging Knight who has fought for his entire life would suffer his share of injuries and have chronic pain, and since he gave up on his conditioning, it makes sense that at least some of his muscle would turn to fat. There’s some questions that I had come up while reading, and the majority of them were answered during the book. And while the story doesn’t quite have a cliffhanger ending, I was still left with the desire to read the next book immediately. Which is a problem since it doesn’t come out until December. But if that’s my biggest problem, I think I’m doing pretty well.

People who have sat around with me while I’m reading, especially when there’s a surprising reveal, a shocking plot twist, or an unexpected event often look up in alarm when I gasp audibly. The gasp factor is directly related to the number of times I audibly gasp during a reading, and there isn’t an upper limit.

Gasp Factor: 14