Book review: The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin

The Combat Codes is the first novel in Alexander Darwin’s debut science fantasy series of the same name, a martial arts story where nations no longer go to war over resources, but settle their disputes with one-on-one duels between expert combatants called Grievar. If you’ve ever wished for a genre fiction novel that had the spirit of films like Rocky or The Karate Kid, mixed with world-building reminiscent of the Final Fantasy games, The Combat Codes is a book you probably want on your radar.

I’ve had a chance to sit down and read The Combat Codes and am here to give some thoughts on it! As always, we’ll be trying to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible.

Book review: The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin

In the world of The Combat Codes, wars are a thing of the past. In an attempt to shelve weapons of mass destruction, nations have agreed that any dispute over land, resources, or politics will be settled in the ring by Grievar Knights, combatants trained especially for the purpose.

Murray Pearson is an aging Grievar Knight who had a legendary career before a devastating loss forced him into retirement. Now in his fifties, Murray has become a scout for the Citadel where young Grievar are trained, and spends his time hanging around the underground slave fighting rings in hopes of finding the next great Grievar.

Actually, Murray mostly drinks and grumps about the state of the world; he’s disillusioned with more than a few aspects of how Grievar culture is changing in his homeland. He’s an immediately engaging character with the weight of a fascinating history filled with secrets on his shoulders.

Murray’s life is turned upside down when, against all his bitter expectations, he discovers a young boy named Cego fighting in the slave circles. Cego displays an aptitude for fighting and a respect for the Grievar code of honor which catches Murray’s attention, ultimately leading to him taking the boy under his wing.

The lone wolf and cub relationship between Murray and Cego is a highlight of the story. It’s something I’m looking forward to seeing more of in the sequel, Grievar’s Blood; we spend far more time with each of the two main characters individually than we do with them together in The Combat Codes, so I’m itching for more time with these two as a unit.

The worldbuilding for The Combat Codes is another highlight. There’s been some debate about whether this book is technically fantasy or science fiction. The debate has seemingly settled on the idea that it’s a science fantasy novel, meaning it draws on both sci-fi ideas as well as magic. The easiest comparison I can make is that it reminded me of the sort of world you’d seen in a Final Fantasy video game, especially XI or VII. There’s even mention of giant, flightless birds that the Grievar used to ride! Give me a chocobo nod and I’ll be a faithful reader for life.

The way we win still matters

Given that The Combat Codes is all about fighting, it should come as no surprise that the novel has a lot of action scenes. They’re less chaotic and unpredictable than your usual fantasy book since the story is about organized fighting, but what happens in the circle where Grievar square off is just as intense and riveting as any battle scene. Alexander Darwin is a student and teacher of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and that expertise bleeds off the page. Some of the terminology may be a little hard to keep track of if you’re not familiar with martial arts, but Darwin does an admirable job of keeping everything comprehensible and engaging.

In particular, there’s one fight around the mid-point in the novel which made me shout out loud for its spectacularly brutal payoff. The fight scenes are one of the places where Darwin is most in his element, and the novel is almost worth reading for those alone. Thankfully, there’s plenty else to recommend the book.

One common misconception about many martial arts practices is that they’re all about fighting; in reality, philosophy often plays a pretty large role as well, and it’s central to the story of The Combat Codes. The book takes its name from the combat codes which Grievar follow as part of their life path; they dictate an honorable dedication to combat and self-mastery through hard work and discipline. However, by the time that Murray discovers Cego, the Grievar institution has strayed pretty far from those ways. This is a central theme the novel explores well.

The Combat Codes is one part martial arts story, one part magical combat school

Something that surprised me about The Combat Codes is its layout; the first half kept me on my toes with more than a few unexpected twists and turns. The back half of the book didn’t quite grab me the same way, mainly because it’s almost entirely focused on the magical combat school where the Grievar study, the Citadel, and is very reminiscent of books like Ender’s Game and The Rage of Dragons. The Citadel section of the book is well done, but the magic school trope is not one I personally gravitate toward. Your mileage may vary.

Fortunately, The Combat Codes doesn’t get too caught up in the minutiae of the school itself. The story moves along at a good enough clip that I never found myself dying for summer break. It helps that Cego is a compelling character with some very interesting baggage. He’s the true main character of the book and we spend a lot of time learning what makes him tick. The revelations near the end of the novel serve as a great set up for the sequel, and left me really curious about where things will go from here.

Verdict

The Combat Codes delivers a knock-out start to Alexander Darwin’s science fantasy series, with brutal fight scenes, intriguing philosophy, and a solid exploration of the Grievar Knight way of life. It mixes elements of the magical combat school genre with one of the most vivid takes on fantastical martial arts that I’ve read, which keeps things fresh even if some of the tropes at play are familiar. It’s a no-brainer for fans of book series like The Green Bone Saga or shows and movies like Cobra Kai and Rocky.

The Combat Codes is out now from Orbit, wherever books are sold.

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