Today I’m posting a double Finalist review for #SPFBOX (here’s a link to the Finalist table).  I’ve already posted a review for The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids (Teraglossa #1) by Stephanie A. Gillis,  The Forest at the Heart of Her Mage by Hiyodori, Oathsworn Legacy by KR Gangi, Wolf of Withervale (Noss Saga #1) by Joaquin Baldwin, Runelight (The Aenigma Lights Book 1) by JA Andrews, Gates of Hope by JE Hannaford and The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword by Dewey Conwy and Bill Adams.  I now have only two Finalist reviews left to post and out of consideration for the authors who are waiting for the outcome I’ve made the decision to post both today:

So, my reviews for Mushroom Blues (Hoffman Report #1) by Adrian M Gibson and By Blood By Salt (Land of Exile #1) by JL Odom will follow.  Click on the title for the link to Goodreads.

I will say from the outcome that I really enjoyed both these titles. So, without further ado lets get to the reviews.

Mushroom Blues

ENTER THE FUNGALVERSE. Blade Runner, True Detective, and District 9 meld with the weird worlds of Jeff VanderMeer, Philip K. Dick, and China Miéville in Adrian M. Gibson’s award-winning fungalpunk noir debut, now with a foreword from acclaimed author Nicholas Eames and six pieces of original interior artwork in this ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

Two years after a devastating defeat in the decade-long Spore War, the island nation of Hōppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko are occupied by invading Coprinian forces. Its fungal citizens are in dire straits, wracked by food shortages, poverty, and an influx of war refugees. Even worse, the corrupt occupiers exploit their power, hounding the native population.

As a winter storm looms over the metropolis, NKPD homicide detective Henrietta Hofmann begrudgingly partners up with mushroom-headed patrol officer Koji Nameko to investigate the mysterious murders of fungal and half-breed children. Their investigation drags them deep into the seedy underbelly of a war-torn city, one brimming with colonizers, criminal gangs, racial division, and moral decay.

In order to solve the case and unravel the truth, Hofmann must challenge her past and embrace fungal ways. What she and Nameko uncover in the midst of this frigid wasteland will chill them to the core, but will they make it through the storm alive?

I picked up Mushroom Blues with slightly doubtful feelings.  Of course it had very good reviews and favourable hype but just looking at the cover (which is great by the way) gave me slight sci-fi vibes and I always get nervous around sci-fi books.  Anyway, my doubts were totally unfounded.  Mushroom Blues is exactly my cup of tea.  A perfect blend of gritty world building, hard characters, harsh truths and a murder mystery all rolled up in an absolutely compelling read.  Also, I part read/part listened to this title and I must say that the audio version is really impressive.

Anyway, my thoughts.

A bit of history.  The Spore Wars are over, the victors – the Coprinians (humans) – have colonised and the island nation of Hoppon and more specifically it’s capital city Neo Konoko are now a hotbed of deep seething hatred.  Put basically, the colonisers who now live in the capital hate their lot in life and the fungal people they live alongside hate it even more.  The war may be over but that doesn’t mean that trouble isn’t brewing or that the fungal citizens have accepted defeat.  Throw into this mix the fact that fungal children are being abducted and murdered and you can imagine how tensions are rising.  When another child’s body is found, mutilated a hard nosed detective is assigned to the case.  Her mandate is to solve the crime as quickly as possible – whether she catches the ‘real’ killer or not – really it’s a PR exercise to show how much the colonisers ‘care’.

The story is told by Henrietta Hofmann.  The detective in charge of the investigation.  She’s not an easy character to like but I did find myself rooting for her as the story progresses.  Henriette has a complicated background and much of her story unfolds during the investigation making it easy to see the dark secrets from her past that give her nightmares in the present that are definitely triggered by this investigation.  To say it as it is, Henrietta, much like the other colonisers who now live in Neo Konoko, are deeply resentful of the position they’ve found themselves.  The colonisers believe themselves superior and are undoubtedly racist.  Slurs and insults are rife and certain elements can be shocking to read – but, what I will say for Henrietta is she is clearly a character that cares.  She is absolutely determined to get to the bottom of the murders and won’t accept sweeping the truth under the rug and, well, being assigned a ‘fungal’ cop to assist her, some of her perceptions are slowly going to be turned on their head.

Koji Nameko is the cop assigned to help Henrietta.  His own people believe him to be a traitor and the people he works alongside are openly negative towards him.  It’s not an easy role to take on but he accepts it – well, there is a backstory here but I won’t divulge it here.  Both the main characters have stories that feed into the story really well.  Obviously giving Henrietta such a partner is a great plot, of course the ‘partners that hate each other’ stereotype isn’t anything new but it really does help us to have a great insight into some of the intricacies of this society.

The world building is absolutely top notch.  I loved reading about Neo Konoko.  It’s so well described and easy to imagine.  Rife with the criminal ventures that plague many cities it has a seedy underworld with gangsters, drug dealers and some other very shady characters.

Overall, I thought Mushroom Blues was great, I have no hesitation in recommending it and will definitely pick up the next in series when it becomes available.

I received a copy courtesy of the author, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

By Blood By Salt

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 that 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 that there is far more to this mission than catching a fiend. For the Emperor of Maurow, it is a way to prove that 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 that 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.

By Blood By Salt is a very impressive debut.  Political/military fantasy set within a middle eastern inspired world with engaging characters and beautiful writing.  I really enjoyed this – BUT – you need to be a little patient with this one.  I would say the first 25% is a little slow and you need to take your time and really absorb the information you’re being given because everything here is relevant so don’t rush it.

My thoughts.

When I started to read BBBS I thought it was going to be a struggle.  I was wrong.  

Firstly, the writing is just beautiful.  I love this author’s style.  The world pops off the page.  The story is rich and layered, full of political intrigue, backstabbing, different tribes and religions.  Racism.  Devils or Jinn.  Short bursts of military action that calm into situations that you feel are unresolvable.  There’s the love of the written word, the intrigue of the political machinations at play and the tension delivered by the twists and reveals.

The story is told in a number of povs – the main character being Azetla.  Azetla is a debt soldier, a man from a tribe known as the Jackals (a derrogatory term).  He serves under a captain called Hodge who he has slowly but surely gained the trust of, and although he is not permitted to carry a weapon or gain promotions in rank he has managed, by a show of strength and intelligence, to gain both of those things.  I liked this character very much.  He’s intriguing, intelligent and easy to follow.  There are also hints of an underlying storyline that are very intriguing.

Azetla and the rest of his unit are about to be sent out into the desert on something of a suicide mission, a vanity project of the emperor of Maurow who has decided that a ‘Sahr’ is the answer to all his problems and one must be caught immediately, regardless of the cost in human lives.  The emperor’s brother James has been drawn into a plot to undermine the emperor and is being sent on this suicide mission as well.

The Sahr was one of the most fascinating aspects of the story and still remains a mystery.  I loved this character and the sneaky and insidious way that it burrows beneath Azetla’s skin, insinuating itself in such a way that it goes from being a reviled captive to a necessary ally.  Anyway, I don’t want to give too much away in that respect because personally I loved learning of this character along the way.

Overall I really enjoyed BBBS.  I’m not always won over by either military or political fantasy but this story (after a slightly slow start) had no problem pulling me in an keeping my attention.  I will definitely pick up the second in series.

I received a copy courtesy of the author, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

***

In terms of ratings.  I enjoyed both of these books so much that it’s been very difficult to decide between the two and actually writing these reviews hasn’t helped in that respect because going back through both stories has simply reminded me of just how enjoyable I found both books – and really you couldn’t pick two more different books in terms of style and content.  Anyway, in spite of that I have reached a decision and won’t drag this out any further.

Mushroom Blues I’ve rated as 8.5

By Blood by Salt I’ve rated as 8.5

(My favourite book – By Blood By Salt).

The two scores I’ve used are the original scores I gave the books upon completion and I’ve kept to that original train of thought.  I would say that BBBS had a slight edge and was my favourite book of the competition but I think this is also a fair score for MBs.