The Grievar War has engulfed the Empire of Kiroth and Silas the Slayer has given voice to his warrior kin, igniting a revolution within a people once bound by a thousand years of servitude.
Cego is released into a war-torn world where the lines between shadow and light are blurred. He must decide which path to follow: one of his brother’s righteous rebellion or the one that leads to the family he’s finally found.
Once famed knight, Murray Pearson, leads a group of Lyceum students on an adventure across Kiroth to follow the path of combat mastery. But Murray seeks something more on this long road. Redemption.
In this explosive conclusion to the Combat Codes Saga, the truth will be revealed and one final question must be answered as they step back into the Circle:
What is the cost of losing the fight?
I’d have to check (and I’m not going to), but I think this is very likely the quickest I’ve ever gotten through a whole trilogy! And dang, I’ve loved every moment I’ve spent with Alexander Darwin’s THE COMBAT CODES! These books have all meant a whole lot to me on a personal level, and perhaps none more so than the last of the trilogy, BLACKLIGHT BORN!
At some point during GRIEVAR’S BLOOD (book two) it became clear to me that Darwin wasn’t an author who had any interest in just rehashing the same story over & over. He took some huge risks with the story & structure of that second book, and he does that again here for the finale. It really makes each book stand out in a way that doesn’t always happen with trilogies.
The story opens with Murray Pearson leading the remainder of the Whelps on their Pilgrimage. This whole section of the book really captured my heart right away. As much as he always has this world-weary presence about him, Murray is someone who was born to teach & pass on what he’s learned. So watching him guide this group of young characters through this really important part of their Grievar training was really special.
Additionally, Murray is working on his sobriety here & that part of the story really resonated with me. I’ve been sober a little over five years & so watching a character I’ve grown to love grapple with his own sobriety was so important to me. Oof, I think Murray Pearson is such a big-hearted, incredible character…the heart & soul of this entire trilogy.
Meanwhile, Murray has a bit of an ulterior motive in going on Pilgrimage: he’s looking for Cego.
Cego has become so lost in his brother Silas’s Flux Rebellion, it’s like he’s become a completely different person. He even has a menacing nickname of his own: the Strangler. A bit of time has passed between books two & three, and it’s clear that time has taken a toll on Cego.
It’s up to Murray & all Cego’s classmates to try and pull him back from the brink. The Flux Rebellion is growing out of control, to the point where the lines between the rebels and the Daimyo they are rebelling against have gotten worryingly blurry.
This trilogy fucking rules. I have honestly loved all three books & I’m sad this particular trilogy is over. In the acknowledgments, Darwin mentions wanting to write more in this world so I am crossing all my fingers & toes that becomes a reality someday. This world feels massive & I would love the chance to get to explore more of it someday!
As much as the selling point on these books is that the author is an accomplished martial artist who brings a ton of first-hand experience to the book’s fight scenes, it’s the incredible cast of characters that make this trilogy so special. I just grew to love so many of these people, and I’m sad to see them go (for now?)
I really loved Sol’s journey the most over these books…she turned into my favorite character in book two & I loved watching the emotional growth she experienced. She has kind of a steady, grounding effect on a lot of people around her in BLACKLIGHT BORN while still carrying a lot of pain with her. Oof, yeah. Just loved Sol so damn much!
Also, the audiobook for this is outstanding! Donald Chang is the narrator (for all three books) and he has a ton of range. He brings a lot of emotion to the story & it’s just a great performance overall!
THE COMBAT CODES trilogy has meant so much to me, and as I’ve said, I’m sad to see it come to an end. But I’m really looking forward to whatever is next from Alexander Darwin, whether it’s set in this world or not!
Huge thanks to Orbit & Hachette Audio for the copy!!
Grimdark Dad 