Today I have something special for you, a post to highlight an upcoming release, Scarlet Odyssey by C. T. Rwizi! The premise of this one sounds amazing and I’m excited for more African-based fantasy as I think it’s something we could use more of in the genre. Read more about it below.

ABOUT SCARLET ODYSSEY

“Rwizi delivers a fast-paced story with vivid images of sub-Saharan Africa, lacing Salo’s epic journey with flash, violence and drama, and a love story.” —Authorlink

In a lush and magical world inspired by the many cultures and myths of sub-Saharan Africa, there’s a young man who, failing to conform to his society’s expectations, is forced to journey thousands of miles away from home to redeem himself and save his people. This is the premise of SCARLET ODYSSEY, an epic fantasy, a masterful debut and series launch by C. T. Rwizi, a young African writer who lives in South Africa. 47North will publish the novel on July 1, 2020.

Eighteen-year-old Salo, the son of a respected warrior chief, dreams of becoming a mystic, even though his tribe considers books and magic unmanly and expects him to embrace his father’s legacy.  But after a diabolical enchantress attacks his village, Salo publicly confesses that he has created a mystical device that will awaken his latent magical powers, and he asks permission from his Queen, eager to prove that he can help protect his village in his own way.  The Queen agrees to allow his awakening ceremony but commands him to travel across the lands north to the Jungle City, the political heart of the continent, in order to gather news of future threats.

On the way to the city, he joins forces with an unlikely band of misfits—a shunned female warrior, a mysterious nomad, and a deadly assassin—and their friendships grow as they learn to work together, despite their cultural differences. And their lives depend on their alliance, as they’re being hunted by the same enchantress who attacked Salo’s village. As the evil witch’s own dark history is revealed, it turns out that she may hold the key to Salo’s awakening—and his redemption.

With its innovative blend of fantasy with technology and science fiction, SCARLET ODYSSEY is a wholly original story that’s grand in scope, with four points of view from characters of diverse backgrounds, traversing across a continent fragmented into many different tribes and clans, each with their own language.  Yet the novel is also intimate with its powerful emotional core, as it addresses head on the struggles of a young man coming of age and harnessing his own power in a society that doesn’t honor his choices.

ABOUT C.T. RWIZI

C. T. Rwizi was born in Zimbabwe, grew up in Swaziland, finished high school in Costa Rica and got a BA in government at Dartmouth College in the United States. He currently lives in South Africa with his family, and enjoys playing video games, taking long runs and spending way too much time lurking on Reddit. He is a self-professed lover of synthwave. Scarlet Odyssey is his debut novel.

Follow him on Twitter: @c.t.rwizi