Review – Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike

Beth Tabler

9 months ago

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Orconomics: When Fantasy Heroes Become Financial Assets

About

Brimming with swords, sorcery, and wit, Orconomics: A Satire introduces Arth, a world much like our own but with more magic and fewer vowels. For the licensed wizards and warriors of Arth, slaying and looting the forces of evil is just a job. The Heroes’

Guild has turned adventuring into a career, selling the rights to monsters’ hoards of treasure as investment opportunities. Corporations spend immense sums sponsoring heroes to undertake quests, betting they’ll reap the profits in plunder funds when the loot is divvied up.

Questing was all business for famous Dwarven berserker Gorm Ingerson, until a botched expedition wiped out his party, disgraced his name, and reduced him to a thieving vagabond. Twenty years later, a chance encounter sees Gorm forcibly recruited by a priest of a mad goddess to undertake a quest that has a reputation for getting heroes killed. But there’s more to Gorm’s new job than an insane prophecy; powerful corporations and governments have shown an unusual interest in the job. Gorm might be able to turn a bad deal into a golden opportunity and win back the fame and fortune he lost so long ago. Promising fun, fantasy, and financial calamity, Orconomics: A Satire is the first book in The Dark Profit Saga, an economically epic trilogy.

My Thoughts

At first glance, Orconomics appears to be a run-of-the-mill fantasy adventure. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. The thing is, five pages into the book, you realize you are entirely wrong. There is nothing standard about this exciting, hilarious story told from the multiple points of view of its so-called “heroes.” At its heart, Orconomics is a scathing and effective satire of capitalism and the dangers of all set within a magical world.

“Ye must be Anguss,” said Gorm, stamping up to the bar. “Anguss,” corrected the serpentine barkeep, polishing a glass. “The middle ‘s’ is silent.”

I did not see that coming.

The Plot

The story follows reluctant heroes who unite to embark on a quest to find both treasure and long-lost relics. Their journey is complicated by political and economic maneuvers from various factions, each guarding its own interests. As the quest unfolds, the plot becomes complex and sometimes difficult to track, but when the story concludes, all threads come together clearly.

The Satire

The questing party, professional heroes down on their luck, are supported by a local religious community and a cadre of investors who fund quests in exchange for a share of the loot. That loot usually comes from “non-papered” characters or shadowkin, who are treated as expendable fodder and routinely hunted to boost hero rankings. Their only real crime is being a nuisance to humans and possibly having something worth pillaging. As with any system built on profit, the higher a hero’s ranking, the better the quests they are offered.

It is a setup that feels very familiar, especially if you think about Hollywood. Films are often greenlit because of a well-known actor, with investors backing the project in exchange for a share of the profits. The actor and their fanbase become a commoditized asset, rising and falling based on success or failure. Orconomics is far more cutthroat in its consequences—literally—but the economic system at work is exactly the same.

“Not all who wander are lost; some are on quests.”

The satire in Orconomics takes on some genuinely hard-hitting ideas, and it does not stop at economics. The book also confronts the toll of addiction, specifically opioid and painkiller addiction, which remains rampant in cities across the world. One of the main characters, once a famous and highly respected adventurer, suffers repeated injuries that demand continual use of healing potions. Over time, those potions become her entire reason for living, and addiction takes hold. She is left a hollow version of her former self, always searching for her next excuse to get high. Pike drives this point home in a disturbing scene involving people on the streets deliberately injuring themselves just to justify using a healing potion.

Pike also explores class interplay through market-commoditized goods like magic swords, religious zealotry, and the industries built around profiting from both. He pairs this with shockingly lax laws around weapon ownership, a clear stand-in for real-world controversies over gun legislation. You will find yourself thinking that Pike is brilliant as hell, and at the same time feeling a little sad at how closely our world resembles the one he has created in Orconomics.

Characters

Gorm Ingerson, a disgraced tenth-level dwarf hero, narrates much of the story. Years ago, his reputation was ruined when he fled a doomed battle, leaving him shamed as his teammate became famous. The rest of the questing party, a cast of misfits with their own failures, all desperately need this quest to succeed.

Each member of the party has a distinct voice, and Pike does an excellent job making the interpersonal dynamics and character development feel natural and earned. We learn very early on what each character is struggling with. One is an addict, hooked on both healing potions and alcohol. Gorm, as mentioned earlier, is haunted by his past. One mage is highly talented yet largely useless in a fight, while another is a talented brawler with none of the refinement one would expect. Another member is a shadowkin simply trying to survive.

“I prefer to quit while I’m ahead,” Heraldin explained. “Ye’ve a funny definition of ‘ahead,’” said Gorm. “I prefer to define words in ways that suit me,” said Heraldin.”

The shadowkin, a goblin, and his relationship with Gorm are easily the book’s best, and certainly its funniest, moments. I laughed for a solid two minutes when Gorm finally learned how to pronounce the goblin’s name. Rounding out the group are a character who rarely speaks and another who is actively running from a mobster. Together, they play off one another beautifully and grow in believable ways.

The Conclusion

Man, this is a great book. Within the first five minutes of reading, I understood all the love for it. Orconomics was the SPFBO4 winner, and now I can clearly see why. The relationships, the story, and the allegory about everyday economics are so cleverly woven together that much of it can slip under the radar on a first read. I did not catch half of it until I sat down to write this review. Once it all clicked, it became clear just how creative Pike really is.

The book is both funny and heartfelt, which is essential given the weight of some of its ideas. It strikes a near-perfect tone. It is absolutely a worthwhile read, and one of my favorite books.

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By Blood, By Salt

by J.L. Odom

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.

Our Reviews

John Mauro

It’s hard to believe that By Blood, By Salt is a debut novel. J.L. Odom’s writing is on par with that of Robin Hobb, poetic without being flowery, accessible yet having a certain gravitas that demands the reader’s full attention.

The desert world of By Blood, By Salt is fully realized with a long and intricate history. From the opening pages of the book, the worldbuilding in By Blood, By Salt feels so natural and immersive, never a chore for the reader. I especially enjoyed learning about the various religions and conflicting superstitions presented from multiple points of view.

The characters are also very well developed, led by the main protagonist Azleta, an outsider known as the jackal who is thrust into the middle of a burgeoning political conflict:

“For one, there was this Azetla. Devout servant of the desert God, full to the brim with his own quiet fire, and even quieter sense of purpose. That was not to be taken for granted.”

The main antagonist of the book is a devilish being known as the Sahr. Is it human or something supernatural? One of the delights of By Blood, By Salt is peeling back the layers of mystery surrounding this seemingly inscrutable creature.

“The Sahr scoured each and every one of them with its gaze. The eyes seemed to drink, slow and strong.”

The plot of By Blood, By Salt is a slow burn. J.L. Odom’s narrative is full of meticulously crafted details that seem repetitive at times but end up contributing to the depth of the novel.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with By Blood, By Salt and recommend it to anyone looking for a mature, beautifully written fantasy.

Tori Tecken

By Blood, By Salt is a masterpiece. Every so often, I have the pleasure of chancing upon a read that demands my instant trust of the author. So often fantasy novels get caught up in the spectacle over the characters or give just enough nuance to hold the threads together until the climactic ending. By Blood, By Saltis meticulously crafted by an author who loves the art of storytelling. It instantly gave me a similar depth of flavor as genre giants like Steven Erikson, Daniel Abraham, and Fonda Lee.

Epic and military fantasy are core pillars of the genre, and for those of us who spend a lot of time in those categories, it can be easy to feel as though we’ve seen it all done before. However, By Blood, By Salteffortlessly demands its own consideration alongside its many predecessors with a fresh style and voice.

Odom’s prose also deserves heavy praise here, because the descriptions and dialogue within the story were so artfully written. From the settings to the uniquely individual cast of characters, each element had a vibrant life of its own.

Instead of swerving away from heavy themes, Odom leans in with confident intention and weaves a strong story anchored by flawed, multi-faceted characters that are evolving constantly through the confrontations both external and internal throughout the pages. But where many authors cross the line into a style that ends up feeling a bit heavy-handed to the reader, Odom instead invites us into the story to explore each theme through the eyes of characters from a variety of perspectives.

There are so many details in every piece of dialogue and motive, and yet it never felt dense or dull. If you’re the type of reader who loves to settle in with a deeply layered story that proves you’re in good hands? This is it. By Blood, By Salt is a phenomenal triumph of a debut novel.

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