Fiction Review: Blood of the Levant

Grand Scale Adventure in the Empire of Europa

Nov 06, 2022

There’s a genre or setting niche that I’ve always found compelling but doesn’t appear to have a label or name. Cars are a new and novel invention, militarism is pervasive, and industrialism is only starting to spread outside major cities. I want to slap a label on it and call it “Industrial Militarism” or “Great War Era,” but it comes down to something akin to Steampunk taking itself more seriously.

Some examples that come to mind are live-action titles like The Mummy or the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist, which I kept thinking about as I read. One of the more exciting aspects of this 1880-1920s vibe is how the world feels so much more varied and expansive. Radio communication is just entering everyday use, swords have practical applications in battle, and different regions and nationalities manage to be much more distinct than we’re used to in today’s era of pervasive American monoculture that infiltrates the four corners of the globe now.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about the fascinating world of Blood of the Levant!

Exotic Yet Familiar

The book takes place in the late 1800s, drastically different from reality. North Africa, Western Europe, and the Americas are part of the “Empire of Europa” and engage in sporadic yet intense warfare with the Russian Empire, which controls Eastern Europe and Persia. A big part of this fight is over an orange metal of mysterious properties, the “Ichor Metal.” While not explained in depth, the ore can be ground into a narcotic or brought to bear in all industrial applications. These two empires control the known world and are racing to claim the ichor metal to gain a technological edge.

Omar felt a cold rush when he saw the new gear sported by fellow legion soldiers, who gave a warm greeting to Walter and him as they walked past. he could tell even from a yard away the changed geometry and exquisite metals that made them up. It was no surprise though, myriads of new technology and gadgets had been developed for the sake of Europa’s bottomless conquest, and he witnessed it all come into play firsthand in his youth. It started with Iceland in the 1870’s, when the first deposits of Ichor Metal were discovered. A metal stronger yet more malleable than anything they’d ever seen, with uses and applications that fueled every sector of technological innovation in Europa. Industry, medicine, weapons, all were being revolutionized by the Ichor metal. Unfortunately, they ran dry in less than a year, prompting the never-ending search for the Earth’s greatest resource. Russia was not ignorant to the Ichor’s magic either, and thus the regular wars that were fought over just territory between them and Europa had intensified beyond prior belief.

The book is told from the perspective of Omar Braun, an Arab boy from the Levant who becomes the second “Ichor Heart,” people born with superhuman abilities and highly prized by the Empire for their effectiveness in war. Omar ultimately becomes a Knight of Europa and a member of the Royal Legion, fighting in the forever war against Russia. His gift of almost instantaneous healing of even catastrophic injuries makes him a sort of Wolverine on steroids, on a mission of revenge against the Russians for an attack on his village when he was a child.

Blood of the Levant is written like several short stories that weave and alternate from chapter to chapter. The book is told almost entirely from Omars’ point of view, with ongoing parts of his life told out of chronological order to help the reader understand what makes the famous Imperial Knight of the present tense tick. I commend the author on executing this stylistic choice; it would be easy to make these constant chronological transitions leave readers struggling to keep up. Abdullah Yousef knocks it out of the park and smoothly intertwines his complex world like an intricate braid.

Omar looked at his pocket-watch as they entered the main building. It was a fancy gold one Walter gifted him ages ago, that also displayed the date. It was almost three, May 18th of 1895. They sped up their pace to reach the lobby, climbing a few flights os tairs leading up to a wide hall, spanning at least sixteen feet high with glass windows built across its sides, all reaching the ceilings. Black and gold flags with the legion’s colors were draped over the concrete columns between them, the sun shining through, creating an array of light across the floor. Men in uniform were going back and forth about their day, others armed to the teeth like statues at nearly every corner of every floor. As they reached the middle of the lobby, Cyrus held his arm out to stop Omar.
“Something’s wrong. Everything above this floor feels tense.”

Blood of the Levant's biggest strength is its setting and visualization. Yousef has a talent for compellingly describing the scene without overdoing it where prose is concerned. The aesthetic of the characters, the pacing, and the fight scenes will feel extremely familiar to any Fullmetal Alchemist fans out there. Armies of regular soldiers with mortars and bolt action rifles crash against each other, interrupted by superhuman living weapons that decisively turn the tide. The only actual countermeasure to an Ichor Heart is another of their kind.

The Prince’s face lit up, his teeth grinding as he met his largest foe yet.
“Bruford Hendrickson… the Golden Lion of Saxony.”
Bruford showed his fangs as his fist shook against the Prince’s hand, seeking to pummel him into the ground further, “Yuri Romanov, wet dog of the Russians!”
Yuri threw a fist into Bruford’s gut that made him gasp. The sight of Yuri effortlessly performing what took Omar years to pull off drove him to look with even greater contempt. Bullets and blades meant nothing in a fight like this. Only their fists could communicate the barbarity each felt so heavily. The terrific excitement of finding an enemy that didn’t crumble between your fingers, who withstood your punches without having their brains fly through their ears. Both Yuri and Bruford, men who had never sat around a table and spoke at length, were enjoying more intimacy in each other’s wrath than they’d had their whole lives amongst the rest of mankind.

In Conclusion

Blood of the Levant is a fantastic book and the first of a planned series. When I closed the book after reading the last page it felt bittersweet to know I’d be leaving its engrossing world for long while, at least until the next entry comes out. I think Yousef really has something here, as long as he keeps skillfully translating from his imagination to the page as he’s done here.