Belly of Salt

"... it's VERY good ... and of course people use their freight mechs to fight!"
- BookTok influencer @bloodfirejeff

"I enjoyed this read so much I’ve immediately bought the next two books!"
- Callum Dunlop, Amazon UK

"It's thoughtful, a little ridiculous in the best way, and has me looking forward to book 2."
- BookTok influencer @X_DG

"I gave 'Belly of Salt' a try in hopes it would scratch the itch 'The Expanse' series left since its conclusion. I got much more than I bargained for ... cannot recommend it enough."
- Cristina Roman, Amazon USA

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War is coming - what would you risk to finally belong?

Episode 1 of the Belly of Salt series.

On the cusp of adulthood, Eva finally finds kinship in the orbital cavalry, where her penchant for violence and her relentless composure are not just accepted, but respected. Nonetheless, she can smell rot in the ranks. She is being ordered to kill people – a lot of people – and she can either ask why, or keep her new and fragile belonging intact, raising toast after toast to victory in the warmth of her barracks.

Meanwhile, Iskander earns a wage by hauling cargo in his robotic freight mech, a two-legged pile of rust and greasy steel that cost every penny he had. Employment, however, is not the same as belonging. Knowing that “real” mech pilots fight in dangerous, glitzy combat tournaments, he must either risk death by fighting in his decrepit mech, or stand aside and hope a steady paycheck overwhelms the immediacy of being alone.

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Belly of Salt is a science fiction series that explores the absurd price of belonging. Eva and Iskander each struggle to shield their small, brittle pieces of happiness from dangers that are far beyond their control – dangers that may include each other.

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Excerpts:
She had thought such fortitude belonged only to history’s strongest, hairiest warriors, whereas Eva had once injured her lower back via a particularly enthusiastic sneeze.
- Book 1, Belly of Salt

She was quiet as Iskander talked, silent in the way glass is silent as it lays on the floor after shattering.
- Book 2, Thread Cutter

Eva’s fingernails bent and then snapped in a fraction of a second, some ripping cleanly off, overwhelmed by the enormity of the deceleration. Her arm was laced through the straps of his gear, and she felt, rather than heard, a wet popping like a bubble in thick syrup, as the joint of one shoulder was torn from its fitted socket.
- Book 3, Barefoot Among Snakes
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