The Salt Oracle is the second novel set in the We Are All Ghosts in the Forest world (both can be read independently), written by Lorraine Wilson, published by Solaris. A novel that is difficult to classify into a genre, transporting us to a new part of this world broken after the internet crashed, the Bellwether, a floating college centred about the Oracle, examining the politics behind academia and morality as part of our story.

Auli is part of a research team that studies the Oracle, a strange and uncanny girl whose ghost-influenced chants are carefully notated and used to piece together weather forecasts, maps and many things used to make the region's waters safer. After Auli's mentor's death, Bourdain, in suspicious circumstances, she will need to uncover the truth: was it because of the internal politics aboard the Bellwether, or even because external forces are trying to destabilise the college? A difficult task, especially after Bourdain revealed Auli his plans to create new Oracles; but that won't be the only danger the Bellwether people will confront, as the ghosts are changing, becoming more erratic and dangerous.

While the first instalment in this world was much more set on a personal scale, this second one is much more ambitious in terms of themes and stakes: not only we have a deep dive into the dark academia genre, exploring questions such as the obsession for knowledge disregarding the consequences, but also around the Oracle and her situation, how it goes against autonomy and the stories told to justify certain situations. The cast of characters is a bit outshined by the power of this setting, especially due to the unique blend created by the claustrophobic nature of the Bellwether and the presence of ghosts attracted by the Oracle, but they are well-fleshed, and the use of different POVs instead of sticking just to Auli's one helps to understand more about them.

Wilson's prose is simply outstanding, weaving multiple memorable sentences that contribute to that eerie and creepy atmosphere that is an integral part of this book. The blend between genres makes this a difficult to classify book, creating what is just a remarkable novel.

The Salt Oracle is another excellent novel set in this post-apocalyptic world of We Are All Ghost in the Forest, a recommendation if you want to read a gorgeous take on dark academia mixed with a locked room mystery. A marvelous novel by Lorraine Wilson!