Thank you Meerkat Press for sending me an Arc of Mage of Fools. When I saw Eugen Bacon had another book coming out I knew I had to read it. Her writing style is creative and interesting. The story for most of it kept me interested, as did the characters and the storyline.

I enjoyed the world building and the prose, for the most part. Sometimes I got lost in the meaning, but I am not well versed in poetry. Definitely a good read though. Everyone should read at least one of her books. Speculative Fiction is a cool, not so well known genre. Eugen does speculative fiction so well, with her skillful writing, world building, and attention to detail.

Can't wait for your next book Eugen Bacon!

This was an African dystopia with aliens and the most poetic, beautiful prose ever. The prose is noteworthy. It is excessively poetic...to the point of sometimes obscuring the meaning. However, I still found it very readable and really enjoyed my time with it.

There are themes of rising up and fighting back, particular through the power of story and books. The mind must be free before the body can be free.

The characters were fascinating and I really enjoyed the world building and descriptions. Overall, this was a really enjoyable and solid read.

Sexual violence? I don't remember any. Other content warnings? Grisly death scenes, torture, dysfunctional family, child loss, miscarriage.

Wow, Eugen Bacon can write! And the writing was probably my favourite part of the novel - it's a bit strange and mysterious and it amplifies the strangeness and mystery of what is actually happening in the story.

I really enjoyed the characters and I'm glad the book was sort of divided into sections where we could find out more about some of the most important players. The world building was also innovative and intriguing and the events kept me on the edge of my seat.

Unfortunately, despite loving the how and the what and the who of the novel, the why was where things sort of fell apart for me. The driving force behind the main villain wasn't what I expected at all, and I felt like the reasoning behind his actions was overly simplistic and too this-worldly for a science fiction novel.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Meerkat Press and Eugen Bacon for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Meerkat Press for a copy of the eArc of Mage of Fools by Eugen Bacon. Bacon's prose is unique in that I've never read another style like it. At the same time, it is precise. The world crafted by Bacon is new, but familiar. Her characters are believable and uncomfortable. All these are great reasons for you to read this novella.

It's well-written, well-paced, and immersive. I found the dystopian world interesting and clearly pictured and the characters relatable. WHile it doesn't reinvent the subgenre, the writing is strong enough to capture the reader's attention and imagination. Worth a read.