Mage of Fools by Eugen Bacon

(Meercat Press, 2022)

Reviewed by Jamie Mollart

Firstly, I’m ashamed to admit that before picking up this novel I didn’t really know much about Afrofuturism. Wikipedia defines it as “a cultural aesthetic, philosophy of science and philosophy of history that explores the developing intersection of African diaspora culture with technology.”

The term was first defined by American critic, Mark Dery, in his 1993 essay ‘Black to the future’ and (according to Barnes and Noble) includes novels such as The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, and The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead.

Mage of Fools has made me want to delve further into the genre, because put simply, it’s a brilliant book.

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Review from BSFA Review 17 - Download your copy here.