K. M. MOKE is the creative trio of creator Mark Warrick, writer Kelley Townley and artist Oliver Hurst.
From humble beginnings spent worldbuilding in the local café, to a fully-fledged world emanating from a restored Georgian townhouse studio in the heart of Bath, England, they created EVOL through a shared philosophy of transformative storytelling and the desire for authentic experiences in a bustling world, with some good old-fashioned optimism thrown in.
what a fantastic new fantasy world to just jump head first into! man, i love me a child character who is just genuinely miles smarter than all the adults.
‘The Evol Algorithm’ follows the story of young Matargo and their life on Loop Island, alongside their spherical friend P. it’s a fantastically built world with some excellently well placed information along the way, never dumping you with it all in one go. the descriptions of places like Loop Island and the Cities were so vivid that i could truly see them in my minds eye.
the characters were so well developed, including the relationships between them all. i am absolutely buzzing at the fact this is only part one of three as there is so much more to come. Matargo and P’s friendship and love for each other is so real and beautiful, it truly is the core of the novel. without giving too much away, the other characters we meet along the path are just as intricate with oodles of backstory and history. truly fantastic!!
as for evol itself, whilst a confusing concept - it worked because the characters themselves also barely understood it. i look forward to discovering that alongside them. the plot was so well structured and thought out, never a dull moment with one thing happening and straight into the next.
as a side note, i ADORED the use of gender neutral pronouns, it just utterly completed the piece for me. it was never highlighted or addressed, that was just the way of it and even in this very corrupted dystopian world, i’m very glad they got rid of gender.
an amazing first dive into this complex and unique world, with some incredibly beautiful art scattered throughout the book. it was honestly such an incredible read - every time i put the book down, all i wanted to do was pick it back up again. i am so excited for part two!!
thank you to the publishers at Worldbuilders of Queen Street for my advanced copy of this stunning book, it’s out now - go read it!!
I picked up my copy on Saturday and finished it by Monday morning — I simply couldn’t put it down. The story pulled me in completely, and I had to know what happened next. It’s a beautiful blend of mystery, love, and adventure, and at times it reminded me of both Divergent and Interstellar. I tend to read with music, and having the Interstellar soundtrack in the background matched the atmosphere perfectly.
I especially loved the non–gender-specific identities of the characters. As a parent of a non‑binary teen, we all felt genuinely seen. It’s handled so naturally and seamlessly that I didn’t even notice it in the pre‑release chapters — my child pointed it out to me later. It felt effortless and authentic. Well done, peeps.
The themes woven throughout the story are treated with a delicate, confident touch. Nothing is over‑explained; instead, the characters’ understanding grows alongside our own, which makes the journey even more engaging.
I cannot wait for the next instalment and fully expect to reread this one many times in the meantime. Matargo and P are characters I’m excited to spend more time with.
We’re very lucky to live near Bath and the wonderful Worldbuilders on Queen Street. We’ve visited many times to watch the artwork evolve and chat with the team behind it. If you ever find yourself in Bath, I wholeheartedly recommend stopping by. And of course, I absolutely recommend this book — and every one that follows.
4.5* rounded up because I enjoyed it so much that I finished in the space of 4 days. Well and truly out of my reading slump, and wishing book 2 was already here!
I loved this! It’s so hard to find something that actually feels original in this genre. Yeah, you’ll see some familiar dystopian themes here and there, but the execution is so unique that it doesn't matter. I’m hooked—I honestly can't wait for the next two books to drop! Until then: