In Mage Against the Machine, Shaun Barger creates a post-apocalyptic dystopia like no other. The story centers around two main characters who live in the same world, only not really. A wizard and a bionic woman take a rough and wild journey to find the truth. And to save humanity and mage-kind. A cunning blend of magic and technology, and while it takes a bit of time to set up the two narratives, nothing is like you’d expect. There are plenty of stories that follow a specific pattern, to the point that a lot of folks who read often can anticipate the structure of any given novel. Barger ignores any pattern or expectation. It’s an engrossing read. The split between the two realities is super trippy, exciting, and witty.
There’s no gratuitous love narrative. The two main characters don’t fall in love. In fact the female character, Jem, is in love with a woman. This story crosses many thin lines of what’s acceptable in fiction and what’s acceptable in society in general. I love that norms are blown away. I can’t wait to read more.
