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The EVOL Algorithm
THIS IS NOT A DYSTOPIA.
IT'S A UTOPIA IN THE MAKING.
Matargo and the other children live in paradise, under the watchful eye of their mechs.
Until the day they Float.
No one talks about what happens after you Float.
Or what exactly the giant black sphere of nothingness above them is.
Why would they? They've never known a day of fear or suspicion in their lives.
Like lambs. Awaiting slaughter.
Book One in The EVOL Trilogy.
IT'S A UTOPIA IN THE MAKING.
Matargo and the other children live in paradise, under the watchful eye of their mechs.
Until the day they Float.
No one talks about what happens after you Float.
Or what exactly the giant black sphere of nothingness above them is.
Why would they? They've never known a day of fear or suspicion in their lives.
Like lambs. Awaiting slaughter.
Book One in The EVOL Trilogy.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
416 pages, Hardcover
Published May 7, 2026
About the author
K.M. Moke
1 book39 followersK. 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 13, 2026
This is undoubtedly my sleeper hit of the year so far and it could very well be the start of a new favourite series for me. Admittedly I picked it up initially because of beautiful cover art, but it took mere moments of reading it for the book to sell me on almost everything else.
This first book in the Evol trilogy feels to me a bit like The Will of The Many had a bookish baby with the video game Arc Raiders, twinned with gorgeous art (both cover and internal, I might add) reminiscent of Simon Stalenhag’s dystopic book The Electric State. It’s got some truly fascinating and extremely mysterious world-building, a superb protagonist and it has a lot to say on the topics of personhood, artificial intelligence, war, childhood, history, sacrifice and the greater good.
Immediately we are presented with a utopic (and yet very hierarchical) society of children who have each bonded with a personal drone set on protecting and teaching them, always at their side, all without an adult in sight.
We are told about The Nothing, the huge black sphere that is supposedly going to save the world, which ominously hangs above this beautiful and idyllic island that these children live upon.
The children are each working toward their “Float”, which they achieve by behaving, learning or performing in certain ways to attain new lights on their hep-tags, small devices that they are never meant to be parted from. As to what a float is… well you’ll have to read and find out. This is all set up in the first chapter and the ideas and concepts had me absolutely hooked.
Our protagonist is a youngster called Matargo, and their drone P. They aren’t particularly motivated by their heptag lights or The Nothing, they just wish to run the lengths of the island and to eat lots of food.
I am not normally one to prefer a first-person perspective, but these characters were so charming and personable, stubborn and inquisitive, reckless and a quick-study, and the dynamic between the two was tremendously engaging. I adored them both.
The plot is fast-paced, and it has short chapters. It hits a few beats we are mostly familiar with, but despite these few moments of predictability, the world, characters and the book’s philosophy (as well as it’s incredible art and design) all more than make up for it.
The ending was very exciting and satisfying in equal measure, and I am extremely eager to get my hands on the next entry the moment it becomes available.
Top marks, highly recommended.
This first book in the Evol trilogy feels to me a bit like The Will of The Many had a bookish baby with the video game Arc Raiders, twinned with gorgeous art (both cover and internal, I might add) reminiscent of Simon Stalenhag’s dystopic book The Electric State. It’s got some truly fascinating and extremely mysterious world-building, a superb protagonist and it has a lot to say on the topics of personhood, artificial intelligence, war, childhood, history, sacrifice and the greater good.
Immediately we are presented with a utopic (and yet very hierarchical) society of children who have each bonded with a personal drone set on protecting and teaching them, always at their side, all without an adult in sight.
We are told about The Nothing, the huge black sphere that is supposedly going to save the world, which ominously hangs above this beautiful and idyllic island that these children live upon.
The children are each working toward their “Float”, which they achieve by behaving, learning or performing in certain ways to attain new lights on their hep-tags, small devices that they are never meant to be parted from. As to what a float is… well you’ll have to read and find out. This is all set up in the first chapter and the ideas and concepts had me absolutely hooked.
Our protagonist is a youngster called Matargo, and their drone P. They aren’t particularly motivated by their heptag lights or The Nothing, they just wish to run the lengths of the island and to eat lots of food.
I am not normally one to prefer a first-person perspective, but these characters were so charming and personable, stubborn and inquisitive, reckless and a quick-study, and the dynamic between the two was tremendously engaging. I adored them both.
The plot is fast-paced, and it has short chapters. It hits a few beats we are mostly familiar with, but despite these few moments of predictability, the world, characters and the book’s philosophy (as well as it’s incredible art and design) all more than make up for it.
The ending was very exciting and satisfying in equal measure, and I am extremely eager to get my hands on the next entry the moment it becomes available.
Top marks, highly recommended.
May 7, 2026
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!!
‘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!!
May 11, 2026
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.
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.
May 7, 2026
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!
May 9, 2026
All I can say is that I’m annoyed I’ve read this so early, because now i have to wait for the next instalment, and I REALLY can’t
May 17, 2026
Very likely this will be my top read this year.
1000000/10
1000000/10
May 16, 2026
would love to know when book 2 is coming. it was such a captaining read from start to finish could not put this down
Review of advance copy received from Author
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:
Until then:
Be optimal!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews