Claiming T-Mo

June 3, 2019
Bacon (Dying & Other Stories) explores a four-generation alien family saga in this gleeful, wacky debut. A boy born into the matriarchal Grovean culture is named T-Mo by his mother, a Grovean child bride, and Odysseus by his father, an adult Sayneth priest. This curses him with dual natures: T-Mo is happy and warmhearted, and Odysseus is cruel and temperamental. The story chronicles the many struggles of the girls and women he loves as T-Mo and hurts as Odysseus, among them his mother, his human wife, his daughter, and his granddaughters; several of these characters exist only in service to T-Mo/Odysseus’s story, and most are underdeveloped. Although the story is rife with imaginative concepts and fascinating alien cultures, Bacon’s lush imagery often sacrifices clarity for style. For better or worse, Bacon never shies from the darkly provocative (including implied incest and numerous adult male characters abusing, grooming, and marrying girls and young women) or the bewildering. Fans of space opera with far more emphasis on personal matters than on intrigue or warfare may find much to enjoy, but others will be put off by the questionable romantic and sexual elements.

July 1, 2019

When someone is made up of two dangerously different personalities, what does it take to save that person from the monstrous part? T-Mo, the son of a sadistic priest from another planet, has essentially been split into two opposing beings: kind and gentle T-Mo, and cold and cruel Odysseus. As T-Mo and Odysseus struggle to take control of their lives, these two halves of one person travel from world to world loving, hurting, and shaping the people around them. The narrative further follows the deeply interwoven lives of three women--Silhouette, Salem, and Myra--who strive to understand and save T-Mo. VERDICT In writing this story, Bacon (Borderline) employs elegant and poetic language that pulls readers into each different world and experience as felt by the three leading women. Recommended reading for those with an interest in sf, expressive language, and stories that focus on women's relationships and perspectives.--Monique Martinez, Univ. of North Georgia Lib., Dahlonega

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
This debut novel from Australian author Bacon follows generations of women across multiple planets, all of whom are connected through the titular character, T-Mo. The son of a priest on the planet of Grovea, he is given two names, Odysseus by his father and T-Mo by his mother. This produces a strange psychic split in the child, with Odysseus becoming a cruel and hateful personality, while T-Mo remains gentle and kind. Bacon's narrative is divided into several short sections, most of them from the point of view of T-Mo's mother, Silhouette, his Earth wife, Salem, and his hybrid daughter, Myra. The strongest sections are Silhouette's, demonstrating Bacon's ability to present sketches of otherworldly planets that sit on the borders between sf and fantasy. While the rest of the novel doesn't always live up to these moments, the brisk narrative will keep most readers' attention engaged in between the highs. Recommended for those looking for speculative fiction centered around Black characters as well as fiction that blurs the boundaries between genres.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)