No Sympathy

Theo is the kind of guy who'd steal your painkillers and lie to you about it while high. He's the kind of guy who swears he just scored a gig and so he can totally pay you back-rent, don't worry about it. He is an asshole, and our story begins when he alienates the last of his friends in Berlin and is kicked out onto the street. Unbeknownst to him however, this cutting of social ties enables him to tap into a world of sympathetic magic, which he does by accidentally teleporting to China. There, he meets a mentor named Gabriel, who instructs him in the art of sympathy, in the art of seeing things as similar to allow them to become the same. The caveat is that only those who go unnoticed, those without ties, can perform magic. Gabriel brings Theo to an enclave of magicians, who perform global charity work at the margins of society. As he works with them and trains to become a better magician, Theo is forced to confront himself, and to learn the difference between self-hatred and egolessness, with an ultimately tragic conclusion.

One part Neverwhere, one part Bojack Horseman, with more than a dash of Ursula Le Guin, this is a story about the magical thinking within modernity, and the importance of self-compassion in trying to make the world a better place.

This book is a true exploration of self-destruction. Read it in solitude and learn what it means to truly have nothing left to lose.

-Tina Alberino, editor and cult leader at The Dread Machine

No Sympathy's combination of urban magic, critiques of everyday life, and a plea for genuine human solidarity that both takes on and sublates our own finitude and failings is exactly what we need more of. Can we forge new bonds of solidarity, wielding the magic of modernity to make a new and better world? If fantasy is for anything, surely it must help us answer this question. On every level a bold debut from a writer to watch!

-Jon Greenaway, author of Capitalism: A Horror Story

The bleakest take on wizards and magic, No Sympathy is urban fantasy somehow still isolated from the real world. It's surreal, yet completely grounded, and is one of the most unique examples of the genre I've had the pleasure of reading. A fascinating and philosophical journey, set in locales around the world but tethered to none. Dooley's unique voice weaves a fresh-if sad-story about what magic can be. Dooley subverts the hero's quest, the Chosen One trope, and other fantasy staples. The protagonist may be annoyed by that, but you won't. No Sympathy is a welcome divergence from mainstream fiction.

-Creag Munroe, editor of Elegant Literature Magazine

Eóin Dooley's No Sympathy is a rare pleasure in the world of Sci-Fi / Fantasy: a story which the reader could imagine happening fifteen feet from where they've taken lunch, or had their morning walk. This tale of a sudden-magician and his desire to use his newfound powers for good-really, his assumption that he must do so-reveals the underlying magic of contemporary society... just probably not in the way you'd expect, what with needing to graffiti a McDonald's in the process. Theo and the cabal of magicians which take him in form a collective which we all hope exists: the secret helpers on the fringes, those who work endlessly-and expend what power they have-to make the world incrementally better. But, as must always be asked, and as all the great stories in this tradition do: at what cost?

-Mike Rugnetta, co-creator of Fun City Ventures

Eóin Dooley (he/him) is a writer from central Ireland. Having completed a master's in cognitive science and philosophy, he turned to creative fiction, primarily to stave off a PhD. This appears to be working. His previous work can be found in Elegant Literature, Manawaker Studio, and Solar Press, with nonfiction forthcoming in Red Futures. [His urban fantasy novella, No Sympathy, is forthcoming with Android Press.] His mastodon handle is @.

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