When authors have complete power over the world they create, as is the case in fantasy and science fiction, their beliefs and opinions shape their work in a more or less obvious way.
This has been clear to me for some time, but I was reminded again when reading the ‘Sword of Truth’ saga of Terry Goodkind. I decided to have a look around in my collection, and try and extract who thinks what.
Some are just minding their character’s business, or try to use their imagination without imprinting their own vision in any obvious way, so it’s sometimes subtle. This is a Good Thing – I don’t really appreciate being bludgeoned with misc propaganda while I’m trying to enjoy a story.
- Starting with the freshest: Terry Goodkind. Not difficult: cold war stuff. The bad guys are evil communists, with a dollop of religion on top. He sings the praise of individual enterprise and freedom all through most of the last 5 books (yawn).
- Another sadly obvious one: Lukyanenko (The Night Watch). Russian patriot – the rest of the world is tired, old and decadent. Russia is sharp and young, rejection of foreign concepts and imports, and glorification of russian traditions (like drinking vodka and eating salami or pickled onion, which happens a lot).
- Orson Scott Card: I had to read about it to realize it, but the guy is a convinced mormon. This was mostly clear from the way his characters never have biblical knowledge of eachother before marriage, and then proceed to have as many children as possible. Also pretty right wing, but again, this was harder to parse in his books.
- Philip Pullman. Again, trying to make a point by telling a story. The point was made in bright shining neon letters
- I suspect Terry Pratchet from being rather left wing, he has lots of sympathy for common folks, and kings, dukes and whatnot don’t exactly get preferential treatment.
- Tolkien: Kings and queens, princes, and elves. Based on saga, so he has a solid excuse, although that hasn’t kept some from accusing him of being rather sharply on the right. And hobbits save the day.
- J.K. Rowling: also more on the left side of the spectrum. The rich and powerful are rather unpleasant all through Harry Potter.
- Katherine Kerr: right-wing, I think, like most romantic visions are, really. Nibelungen and all that, you know the drill.
- Robin Hobb: in the same category as Katherine Kerr
- Robert R.R. Martin: more of the same. That doesn’t keep me from really liking his books, if he would only finally go and finish the Song of Ice and FIre.
- China Mieville: left wing, I think, with his fantastic vision of a revolutionary messiah going down in flames.
Neal Stephenson, William Gibson, Robert Charles Darwin, Iain Banks are all more difficult to make out, with people being people in all walks of life. So basically, the best authors are less obvious …
Of course, this is all my perception. I’d be curious to know what you think ? Do you have other obvious examples ? (I probably forgot a few)
