It’s been a long time since I’ve read fiction, at least beyond rereading. But this Lent I gave up my phone after 10:30 PM and without doom scrolling to take up my time, books have reentered my daily routine. Contrary to my initial assumption, I can’t say that reading has done wonders for my sleep. In fact, the latest novel had me so trapped in an ethical catch-22 that I couldn’t fall asleep at all.
And that book is…
Fireborn by Rosario Munda
Set in the aftermath of the revolution against the dragonlords—lords of a feudal system who exploited and disregarded the lives of their serfs—a new meritocratic system is in place where even the lowest peasant can become a dragonrider. Two orphans, one a former peasant, one the son of a former dragonlord, “merit” their way into being dragonriders. By now both pretty much agree that the new system is better than the old system. Dragonlord’s son had his eyes opened to the conditions of the peasants after landing in the orphanage, and former peasant saw her family getting murdered by the dragonlord…The fact that she can even ride a dragon now is all the assurance she needs.
Except.
The more they are allowed into the inner workings of the new government, the more some uncomfortable issues come to light. Censorship. Class and occupation assigned permanently on the basis of a standardized test. And then…the matter of who gets to eat during famine.
The New Regime is no Utopia
Everything can be logically defended, but several dragonriders have families who did not test into the “gold status” that they did. What happens when censorship means your family spouts of a history you know is false? When your little sister isn’t good at math and is sent to be in the service class?
And when famine comes and it’s only a question of who and how many will die, how do you choose which lives are worth saving?
The reader, along with the two main characters, must contend with the fact that the new system is not a utopia. And worse, they can see no better way of going about things. And so, in the name of the new regime, they both do things they would have once considered unthinkable.
They choose the lesser of two evils, because that is the only thing they can do.
More and more, real life seems like a constant choosing of the lesser evil
And isn’t that the only thing we, here in the real world, are able to do? As an American, I think of my own country. But the more I have engaged with people outside my country—French, Brazilians, Mexicans, Koreans—and even brief dives into history, the more I realize…the entire world lives in, has lived, and will live with this dilemma.
The ends never justify the means. But what if there are no good means available? No matter how I tossed and turned in bed while reading this novel, I could not muster a solution for their world. And I cannot muster a solution for ours.
Reading this novel, I could not find a solution for their world…
and I can’t find one for ours.
Whether it’s capitalism or socialism, injustice will exist. Whether it’s red or blue, atrocities will be committed. Whether I run away to the mountains or Mexico or Korea, I will still suffer.
Now I understand why the Good News is, well, good news
Being an adult has opened my eyes to why the Gospel is called good news. The good news is that Jesus came down to fix the world, so that one day we will no longer be stuck choosing the lesser evil, but rather the good. And little versions of that are here already, but in the Second Coming this work will be brought to completion. Completion in which no one has to make the call on who gets to eat. In which power does not corrupt. In which no one will grapple with inner demons. This is the good news. And to think that people are living without it…well, honestly, I wouldn’t be able to handle it either.
…it seems my 10:30 PM phone cut-off has been bearing more fruit than I realized, even if I have about a 60% failure rate so far. I’m reminded that fiction has great power to touch on Truth. So, for those of you who haven’t had time to read in a while, here’s my call to action to you. Go to your local library and find a book. Who knows, you might come away with deep wisdom about the world.
Bird Lover's Musings 