A Song of Ice and Fire is the first novel in the Game of Thrones Series. Image found on the internet.
With politics heating up both on and off campus, (and if you have an opportunity to vote, I recommend you do. Seriously. It’s your own future that hangs in the balance) I figured I’d delve into the depths of political fiction this week.
Political fiction is a sub-genre of books that focus on political fancies or discrepancies. Often in political fiction, the narrative comments or criticizes existing paradigms that exist within society already. Sometimes, the stories go the opposite route and focus on an alternative existence that has nothing to do with reality.
Some good examples of political fiction are television shows such as Reign or Scandal. Reign is a historical television show about Queen Mary of Scotts and her forage into a place of political power. Scandal takes place in modern America and centres around a woman who cleans up political messes.
Below is my list of my top five favourite political fiction books.
The first on my list was actually a recommendation from one of my college professors (I don’t remember which one) during my first semester of school. George Orwell’s 1984 is a dystopian novel with an omnipresent or overarching government figure. 1984 makes social commentary on totalitarianism and the dangers of communism. Since it was published in 1949 – this historically makes sense. Though a bit taxing to pay attention to, it is a fulfilling read.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is a novel that I read ages ago and had actually completely forgotten about until I was packing to move to Lethbridge. It’s a funny and clever book that follows the main character: Yossarian, who tries to avoid war, but is trapped by a colonel that keeps raising the number of missions men must fly before they complete their service. The book is anything but ordinary and jumps through the timeline at a pace that can give the reader whiplash. The humour and the characters really bring the story together and make it hard to put the book down.
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is like Orwell’s 1984 in that it focuses on a post-apocalyptic scenario where the government has total control. It takes elements of omnipresence and adds in a bit of Battle Royale. Teens in The Hunger Games, are drawn from a bowl of names and made to fight to the death. This book is one of three – the series continues in Catching Fire and Mocking Jay.
Another good series is George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. It follows a political battle and an all-out war for the Iron Throne of the fictional world: Westeros. The first book of the fantasy series is called A Song of Ice and Fire and it revolves around the points of view of nine main characters. Though by the seventh novel, there are far more points of view included. The writing isn’t for everyone as it relies heavily on exposition, and most people find that rather boring. If you can get used to exposition, it’s a great read for readers who enjoy immersion.
Finally, my favourite political fiction is William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Now, I know this doesn’t really count as a novel, but it’s political fiction and this is my blog so I make the rules. Shakespeare wrote about the Scottish General, Macbeth and his attempts to gain the throne. Or really, his wife’s ambition to gain the throne. The majority of people I know had to read this play in high school – most hated it – but I think everyone should re-read and give it a chance. Most people have difficulty translating from Shakespeare’s lingo to modern-day English. If you get past that though, quite a bit of his work is actually pretty hilarious.
Anyway, that is my list of political fiction recommendations. Check back next week and I’ll recommend something else!
