They use this term to refer to things like homosexuality and polygamy. One of the few areas in which this neutrality is forgone is in the Empire’s choice of words: “social sin”. Tain Hu remarks on a mob in front of a temple: “These are very poor followers of Wydd… perhaps Himu moves them today.” We need this sort of clarity in the real world. The book also presents that radical elements that identify with religions do not represent those religions as a whole. It’s great to see this sort of neutral, hands-off approach in the prose: it lets the reader make up his or her own mind on the topic and not feel pressured to lean one way or another.

The Empire obviously opposes the devotions to Wydd, Devana and Himu, but Dickinson himself through his writing makes little commentary on it. Instead, it’s shown as what it really is: a set of ideas, beliefs, and ways of seeing the world that accompany normal people through their lives, but do not dictate them. Religion in the world of The Traitor is depicted not as an invisible force nor as an iron fist ruling a naive populace. If you subscribe to those ideas, it’s hard to read such books without being in constant mental discomfort. Thus it is with some relief that I can say that The Traitor manages to be progressive on a lot of topics while being respectful at the same time. The most extreme examples I’ve come across are Peter Watts’ Blindsight and Echopraxia novels (even the titles hint at some mindless devotion), which are (very well-written) science fiction novels that unfortunately strongly attack many trains of thought, but the ideas of God and organised religion especially. The authors are, of course, free to write whatever they like, but as a Catholic, such themes alienate me a little from the content. I don’t know whether it’s the particular authors or online magazines I happen upon, but anti-religious sentiments seem to pop up from time to time. I often have to distance myself a little from what I’m reading when I read fiction.

I started reading feeling a little on guard. The first time I read them, and the second time as well, my mind hardened a little towards them. These words, alone on a page before the story itself, with no context or explanation, are how The Traitor (my edition omits Baru’s name from the title) by Seth Dickinson starts.

The traitor baru cormorant series