[bearhat]

Why does so much fantasy seem to rely on a sort of idealised feudal system? The resolution often just returns order to that system with one of the heroes at the hub of the new order.

Just wondering if anyone can think of a fantasy series / book set in a world that has a fascist or totalitarian system.

China Mieville's Perdido Street Station comes to mind, but I also think Ian Irvine's Well of Echoes quartet qualifies. The council of scrutators had a cold, fascist quality to them.

Any others?

I'm interested in this idea as the fantasy novel I'm writing has gone dark on me. I seem to be exploring the decay of a free society into a dictatorship. What does it take to turn a freedom fighter into a self-made king? And from king to despot?

So, can anyone think of fantasy worlds that are clearly fascist?

[algernoninc]

i'm reading now "Out on Blue Six" by Ian MacDonald, which is a fantasy world, but in the science-fiction category, where i think you will find more examples of the repressive society. This one has echoes of "1984" and its thought police with a huge metropolis where the Compassionate Society makes sure everybody is happy by denying them all choice. i haven't finished it, and i think i should post my comments over in the sf pages, but you might be interested.

it could also be argued that fantasy is more focused on this middle-age period because it is seen as an epoch in which the choices between black and white were easier to make; authors don't have to be scientifically rigorous in their worldbuilding, and most of all: machine guns and fragmentation bombs dropped from a safe distance would take all the fun out of battle scenes in a fascist society you might consider. magic swords and bows and fireballs are more difficult to wield, but offer more plot and character development possibilities.

[thrinidir]

I'm interested in this idea as the fantasy novel I'm writing has gone dark on me. I seem to be exploring the decay of a free society into a dictatorship. What does it take to turn a freedom fighter into a self-made king? And from king to despot?

So, can anyone think of fantasy worlds that are clearly fascist?

I will be speaking from my personal perspective only ofcourse but if every tyrannical and opressive rulership may be considered fascist (the broadest definition of the term possible) - then clearly a feudal rule is no exception to that. And as far as I am concerned main characteristics of fasistoid systems are: petty cruelness, sacrificing freedom of the individual for the collective good of the society, militarization of the society, cult of personality (worship of the leader plays a prominent role), parades displaying states strength, coerciveness of bodies, crimes against the statet are considered the most important and are severely punished, glorification of nation - magnifying its cultural,moral and military supremacy, disregard for other nations, extreme desire for conquest, all of the social systems (culture,economy,education and art are the most notable) are subservient to political system, conflicts within society are repressed and directed towards the outer enemy (other nations,states,races), traditional religion is often debased - worship of the leader is the new religion, political alternatives and freedom of speech are denied, strong political propaganda and regulation of peoples lives even into the smalles detail (private sphere is violated if not expelled completely), everyone who does not sympathise is considered enemy of the state ect.

But which fantasy worlds would suit any number of the things I mentioned I will leave to decide to others more read persons than myself. But I think sci-fi is generally more prone to use such distopian vision of society for its background setting than fantasy which is in general not so politically conscious. The most obvious choice coming to my mind right now would be a classical novel in every sense of the word - 1984 by George Orwell (a most explicit depiction of futuristic fascism).

[KatG]

I'm not entirely sure what you mean here. You're just taking about imaginary world fantasy right? A lot of those, although not all, are set in a European, feudal model in parallel to medieval times. Feudalism can be both democratic monarchy and fascist, depending on how leaders decide to rule. Quite frequently in fantasy novels, the standing ruler is "evil," i.e. a dictator with an army, and so has to be brought down. Of course, the replacement government might still be a constitutional monarchy, rather than socialist.

If you want to find stuff that's more modern, then the urban fantasists like Mieville design cityscapes that are often dictatorial, or at least noir-corrupt. The contemporary fantasy writers also deal with historical periods in which fascist governments operated. You might find Tim Powers' spy novel, "Declare," helpful, as it covers the time period from WWII through the Cold War.

[Amaunette]

A series of books by Maria Snyder (Poison Study/ Magic Study/ Fire Study) is a bit of light fantasy set in (what I would call) a fascist state. It's a very fun read, I encourage you to try them. (Fire Study will be released in 2008).

[Werthead]

Obviously, Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels are set in a fascist world and the main character and alleged hero is very much a fascist dictator.

Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing Trilogy chronicles the rise to power of a ruler who is the ultimate dictator. How fascist he is depends on how events unfold in the sequel series, The Aspect-Emperor, but the likely answer is 'very'.

[oasis seeker]

I think John Marco's Jackal of Nar (Tyrants and Kings Trilogy) would qualify.

[Radone]

...I also think Ian Irvine's Well of Echoes quartet qualifies. The council of scrutators had a cold, fascist quality to them.

Non-sequitor. Scrutators. *Giggles* Ooh the scary scrutators are coming. Can't help it, it's just such a ridiculous word.

[RAD]

The ancient city-state of Sparta would be considered fascist.

For a non-modern but non-European model of a fascist society set in a fantasy novel, check out the Dragon Temple Saga by Janine Cross.

I don't think that one has any direct analogs to real-world societies, but some parts seem to have a very Islamic feel to them, though I'm not intimately familar with the details of life in that part of the world.

What does it take to turn a freedom fighter into a self-made king? And from king to despot?

Aside from a simple craving for power, I'd say a combination of expediency and tradition. If there are a lot of threats to king and country, then it may become necessary 'for the greater good' to hold the reigns of power more tightly and silence dissenting points of view. Once held, though, power can be hard to relinquish.

Then there's tradition: if we're talking about a society with no history of questioning authority or having rulers accountable to the people, and where people have been trained for generations in the virtue of obedience and the evils of rebellion, then there's a much better chance of a fascist system taking root.

[Deornoth]

Glen Cook's 'Black Company' springs to mind (the Lady is quite the dictator) as does Erikson's Malazan Empire under the rule of Empress Laseen...