I write science fiction. Some people consider that particular genre to be shallow and overly obsessed with bug-eyed monsters, zombies, and whiz-bang gadgets. That can be true. However, science fiction at its best can provide a means of lifting up a mirror to society. In the late sixties, the TV series Star Trek explored such controversial topics as war and peace, racism, intolerance, and political corruption. During the times of racial conflict the Star Trek episode, “Let This Be Our Last Battlefield” showed the absurdity of racial bias through the story of a battle between the two survivors of an alien species whose faces were evenly divided between white and black. The only difference was which side of the face was black and which was white.
Science fiction can put the spotlight on social issues in ways other genres cannot by placing the stories in the future or within alien cultures. That can provide enough emotional distance for us to do some perspective taking.
In my novella, Parmenter’s Wager (soon to be expanded into a full-length novel), I tried to deal with the concept of The Other among us. We all know about The Other. They may be of a different race, have different political beliefs, be too tall or too short, be poor, be rich, live on the wrong side of town, act strangely, be a know it all, hold to a different interpretation of some scriptures, and the list goes on. The identifying factor is that “they” are not like “us” and therefore must be a danger to us in some way. Since we know there are absolutes in the world, we begin to believe that everything is an absolute to be defended or attacked.
But what happens when things are not that clear cut, when your basic beliefs are challenged, even though those beliefs exist in tradition more than scripture? And what happens to the person who becomes the designated Other?
Parmenter’s Wager had its origins in a discussion that arose in a Science Fiction authors group about whether or not a clone would have a soul. So, being a writer, I wrote a story about Pastor Chris Parmenter of All Souls Church, a large suburban church in a pleasant middle-class community. The story is set about 50 years in the future when human cloning (the real sort not what you see in the movies) has become perfected as a means of reproduction for parents who cannot have children through other means. However, clones are treated as second class citizens, have to carry a barcode visible at all times, and they have no civil rights under the law. Many churches teach that they do not have souls and are just sentient beasts. When one of his parishioners, Erica Lincoln, reveals she is a clone and asks the simple question, “Do I have a soul?” Parmenter is set on a journey not only to answer that question, but to deal with church politics, the nature of doctrine, compassion vs. legalism, and his own pride.
I am working on a full-length novel which continues after the events in the novella.
You can download the entire story from my website for free. Here’s the Link https://wordmastermedia.tech/parmenters-wager-download-page/
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Check Out My blogs
Terri’s Sandbox Treasures
Serious Analysis of societal trends, social issues, and my Fake Run for President in 2020
The Write Way
Hints and tips for writers and self-publishers
Inspiration On-Line
Daily Devotions that Challenge as well as Encourage. It Ain’t Chicken Soup, Honey.