Many authorities believe (and have believed, throughout history) that order and tranquility are best assured by draconian laws inflexibly applied. Sometimes this policy has discouraged undesirable behavior; perhaps more frequently, it has convinced the populace that they might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb. Hence the career of Liu Bang (256–195 BCE), who might never have become Emperor Gaozu of Han if he hadn’t adopted the sheep-stealing option.
Authors have not been slow to understand the plot potential of firmly applied rigorous laws. Consider the five works noted below.
Imaro by Charles R. Saunders (1981)
Recognizing that her intended Chitendu was a malign sorcerer, Kitasa refused to marry him. Rejecting the husband selected for her, even a monster like Chitendu, was an offense against Illyassai law. Worse, Kitasa then became pregnant by an unnamed, non-Illyassai man, which was a transgression deemed worthy of death. Saving the Illyassai from Chitendu bought her mercy: five years to raise her son Imaro, then exile.
Imaro is considered a paragon of virtue in all ways save one: his features declare that he is half-foreign. Regardless of Imaro’s martial prowess or courage, the Illyassai will never be able to forgive Imaro’s ancestry. Thus, the young man abandons his mother’s people and sets out to find his destiny elsewhere on the continent of Nyumbani.
No grand sword-and-sorcery hero ever came from a happy household. That granted, the Illyassai go above and beyond their duty to provide Imaro with a past he is happy to leave behind him, as well as a challenging upbringing that will ensure he survives what lies ahead.
Hellflower by Rosemary Edghill, writing as eluki bes shahar (1991)
The Phoenix Empire is notable for its diligently applied and rigorous laws. These include strict border controls. Persons from proscribed worlds are subject to the death penalty. This is true even if, as in the case of Butterfly St. Cyr, they were kidnapped by slavers and carried off into the Empire before they escaped.
The Empire cannot execute Butterfly more than once. Thus, she does not hesitate to rely on the services of Paladin, an AI as illegal as Butterfly herself, to facilitate Butterfly’s smuggling. How unexpected that the very Empire that would summarily execute Butterfly will come to depend on her for its continued existence.
Hellflower is a very Andre Norton-esque novel, one that features dead or dying civilizations, surprisingly affordable star flight, unsympathetic governments, even more unsympathetic organized crime, and existential threats viewed from the very bottom of the social heap.
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist, translated by Marlaine Delargy (2006)
Dorrit Weger steadfastly avoided the roles decreed for her by Swedish society. Dorrit never married, she had no children, and she prioritized personal satisfaction over earning high wages. When Dorrit reaches her fiftieth birthday, the state provides her with a socially responsible role she may not turn down. Removed from her home, stripped of everything, she is consigned to the Second Reserve Bank Unit, where over the course of time her organs will be removed to extend the lives of useful Swedes.
The authors, artists, homosexuals, and other non-conformists deemed useless by the powers that be are considered to be valuable biological resources, and thus are pampered during their short lives in the Unit, to ensure that their betters will receive top-quality organs. Dorrit would be well advised to enjoy her new life, for it won’t be a long one. Dorrit is ever the obstructive non-conformist; the resulting pregnancy will be quite the problem for the Swedish state.
In an interesting contrast to other science-fictional mandatory organ donation systems I could have mentioned, Holmqvist’s is self-sabotaging. The Swedes are burning through their supply of expendable people and the Unit system will soon collapse. Although not in time for Dorrit.…
No Rest for the Wicked by Kate Ashwin (2013)
A friendly altercation in a pub lands Jack O’Malley and his pal Wolfe in front of a British judge. England’s Bloody Code pays no heed to mercy—by all rights O’Malley and Wolfe’s stories should have ended at the end of a rope. But O’Malley can see malevolent spirits, a talent rare enough that Councilwoman Fairbairn buys O’Malley and Wolfe out of prison and into her service.
Wizard third class Ben Thackery can dispel evil spirits but he cannot see them. O’Malley will play guide for the wizard. Wolfe has neither magic nor second sight, but he does possess great intelligence and unquenchable curiosity. It is Wolfe who begins to wonder at the increase in malevolent spirits and question their source. It is a question that may be Wolfe’s death sentence.
The Red Scholar’s Wake by Aliette de Bodard (2022)
In its infinite wisdom, the An O Empire does not distinguish between being captured by Red Banner space pirates and joining them of one’s free will. Thus, Red Banner prisoner Xích Si can never return home without being executed. She cannot even contact her family to let them know she is still alive, for to receive messages from pirates is deemed abetting piracy and is also subject to the death penalty.
Two likely fates await Xích Si. If useless, she will be killed by the pirates. If useful, indentured. Neither of these outcomes results. Rather, mindship Rice Fish proposes marriage to the astonished prisoner. In exchange for Xích Si’s assistance uncovering the traitor who murdered Rice Fish’s late wife, Rice Fish offers the protection of a loveless marriage to a senior Red Banner pirate. It is an offer Xích Si cannot refuse.
Readers familiar with mystery and political intrigue tropes may very well guess that the probable lifespan of an amateur detective looking for a wily, powerful foe will be very short. Well, it will all depend on how cunning Xích Si can be under pressure.
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There have been many, many stories about draconian legal systems. No doubt I may have overlooked some well-known favorites. Feel free to berate me for my oversight in comments below.
In the words of fanfiction author Musty181, four-time Hugo finalist, prolific book reviewer, and perennial Darwin Award nominee James Davis Nicoll “looks like a default mii with glasses.” His work has appeared in Interzone, Publishers Weekly and Romantic Times as well as on his own websites, James Nicoll Reviews (where he is assisted by editor Karen Lofstrom and web person Adrienne L. Travis) and the 2021, 2022, and 2023 Aurora Award finalist Young People Read Old SFF (where he is assisted by web person Adrienne L. Travis). His Patreon can be found here.
