Secession is the ultimate theme in Catenarian Chronicles
Secession in America often gets a bad rap because of the entire War Between the States era. But, in truth, it’s much, much lighter than that.
It’s one of the most polarizing subjects out there in the U.S. But when you broaden the microscope, you’ll find that secession isn’t the dirty term that many imply it to be.
In short, it’s nothing more than one group breaking away from another. That also doesn’t mean a full-scale war needs to be fought.
And it’s one of the pillar themes in my dark paranormal fantasy series, Catenarian Chronicles. While the theme itself doesn’t blossom until later in the series, I’ve spent time planting more seeds than you may realize. Let’s dive in.
A bit of context
Winners write the history books. And when you read Cursed Mage, Book I in the series, closely, you’ll find this theme well-played. Kaija Jokiharju’s roommate, Satu Viiminen, is an international relations major, so you can guess she’s taking a few history classes.
But her goal is to covertly challenge the narrative, not conform to it. She’s not openly challenging it, because Satu, the Ravenclaw that she is, is tactful enough to realize there’s no use arguing with a biased professor. Instead, she’s gearing her own thesis around challenging, debating, and persuading.
It goes beyond that, though. Also in Cursed Mage, Kaija ends up in a different setting from where she began. To avoid any spoilers, I won’t say where, but she’s in a place that serves as the eventual setting for Book II, Astray Mage.
👉 Catch Cursed and Astray Mage at The Rebel Lore Vault
An impending doom
It’s not long until Kaija realizes that this setting is nothing more than a false sense of security. And when she uncovers a disturbing story about one of the top faculty members, Kaija realizes what kind of danger she’s in.
The kicker? Those who run this setting are telling their mythical version of that disturbing tale, intended to demonize an opposing and equally corrupt faction. So, everyone living there, or most everyone, believes that narrative.
Kaija, who sees through it, knows she needs to “get outta Dodge,” so to speak. The only option? Exit. That sets the stage for a setting in Book III, Rising Mage, which comprises a society of people who, you guessed it: Seceded.
And when groups of people secede, an evil entity called the State loses its power struggle to keep them in line. That’s a good guess of why the word’s been associated with another ‘s’ word in America, even if the two exist independently from one another.
Secession isn’t evil, nor does it require bloodshed
America itself seceded from the United Kingdom, if you remember it right. And while blood was spilled there, that hasn’t often been the case throughout history.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, its former republics seceded. Norway was once part of Sweden and peacefully seceded, Ditto for Iceland from Denmark, Malta from the United Kingdom, Singapore from Malaysia, and even African nations from their European colonizers. Ryan McMaken of the Mises Institute provides even more clarification on this topic if you’re interested in further reading.
Secession, in and of itself is often comprised of a group of people who just want to be left alone.
As seen in the Catenarian Chronicles
Regarding the fictional nation of Vimsinew that Kaija lives in? Same thing. While Cursed Mage doesn’t shed light on it, you’ll hear about some of the bloodshed overseas, the taxation, and digital footprint Vimsinew forces its people to live under. And that’s just the beginning.
When Kaija learns all of this in Astray Mage and realizes there’s no other way out, thanks to a pair of corrupt political factions running the show, there’s only one option left.
If you’d like to know more, and if you’re a libertarian-leaning theme-based reader as opposed to a genre-first reader, then check out the first leg of Kaija’s story.
