The dystopian survival genre needed more anarcho-capitalists

Quinn Cozens is one of very few anarcho-capitalists he knows. Hell, he’s one of very few ancaps in the dystopian survival genre. 

I made one promise with my fiction: I’ll talk up anarcho-capitalism in the Rothbardian school. But I won’t romanticize it. You’re not getting wise characters telling others about how great an anarcho-capitalist utopia would look. Nor will you see worlds I create with ancap settings coming across as utopian.

I’ll let the socialists, commies, theocrats, far-Left, and far-Right extremists own that lane. Mainly because utopia is impossible. Deep thinkers like Quinn Cozens know this. The answer he needed for himself was: what kind of society would get us the closest to perfect? One without the State.

Most commies will “market” their system. They’ll use the “real communism hasn’t been tried” nonsense, and go from there. “Nonsense” because plebs can’t bypass the “temporary socialist state” label. That’s usually when they come up with a laundry list of excuses that I’ll dissect in another article.

I’ll concede that anarcho-capitalism also hasn’t been tried. But you know what? Ludwig von Mises praised capitalism itself, given its success in the 19th century. He cited increased life expectancy, massive population growth, and the fact that, ultimately, life collectively became easier for everyone.

The Left would say, “Hold on, now. Most people were exploited for their labor.” But Mises never balked. He admitted working conditions sucked, long hours, and that the pay was absolute dogshit early on. Until wealth creation following that mass production started to eradicate it, which he talks extensively about in Capitalism — the basis for Quinn’s economic views.

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Shortages of anarcho-capitalists in fiction led to Quinn Cozens

Want to know something else about Quinn? He’s flawed. Maybe too flawed. As I implied earlier, my ancaps aren’t wise people who calmly lecture others about their worldview. No. Quinn’s a hardliner. He’s ignorant, self-righteous, and such a firebrand that he gets pissed off when someone challenges his views.

In Beyond the Lost Assault, he develops a rivalry with a girl named Ajay — a right-winger who’s every bit of a bullhead as Quinn. Quinn’s also obsessed with the Old Gods in Germanic Paganism. And while he rightfully disregards the Colony’s theocratic mindset, Quinn also openly mocks Christians. Even those in the Colony who oppose theocracy.

Quinn’s a guy who anarcho-capitalists would without a doubt root for, but he’s not someone they’d like to see represent them in a debate. Quinn’s the type of guy who’d resort to insults even if he didn’t need to. He’ll talk over, and even shout down anyone he deems an opponent. If he’s not in charge of the situation, he’ll just glower.

Quinn’s still necessary for the anarcho-capitalist argument

Awesome characters aren’t these flawless comic book superhero-like entities. Nor are they shit human beings the entire time. Quinn’s got an arc, just like any protagonist. Sure, he’s so selfish that he’s metaphorically kicking himself for spending time with his cousin instead of going for a solitary evening run before all hell breaks loose.

Come the end of Book II, Beyond the Lost Assault, Quinn’s demeanor shifts. He still rants unapologetically, and he still holds a self-righteous aura. But he becomes more of what he preaches. That earns him respect from everyone, including hard-Left and hard-Right characters.

In an ancap’s eye, Quinn’s no longer an embarrassment to their worldview. He turns into a symbol for it. Still, there’s more. You learn early that, despite his fierce demeanor, Quinn has a soul. He just chooses not to show it half the time. When he does, you see the ancap in him break through. Slowly across two-thirds of the trilogy. Then it compounds.

That’s what sets the stage for the final confrontation with the terrorist cells that destroyed America and the West in one cataclysmic moment.

Find out how those terrorists pulled that off in Beyond the Lost Horizon