Warning: May contain spoilers!


One of the main points of debate and a good source of some of the most thought provoking dialogue throughout the book comes from the characters more modern struggle of divides between modern economic principles. The seemingly irreparable chasm between Capitalism and Communism dominating much of the geopolitical and historical landscape of the 20th Century.
In the book one of the main concerns the character Portia has for Ally and Osiris is that their mission is inherently doomed from the start as no matter what ideology they pursue in the aftermath of the coup (if they’re successful) she’s concerned that it is futile as they will eventually become the tyrant’s they set out to destroy. I originally had a line in the book which I had to cut from Albert Camus’ ‘The Rebel’ “Every revolutionary ends as an oppressor or heretic,” which is very relevant to the themes of the book and the massive conflict that is raging inside Ally.
She wants to help Osiris install a new utopian dream, as she migrated there herself in search of a better life. Though, the sheer amount of destruction and displacement makes her hesitant. Osiris admits he has considered this as a very likely possibility but wants to persevere out of principle that doing nothing would be a worse mistake.
Throughout the book the mention of the government’s increasingly authoritarian rule becomes more apparent throughout the book as what is a seemingly normal society, advertised as a beacon of freedom amidst a turbulent world quickly degrades. The methods they use to pursue the character’s become increasingly legally grey, and their actions are showcased to the reader for them to question personally whether that’s something they’re comfortable with in a democratic and fair society.
One of the main motivations used by the government agents and increasingly seen through by the characters Ally, Osiris and Portia is the mobilisation and weponisation of fear by the government to help push agendas that are against people’s interests while also eroding their liberties. Another historical inspiration I made was drawing similarities between the agents in the NIB and the ACE and their conduct in the book to the NKVD in Soviet Russia. The NIB are a very powerful agency and are modelled after them, while not quite as brutal I intentionally wrote this way to show a country and a system sliding into this and becoming more corrupted and unhinged.
I’ve covered this in some earlier posts, but I needed to have a regime that was teetering on the edge of becoming completely tyrannical and the snapshot of the society and the people in that instance. Some of the book is symbolic of the human spirit while other parts of the book are a more literal clarion call to the readers to assess their own situation and think about what type of world they want to reside in. The regime couldn’t have been already too brutal in the book and simply executed the characters for any form of protest, coup or disobedience it was more about the decline into dictator state.
Again, I did this so the reader could weigh up the events of the book through their own viewpoint while also being offered some alternative aspects. Another harsh aspect of the book is the divide in the country between the wealthy and the impoverished, the Delphi Township that Portia travels to ismodelled after another historical inspiration and parallel that ties in with the theme of what the reader thinks is acceptable.
Delphi Township is modelled after the SOWETO Township in apartheid era South Africa. Where lots of people suffered. In the book asylum seekers are essentially exiled to live in desert camps in the harsh Australian climate in a mutual agreement with the government that they would be left alone. Throughout the book the government encroaches upon them and their land threatening to disband the camp and send them to uncertain futures.
Portia emerges as their saviour, appalled by the application of the ‘law.’ It’s a great struggle throughout the book which encapsulates the experiences of many communities around the world trying to stand up to almost insurmountable might of the authorities and governments. If you haven’t noticed the power and rights of the people in the face of wider decrees and government rule is a theme that weaves throughout The Pendulum.
To Be Continued…
The Pendulum