Outside my window, the sun shines and the world I've always known continues to disintegrate. The balance of power that helps protect our liberty is under is under assault and ordinary people stare at it and shrug. Hell, the fact I'm not out there shouting about it right now feels like a shrug.
To me, power is one of the great themes of fantasy. But in most fantasies, it's about the price of having it. Very few books seem to talk about the necessity of sometimes surrendering it; of knowing that sometimes it is better to let the boat float the wrong way than stop it floating altogether. So while the manaics seek to put holes in the boat, I thought of five moments in fantasy books where people weren't like that.
Needless to say, this article is spoiler-tastic
1) Galadriel turns down the ring in Fellowship of the Ring
It sometimes feels like Galadriel's role in LotR takes on an importance out of proportion with how much time she gets. Part of that is from people who've read the Silmarillion and know how great an epic solely about her would be. Part of it is because she's one of the very few women there. But part of it is because her brief appearance was, well, incredibly important. One of the themes that beats through LotR is all about sacrifice, denial, wisdom, and knowing that some things aren't worth their price.
And when Frodo offers the ring to her, it is one of the most important statements of that moment. Galadriel has laid out the bleak choices facing the elves should Sauron conquer; to destroy the land they've loved and works they've made, something they will sorrow over forever as they dwindle away, or see them in the hands of their corrupting enemy. The One Ring will allow Galadriel to avoid that fate. She doesn't hide that she does indeed want the ring for that purpose, and to be the Dark Queen instead of the Dark Lord. But she knows that would be wrong, that the power in her hands would stop her being her.
Better to stay Galadriel and diminish. Better to say no.
4) The Dragonriders of Pern end Thread in All the Weyrs of Pern
The Dragon Riders of Pern have the sweetest deal on the planet in Anne McCaffrey's Sci-Fantasy series. They're the only true protection society has against the menace of Thread and as such, their pre-eminence is as secure as any feudal lord as long as people believe in the menace (it only appears every two to four hundred years after all). Then they discover a way to end Thread altogether. In doing so, they will destroy their own position.
Yet they do it. It is their duty after all. And once they have done it, they do not seek to hold onto positions of authority they no longer merit, but instead find a new purpose and use for the telepathic time travelling giant fire breathing dragons they have. One that isn't "Goodness, what an attractive daughter you have working in that field of wheat. Isn't it a shame that they're out here where they might accidentally get set on fire rather than nice and safe in my Weyr?"
Because they're not bellends.
3) Elspeth renounces her claim to the throne in Winds of Fury
The Princess Elspeth has a long history in Mercedes Lackey's books before we get to the Mage Winds trilogy in which she takes centre stage. We see her parents' tumultous relationship and her father's treachery in Exile's Honour. The Arrows of the Queen series shows us an entitled little brat who needs a good friend. By the Mage Winds trilogy, most (but not all) of the entitlement has been knocked out of her and the series takes care of most of what's left (but again, not all).
As such, when she removes herself from the succession, its not entirely surprising. Nor is it entirely unselfish either. But it is built around a willingness to relinquish something she spent all her life wanting and a sincere conviction that, as someone tainted by treachery and as the country's only mage (i.e. best living weapon), she would serve her country better if she's never Queen. So that's what she does - putting her country first.
2) The Clan Chiefs surrender their staffs to the Emperor in Servant of the Empire
The Empire trilogy has always been one of my favourite political fantasies for sheer enjoyment factor. Part of that's getting to cheer on our heroine Mara as she takes on the weight of an often cruel and uncaring society. Gotta love a good underdog. Yet here, while Mara is the architect, she is not the one surrendering her power. It is the most powerful men in the Empire of Tsurani.
And in doing so, they are giving their power to a previously ceremonial role and giving up centuries of tradition - but all to prevent a war and to prevent a maniac. I guess the gloomy thing is that in the book, it doesn't work because the enemy is still a maniac and still has an army. You'll have to read the book to find out how they survive that (spoiler: may be underwhelming now). But that's what you toss aside tradition for. To protect people. Not to punish them.
1) Sam Vimes arrests Lord Vetinari in Jingo
If you are anything like me, you'll have expected this moment to be mentioned just from reading the first paragraph. The whole book would qualify. I sometimes feel like its the single most relevant fantasy book in the world at the moment and I'm shocked that I don't appear to have done a full review of it as I could have sworn I have. But. Well. After an epic adventure full of misadvised patriotism, casual bigotry, and cunning manipulation of the aforesaid, Sam Vimes gets an order from people he doesn't like to do the unthinkable: arrest Lord Vetinari. And much as he argues against it, his ears catch up with what he's saying and realise he has to. There can't be a "but not him". And Vetinari insists on being arrested.
Of course, Vetinari being Vetinari, it works out for him. Vetinari against Lord Rust is only a fair battle of wits if he had a headbutting contest with a truck beforehand. But both men realise that the law has to come before their own power (something even Rust just about manages). It's easy to uphold it against people you don't like. It's harder to do it on behalf of people you detest. But you have to do it, or we might as well all pack our bags up and head back to the politics of the warlord.
Which is of course what so many seem to want. But that is a mistake. As in art, so in life - sometimes the only sane thing is to accept that your power can only run so far. But the world's rather short of sanity right now.
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