Being a fan of sci-fi political satire,
I find it difficult to find new authors who are both good story tellers and
thought provoking political analysts. So, I was very pleased to find this novel
by a young new author who not only is skilled at creating a fascinating and
beguiling story arch but also includes a well thought out political dimension
to their work. Ismael Sarepta’s novel, Madame Einzige: Amor Fati might best be
classified as a near-future cyberpunk novel. The political intrigue, sprinkling of historical
references, and complex cast of racially diverse female and male characters
make Madame Einzige: Amor Fati a
provocative work that keeps the reader engaged with a number of plot twists
within a fast-paced story. The book is packed full of historical references,
philosophical and ideological debates, and techy nerdom. So while you soak up
this book, don’t blink, or you might miss something.
The story takes place in 2033 within the
desolate landscape of war-torn Central Asia. The world is that of a post-modern
state which has developed after some of the most globally significant moments
in European and Eurasian history. The main character, Madame Einzige, a self-proclaimed
Aryan, finds herself a minority within the large and troubled Eurasian
landscape. As a female, a minority, and
an ideological outsider, Einzige struggles with the completion of her own
agenda, ending the fascist rule of the state and instead becomes embroiled in
the efforts of the liberation movement that has unified a number of factions
within the region. Ensuing during and prior to the beginning of the novel,
cyber and combat based warfare are ongoing between a multitude of factions and
the state. A number of well-described fight scenes fill the book with action
and suspense that are sandwich between politically charged dialogue and
development. Einzige, being a wartime hero to a clandestine group of freedom
fighters that she sides with, soon becomes entangled in a web of lies and
deceit that reveal the multiple layers of covert actions that are common place within
many liberation groups.
Madame Einzige herself is a classic
character with believable flaws and a strict adherence to a freedom fighting
ideologue that is quite familiar to anyone in the western world. One of the
most refreshing things about the book, is the development and depictions of
groups that symbolically represent the underrepresented and quite often misrepresented
populations of today such as the similarities of the factions to Middle Eastern
liberations fronts, the village of Tajikistan to indigenous populations, and the
numerous spies within the book to a variety of immigrant groups. With obvious
connections to religious and anti-religious factions around the world, the
unification of the different divisions in the book provides a refreshing
counterpoint to the common western notion that all radical factions are the
same. By humanizing these types of groups while still pointing out their
inevitable corruption and failure, the author builds up the reader’s ability to
not only empathize with the characters but to better understand them without
the need to agree with them or their ideology.
The cast of supporting characters in the
book vary in their posturing and roles while avoiding any overt classification
thus making them easy to connect with and relate to. Within the media,
literature, movies and television as a whole, I’ve noticed an overt
masculinization of physically and mentally “strong” female characters. So it
was very refreshing to see the juxtaposition of the main physically and
mentally capable loner rebel as a female and a minority to the region which she
is working in. In addition to this, most of the combat ready characters are
refreshingly feminine females. Another thing that I found enjoyable is that
there is only one very brief romantic interlude within the entire book, leaving
the story line open to focus on in group and out group interplay. Yanush,
Madame Einzige’s counterpart takes a backseat to Einzige’s character and while
he does save her a number of times via his hacking abilities, it is more often
than not Einzige’s own brawn and quick wittedness that saves the day. Even
Amir, the male leader of the Red Hat’s, one of the main parties within the
coalition, requires the help of Madame Einzige, and seems rather helpless
without her. In all, the characters are welcomingly not forced into the normal
gender roles associated with certain positions of power which I found to be a
major plus.
Regarding in group politics, the book
depicts the divisions within liberation groups in a time when most only see
such organizations as unilateral tools of destruction. By avoiding the idealizing
of nongovernmental national organizations and their governmental counterparts,
the story exposes the chaos and disunions that are often found within informal
organizations. As the social climate and landscape in the book develop, so to
do the fascinating characters. Amongst the femme fatales, cyber-punk elite, and
uber masculine in the book are the average contributors and unwitting soldiers
of the many different factions. Whilst developing captivating characters, the
author successfully develops a believable depiction of the ultimate outcomes of
civil war.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed reading
the book, easy reading may not be the best way to describe Madame Einzige: Amor
Fati. Some of the best books take a little time to progress and streamline a
story, and this book is no different. One thing which someone might notice
about the novel is the disjointed first chapter written in a nonexistent
computer code. At first glance, it seems like nonsensical gibberish, but after
closer inspection it is full of clues about the progression of the novel and
history of the main characters. Don’t let the jarring nature of the first
chapter fool you, the rest of the book reads quite smoothly. It even seems as
if the disjointed code found within the book gives the reader a feel for the
cyberpunk essence of the time period, and the fast paced fluid action scenes
and poignant philosophical moments found within the book bring together the
narrative. So if you feel a little discouraged when reading the first chapter,
keep going, you won’t regret it.
Overall, Madame Einzige: Amor Fati is a
provocative story with a fascinating combination of historical, political and
philosophical intrigue which is thought provoking and intriguing. The world of
Madame Einzige includes a rich world full of real world historical references
woven into a post-apocalyptic Eurasian expanse. With a strong unstoppable
female protagonist and a myriad of fascinating supporting characters, this is a
book that will not cease to keep you guessing. An enthralling and uninhibited
journey, Madame Einzige: Amor Fati is a wonderful Nietzschean depiction of the
timeless struggle between ideology and actualization within a world of
political and bureaucratic corruption and intrigue.
Editor’s note: The author is a friend of
the reviewer.
