The empire is never the good guy.

For many people, the past few years—even the past decade—has been a masterclass in just how much power governments have to oppress and destroy. And even more terrifying…how willing they are to excersize that power if it protects their ability to rule.

Even governments that do so in the name of self-defense and their own liberation.

Now, this essay is not going to be a conversation about any specific government. There’s plenty we could talk about, but I don’t want to do that. I want to have a conversation about government itself, because the unfortunate truth is, while the structures of our civilization would lose their stability without government of some kind, we have to acknowlege that government, in itself, is a tool that is often used to oppress those of us at the bottom.

So…what do we do with that?

How do we fight for liberation when we know that victory doesn’t actually set us free? How do we march under banners that are used to rob us of our autonomy? What does freedom even mean to a people whose civil rights movements only serve to choose what our next season of oppression will look like?

These are the types of questions being wrestled with in Cry, Voidbringer.

Cry, Voidbringer follows a woman who was taken as a child and forced to join the military for a neighboring nation that has spent decades fighting for its own liberation from a colonial empire. In their minds, they are the good guys. They are fighting for liberation. They are pressing back against their oppressor. But they are doing so by wielding the very tools that were employed against them. Now, decades into her fighting, Hammer is being asked to train a young girl to continue the war she has spent her life fighting against her will.

Viri is a godchild, which means she has been blessed by the gods with a piece of their power. Hammer has been tasked with discovering what kind of power she has at her disposal so that the Queen can figure out how to best use her gifts to fight her war. But Hammer has no intention of complying. Because, like us, she has realized that there is no future where freedom is on the table for the people at the bottom.

Which brings us back to my questions…. what does the fight for liberty look like from the bottom? How do you best chase freedom when the systems fighting for it are corrupt and determined to keep you oppressed, no matter the outcome? And perhaps most timely: can you actually fix corruption from within? Or do the systems, themselves, need to be torn down and rebuilt?

Cry, Voidbringer is asking some massive questions. Questions that are important, timely, and frankly—in all of our minds already.

I cannot wait to bring this book to you later this year—October, specifically. And I want to invite you to be a part of getting it ready for the massive launch it deserves!

If you want to help us to make sure that Cry, Voidbringer makes the impact we know it is capable of, consider subscribing to the $5 or $12 tier to help fund our publishing and marketing efforts. At the $5 tier, you will not only get access to all of our publishing related updates (and occassionally receive opportunities to weigh in on publishing decisions), but you will also get an early e-copy of the finished book! And at the $12 tier, you will get all of that, plus an early physical copy of the book and your name listed on a dedicated thank you page in the book, itself. Additionally, Elaine (the author) and I will be sending out one or two surprise gifts before the books launch!

Whether you join at a paid tier or not, please join us in fighting for this story. Our free subscribers are also a vital part of our community and I welcome you in the fight! Thank you for being here!

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