This week, we have Joshua Reid with us. He is the author of Unbound, a short story in the anthology Iron Walls. He’s here today to share about his short story. Welcome, Joshua, and thank you for joining us! To start off, can you tell us why you chose to participate in this anthology?
I chose to participate in this dystopian anthology because I enjoy a dystopian story that causes me to think. That causes me to reflect on the history of our world and what we can do now to possibly prevent what a dystopian story portrays. In addition, I chose to participate in this dystopian anthology because I wanted to see how faith could be woven into a “dystopian” story where there wasn’t a dictatorial government involved.
Wonderful! That’s quite an ambitious goal. So before we get into the themes and philosophical messaging of your story, would you share with my readers what your story is about to offer some context for the rest of the discussion?
What my story is about a young man, who, having escaped from a prison is on the run only to find himself now caught in a war that has been raging for millennia. On top of all that, this young man also has to be face that fact that he is somehow different from his people.
Okay, so now that people know what your story is about plot wise, we’re going to move into discussing the philosophical side of the story. Let’s start with the plot theme. What would you say is the overarching theme or message of your story?
The overarching theme or message of my story is about the bondage that everyone is in, whether they know it or not; specifically spiritual bondage.
That’s an interesting angle to take. It’s certainly different from what you normally see in most dystopian these days. So, why did you choose that theme or message?
I chose this theme for my story because it just seemed to fit the whole idea of a “dystopian” for me. Unlike the standard flare of dystopian story with a powerful and dictatorial government, this theme I chose spoke to a lot about how I’ve come to understand the world and history. In addition, I’ve grown tired of the dictatorial government angle when it comes to dystopian stories so I wanted to create a story that didn’t have anything like it.
I can certainly appreciate telling a unique story and telling the story you want to tell. Those are sometimes the best stories because they’re new and fresh. Now, could you share the philosophical message behind your story with my readers?
The philosophical message or worldview behind my story is the understanding that we as “rational” human beings don’t realize that there is more to this world than what we can physically see. So, with that, I asked the question: What would happen in a world that was caused by humanity’s relentless wars and the inhabitation of angelic and demonic forces on the now desolate Earth?
A great question to start with, certainly. Since this blog mostly focuses on philosophy and history, I’m sure my readers are curious about how that message extends from your own philosophy. Could you share about that with us? Why do you feel it’s so important to share with the reader? In other words, what is it you want people to learn from this or hope they will reconsider about their own worldview/philosophy?
What I want people to learn from the message of the story or hope they’ll consider regarding their worldview is the senselessness of needless wars. What I hope the message from the story also shows is that we are all in need of a Saviour. That we are all in spiritual bondage until we accept Christ.
As a fellow believer, I appreciated seeing that theme in the story when I read it. It was a fresh take on the dystopia genre, and I thought it was really creative. Now for a fun question. Can you share some of the points or scenes that were your favorites because of how they highlighted that philosophical message or aim in your story?
Some of the scenes that were my favorites that I feel highlighted the message or aim of my story were ones that focused a lot on the character trying to come to grips with the fact that the “Commander” chose him to begin leading his people out of the bondage they are in. It really hit for me that this is something that we are all in unless we have Christ so I really wanted to incorporate it into the fabric of the story. One of my other favorite scenes were the scenes that touched on what exactly happened prior to the desolate world they lived in. How different people have similar and different stories surrounding what exactly happened.
Those were certainly some good scenes in the piece. I enjoyed reading them when I was beta-reading the piece. Before we close, I want to give you a minute to offer some closing words. If you could ensure readers learned just one thing from your story, what would it be?
One thing from my story that I hope readers learn is that, as I mentioned, is that we are all in need a Savior and that we as human beings don’t even realize that we are in spiritual bondage.
Great! The story definitely communicates that idea in my opinion. Well, thank you for taking the time to be here with us today, Joshua! I’m sure you’re excited to see the story in print. Readers, be sure to check the anthology out and give Joshua’s story a read when the ebook comes out on October 26th. His story is a refreshing take on the dystopian genre, but he keeps the story interesting in engaging. The faith elements are well-woven into the story such that it feels like a natural part of the story, so I feel Joshua did an excellent job with that, and I’d definitely recommend the story. It isn’t your usual dystopian, so you should expect a bit more of a fantasy-style feel to the story, but it’s certainly worth the read. Until next time!
