Political Allegory

In what is considered one of Heinlein's most hair-raising, thought-provoking, and outrageous adventures, the master of modern science fiction tells the strange story of an even stranger world. It is 21st-century Luna, a harsh penal colony where a revolt is plotted between a bashful computer and a ragtag collection of maverick humans, a revolt that goes beautifully until the inevitable happens. But that's the problem with the inevitable: it always happens.

An allegorical fable for our fractured times. When the beloved Rooster vanishes under mysterious circumstances, the animals of a secluded farm find themselves on the brink of political upheaval. Duck, a smooth-talking populist with deep roots in the community, promises unity and comfort. Cat, a sharp outsider with a mind for policy, offers structure and reform. As whispers of corruption and conspiracy swirl, every animal—from the smallest mouse to the wary old Cow—must decide who they trust to lead them forward. Set against the backdrop of fields, fences, and furtive alliances, Election...

Two allegorical tales discuss bible versions. The Christian’s need for a scriptural final authority is presented in an unusual setting. These two short stories engage the reader to consider big questions about the bible. Dialog and thinking required for these adult bible studies.

Sidi lives a hermetic life as a bee whisperer, tending to his beloved “girls” on the outskirts of the desolate North African village of Nawa. He wakes one morning to find that something has attacked one of his beehives, brutally killing every inhabitant. Heartbroken, he soon learns that a mysterious swarm of vicious hornets committed the mass murder - but where did they come from, and how can he stop them? If he is going to unravel this mystery and save his bees from annihilation, Sidi must venture out into the village and then brave the big city and beyond in search of answers.

In the chronic turmoil of modern Zimbabwe, Abednego and Agnes Mlambo’s teenage son, Bukhosi, has gone missing, and the Mlambos fear the worst. Their enigmatic lodger, Zamani, seems to be their last, best hope for finding him. Since Bukhosi’s disappearance, Zamani has been preternaturally helpful: hanging missing posters in downtown Bulawayo, handing out fliers to passersby, and joining in family prayer vigils with the flamboyant Reverend Pastor from Agnes’s Blessed Anointings church. It’s almost like Zamani is part of the family....

La inteligencia es un destello fugaz en la larga noche de la historia cósmica. Que pueblen la tierra no una sino dos especies inteligentes al mismo tiempo pone en cuestión cualquier cálculo de probabilidades. El hecho de que esas dos especies, tan distintas como complementarias, forjen una alianza que a su vez enciende una civilización desafía toda lógica.

Unlock 100 profound quotes from Plato on knowledge, justice, and the examined life. Explore the Theory of Forms, the Allegory of the Cave, and essential political wisdom. Start your philosophical journey today!

David is the small boy who is always asking questions. Simon and Ines take care of him in their new town, Estrella. He is learning the language; he has begun to make friends. He has the big dog, Bolivar, to watch over him. But he'll be seven soon, and he should be at school. And so, with the guidance of the three sisters who own the farm where Simon and Ines work, David is enrolled in the Academy of Dance. It's here, in his new golden dancing slippers, that he learns how to call down the numbers from the sky.

The Printed Threat is a postmodern allegory set in New York City after the near total institutionalization of Orwellian information control. After The Theory and Practice to E.S.P. was published and people began to recognize lies, the book was banned and all information, news, fiction, poetry and so on, became strictly regulated. This is the story of the first book dealer in literature, a marijuana dealer turned literature dealer in postmodern New York City.

A haunting literary novella about hunger, silence, and the mercy that kills in beautiful words. In the ruins of a forgotten land, a father and daughter wait beside a fence that divides the living from the abandoned. Beyond it stand white trucks with red symbols of mercy. They carry food, water, and medicine. Inside the stillness, hope flickers like a candle fighting the wind. The people wait. The world watches. Written in prose as spare as dust and as haunting as prayer, SELF DEFENCE is a minimalist meditation on hunger, hope, and the moral blindness of comfort. It asks what happens when ...

Blending fact and fiction, China Dream is an unflinching satire of totalitarianism. Ma Daode, a corrupt and lecherous party official, is feeling pleased with himself. He has an impressive office, three properties, and multiple mistresses who text him day and night. After decades of loyal service, he has been appointed director of the China Dream Bureau, charged with replacing people's private dreams with President Xi Jinping's great China Dream of national rejuvenation.

The Raid on Old Amersham continues the wonderful New Bears for the 21st Century series. Set in a future Planet Earth run by bears, The Raid on Old Amersham captures daring and intrigue in a high-stakes plot that would more than rival humanity for subterfuge and the reckless follies of ambition. The sinister Polar Power movement is intent on invading Britannia, and the quaint English market town of Old Amersham is firmly in the sights of their power-crazed polar bear leader, Odin Norsefang. Meanwhile, the intrepid trio of Snowball, Brosnan and Chiwi stand in their way. Using bear characters,...

As the title states, The Fiend in His Own Form is a satirical political allegory related in the form of a vampire story. Joshua Hauley is a washed-up middle-aged lout who lets his hormones do the thinking for him one too many times. The encounter makes him a vampire, and his murderous rampage attracts the attention of one Detective Morticia Karljice of the St. Louis Police department. We soon find that her determination to apprehend Hauley is not strictly civic minded. Karljice must negotiate the wavering line between doing her duty as a police officer and protecting secret interests of her...

Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped is at once a rollicking adventure story and an earnest political allegory. This Penguin Classics edition is edited with an introduction and notes by Donald McFarlan and a foreword by Alasdair Gray. Orphaned and penniless, David Balfour sets out to find his last living relative, miserly and reclusive Uncle Ebenezer. But Ebenezer is far from welcoming, and David narrowly escapes being murdered before he is kidnapped and imprisoned on a ship bound for the Carolinas.

Within a Republic split between orange and green, the smallest creatures bear the burden of humanity's most profound questions. Bees, butterflies, ants, mosquitoes, dragonflies, and others assume their roles as citizens in an imagined realm, each embodying the instincts, conflicts, and fates that forge all societies. This allegorical fable transcends the familiar boundaries of good and evil, right and wrong. It delves instead into the territories of survival, discord, cooperation, and the hidden currents that shape existence beneath apparent calm. The insect citizens require no elaborate ...

A worldwide news story surfaces entitled The Man. Investigative reporters, Joe Dailey and his wife Marilyn, want to interview The Man. They intentionally seek some of those whom The Man has reached. In the process Joe discovers a part of himself he has pushed aside for years. The book reveals the quest for personal hope. It merges the reality of current events, and its effect on the longing of one's heart. Marilyn said, "Joe, we’re journalists and we are on to a story. I don't think it's a coincidence that The Man is appearing everywhere. I think there is a link between The Man's ...

A science fiction, fantasy, and humorous tale with a strong social theme, narrating the tragic experience of an individual held captive in a Mooncheesist re-education camp on the dark side of the Moon. The story exposes the fragile social balance that arises from the blurred line between the rightful struggle for the rights of different groups and the intolerance exercised by cancel culture as a form of ideological cleansing, where a new ideology incessantly replaces an old belief, constantly pitting factions against each other until total social madness ensues. Does anyone know what our ...

Writing in England at the turn of the 20th century, G.K. Chesterton was dubbed the "prince of paradox" for addressing serious questions with his light, whimsical style. In this classic allegory, which has captivated generations since it was first published in 1908, Chesterton tackles such profound concepts as honor, truth, and God with insightful humor and colorful enigma.

The Terraist Letters is the ultimate archontic allegory set in the nuclear age. Who is Sean Enstitue? Sean Enstitue has gone by many names, and Sean believes he is the world's last chance. Sean lives on the last street, off of the last stop of The A train, in the last apartment building, and on the last corner in Manhattan, on 218th Street. He has lived in Inwood, by Washington Heights, for his whole life. Sean believes that nuclear experimentation is destroying the atmosphere, causing global warming, negatively impacting the health of life on the entire planet, and because of what he knows...

What do you worship when the gods have fallen silent? In a society unraveling at the seams, one generation clings to ancient ideals while another rises to challenge the very foundations of truth, virtue, and power. As temples crumble and dogmas fail, a quiet scribe named Lucian finds himself at the center of a philosophical revolution—one that may reshape his city, his family, and the meaning of morality itself. From candlelit vigils to defiant assemblies, A Song for the New Gods traces the fragile birth of a post-idealist world. Haunted by the memory of a father who died defending order,...