The justice system is an aspect of worldbuilding we often take for granted in fiction. In the world of fantasy, we’re used to scenes of dungeons and burnings at the stake. In science fiction, we know to expect exile to the farthest corner of space. And in stories set in our own world, either in the present or the near future, we come to expect the justice systems that exist in our current day.
So it’s especially noteworthy when a truly unique form of punitive measures occurs in a novel. And while it certainly speaks to the creativity of the author, it also invites us to consider that the commonplace structures of our current reality are not always as set in stone as we might think. Here are six mind-bending works of speculative fiction that make us consider what justice systems could look like in another world — or perhaps even in our own, down the line.
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction, national bestseller Chain-Gang All-Stars tells the story of Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker, two participants of the highly controversial Criminal Action Penal Entertainment program (or CAPE for short). Here in the not-so-distant future, the US prison system has devised a profit-raising program for inmates to fight for their freedom — literally. And of all the incarcerated gladiatorial competitors locked in these televised death matches, Thurwar and Staxxx are the best of the best.
As teammates linked on the same literal chain-gang, Thurwar and Staxxx work together to climb the bracketed ranks of the games — and with their freedom looming on the horizon, they’re hoping to start their new lives together, too. But the prison system of Chain-Gang All-Stars — capitalistic, prejudiced and all-too reminiscent of its real-life counterpart — won’t let them go so easily. Searing and timely, this novel forces us to examine the concept of punishment, and how far we are willing to go in the name of retribution.
Lost In Time by A.G. Riddle
It’s already a nightmare for Dr. Sam Anderson to find the love of his life murdered. It gets even worse when he and his daughter are accused of the crime. And with the prosecution’s ironclad argument, Sam knows things aren’t going to get better for him. But by confessing, he might save Adeline from the same fate — so that’s what he does.
What’s his fate, you may ask? Well, in the future, murderers are sent somewhere other than prison. It’s not so much a place as it is a time; 200 million years ago, to the Mesozoic Era — the dawn of the time of dinosaurs. Sentenced to a perilous existence by the very machine he helped create, it’s all Sam can do to outrun deadly fauna and survive the treacherous wilderness. But Adeline isn’t ready to give up on her father. And with the falsely accused now trapped in pre-history, it’s up to her to find the true killer.
Set across two staggeringly different timelines, Lost In Time is a thriller that stands apart from the rest. Amid its heart-pounding stakes and mystery, it asks us how far — perhaps even far back in time — we would go for those we love.
2102: Pretense, the Play by William E. Jefferson
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” famously wrote Shakespeare in As You Like It. And in 2102: Pretense, the Play, William E. Jefferson takes this concept to an entirely different level with the strange world of Onglander — a country of the future swept up in grotesque theatrics where AI “discarts” sits in judgment of a dwindling cache of “carnite” humans, forcing them into command performances that often end in torture and death.
Describing his work as fictional realism, not fantasy, Jefferson crafts a high-stakes narrative that tackles topics all too relevant in the modern day: technology, AI and how it all affects the human experience. But as dire as the situation is, Jefferson gives both his characters and the reader a sense of hope. His four time-traveling protagonists — five, if you count the parrot — have a cunning plan to disrupt the AI while playing their parts covertly, courageously and flawlessly, hoping to save the future from the misguided choices of the past.
For more on 2102: Pretense, the Play, read our full review here, as well as our interview with the author himself.
The Vessels by Anna M. Elias
Author Anna M. Elias has created a world in which every soul has the opportunity to atone, no matter what hurt or harm they caused in their mortal life. But who is deserving of forgiveness, and who has the authority to grant it? Those are the questions four strangers ask themselves as they’re selected for a groundbreaking new experiment called the VESSELS program. Their mission is to willingly become hosts of departed Spirits who, thanks to their actions in life, are now unable to pass onto the other world of Elysium.
Tal, Link, Avani and Aaron have been tasked with giving spirits seven days to make amends in order to earn their shot at paradise. Being locked out of eternal rest is certainly a punishment for most of the spirits in the VESSELS program, and many are eager to take the opportunity for everything it’s worth. But during the trial, the group encounters a rogue spirit on his third and final journey, seeking more than just redemption. If a host fails, the results are fatal—but what the team has now brought upon their world will have consequences that go beyond just the four of them.
Read our full review of The Vessels here.
The Necessary Beggar by Susan Palwick
In this highly praised speculative novel, we find ourselves in Lemabantunk, also known as the Glorious City. This metropolis boasts of its bejeweled streets and crashing waterfalls, and the peace and prosperity that it offers all within its gates. But justice in Lemabantunk is swift and exacting — and its law demands that entire families pay for one individual’s crimes.
When Darroti, a young merchant, is accused of murdering a highborn woman, he and his entire family are cast out through Lemabantunk’s gate into a world beyond, a world they know little about: our own world. Unable to explain their otherworldly origins, Darroti and his family endure the hardship and hostility of existing as refugees within the borders of the United States. Placed in a refugee camp in the middle of the desert, the individuals’ paths diverge from there — some to try and make sense of this new land, some to try and learn what truly happened that day in the Glorious City. And all of them have to live with the punishment forced upon them by the city that swore to protect its citizens.
I Keep My Exoskeletons To Myself by Marisa Crane
Finalist for both the Lambda Literary Awards and the Libby Book Awards, I Keep My Exoskeletons To Myself is a story of hope and second chances, even for those who society is ready to give up on. In an imagined United States that feels eerily similar to our own, the Department of Balance acts as the corrupt and prejudiced law enforcement of this world, doling out punishments to criminals and rule-breakers. Only, instead of imprisonment, wrongdoers are sentenced to a life carrying extra shadows — which serve as a warning to anyone they encounter.
Kris, a woman grieving her late wife, Beau, is burdened by a shadow of her own, and is worn down by the harsh reality of her world. But Kris isn’t alone — she has a baby, who was born with a second shadow. As Kris struggles with her unexpected role as a single mother, her status as a Shadester labels her a misfit, and blocks her access to the same protections as those without shadows. Through the power of community and the strength of queer resistance, a spark of hope ignites the possibility of a new life for Kris and her child.
Check out our interview with the author here.
