| "Powerless (short story)" | |
|---|---|
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| Author | Harry Turtledove |
| First Appearance | Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction |
| Genre(s) | Alternate History |
| Publication date | September, 2018 |
"Powerless" is a novelette by Harry Turtledove, first published in the September/October 2018 issue of Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It is an alternate history story depicting a world where communism became dominant in the world, with the Soviet Union serving as the global hegemon. The story, set in an indeterminate time to emphasize the timelessness of resistance to authoritarianism, is inspired by Václav Havel's essay, "The Power of the Powerless".[1]
In February, 2024, Turtledove announced he'd written a novel expanding the novelette. The novel, also called Powerless, was released in July, 2025. The text of the novelette, with minimal changes, constitutes the first two chapters of the novel. In addition to Havel's work, the plot takes inspiration from the Prague Spring of 1968.[2]
Plot[]
The story is set in Los Angeles, California, which is part of the larger West Coast People's Democratic Republic (the United States having ceased to exist).
Charlie Simpkins, his wife Lucille, and their two children reside in a one bedroom apartment. Charlie works in a state run green grocer. One day, as a political campaign is gearing up, Charlie is sent a propaganda sign with the traditional communist slogan "Workers of the World Unite!" The sign proves to be a last straw for Charlie: he knows that the Party really doesn't mean anything it says, and he throws the sign in the trash instead of hanging it. In short order, Charlie loses the grocery position and is sent to work in a warehouse. He continues to engage in passive-aggressive acts of rebellion, with consequences to himself and his family. However, he soon realizes that these negative consequences are no worse than the original status quo. He meets other like minded people who realize that, while they don't have the power to topple the Party, they are not powerless, and can carefully and subtly exercise that power they do have to make improvements in the system, or at least keep the Party and the state at bay to some extent.
Literary comment[]
The example of the shopkeeper refusing to put up a sign is taken directly from Havel's work, and many of the arguments Simpkins and his fellows make are close to verbatim Havel's own.
The POD is never made explicit. Turtledove has stated that the POD of the novel is a "Confederate victory that leads to further secessions and ends up fragmenting the continent."[3] Presumably, this was the POD all along, though the text of the story suggested a 20th century POD. In addition to the West Coast Democratic People's Republic, the text also identifies the Southern Confederated People's Republic (which includes a version of Virginia) and the Northeastern Soviet Socialist Republic (which includes Long Island and Maine, and presumably everything in between). There is also a Mexican Socialist Soviet Republic, but the borders are undefined.
See Also[]
- The Gladiator, the fifth volume in the Crosstime Traffic Series, set in an alternate where the Soviet Union won the Cold War and maintains hegemony in a communist world. The two works are not set in the same continuity.
References[]
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