Controversial court cases draw international attention.
Russian troops launch an attack on civilians.
The President of the United States demands a Judge alter his judgements for political purposes.
A billionaire uses his wealth to push back against the State.
Entrepreneurs and businessmen face an overbearing Government determined to control them.
These aren’t just headlines from 2022, but are also plot points in a classic 1980’s Libertarian Science Fiction novel.
Circuit, by Melinda M. Snodgrass is a fun read that tackles serious issues.
Published by Berkley in 1986, Circuit is the first in a trilogy of Space-based libertarian court dramas.
Circuit was a finalist for a Prometheus Award for best novel in 1987.
The Prometheus Award has been given out yearly since 1982 by the Libertarian Futurist Society (LFS).
From the LFS website:
The Prometheus Awards recognize outstanding works of science fiction and fantasy that dramatize the perennial conflict between liberty and power and champion cooperation over coercion as the root of civility and social harmony. Such works may critique or satirize authoritarian trends, expose abuses of power by the institutionalized coercion of the State, imagine what forms a fully free society might take, and/or uphold individual rights and freedom for all as the only moral and practical foundation for peace, prosperity, progress and justice.
All three books in Snodgrass’s Circuit series were nominated for a Prometheus Award for Best Novel.
Aside from dated references to the Soviet Union, there is little else that dates the book, and the USSR is useful in contrasting the lives of impoverished Soviet miners to their prosperous American counterparts.
The ideas in the book are far from dated, instead they provide interesting concepts for liberty-minded individuals today.
Story & Characters
Evgeni Renko is a Soviet Miner who, motivated by providing a better life for his daughter, leads his mining colony to sedition by selling their lunar ore to an American company.
Renko’s motivation is shared by countless individuals in our world, who risk their lives to provide for their families by illegally crossing borders.
The Soviet colonists work hard for their ore, and they deserve to profit from their work.
Renko’s risky gamble for a better life results in setting the drama for the rest of the book.
Spurred by the disobedience of the lunar mining colony, the Soviet Premier, Yuri Tupolev, conspires with the American President Tomas C. deBaca to punish the Miners, and stop American companies from any further purchases of Soviet Moon ore.
Tupolev, as can be expected is portrayed as a tyrant, willing to commit murder to maintain his grip on miners hundreds-of-thousands of miles away.
As the “leader of the free world,” deBaca is not much better.
Also concerned about losing his grip on space colonists, deBaca and his allies in Congress create a 15th Circuit Court.
The 15th Circuit’s jurisdiction is the Lunar Mining Colonies, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt.
The space colonists have been successfully adjudicating their disputes for 30 years, so this intrusion into their lives is not welcomed.
DeBaca appoints his friend, Cabot Huntington, a leading constitutionalist lawyer as the judge for the 15th Circuit.
Huntington’s first stop on his circuit is located on the EnerSun space station, where most of the book’s action takes place.
Accompanying Huntington is his idealistic law clerk, Jennifer McBride.
Much of the book’s libertarian philosophy is explored by the colonists challenging McBride, and McBride in turn, challenging Huntington.
The community leaders on the EnerSun station see idealistic McBride as their opportunity to gain an ally against Huntington’s attempt to control them.
Led by Lydia Kim Nu, Manager of Enersun I, and industrialist Joe Reichert, the community leaders on the station resist the efforts of the Earth-based government to impose their will on a nearly independent society.
Their efforts start with civil disobedience and sabotage, but thoughts of armed rebellion are also entertained.
McBride, and the community leaders on the station attempt to influence Huntington to support justice on their station.
Eventually Huntington must decide if he is to remain a political pawn, or be an arbiter of justice.
The Ideas
Explored in Circuit are ideas of Private Property Ownership, Self-governing Societies, Space Exploration, Corrupt Politicians, and the Power of Man to stand up for what is right.
These timeless lessons serve as important concepts for a future of freedom.
How does an anarchic society adjudicate their disputes?
Circuit captures some of the feeling on Robert Heinlein’s seminal The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
Self-governing communities can maintain their own legal system when individuals consent to an arbitrator’s decisions.
If the arbitrator is known to be fair and just, individuals in the community will seek them out to settle disputes.
What happens when a colony becomes independent of the society from which they came?
Thoughts of the American Revolution and the wishes of individuals to be free ring true no matter the era.
Whether it is space colonists, or colonists in countries on Earth, there comes a point when it no longer makes sense to allow a parent nation to control them.
Can you think of a better individual to take on the State than a wealthy industrialist with their own space station?
Reichert, owner of his own space station is reminiscent of Ayn Rand’s Hank Rearden as a Steel magnet who stands up for his individualistic beliefs.
In a statist society, strong individuals must take risks for their freedom.
Freedom isn’t granted by authorities, it is taken by individuals.
Circuit, although only 232 pages, contains ideas that will stay in your mind much longer.
Do you have any recommendations for books?
Leave a Comment Below!
Sign up for the Free State Colorado Email Newsletter:
Follow on Telegram: t.me/FreeStateColorado
Recent Comments