I recently finished The Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula (thank you @PRHaudio for the gifted audiobook) and had an interesting conversation with a friend about the presence of the Church in a fantastical Victorian London setting. Not an allegorical representation, or metaphorical references to Christendom, but the actual Church complete with the Papacy was a steady presence throughout the novel. I think this was a bold choice on the author's part and likely reflects some religious trauma (maybe) but it actually worked pretty well for the story. My friend showed clear distaste for the heavy religious presence and that got me thinking about the veil of comfort that comes from fictionalizing institutions of systemic harm.

I eat up the toppling-of-an-oligarchical-system in any novel I read. For example, in The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami, a grounded dystopian novel, the characters overcome a corpo-oligarchical carceral system. In Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang, the systems in question were academia as the gatekeeper for state violence and colonization. There are a million examples I could name and most folks would have no trouble naming the real-world system or institution to which the fictional one is alluding to. So why does The Geomagician's inclusion and naming of the Christian Church give us pause? Literary scholars, that's a question for you!

Does naming the "boogey man" sully the experience of reading fantasy? Is the art of writing Sci-fi/Fantasy, or Horror defined by the ability to create parallel systems as part of world-building, or can fantastical worlds be built around existing systems?

Mild spoilers ahead:

For what it's worth, I found the world-building and magic system in The Geomagician to be quite compelling, especially as someone with dinosaurs as their lifelong special interest. I did find the ending a bit disappointing, specifically because of the way the MCs continue to acquiesce to the systems that oppress them. The main protagonist maintains a neutral stance throughout the novel which is infuriating, but reflects a common characteristic of White feminism: "I don't care until it harms me." It was still a fun fantasy read and I'd recommend it to fans of dinosaurs and unique magic systems!

* Disclaimer * This is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation of the titles mentioned, simply a bid to interact critically themes.