Science fiction and fantasy during the war: Escapism or so much more?

The first days of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine made it almost impossible for Ukrainians to focus on reading anything other than news. Some returned to fiction via audiobooks, others to reading science fiction and fantasy. In the meantime, the Kyiv Book Fest proved that the interest in science fiction was growing in Ukraine. For instance, “New dark ages. Colony” (Borodaty Tamaryn publishing, 2023), a new 900-page novel by well-known Ukrainian fiction writer Max Kidruk became a bestseller. At the Kyiv Book Fest, there were several presentations and panel discussions focused on science fiction and fantasy, as well as autograph sessions featuring sci fi/fantasy authors. Cultural anthropologist Mykola Skyba commented on these changes in Ukrainians’ reading interests.

War is a predominantly destructive crash test, not only for security structures and the economy, but also for perceptions, habits, culture, and the very fabric of life. Why did previous experience fail to prepare us for the worst-case scenario? Perhaps all philosophy and literature, ethics and aesthetics have become irrelevant, distracting us from the real struggle against the enemy?

Today,  everyone understands that the war has an existential character. It is about fighting for any chance for Ukraine to stay on the world map, about fighting for freedom and dignity, about fighting for speaking in our own language and calling things the way they are. The rediscovery of Ukrainian history, the reimagining of books, music and film becomes a type of resistance.

But where is the space for literature, especially science fiction? Isn’t reading books and deep diving into their universes an attempt to escape reality?

I conducted a quick survey at the Kyiv Book Forum among the visitors who lined up for an autograph session with Max Kidruk, one of the leading authors in the genre. Here are some of the most common responses to the question of why science fiction is important to them:

• “For me science fiction is a chance to dive into a different world, the world of the future.”
• “I like to escape reality for a chance to be in a fantastic world.”
• “Books returned to me an interest in science and also helped to distract me from the events around me.”
• “Science fiction is letting me escape reality and also stimulating my creativity and imagination.”

Some people also said that science fiction is escapism for them.

“Science fiction is an attempt by authors to rethink the past and present, while trying to change it in some way. Additionally, it’s about technology. Max Kidruk’s  “New dark ages. Colony” isn’t about escapism; it features Ukrainians who exist in the future. Through the text, you feel a connection to that future. Is this modeling? To some extent, yes.

This picture features books by Stephen King, Joe Abercrombie and others.

Is science fiction just an attempt to deny reality?

Works of science fiction such as “The War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells, “The Futurological Congress” by Stanisław Lem, “Foundation” by Isaac Asimov, “Blindsight” by Peter Watts and “New dark ages. Colony” by Max Kidruk can be classified as speculative fiction. According to this definition, they share a genre with utopias and dystopias, such as “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift, “1984” by George Orwell, and “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury. Writer Harlan Ellison and literary scholar Marek Oziwiec group them into a cluster alongside canonical works like Euripides’ “Medea,” William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”

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Each of these texts describes more than ordinary experiences of people on Earth or a world with new realities and alternative stories. They all connect because they all show us the interests, fears and the hopes of their age. These texts prompt readers to discuss deep questions about who we are and what our place is in this Universe. Questions like these appear not only out of curiosity, but also because readers are living through a very dangerous and unstable period in history.

Euripides’ writing was formed during the crisis of Athenian democracy. The tragedies by Shakespeare take place against the background of real conflicts among factions that eventually developed into revolution. Swift sent his Gulliver on incredible journeys during the War of the Spanish Succession and the intense religious conflicts that shook the British Isles and Europe. Tolkien began writing “The Lord of the Rings” during World War I, after a long stint on the front lines, where he suffered from trench fever. Orwell’s “1984” was conceived during the Cold War, reflecting the mechanics of totalitarian regimes and warning about the symbiosis of technology and totalitarian power.

Fantastic world of “Song of Brises,” a novel by Kateryna Pekur. Discussion.

In February 2022 the war has entered a protracted phase, but Russian missile strikes and daily tension have not decreased. Every aspect of Ukrainian existence is affected by obvious elements like military force, the economy, diplomacy, and the information space impact the course of the war. Hidden aspects like covert alliances, intelligence, and the cyber environment play their part as well. But there are also less obvious factors: the zeitgeist and the way people of the world think about Ukraine and the war. The zeitgeist acts as a kind of “net” through which the brain processes all information. To recognize and connect this information with prior experiences, one must have certain heuristics. But worldviews now are constantly changing under the influence of new impressions and events during the war. Normally, changes occur slowly and non-linearly, but cultural practices, particularly writing and reading, can accelerate and coordinate this process.

Renowned science fiction historian Sam Moskovych said:

“Science fiction is the type of fiction that makes it easier for your readers to believe you, using the atmosphere of science validity for the creative builds in physics, space,sociology and philosophy.”

During the first months of the full-scale invasion, self-doubt vanished and people found a renewed sense of dignity and identity. However, living day-to-day at such a high frequency is exhausting. In order to maintain vitality, a more systematic approach is needed. We need to renovate at the meta level, to rethink our approach to philosophy, language, to science and … science fiction.

And who knows, perhaps imagination will turn out to be a decisive factor in the war. The side that can leverage alternative and counterintuitive scenarios may ultimately prevail. But nations, as Benedict Anderson once articulated, belong to imagined communities. This does not mean they are a mere fabrication; rather, sustaining the resilience of these complex entities over time and space requires imagination and abstract thinking.

Fortunately, the science fiction genre in Ukraine is developing along with the interests  of science fiction fans. Publishers are already presenting quality sci fi  books, such as “Colony” by Max Kidruk from the new series “New Dark Ages.” Its protagonist, a leader of the Ukrainian diaspora on Mars, is a farmer from Kherson (a region in southern Ukraine that was under Russian occupation). The main character’s familiar world is shattered by the second Russo-Ukrainian war. The novel was completed before February 24, 2022, yet it poignantly illustrates what attempts to  negotiate with the Russians can lead to.

Another recent release is “The Salt House” by Svitlana Taratorina. Here, alongside the haze of fantasy and a post-apocalyptic backdrop, a recognizable Crimea emerges. Additionally, the war is present, during which a powerful artifact transforms the flourishing Crimea into a salted wasteland. Interestingly, the text was completed before the explosion of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station, when the Russians provoked a massive technological disaster that flooded dozens of towns in Ukraine.

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These plots are truly astonishing and do not provide answers to the questions that concern us today. However, if read thoughtfully, they help prepare for the long haul and encourage us to ask the right questions at the right time. Moreover, if we seek honest answers to these questions, they can aid in avoiding catastrophe and help us endure until new opportunities arise—those that we cannot yet imagine today.

The function of “the quick output of illusions from the organism” is visible in first Kidruks novels, particularly “The Bot.”  The worldview of one of main characters described like this: 

“Beyond the offense, a new feeling gradually grew: a firm realization that his familiar—so understandable and orderly—world had irretrievably vanished. It had slipped away from under his feet. The boy felt helpless, like a pet fish that had flopped out onto the floor from a broken aquarium. At the same time, he recognized one simple truth: somewhere in the desert, a fire was burning. And it seemed he would be one of those who would have to scoop up all the heat with his own hands.”

Isn’t this what millions of Ukrainians felt on the endless morning of Feb. 24? And to hold on to the momentum and survive until the next day, a fresh breath of imagination would be invaluable. Something akin to the state of “grokking” from Robert Heinlein’s novel “Stranger in a Strange Land.” His protagonist, Valentine Michael Smith, can enter a state of intense experience where feelings and intellect seem to merge and grow. Perhaps it is this experience of sharp and complex understanding that will help many of us navigate the fog of war and reach for what is currently beyond our field of vision and horizon of hope.

The publication is a part of the “Chytomo Picks: Classics and New Books from Ukraine” project. The materials have been prepared with the assistance of the Ukrainian Book Institute at the expense of the state budget. The author’s opinion may not coincide with the official position of the Ukrainian Book Institute.

Team of authors: Mykola Skyba, Oleh Kotsarev

Photo: Alex Zakletskyi, Kyivbookfest

Translation: Polina Hrychanyk, Nataliia Firsova

Copy editing: Lea Ann Douglas