Annotations: Work of Fiction
What is the Devil’s name? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not Lucifer. That’s merely the name of the character in Paradise Lost—which isn’t scripture. And yet, this misconception lingers in the public consciousness1.
I’m not conceited enough to believe that my work will achieve as much success as Milton’s tale, let alone surpass it, but as a matter of principle, I wanted to include the work of fiction disclaimer to prevent any confusion for future generations and those from other cultures with less familiarity with the time2 and place3 the book is set in, and the belief systems referenced within.
Furthermore, since this work blends the fantastical and mundane and examines both through scientific and theological lenses with equal scrutiny, the disclaimer allows me to distance the content within from actual real-world doctrine.
That is to say, this is a story that contains realistic elements and not a tale that ever intended to remain 100% faithful to any particular religious ideology4. It’s a superhero story that just so happens to have devout characters and not an attempt at Christian Fiction bound within that particular set of constraints. It is my hope that anyone of any background could read this tale and come away enjoying it and having felt like they learned something along the way (in much the same way as many have enjoyed—and learned—from Netflix’s Daredevil).
While this post has mainly focused on religion (in order to stave off potential criticism), I’m not picky about what the reader might take away. First and foremost, I hope that the tale delivered likable characters and interesting plot twists, but aside from that, there are plenty of topics that readers could find discover, be it philosophy, psychology, art appreciation, or even pentesting.
Footnotes
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It turns out this is also due to a mistranslation that worked its way into the Latin Vulgate and some early English Bibles, but I leave that explanation to theologians and the good stewards over at Wikipedia. ↩
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While writing this tale, it was strange to revisit ‘09 and see just how much things have changed since the dawn of smartphones & social media, and by extension, hyperconnectivity and sensitivity ;) ↩
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In my research for this book, I discovered many things that would only be known to “Michiganders” and those living in Detroit (e.g., What are Yoopers and Trolls? And what is the RenCen?) and so clearly the potential for confusion extended not just beyond the US’s borders, but well within! ↩
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Naturally, the allusions to an actual belief system compound the potential for far more divisiveness than other works that examine spiritual themes via fictional religions (e.g., see Brandon Sanderson’s lovely Cosmere series—plural5), but I write where the story takes me, and I feel that trying to cull those potentially polarizing aspects would be both counterproductive and quite likely rob the title of its soul (i.e., its uniqueness) which I feel was allowed to blossom by leaning into to those themes after discovering the most unlikely of coincidences. ↩
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As a counterpoint, his Legion trilogy also tackles religious topics in a contemporary setting and is also fantastic. ↩