(Continuation from Part 1…)

The Deftly Paradox by Matt White is another book whose theme I loved. The plot follows the invention of an earth-ruling machine. Humans institute the machine to govern the whole universe. At first, the idea seems outrageous but with time, many people are eager to adopt the concept. For years, everything seems to go as had been planned at the beginning. Until one day when wrong orders are given by the unit. Scientists then start racing to save a whole planet from complete annihilation.

As in this case and many other scenarios, the author may have started by asking what could happen? Or what might happen in the future? The advancement of technology plays a crucial role in imagining what the future might look like. We begin to investigate possible advantages and their contrasts. Speculative fiction largely brings to the attention of the reader the possible consequences that may be encountered in years to come and how these problems can be dealt with.

At the heart of many inventions is the willingness to do good and to serve mankind. Still, this is challenged by selfish ambitions. In any sci-fi book, just like in other books, there needs to be opposing sides. One becomes the perpetrator of evil while the other fights for good. Maintaining this approach to the end is important in order to build concepts that the reader can relate to. In Matt White’s The Deftly Paradox, the protagonists are the scientists that question the device’s orders and choose instead to save the inhabitants of the planet targeted for bombardment. What has worked for five hundred years now becomes a nightmare as the device works against humans. This begins building the paradox.

Build the plot carefully. In The Deftly Paradox, White starts the book with a scene where a senator is vehemently in favor of this proposal. Senator Leary sees the need for the building of a mechanism that will govern the earth and all other planets fairly and stop the continuous destruction of the human species. Of course, that idea seems ridiculous to the chamber of governance and the senator is heckled throughout his speech. This scene introduces the reader to the basic concept of the book and it also explains the idea behind the building of the governing unit.

Most great books have underlying lessons that are gleaned from the events in the treatise. While the conflicts and the action keep a reader engaged, ultimately, it is the lesson behind it all that has the greatest impact since it stays with the reader after they are done reading your book.

For the lesson in The Deftly Paradox, Matt White portrays the need for stability and survival for human beings in an ever-changing world. For this reason, many systems are set to help establish a mechanism that can provide some level of steadiness, even if for a little while. The book also shows the complexity of establishing a system of governance that will serve all mankind fairly and equally, and how what this truly means differs from person to person.