One of the darkest reads this year may top my 2024 superlatives for the lesson it teaches
There’s nothing better than reading a book that puts a character in the most hopeless situation possible, only to see them adapt and grow.
Despite the nature of this post, I’m starting this one off light-hearted. Note, that I put the word ‘superlative’ in the headline, and it was no mistake. Just yesterday, I got to see just how much Spotify let me know exactly how much time I put into listening to Yena, a K-pop idol whose music I’m more than fond of.
Anyway, she was my clear-cut No. 1, and I apparently listened to her two-dozenish songs for approximately 2,762 minutes, something that made even me go, “Whoa.” Yeah, she never fails to unleash epic mini-albums or whatever they’re called, just as one author I’ve come across didn’t fail to unleash an epic read that I picked up last month.
Yep, that little image is in Finnish, since I find the language fascinating and one of my life’s ambitions is to master it just for the sake of doing so. Anyway, let’s get to the real discussion.
K.J. Fieler’s Shadow Runner is a dark one, all right. It involves some kidnap and a lot of tough love, something our protagonist, Ada, isn’t used to. But don’t worry: Ada’s being trained as an assassin, and going from this soft, rich girl born in 19th century England, if I’m not mistaken, and growing into a feisty, hard-nosed, take-no-prisoners phenom has been fun to read about at the halfway mark.
Again, this is a dark one, but if you like works that are rough around the edges and aren’t easily disturbed, oh, it’s an ideal read for you to indulge in. But, what I also like is, beneath the rough, tough fighter bent on surviving that Ada has become, she’s also remained true to herself, and that can teach us all a lesson.
Living free in an unfree situation shines in K.J. Fieler’s Shadow Runner at 50 percent
Something about Ada that I love is that this is a kid who couldn’t have been thrown into a worse situation. She’s born into privilege and is living a family-oriented life before tragedy strikes. Her mother dies shortly after giving birth to her brother, who, in turn, dies at birth. And it takes a toll on her father, who, the best way I can put it, suffers a mental breakdown.
Ada’s life is in shards, but then a mysterious woman kidnaps her, or an entity, really. And she’s forced to train to become an assassin for this woman’s secret society. Yeah, kind of a tough life, and it’s only akin to a parent dropping off an unruly kid at military school, or something in that regard.
Yet, Ada, still a child, by the way, knows how to play a good game of chess. And no, I’m not talking about literally playing the board game, even if she references it a time or two. She wheels and deals with her kidnapper, and even this society’s leader, this towering woman who everyone is afraid of.
Ada uses her wit to rescue a feral girl who was chewed up, spat out, and left to die, even when nobody, not even the other captive mates, wanted anything to do with her. She took the lessons she learned from that chess game her father taught her before her kidnapping and got a little stronger and exercised more wit with each passing day since.
A lesson to be learned
Ada’s experience and the way she’s handled it is a lesson for all of us to absorb as I just now reached the halfway mark of this read. As a libertarian, it’s easy for me and like-minded people to realize that the world we live in isn’t a free one, even if the legacy media, schools, universities, and even pro athletes pretend otherwise.
Notice that I listed Spotify in the first couple of paragraphs and how much it knew exactly how much I was listening to Yena. Yeah, that’s rather creepy, and it’s something we’ve seen all the time from mainstream Big Tech, which knows everything about us.
The same Big Tech (like Facebook) that proved it had no problem bowing to that nasty, intimidating force that everyone seems to fear called the government during the COVID crisis. But, it’s characters like Ada whose book we can all take a page from, as we’re currently playing a game of chess, ourselves with the powers that be.
One of my favorite podcasts is Banish Big Brother, and I tune into each episode, as Spotify undoubtedly knows. Ditto for any entity that exists via coercion that may “request” that data. Anyway, where I’m going with this is that their hosts, Zach and Elizabeth, tell us to do one thing in nearly every episode: Stay a step or two ahead of the game (I’m paraphrasing, by the way).
Isn’t that the object in chess? Ada knows this, and despite the bleak situation she’s in, the girl still finds ways to live life on her own terms, or at least that’s somewhat the case. No, she can’t leave, and yeah, her captors know where she is at all times, and that hasn’t changed since Day 1.
Still, she’s making the best of living free in her unfree world. Ada can’t control everything, but she stays true to herself and focuses on what she can control, and so can we.
Make the most of living in an unfree world
Here are some of the tips that I have, and these can be expanded upon as I’m sure to leave a few things out. Anyway, even if our civil liberties are growing null and void in the world to the point the government can shut down your operations at a whim, especially if it doesn’t like you. Scary, right?
Take this recent quote from Marc Andreessen in a recent appearance he made on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
“We just can't live in this world. We can't live in a world where someone starts a company that is a completely legal thing, and then they get sanctioned and embargoed by the United States government through a completely unaccountable [body] ... no due process. None of this is written down. There's no rules. There's no court. There's no decision process. There's no appeal. Who do you appeal to?"
Bleak, right? But here’s what that nasty entity that forces regular people to fork their bills that’s about $36 trillion in debt can’t take away from you, no matter how bad things can get.
Waking up each morning with a positive attitude
Go exercising - Trust me, it works
Consuming a nutrient-dense dietary regimen
Building your network - This one goes hand-in-hand with exercise for me since I’m well-known in the gym and members seek me out
Spend valuable time with those closest to you
Keep your home clean
Read, read, and read some more - The doors that open may seem endless
Take control of your privacy to the best of your ability
Focus on and appreciate what you have
Overall, all of these recommendations point to one thing: Mastering oneself. While I haven’t read the second half of Shadow Runner just yet, I have a vibe, a gut feeling, that Ada’s character arc more than points in this direction. She’ll master herself and ultimately make the best of her situation.