The Charon Covenant
Brenda Munday Gifford
By Araminta Matthews
Let me begin by expressing the fact that I love science fiction.
Few other genres are able to capture the plights of humanity, the
inevitable and individual journey to self-discovery, the philosophy
that is the foundation of our supposed apocalyptic end, the conflicts
we create from situations we cannot bring ourselves to
understand. Battlestar Gallactica allows us to see how immature
people can be when their children outgrow the need for parental
supervision as evidenced by the Cylon War in both series.
Star Wars expresses the mind-wrenching journey that carries a person
from a self-involved youth to a symbiotic member of adult society as we
follow a group of teenagers in the middle of a gruesome war. And
The Charon Covenant follows an ordinary woman, Dara Drew, as she
transcends ordinary woman to become extraordinary revolutionary – and
this is the story of so many revolutionaries: Golda Meir,
Che Guevarra, Patrick Henry all rose up from ordinariness to do
amazing things. Dara Drew, fiction though she may be, is no
different.
I was immediately captured by Gifford's story. As 2012 approaches
and the many myths about the world's end draws nearer, my mind has been
wrapped up in the very real possibility that humanity may have well
over-stayed her welcome on this living planet. Where people throw
trash out the window, breed like a virus, and clear-cut our only source
of oxygen, it is a very real possibility that one day, we will mass a
great egress from this proverbial Eden that we have desecrated once
again. And where will we go? While China races to offer vacation
spots on the Moon, people can't help but look up at the glowing orb in
the night sky and wonder – will this be our new home? The Charon
Covenant takes us a step closer, answering that question with a
supposition – yes, we will live on the moon; but, the moon is terribly
small compared to Earth. We couldn't possibly fit 6.5 billion
people there; so, who will get the golden ticket to colonize that gray
dust? And how will they be selected?
Like any good mystery, the selection process – and, in fact, the entire
plan to colonize the moon – is uncovered not by a seasoned
investigator, not by a professional intelligence worker, and not by a
scientific philosopher. It is discovered by a plain jane, a
regular, run-of-the-mill member of society – a you, or a me. This
is what makes this story so compelling. It offers the idea that
anyone, no matter what their status, can achieve great things.
For Dara, it begins with the alleged death of her son to a spinal
disease. As any mother can tell you, the loss of a child moves
mountains of grief inside the soul. Dara is unable to
accept the idea that her son is dead and that is because he, in fact,
is not dead. As Dara grieves with her husband, Chess, she begins
to experience an awakening to psychic ability – specifically, the
ability to read thoughts and see truth. She knows that her son is
alive, and it is only a matter of time before she learns about the moon
colonization. But what kind of sci-fi story on the moon
would be complete without an alien plot to take over human
civilization? Well, die-hard sci-fi fans, Gifford doesn't
let you down there, either. The moon project is troubled by a
race of aliens trying to take over the world (of humanity, that is –
because Earth is pretty much kaput and, who would want it, right?)
Read it. You'll like it.