Diabolical Plots #22, December 2016

“The Schismatic Element Aboard Continental Drift” by Lee Budar-Danoff

Reviewed by Christos Antonaros

Diabolical Plots says farewell to 2016 with the science fiction short story “The Schismatic Element Aboard Continental Drift” by Lee Budar-Danoff, which demonstrates a significant philosophical message. A spaceship named Continental Drift has finally arrived at its destination, after hundreds of years on a quest for a second Earth. The captain of the ship, Madeleine Salim, will discover that one of the passengers, Orrin Himmelfarb, who was always a low-profile character, preaches a new kind of religion. Therefore, Captain Salim will face a major dilemma. Should she allow religion on the new planet, or erase it from every database, before humanity lands on the surface of its new home?

Through an interesting dialogue between Captain Salim and Orrin Himmelfarb, the author establishes a critical question: Is religion unavoidable for human culture, or can we build a civilization from scratch without the belief in a supreme being? The answer is hidden deep inside the roots of every culture that ever existed and the answer is wisely given to us to decide.

Christos Antonaros is a dark fiction author who loves and appreciates mythology.