The Flight of the Barbarous Relic should be the blueprint of libertarian fiction
I’ve spent years looking for a book like The Flight of the Barbarous Relic. Years searching for a book that I can point at and say, “That’s it. That’s the blueprint for libertarian fiction.” Sure, I’ve written books that criticize state and legacy media’s mis and disinfo campaigns, plus their relentless ridicule if you don’t abide by their narrative.
That was the basis of Wind Wielder, a dystopian science fantasy with military thriller undertones. But wow, I wish I could have that one back. George Ford Smith’s ability to write a fast-paced novel while just spoon-feeding a libertarian-leaning lesson or two in there before the climax was something I haven’t seen from many authors, regardless of their book’s political leanings.
And let’s face it: Just about every book out there has them. Some are more open-ended and you can spin them in any way you want. In others, you know where they’re going not long after you start reading them. Ford’s work fits into the latter category, making it a must-read for libertarians, even if the state apologist might want you to think otherwise.
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Note, however, that I said ‘might,’ and that’s because it still provides an entertaining read to ultimately teach readers about the atrocities that the Fed brings.
What really drove The Flight of the Barbarous Relic home?How many of us have sat in a government school, almost bored to tears because somewhere between seventh and twelfth grade did we realize we were having the same old stories drilled down our throats?
Or, better yet: How many of us can now rephrase ‘same old stories’ for ‘same old propaganda?’ Yeah, government schools do their jobs on many of us early, and we leave high school spewing statist narratives whether we realize it or not. At least until we discover Ludwig von Mises, right?
I honestly wish I was paying attention during my junior and senior years of high school just so I could recall at age 33 what my history and honors citizenship teachers were saying about the Great Recession. For context, I graduated in 2009, so it was a thing during my latter days of high school.
Anyway, how does this relate to Ford’s underrated work? Basically, the latter stages of the book feature a long, long, long lecture about the complete history of money and banking, starting with barter and ending with just how much fun the Fed has had devaluing the dollar since 1913 and causing the very same thing it leads the masses to believe that it fights: Inflation.
But instead of those boring lectures you got in your government school and have probably spent years spitting out what they wanted you to think, this one is interesting because it actually sheds light on the matter. It tells the truth about why the Fed really exists and busts a few state-driven myths. Oh, and if you want a hyphenated word hint on the true nature of the Fed, I’ll give you one: Welfare-Warfare.
