Serpent's Walk

Last updated

Serpent's Walk
Serpent's Walk cover.jpg
Author M. A. R. Barker (using the pseudonym Randolph D. Calverhall)
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction
Publisher National Vanguard Books
Publication date
1991
Media typePrint
Pages449
ISBN 0-937944-05-X
OCLC 28173024
LC Class MLCS 93/04796

Serpent's Walk is a neo-Nazi science fiction novel written by M. A. R. Barker, published under the pseudonym Randolph D. Calverhall. It was published in 1991 by National Vanguard Books, the book publishing division of the neo-Nazi group the National Alliance. The book features an alternate history where SS soldiers begin an underground resistance after the end of WWII; the protagonist, Alan Lessing, eventually becomes the Führer and worldwide dictator of the Fourth Reich, following a pandemic that eliminates millions. The book espouses a belief in an international Jewish conspiracy and extensively quotes Mein Kampf . The book saw some popularity with far-right extremists, though far less than the more notorious book The Turner Diaries , also published by National Vanguard Books. Scholars have noted it as more literary than that book, with a heavier focus on science fiction.

Contents

Barker was a science fiction and fantasy writer known for his creation of the fictional universe of Tékumel. As Serpent's Walk was published under a pseudonym, his authorship of the work was publicly unknown until 2022, though Barker's Tékumel Foundation found out after his death in 2012. Prior to the reveal of Barker's authorship, one theory was that it was written by William Luther Pierce, the author of The Turner Diaries and the leader of the National Alliance. In 2018, scholar Amina Inloes alluded to the book in a piece on Barker, but did not mention it by name; in March 2022, the Tékumel Foundation confirmed that Barker had authored the book, and they repudiated Barker's views and apologized for not having acknowledged his authorship earlier.

Plot summary

The story begins in 2041. [1] The protagonist, Alan Lessing, is a veteran of the Middle Eastern Baalbek War. He is a mercenary for the Indoco chemical corporation and is based in India; the whole world has stagnated and is slowly becoming entirely controlled by corporations. He is initially wholly apolitical, a "racial agnostic", [1] and has an Indian girlfriend, Jameela. While he is uncertain of their future, he cares for her. The story begins with Lessing leading a heist on a supposedly deactivated base carrying a biological weapon called Pacov. Following their visit to the base, Lessing's team are assassinated one by one, and Lessing realizes that he is next.

Lessing visits the house of another Indoco worker, Hermann Mulder, but intruders slip onto the property. Lessing kills one, but the intruder opens Mulder's safe, and within Lessing finds a trove of Schutzstaffel (SS, the Nazi paramilitary organization) books, dated to 1948–1955, after its dissolution. Two of Mulder's associates tell Lessing that the SS had secretly survived, and that they are members. They explain to him its history: several senior officers of the SS (among them Martin Bormann) had escaped to Argentina, bringing with them much of its treasury. They (later renamed the Party of Humankind) used this money and resources to expand in influence across the world in an underground network, particularly hiding out in Third World nations. The SS, realizing the world is heading towards corporate control, slowly gain power through financial influence and company infiltration (including Indoco), slowly pushing their views in the media, planning to eventually wholly control and convince society of their views with the ultimate goal to ethnically segregate the Earth. They also tell him the Holocaust was faked and blame many of society's ills on Jewish people, which Lessing initially argues against. They had previously not bothered to attempt to recruit him due to his apolitical nature, but since he now knows about them, they tell Lessing that he must join or be killed. Initially in disbelief, he eventually agrees to work for them for pay.

Lessing develops an attraction to SS member (and former prostitute) Anneliese Meisinger, and is torn between her and Jameela (who is actually a spy who had not intended to fall in love with him). Mass deaths begin in Eastern Europe using the Pacov bioweapon. The SS take full control, designating Lessing as prime operator of a hyperintelligent artificial intelligence named Eighty-Five, giving him access to and control over it and its ability to survey massive amounts of information. The pandemic spreads to more nations, killing millions, and society descends into chaos. The SS take advantage of the power struggle, taking control of the United States government, trying to work against the Jews. Jameela is murdered by an Israeli, and Lessing proceeds to kill him, swearing vengeance against the Israelis, who capture him and torture him until he tells them what he knows about Pacov. All of them are killed by Pacov, but Lessing survives after taking the only possible cure for Pacov (a type of toxin) in an attempt to commit suicide. It is unknown who released Pacov, but it is eventually realized that it was released by the Israelis attempting to destroy the Soviet Union. Once recovered, he falls in love with Annaliese and becomes a devoted Nazi, and the Party becomes increasingly powerful by de facto controlling the US government, reshaping society in a Nazi image. Later, Lessing becomes the Führer and worldwide dictator of the Fourth Reich. The book ends with Lessing noting that the Fourth Reich looks like it will last a long time, "hopefully forever". [2]

Background and publication history

The novel was published in 1991 by National Vanguard Books, the book publishing division of the neo-Nazi group the National Alliance, which published white supremacist and neo-Nazi material including the notorious work The Turner Diaries . [1] [3] [4] It is 449 pages long. [5] The back cover of the book states: "The good guys win sometimes. Not always, of course. They lost big in the Second World War. That was a victory for communists, democrats, and Jews, but everyone else lost." It continues, "A century after the war they are ready to challenge the democrats and Jews for the hearts and minds of White Americans, who have begun to have their fill of government-enforced multi-culturalism and 'equality.'" [6] The novel was distributed in the United Kingdom by Spearhead , the periodical of far-right activist John Tyndall. [7]

Serpent's Walk was authored by science fiction and fantasy writer M. A. R. Barker, better known for his creation of the Tékumel fictional universe. [8] [9] He published five novels set within this universe, with Serpent's Walk an unrelated sixth. [10] It was published under the pseudonym "Randolph D. Calverhall", an allusion to one of Barker's ancestors, and the book is attributed to him in a library catalog. [3] [10] Barker had served as a member of the Editorial Advisory Committee of the Journal of Historical Review , a journal that advocates Holocaust denial. [9] Barker's authorship of the book was publicly unknown until 2022. [3] [9] Prior to the revelation of Barker's authorship, some believed Serpent's Walk was written by the founder of the National Alliance and author of The Turner Diaries, William Luther Pierce. However, Pierce had used a different pseudonym in writing The Turner Diaries and Hunter (Andrew Macdonald), [11] and the book was not listed in his authorized biography. [1] Barker's Tékumel Foundation (which controls the IP rights for his works following his death) found out about his authorship of the book after his death in 2012, when an archivist found various items tying Barker to the work, including its manuscript, cover art, proof copies, and the publishing contract. They kept silent about this for roughly a decade. [12]

In 2018, scholar Amina Inloes mentioned the book in an article for The Muslim World without mentioning its name, [12] referring to it as "a pseudonymous novel" that was nevertheless "clearly Barker's" in both the name of his pseudonym and various literary traits, such as its references to Muslim and South Asian culture, as well as theological and dialogue elements. However as it explored what she called "potentially inflammatory political viewpoints" she said it was "best to preserve the facade of anonymity" and called discussing the book an "ethical dilemma". [10] In March 2022, the Tékumel Foundation confirmed Barker's authorship of Serpent's Walk and association with the Journal of Historical Review. The Foundation repudiated Barker's views in the novel, from which it does not receive royalties, and apologized for not acknowledging its authorship earlier. [8] [9] [13]

Analysis and legacy

Serpent's Walk is a dystopian [1] neo-Nazi science fiction story, [7] [14] with plot elements including laser-armed mercenaries and artificial intelligence. [1] The book espouses the belief in an international Jewish conspiracy, [15] suggests the solution to the supposed "Jewish question" is genocide, [3] denies the Holocaust, [16] and extensively quotes Mein Kampf . [3] [8] It presents Jews as parasitic, and the blame for the pandemic is placed on them, though also on Lessing. [17] J.M. Berger writing for the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism said of the work that it was "a much more ambitious novel than The Turner Diaries, with a heavier focus on science fiction and a much more sophisticated writing style" and called it reminiscent of The Iron Heel , with "lengthy and tedious Socratic discussions of Nazi ideology". He described it as more polemical than Turner; the protagonist Lessing starts as a "racial agnostic" but ends with "a full-blown embrace of Nazism". [1]

Lyman Tower Sargent listed it as one of "a few works that have described what the authors see as eutopias from a National Socialist perspective", [18] while The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction described it as "a late and particularly unpleasant example of antisemitism in sf". [16] Researcher Elana Gomel noted the book in 2000 to have "far more literary pretensions than the blunt Turner Diaries", describing it as "vascillat[ing] between crude eugenicist propaganda" and "apocalyptic scenes of mass dying", with the pandemic becoming the "artistic centerpiece" of the novel. In the latter aspect she compared its imagery to the book The Stand and the film Outbreak . [3] Amina Inloes argued the writing quality was "superior" to that of Barker's Tékumel novels, and noted that there was more academic discussion of Serpent's Walk than Tékumel. She noted its extensive discussions of South Asian and Muslim heritage to be typical of Barker's works, as was its quotes and discussion from Arabic literature on warfare and esoteric theory. She argued that any discussion of Barker's work as it intersected with his beliefs should therefore include it. [10] It is frequently featured on the reading lists of far-right extremists, [1] and in 2004 John Sutherland of The Guardian named it as a novel "beloved by neo-nazis". [19] Both it and Turner's sequel, Hunter , were found in the possession of conspirators involved in the Oklahoma City bombing. Both books were, however, far less impactful on the far-right than The Turner Diaries. [1]

Following the reveal of Barker's authorship of the work, author Stu Horvath excluded Barker's tabletop RPG Empire of the Petal Throne from his 2023 book Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground: A Guide to Tabletop Roleplaying Games from D&D to Mothership, saying that he was "not interested in having the work of a neo-Nazi propagandist on my shelves, and I am certainly not going to give space to one in my book." [9]

Related Research Articles

Tékumel is a fantasy world created by American linguist and writer M. A. R. Barker over the course of several decades from around 1940. In this imaginary world, huge, tradition-bound empires with medieval levels of technology vie for control using magic, large standing armies, and ancient technological devices. In time, Barker created the tabletop role-playing game Empire of the Petal Throne, set in the Tékumel universe, initially self publishing it in 1974. Later, Barker wrote a series of five novels set in Tékumel, beginning with The Man of Gold, first published by DAW Books in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pen name</span> Names authors use instead of real names

A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.

Neo-Nazism comprises the post-World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy, to attack racial and ethnic minorities, and in some cases to create a fascist state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. A. R. Barker</span> Linguist, scholar, author and game designer (1929–2012)

Muhammad Abd-al-Rahman Barker was an American linguist who was professor of Urdu and South Asian Studies and created one of the first roleplaying games, Empire of the Petal Throne. He wrote several fantasy/science fantasy novels based in his associated world setting of Tékumel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Luther Pierce</span> American white supremacist (1933–2002)

William Luther Pierce III was an American neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and far-right political activist. For more than 30 years, he was one of the highest-profile individuals of the white nationalist movement. A physicist by profession, he was author of the novels The Turner Diaries and Hunter under the pen name Andrew Macdonald. The former has inspired multiple hate crimes including the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Pierce founded the white nationalist National Alliance, an organization which he led for almost 30 years.

<i>The Turner Diaries</i> 1978 novel by William Luther Pierce

The Turner Diaries is a 1978 novel by William Luther Pierce, the founder and chairman of National Alliance, a white nationalist group, published under the pseudonym Andrew Macdonald. It was initially syndicated in the National Alliance publication Attack! from 1975–1978 before being published in paperback form in 1978. As of 2001, the book had sold an estimated 300,000 copies, initially only available through mail order from the National Alliance. The Turner Diaries was described as being "explicitly racist and anti-Semitic" by The New York Times and has been labeled the "bible of the racist right" by the FBI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Alliance (United States)</span> US white supremacist political organization

The National Alliance was a white supremacist, neo-Nazi political organization founded by William Luther Pierce in 1974 and based in Mill Point, West Virginia. Membership in 2002 was estimated at 2,500 with an annual income of $1 million. Membership declined after Pierce's death in 2002, and after a split in its ranks in 2005, became largely defunct.

<i>The Stone Diaries</i> 1993 novel by Carol Shields

The Stone Diaries is a 1993 novel by Carol Shields.

The term Fourth Reich is commonly used to refer to a hypothetical successor to Adolf Hitler's Third Reich (1933–1945) and the possible resurgence of Nazi ideas. It has also been used pejoratively by political opponents.

<i>Empire of the Petal Throne</i> Fantasy roleplaying game

Empire of the Petal Throne is a fantasy role-playing game designed by M. A. R. Barker, based on his Tékumel fictional universe. It was self-published in 1974, then published by TSR, Inc. in 1975. It was one of the first tabletop role-playing games, along with Dungeons & Dragons, and was the first published RPG game setting. Over the subsequent thirty years, several new games were published based on the Tékumel setting; however, to date, none have met with commercial success. While published as fantasy, the game is sometimes classified as science fantasy or, debatably, as science fiction.

HMS <i>Thunder Child</i> Fictional warship in The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells

HMS Thunder Child is a fictional ironclad torpedo ram of the Royal Navy, destroyed by Martian fighting-machines in H. G. Wells' 1898 novel The War of the Worlds whilst protecting a refugee rescue fleet of civilian vessels. It has been suggested that Thunder Child was based on HMS Polyphemus, which was the sole torpedo ram to see service with the Royal Navy from 1881 to 1903.

<i>The Iron Dream</i> 1972 novel by Norman Spinrad

The Iron Dream is a metafictional 1972 alternate history novel by American author Norman Spinrad. The book has a nested narrative that tells a story within a story. On the surface, the novel presents a post-apocalyptic adventure tale entitled Lord of the Swastika, written by an alternate-history Adolf Hitler shortly before his death in 1953. In this timeline, Hitler emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1919 after the Great War, and used his modest artistic skills to become first a pulp science fiction illustrator and later a successful writer, telling lurid, purple-prosed, pro-fascism stories under a thin science fiction veneer. The nested narrative is followed by a faux scholarly analysis by a fictional literary critic, Homer Whipple, which is said to have been written in 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Sun (symbol)</span> Neo-Nazi and esoteric symbol

The Black Sun is a type of sun wheel symbol originating in Nazi Germany and later employed by neo-Nazis and other far-right individuals and groups. The symbol's design consists of twelve radial sig runes, similar to the symbols employed by the SS in their logo. It first appeared in Nazi Germany as a design element in a castle at Wewelsburg remodeled and expanded by the head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, which he intended to be a center for the SS.

<i>Hunter</i> (Pierce novel) 1989 novel by William Luther Pierce

Hunter is a 1989 novel written by William Luther Pierce, a neo-Nazi and the founder and chairman of National Alliance, a white nationalist group, under the pseudonym Andrew Macdonald. Pierce also used this pseudonym to write the better-known The Turner Diaries, a 1978 novel with similar themes. Some consider Hunter a prequel to The Turner Diaries, detailing the rise of the racist paramilitary group termed "the Organization", which would play a dominant role in the book.

Harold Armstead Covington was an American neo-Nazi activist and writer. He advocated the creation of an "Aryan homeland" in the Pacific Northwest and was the founder of the Northwest Front (NF), a white separatist political movement that sought to create a white ethnostate.

<i>Flamesong</i> 1985 science-fantasy novel by M. A. R. Barker

Flamesong is a 1985 science-fantasy novel written by M. A. R. Barker and published by DAW Books. It is the second novel to take place on the fictional planet of Tékumel, also featured in Barker's role-playing game Empire of the Petal Throne (1974). The plot follows a group of far-future legionaries who discover an ancient "tubeway car" by accident and inadvertently use it to explore various exotic locales.

<i>Enchantress from the Stars</i> 1970 novel by Sylvia Engdahl

Enchantress from the Stars is a young adult science fiction novel by Sylvia Engdahl published by Atheneum Books in 1970. It was her first book and is set in the Anthropology Service universe. Its sequel The Far Side of Evil (1971) features the same heroine, Elana, and the two are sometimes called the Elana series, although the sequel is quite different in tone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypothetical Axis victory in World War II</span> Alternate history scenario

A hypothetical military victory of the Axis powers over the Allies of World War II (1939–1945) is a common topic in speculative literature. Works of alternative history (fiction) and of counterfactual history (non-fiction) include stories, novels, performances, and mixed media that often explore speculative public and private life in lands conquered by the coalition, whose principal powers were Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franz Kurowski</span> German author (1923–2011)

Franz Kurowski was a German author of fiction and non-fiction who specialised in World War II topics. He is best known for producing apologist, revisionist and semi-fictional works on the history of the war, including the popular English-language series Panzer Aces and Infantry Aces.

<i>The Man of Gold</i> (novel) Novel

The Man of Gold is a 1984 science-fantasy novel written by M. A. R. Barker and published by DAW Books. It is the first novel set on the fictional world of Tékumel – also featured in Barker's role-playing game Empire of the Petal Throne (1974) – and tells the story of a priest of Thumis named Harsan, a scholar who becomes involved in the quest for the eponymous artefact of a past immensely ancient.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Berger 2016, p. 23.
  2. ↑ Calverhall 1991, p. 449.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gomel 2000b, p. 424.
  4. ↑ Gomel 2000a, p. 131.
  5. ↑ "Serpent's walk : a novel". WorldCat . Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  6. ↑ Calverhall 1991, Back cover.
  7. 1 2 Macklin 2020, p. 429.
  8. 1 2 3 "Barker, M A R". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction . ISSN   3049-7612 . Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Horvath 2023, p. xiv.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Inloes 2018, p. 393.
  11. ↑ Fields 2002, p. 173 n. 1.
  12. 1 2 Appelcline, Shannon (March 22, 2022). "Advanced Designers & Dragons #63: The Fall of Tékumel". RPGnet . Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  13. ↑ "The Tékumel Foundation's Board of Directors Statement on Serpent's Walk". Tékumel Foundation. March 23, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  14. ↑ Gomel 2000a, p. 143.
  15. ↑ Gomel 2000a, p. 142–143.
  16. 1 2 "Race in SF". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction . ISSN   3049-7612 . Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  17. ↑ Gomel 2000b, pp. 424–425.
  18. ↑ Sargent 2022, pp. 372, 382.
  19. ↑ Sutherland, John (May 24, 2004). "Far right or far wrong?". The Guardian . London. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved January 24, 2025.

Works cited

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.