If you read some of my articles, Googled me, and wound up here, you may have some questions. Like, “I wanted an argument about dismantling the welfare state, why am I on a site with dragons?”
Don’t worry, you found the right guy. I’m passionate about economics, and I’ve written about the wonder of the free market for outlets like FEE, The Federalist, Real Clear Politics, and CapX.
I’ve also written novels and short stories. This site heavily features my debut novel, The Dragon’s Curse.
If you’re just looking for my political articles, you can find most of them here:
https://adorney.liberty.me/
If, however, you’re also interested in stuff that I write that’s not overtly political, but still deals with themes like freedom, read on:
Will I Like The Dragon’s Curse?
Maybe. Probably.
It’s not a political story. It’s very important to me to not be the next Ayn Rand and sacrifice good story-telling because I have an axe to grind (seriously, Atlas Shrugged wasn’t as bad as liberals think…but it wasn’t good). So I wrote the story organically, and you’ll find it deals with a lot of themes: adventure, romance, family issues, the importance of doing the right thing.
You’ll also find a political sub-plot, but it’s not especially libertarian. The heroine favors fewer wars and higher taxes on the nobility.
Why did I write it this way? First, because I don’t have an axe to grind. If you want politics, I do plenty of that without it infringing on my novels. Second, the politics of a world that’s about as advanced as that of our Renaissance is going to be very different from the politics of the 21st century. Esmerelda (the heroine) deals with issues like serfdom, and entrenched nobility with their own armies, that we don’t have to deal with in 21st century United States. Trying to shoehorn our politics onto that world, just to make a point, would feel cheap and inauthentic.
Which isn’t to say that you can’t write a great fantasy series that also deals with economics. George RR Martin did that. But it’s not something I had an interest in. The Dragon’s Curse is about other things.
Is My Writing Libertarian?
In spite of that, I am a freedom-lover, and if you’re a libertarian you’ll probably find themes in The Dragon’s Curse that resonate with you. The bad guys have an absolute disdain for human rights (and I mean that in the classically liberal sense). The hero’s an adventurer, and freedom and adventure are vital to his life. The heroes don’t wage aggressive war.
Oh, and it doesn’t show up in the novel, but Esmerelda’s in favor of free trade.
If you want to just see my political articles, that’s fine; and there’s a link above. But if you’re interested in going on a new adventure, and reading a book that has libertarian themes without being libertarian, read on.
