Moral Fiction?

After a wee bit of reflection, I went into Amazon.com and added another tag to Judgment on Tartarus' listing: "moral fiction". Now I'm not sure if there actually is such a category, but if there isn't, there should be. I read a lot of books these days that I'd never categorize as moral fiction---entertaining maybe, but certainly not "moral"!

And Judgment on Tartarus doesn't exactly fit into the category of Christian fiction. Most people looking for a book in that category probably wouldn't be satisfied with Judgment. It's not specifically "Christian" enough for those readers. I'm sure most would find the language too colorful, the message too low-key, etc.

But I believe Judgment is most certainly moral fiction.  Several of its characters adhere to strict moral tenets which would be approved by most major religions: ie, honesty, chastity, love, self-sacrifice, etc. And one of the major themes is the need to overcome prejudice---to refrain from judging others on the basis of how they look or how they act. Take people as they are and look for the good in them without being blinded by prejudice. Accept differences as positive. That is something science fiction fans are really good at!

And even the names I've used for the various planets have some moral meaning: Tartarus refers to the lower depth of Hell according to Greek mythology, Cytherea is representative of Paradise ( at least on the outside ) but to others is an example of hedonism allowed to run amuck! Eris is named for the god of discord because that planet is embroiled in near-perpetual racial wars.

While Judgment is far from allegory, not specifically religious in theme, and certainly not preachy, I do believe it could be categorized as moral fiction. You won't know unless you read it.

Agree or disagree? Let me know.

MRTighe