A.A. Vora has written a clever and creative allegory with her novel Spin of Fate. Vora bases her fantasy on Indian philosophy and lore, including a glossary “Of Language and Nomenclature” to assist readers. She also tackles some relevant social topics like borders, poverty, bigotry, prejudice, and religion.
In this first installment of what promises to be a series, readers meet sixteen-year-old Aina, who lives in Malin until—against all odds—she inexplicably ascends to Mayana. “Mayana is an idyllic realm, free of Malin’s monsters and violence and corruption. Free from the tyranny of Kaldrav’s reign, from being hunted by his soldiers. It is a realm protected by Toranic Law, where only those light of soul and good of heart are permitted to live” (8).
Despite all the hype, Aina hates being in Mayana and hopes to get condemned back to Malin where she would be reunited with her mother and again living with the familiar, no matter that she suffers there with “the gnaw of hunger, the ache of disease, or the bite of an enemy blade” (24).
As much as Aina hopes to descend, eighteen-year-old, Mayana-born Aranel wishes to ascend to Paramos, a place of bliss, “the height of perfection” (31). “The Song of Salvation,” a holy scripture in Aranel’s world, describes the lower realm as a teeming cesspit of corruption and disease. A wasteland ravaged by the flames of war, rife with bloodthirsty monsters like the fabled nagamor. The Malini themselves were said to be a diabolic lot, sadists who sought pleasure in the misery of others” (35).
Such a description reminds the reader not only of how we learn prejudice but that one’s place of birth often determines one’s fate. Questioning her birth place and the supposed sins of a newborn, Aina curses the tyrannical law that blesses some and scourges others. Aina seems to see the injustice the universe thrusts on certain individuals, while Aranael insists that Toranic Law is egalitarian and just.
Eventually, the two teens join a rebel group called the Balancers, led by Zenyra who seeks to restore balance to the realms. Zenyra believes that Toranic Law has forsaken many, and the Balancers “shall give [those in the lower realms] light where the universe gives them naught but darkness” (206). She goes on to say: “If we elevate the Malini’s quality of life, I believe they will have greater opportunities to lighten their souls and ascend. None of the children of this village are evil. They are only unfortunate—unfortunate to have been born to such circumstances. The Balancers cannot change Toranic Law, but we can change their circumstances. We can show them love and kindness, and give them hope for a better life” (217).
Later in the novel, speaking to a Malini army, Zenyra adds: “For centuries, you have lived under the dominion of Toranic Law, your lives bound within its shackles. You have festered in corruption and darkness while they asked in the light. You have known pain and famine while they knew comfort and abundance. You have been told you deserved this torment, that you fomented it with your sins. Yet it is not sin that birthed you into Malin, but the rotten hand of chance. It is not the spin of your soul that begot your suffering, but a hapless spin of fate” (398).
Under the influence of the training Aranel receives in Malin, he gradually sees the flawed, system, how “lives are shaped by the realm of our birth, and our births are determined by luck” (282). He recognizes what Aina has seen all along, that the system is twisted since it “places undue suffering on one realm for the safety and prosperity of another” (176). But what will the costs be to regain balance? Are those who preserve Toranic Law living an illusion of purity? Is the Preservation a charade, a farce, or worse?
Beyond the critical thinking that Vora invites, Spin of Fate also offers key morals. One suggests that many people live in fear of how their souls might be judged. This morality built on fear controls one’s actions. Hiraval, a character who has spent some time in a monastery, tells Aranel during a conversation about violence: “Actions can be good or bad. It paints Toranic Law as black and white, as a dichotomy. In reality, it is much more nuanced, placing great emphasis on intention” (128).
Vora further offers insight about human nature, especially that we all share a desire to be valued, to be considered important. Celebrating uniqueness, she additionally touches upon the fact that difference is not a defect.
- Donna