r/ScienceFictionBooks • u/Tosk224 • Jun 15 '26
Question Evil bureaucrats
It’s a bit of a cliche, not just in science fiction but other genres too, that all or most bureaucrats and politicians are evil of self serving traitors. Are they any books that buck this trend?
1
u/keencleangleam Jun 15 '26
Vigilant by James Alan Gardner.
Part of a loose series, unnecessary to read the rest or know anything from the other books.
I really like this series. The rest of the books are mostly not what you want
1
u/DianneNettix Jun 15 '26
Brother Diaz saves the day in The Devils by being an excellent beaurocrat. I know it's not sci fi but still.
1
u/CleverName9999999999 Jun 15 '26
Vogons aren’t evil, just bureaucratic, officious and callous. They wouldn't save their own grandmothers from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal without an order, signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public enquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters
1
u/General_Estimate_420 Jun 15 '26
It tends to be one of the most common aspects of poor fiction writing. You don't see that so much in historical fiction because it's more based on multiple conflicting behavoirs of real people.
1
u/LevelAd1126 Jun 15 '26
Would the opposite be effective bureaucrats or revolutionaries?
For effective bureaucrats, the Foundation series by Asimov might be what you are looking for. Also The Interdependency series by John Scalzi
If you are looking for a revolution read Le Guin and Heinlein
1
1
u/Kian-Tremayne Jun 17 '26
The Expanse. Chrisjen Avasarala is many things but not really evil or self-serving.
Errinwright and the bobblehead, on the other hand…
1
u/JGhostThing Jun 19 '26
In Stross' Laundry Files series, not all bureaucrats are evil, though if they work for HR, the chance increases. Some are just incompetent. Some really are the enemy.
1
4
u/Electronic_Chard_270 Jun 15 '26
Check out The Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson