The Nights of Wild Distress
Terra Nullius
By Claire Coleman
10 Dec, 2021
Doing the WFC's Homework
Claire Coleman’s 2017 Terra Nullius is settler science fiction.
In the land Europeans called Australia, Jacky flees in a bid to escape rural slavery at the hands of the Settlers. Not only is this unacceptable because Jacky’s flight denies the Settlers the fruits of his labour. It is unacceptable because if Jacky succeeds in escaping the life specified for him by the Settlers, other Natives might follow his example.
Jacky’s odds of escaping are dismal. They are not helped by the fact Jacky has no idea where exactly he is going.
There’s no way to discuss this without a fairly large spoiler.