Book review: Harnessing Altruism by Sava Buncic

Harnessing Altruism is a dystopian fiction written by Sava Buncic

The government’s did their thing. They promoted their successes while brushing their 319ouetmbol failures under the carpet, keeping them quiet, away from the public eye as much as possible. But not everything can be kept a secret, especially something that impacts life itself. Groups had rallied, spoken about the warnings of global warming, the impact of the environment, on resources. And they listened, from their comfortable chairs, cranking up the air-conditioning and pretending things weren’t as bad as they seemed. They diverted the fickle minds of the public, pointing them elsewhere until it became too late. Agriculture was failing, energy almost depleted, and even if there was money to import supplies every country suffered the same hardship. There was no chance of surplus, no plan of action, and people would soon learn what it truly meant to tighten their belts. This desperate situation brought about World Organization for Resource Management, or WORM for short. Things were no longer about the fate of an individual, but civilization, but at what cost, and do the ends justify the means?

Harnessing Altruism is a brilliant example of a dystopian world, one which could very easily portray our own future. One question came to mind throughout, is it really worth saving humanity if we sacrifice the very values that make us human? As a species we want to survive, we take from the land and ignore warnings about how much more it has to give. We think things will work out in then end. But they don’t always. Sava Buncic opens a reader’s eyes to a possible path of the future, one of micromanagement and categorisation based on worth, even the restriction of who can be allowed a child with whom. The world becomes divided into Key personnel, developers, and doers, and never the twain should meet. Sava Buncic weaves a thought-provoking tale, with a cast of well-designed characters in both main and supporting roles who take you along on their journey into what could possibly be our own future. Wrought with imaginative ideas, solutions, and creativity, Harnessing Altruism is not a tale to be overlooked, and is certainly something that will leave you thinking.