House of Refuge is an award-winning science fiction and alternate history adventure novella by Michael DiBaggio, set in the richly imagined Ascension Epoch universe. The story takes place aboard South Atlantic House of Refuge Number 49, a floating sanctuary stationed along the Plata Raft, a 350-mile free community of seasteaders and mariners living beyond the reach of traditional governments off the coast of South America. When war erupts and an Argentine warship relentlessly pursues a smuggler and his young daughter to the station, Justin Agnarsson, the lone stationkeeper, finds himself caught between his sacred duty to protect all who seek refuge and the overwhelming military force bearing down on him.
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What elevates House of Refuge above a straightforward action story is the profound moral and philosophical weight DiBaggio brings to his compact narrative. Themes of duty, individual courage, humanitarian law, and the fragile foundations of civilization are explored with precision and emotional depth within a gripping and tightly paced format. The world of the Plata Raft, with its anarchic seasteads, competing political entities, and layered alternate history, is brought to life with impressive detail that rewards readers eager to explore a genuinely original universe. A winner of the LFA/SFA Libertarian Short Story Contest, this novella is a must-read for fans of thought-provoking science fiction, moral adventure stories, and alternate history fiction.
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