The struggle for power has always been there and I think it will never end. It is in our DNA. But power itself is neither good nor bad; it depends on how people manage it. Besides, we all have power over something in our life. And this kind of private power is also important; we have to learn how to manage it. Nevertheless, usually people only worries about Power in capital letters. I think this is because political power is usually controlled by people who cannot be fully trusted.

Politicians have shown us (at least in Spain) that most of them are not reliable and that they take advantage of the power they have. Power is usually accompanied by selfishness, and that often turns into greed. However, well-managed power can be good, but it has to be synonymous with having the opportunity to help, to encourage people to have goals and meet them. These last elections the people has proven to be tired of power abuse, and have voted new people with the illusion that they are not going to end up corrupted by this gentleman who always end up winning the game (I have my doubts and excuse me for it).

But history always can teach us and we find in the past mirrors to the present. In the past, kingdoms battled to achieve power and supremacy over others. This is explained by José Vicente Pascual in his novel INTERREGNO, located at the beginning of the fifth century, with the Roman empire practically in shatters. The peoples from the northern Iberian peninsula, and the tribes, clans and Eurasian nations that have invaded it, are fighting bloodily for supremacy.

The pervading ancient animist cult, and the Celtic religion’s association between spirituality and the forces of nature, as well as sorcery and magic, face the classic deities and, especially, the new Christian faith.

Berardo de Hogueras Altas, from his rich city in the sheltering Cantabrian mountain apex, summons his neighbors and allies to establish a dominion to be defended by a powerful army. They have to face the threat of the Asding Vandals, and the savage Alan parties that devastate the region. They also will defend themselves from the plans of the covetous Hermeric, king of the Suebi, who from his throne in Bracara Augusta intends to take possession of all the peninsular north. Their most fearsome enemies, though, might turn out to be the intrigues for power, and treachery.

Berardo’s call is answered by the brave mountain-dwellers of Gargantas del Cobre, the hunters of the Eione valley, the fierce warriors of Pasos Cerrados … They all know which destiny awaits them: the times of the sword, and legend.

In the past, battles were the “judges” and who lost them had to assume the consequences. Currently, at least in our country, we have no battles nor swords but power abuse has tired the vast majority of the population and a new wave of politicians are intervening. I hope they know what they are doing, because if managing the small things of day to day life is complicated, running a city or a country must be really hard And, in addition, not succumbing to the seduction of power, as always, kings, church, and ordinary citizens have done… I think it would be a huge step forward to get a team of people that know how to manage power to do better things. It would be nice changing the meaning of the word “power”, make it synonymous with “together we can get it,” and that this political change does not remain only a siren song.

Read Interregno first pages (in Spanish).

“When we fear someone, we have already given this person power over us.” Hermann Hesse

Sandra Bruna