Purgatory is the second in the Galactic Comedy series and of the three it could be considered the slow burner due to the fact that political and social intrigue is more understated and the over arching conflicts presented are more cursory in their description than the other two novels. Instead it focuses more on the personalities involved in the process of colonization and is presented in a deeply fatalistic manner. The only sure things in Purgatory are hubris and incredulous amounts of shortsightedness. Compassion and understanding is superseded by tendencies towards self-destruction which gives the novel and its events the feeling that no matter what action the protagonists undertake each and every action shares the same end. Purgatory reads like a long, quiet sign of hopelessness.

This novel, like the others, plots the course of colonization from first contact to the inevitable collapse of the colonial system. The narration however, is a third hand account relayed as the events occur over a hundred year span so there is a greater sense of urgency to each event as opposed to the more reflective nature of Paradise. The end, however, is less hopeful and betrays how easily we can squander opportunity for the pettiest of reasons, no matter how noble those reasons might be.

Purgatory is also a loose discussion of the economics of colonization and its impact on independence and in this regard the latter half of the book approximates the challenges faced by Zimbabwe as it seeks to address the issue of re-allocating arable land. Resnick posits that acting on the concept of social justice, however morally and ethically sound it might be, can be disastrous. The question is how can social grievances be addressed to the satisfaction of all parties involved but still maintain the best interests of the nation state. Mugabe’s land distribution policy is an example of how short sighted social policies can lead to the unraveling of a national economy as critics argue that it lead to one of Zimbabwe’s worst famines.

Resnick has written a deeply critical novel, one that takes a sharp knife to both sides of the issue. There are no saints or heroes in Purgatory. Individuals are limited by their self-interest and as a group that self-interest becomes a collective myopia that drives us towards destruction. It is cynical and it stings to consider the notion that individual self-determination is subjugated to the trajectory of the whole. As the last words of the book fell off the page I was left saddened and feeling slightly hopeless because Purgatory is just that.