They Could Be Saviors, Diana Colleen (Review by Abigail Blake)
Rating: 3.0/5 Stars
A work of speculative fiction, Diana Colleen’s They Could Be Saviors asks what the world’s most influential billionaires could do if forced to solve the climate crisis. Five female experts in medicinal psilocybin funded by mysterious benefactors facilitate a psychedelic experience for five captured male billionaires. The program is designed to work by changing the men and their perspectives from the inside out. Ideally, they collaborate out of a newborn desire to fix the problem, not out of coercion and threats of never returning home.
The story narrows in on three of out the five captives (for reasons that become clear if you pay close attention at the beginning of the novel). It follows their hesitations, reactions, and experiences to their exposure to new technologies and drugs. Stigmas around drugs like MDMA and psilocybin play an important role in their progress, or lack thereof, in reaching the program’s goal.
They Could Be Saviors does not shy away from confronting the ethics of forcing change upon these men. This moral dilemma is explored through the perspectives of the program’s facilitators. The five women must wrestle with the consequences of kidnapping, forced drug therapy, and wondering if the ends justify the means. How far are each of them willing to go to see this experiment through? What are they willing to sacrifice?
The novel presents an overall positive representation of psychedelics and asks the reader, much like the characters, to keep an open mind. Not focusing exclusively on one primary captive removes many of the unknowns, reducing the thriller aspect of the story and slowing down its overall pacing. However, the third-person omniscient narration uncovers the frustrations of both the facilitators and the captives, making for an all-around more interesting and optimistic tone. Each character struggles with the circumstances surrounding their position, whether they’re there willingly or not.