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| I wanted to finish this review months ago, but a lot of things jumped in the
way, namely school, work, other books, etc. Anyway, I’m back in the saddle, and ready to proceed with my special double review. I purchased two Christian fantasy books not too long ago at about
the same time. Each of them has a similar premise, and I decided for fun to review them both at the same time. The two books are Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword by Eric
Reinhold and Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow by the Miller Brothers.
I’ll briefly recap what both stories are about. In Ryann Watters, the titular character is visited by an
angel who gives him special items and a mission to find the King’s Sword. He eventually enters the land of Aeliana, a land inhabited by talking animals. In Hunter Brown, the titular
character and a friend of his end up in the land of Solandria, where Hunter joins a force called the Codebearers, who fight for the Author against the evil Venator and the forces of Sceleris, a being
who once was the Author’s scribe.
Given the growing number of Christian fantasy authors, we’ve got an opportunity to how they put spins on a familiar
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Posted by Jason Waguespack at
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For the longest time, the Oscar Awards were the only recognized and coveted prize in the movie industry. But times change and along came the Golden Globe Awards. While the Oscars
reflect the preferences of members of "The Academy," the Golden Globes are chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. But there's more. Now there's the Viewers' Choice Award, which
includes actors and actresses as well as musicians and athletes—all chosen by viewers.
All that to say, the Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction (CSACS) is starting at the Readers' Choice level. But time is running
out. You have exactly one week to vote. The survey closes at midnight (Pacific time), November
30.
Be sure to make your voice heard—for the sake of the book you think most qualified and for the sake of the Christian speculative genre. The one requirement is that you must have read at least one of
the nominated books (listed in alphabetical order below):
- A Dark Orange Farewell by George L. Duncan (OakTara Publishing)
All My Holy Mountain by L.B. Graham (P&R Press)
Cyndere’s Midnight by Jeffrey Overstreet (WaterBrook)
DragonLight by Donita K. Paul (WaterBrook)
Havah by Tosca Lee (NavPress)
Hero, Second Class by Mitchell Bonds ...
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Posted by Rebecca LuElla Miller at
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Book one of the Berinfell Prophecies, Curse of the Spider King, by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper, is the November feature of the CSFF Blog Tour. A couple of observations about the tour and the book.
From what I've read so far, this may be one of the most popular books we've toured. While we have an average number of participants—thirty-eight—more than average are posting multiple times. The reviews aren't tepid appreciation but closer to enthusiastic (see for example, Robert Treskillard's first post). A number of participants say the book transcends age, that it is a must read. There are even hints that it may become a classic.
The authors have been very involved in the tour, giving interviews (see for example, an exclusive in two parts with Amy Browning) and leaving comments at a number of posts, which segues into another observation: these two authors are respected, maybe even admired. They are busy people but take time to participate in tours for other authors as they are able. They're involved in ministry, through their writing and their every day lives. Their core values come through in their stories. They speak and tour and love Christ.
But back to the book. There also seems to be a common criticism of the book. Yes, criticism of a book we love.
One of the strengths of the CSFF Blog Tour is the fact that we aren't a promotional arm of anything. We are an independent collection of bloggers interested in highlighting the best of Christian speculative fiction. Certainly our tastes differ. Some prefer adult fiction and others young adult or middle grade. Some like science fiction, some would rather read an urban fantasy and others classic stories reminiscent of the hero's journey. Some want stories with overt Christianity, others prefer a more subtly inclusion of faith themes.
So when this group of eclectic readers review the featured books, we often have criticisms—which holds true for Curse of the Spider King. And yet, perhaps the harshest critic still praised the book, saying "This didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book. It's still a great adventure."
While John (the above mentioned "harshest critic") zeroed in on something few others mentioned, there was near universal criticism about the number of protagonists—a small thing, as it turned out. Nearly all of us, while confused at times, still felt the story overcame this weakness.
All in all, readers need to decide for themselves. Start by taking a closer look at what the tour participants had to say, the check out the book for yourself.
Brandon Barr/ Justin Boyer/ Amy Browning/ Valerie Comer/ Amy Cruson/ CSFF Blog Tour/ Stacey Dale/ D. G. D. Davidson/ Shane Deal/ Jeff Draper/ Emmalyn Edwards/ April Erwin/ Karina Fabian/ Todd Michael Greene/ Ryan Heart/ Timothy Hicks/ Becky Jesse/ Cris Jesse/ Jason Joyner/ Julie/ Carol Keen/ Krystine Kercher/ Tina Kulesa/ Melissa Lockcuff/ Rebecca LuElla Miller/ Mirtika/ Nissa/ John W. Otte/ Donita K. Paul/ Cara Powers/ Chawna Schroeder/ James Somers/ Robert Treskillard/ Fred Warren/ Jason Waguespac/ Phyllis Wheeler/ Jill Williamson/ KM Wilsher
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Posted by Rebecca LuElla Miller at
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This month the CSFF Blog Tour is featuring Eric Wilson's vampire novel, Haunt of Jackals (Thomas Nelson), the second book in the Jerusalem Undead Trilogy. A number of tour participants have weighed in on the religious elements including Rachel Starr Thomson, Keanan Brand, and Fred Warren. Interestingly, Rachel focused her thoughts on the absence of Christ. Fred concentrated on the use of blood—Judas's and Jesus's. And Keanan saw the story as a mixed bag. Yes, God was missing: But where's God in all this evil and darkness? Aside from a glance or two toward prayer, and several mentions of the Nazarene and His blood, God doesn't seem to be a major player in the story. I understand Wilson not wanting to bludgeon his readers with a sermon or excessive scripture, but the Collectors seem to have more faith in God as their enemy than the humans have faith in God as their friend. But he also asks "How can the light be seen unless there is darkness? What is a candle in the sunlight?"
The place of God in speculative fiction seems central if an author claims his work is Christian or informed by the Christian worldview. From my perspective, how much God shows up determines how dark a work of fiction is.
Some people think of darkness as a result of letting sin be sin. If a novel shows demonic activity or sexual exploits outside marriage or the use and abuse of children, this is considered dark. And it is. But if that darkness goes unanswered, then it overwhelms. Hence the need for God to be present.
As far as I'm concerned, a novel can address sin of any kind as long as some credible character acknowledges it is sin and God is God.
In Haunt of Jackals God seems very real to the vampire characters known as Collectors. They think Him foolish and His ways ineffective. They clearly hate Him. But the characters who are part of Those Who Resist seem more attached to god stuff than to God. Consequently, He feels absent through most of the book, and the result is a work that seems to be dark with glimpses of light here and there.
But even those glimpses of light seem specialized and therefore unattainable to real people. Salvation, for example, comes to characters when they drink a drop of the Nazarene's blood contained in vials attached to a pair of earrings. What does that say to a reader who has no vial of blood? I suggest it implies that salvation is a fictitious construct not attainable to real people.
I know from reading interviews with Eric and comments on his Web site that he intends to use his fiction as a missionary endeavor. Is that possible when light seems so unimportant to the characters combating darkness? Honestly, unlike Vanish by Tom Pawlik, Haunt of Jackals has done nothing to convince me that Christian horror is a viable genre.
Take time to see what others on the tour are saying: Brandon Barr Wayne Thomas Batson Jennifer Bogart Justin Boyer Keanan Brand Amy Browning Karri Compton Amy Cruson CSFF Blog Tour Stacey Dale D. G. D. Davidson Jeff Draper April Erwin Karina Fabian Beth Goddard Todd Michael Greene Timothy Hicks Becky Jesse Cris Jesse Julie Carol Keen Dawn King Melissa Lockcuff Rebecca LuElla Miller Mirtika Nissa John W. Otte James Somers Rachel Starr Thomson Robert Treskillard Steve Trower Fred Warren Phyllis Wheeler Jill Williamson KM Wilsher
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Posted by Rebecca LuElla Miller at
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I posted a review of The Vanishing Sculptor, the newest release by Donita Paul, over at A Christian Worldview of Fiction.
My one criticism was that the antagonist shows up late. For a good portion of the story, the main objective of the protagonist is connected to a problem that seems a result of accident. Only toward the latter part of the book does an antagonist surface to thwart the protagonist and her companions from fulfilling their quest.
Even then, the antagonist doesn't seem to be connected to any greater evil. He is simply out to dominate the world for his own aggrandizement. He is prideful and controlling and evil, but he also seems opportunistic. He didn't cause the initial problem—at least not that we can discern from this story—but he saw an opportunity to use these circumstances for his own machinations.
As I was reading The Vanishing Sculptor, I asked a hundred or so pages in, Where's the antagonist? I liked the characters, I knew what they wanted, but the achievement didn't seem like it was going to be hard or that anyone would try to thwart its accomplishment.
For me there was a significant reduction of tension.
Perhaps that's OK for a change. Uniformly, the reviews I've read so far are positive. My own review is positive. I liked the book a lot. But I can't help but wonder, if the antagonist showed up sooner, how would that change things? If there was a greater degree of ... |
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Posted by Rebecca LuElla Miller at
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 Let's see if we can select a book to receive the 2009 Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction. We need nominations. These must be Christian worldview science fiction/ fantasy/allegory/furturistic/supernatural novels published in English by a royalty paying press between January 2008 and December 2008. You may post the book title, author, and publisher you think is qualified for this award in a comment here or at A Christian Worldview of Fiction or at the Award site. Looking forward to seeing this list develop. Cross posted at A Christian Worldview of Fiction and at Clive Staples Award.
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Posted by Rebecca LuElla Miller at
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Much misinformation abounds in regard to C. S. Lewis and his intentional inclusion of Christian allusions and themes in his fiction, particularly in The Chronicles of Narnia. For example, in an otherwise excellent article, Richard Doster wrote in "A Lost Art," the following: When Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, he had no theological agenda. There was no ulterior, evangelistic motive; he
simply hoped to create likable stories. But the man’s worldview was as
elemental to him as blood and bone. And his characters, plots, symbols,
and themes are—unavoidably—products of it. Actually this statement misrepresents Lewis's position. Certainly, he stated clearly he was not intending to write an allegory when he penned The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. And Lewis thoroughly understood allegory. After all, his first work of fiction was Pilgrim's Regress, an imitation in style of John Bunyan's definitive allegory, Pilgrim's Progress.
But between allegory and no intentional evangelistic motive lies considerable territory, and I believe Lewis made it clear, along with J. R. R. Tolkien, that he was aiming for neither extreme. From a Wikipedia article on mythopoeia: Lewis' mythopoeic intent is often confused with allegory, where the characters and world of Narnia would stand in direct equivalence with concepts and events from Christian theology and history, but Lewis repeatedly emphasized that an allegorical reading misses the point (the mythopoeia) of the Narnia stories. The key here is that Lewis did write with intention, just not allegorical intention. Too many voices today ... |
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Posted by Rebecca LuElla Miller at
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During the current CSFF Blog Tour for Robin Parrish's novel Offworld, the question has come up again: How Christian should Christian fiction be, and in particular how Christian should Christian speculative fiction be? Should there be room for "seed sowing" fiction that introduces the concepts of God and a universe run by Him? Or must Christian fiction point inexorably to a Biblical understanding of God?
To both these questions, I say, Yes. Yes, there should be seed-sowing fiction. If a reader, for example, does not believe that Man, by nature, is a sinner, that he is actually good and capable of finding within himself all that he needs for life, then a Christian novel that points to a Savior who died for sinners will fail to impact the very reader it is targeting.
Some Christian books need to introduce Biblical concepts in their embryonic state, else there will be no audience for the full grown gospel.
I think of my own work, a four-book epic fantasy called The Lore of Efrathah. God does not come into the story. Neither is it allegorical. There are some key symbols, however, but the Christianity is far from heavy-handed or overt. Isn't that the kind of book a "seeker" is more apt to pick up?
However, when a story is set in our world, past, present, or future, it seems to me that a writer can't ignore God or have Him missing because that in itself is a statement about God.
Which brings me to Offworld. How ... |
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Posted by Rebecca LuElla Miller at
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Fellow Spec Faith blogger E. Stephen Burnett left an excellent comment to last week's post answering the criticism that fantasy leads to delusion that addresses the subject of escapism. I'm tempted either to copy and paste his remarks here or to simply tell you to click on the link and read what he said, or reread it, as the case may be.
I'll resist, however, because I think this particular attack necessitates repeated repudiation.
The argument is that fantasy pulls readers away from more weighty concerns. While we should be focused on putting food on the table, we're wondering and worrying about slaying dragons.
To counter this point, Andrew Lansdown, author of the booklet "In Defence of Fantasy," the source for these posts, makes the same Tolkien argument that Stephen made. The real issue is that the accuser of fantasy is mistakenly confusing "the Escape of the Prisoner with the Flight of the Deserter." Both escape, one rightly so, the other by selfishly shirking his duties or commitments.
So does fantasy provide a reader with escape from prison or from the battlefield? I think that's the question each writer needs to answer about his own work. Lansdown suggests that even if a fantasy provides nothing but a little rest and relaxation, that's OK as long as it is kept in balance.
He goes on to make the case Tolkien did for creativity being a worth endeavor, and fantasy being the most creative of the creative.For surely it is true that God ... |
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Posted by Rebecca LuElla Miller at
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In reality, this is a continuation of the series I started some time ago called "What to Make of Dragons." This is Part 6, I believe, since my post last week on The Enclave was also part of the same, though I didn't remember to name it as such.
To refresh your memory, I am addressing some of the criticisms thrown by Christians at fantasy. The booklet "In Defence of Fantasy" by Andrew Lansdown has served as an excellent jumping-off point. Today I want to look at the criticism that says fantasy depicts things that have no basis in reality.
This is a corollary to the criticism that says fantasy is untrue and therefore should not be something Christians waste time on.
I've tried to counter that misconception by looking at Vanish by Tom Pawlik and The Enclave by Karen Hancock. But what about a fantasy like Harry Potter?
This week I went to see the movie Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince so of course this story is fresh on my mind. So, what about the charge that says readers, particularly young ones, will be fooled by fantasy? Aren't Harry Potter fans led into the occult by seeing Harry and his friends and enemies casting spells and using potions?
Well, let me ask another question. Are these fans fooled into thinking they can fly to school on brooms? Has there been an upsurge of broom sales? Maybe of the toy kind, but are we seeing poor frustrated children astraddle ... |
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Posted by Rebecca LuElla Miller at
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