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Christian Fantasy and Science Fiction
- Thread starter PSYCO
- Start date
seems a shame
to get such joking replies so here are some serious ones
first of all, the narnia books are christian as can be:
http://www.booksxyz.com/profile.php?bid=415125&x1=Y
also try the screwtape letters and the great divorce...while not exactly fantasy or sci fi, they are christian apologetics in a slightly fantastical vein. they also happen to be very well written so much so that even a raging agnostic like myself can enjoy them
a canticle for liebowitz
absolutely amazing, a sci fi classic..post apocolyptic story, monks preserve knowledge in medeival style scriptorums,, the canonization of the saint of engineers, etc.. illuminating blueprints, electronics textbooks, etc..the world makes it back up to nuclear technology again in the course of the book..read it, and read it now
http://www.booksxyz.com/profile.php?bid=152680&x1=Y
saint vidicon to the rescue
not as good as liebowitz, but still pretty good.a sci fi novel about the patron saint of programmers, the battle against murphy's law, the struggle of order against chaos, etc..funny and lighthearted, a fast read, lots of fantastic stuff, but a little dated
http://www.booksxyz.com/profile.php?bid=1319910&x1=Y
VALIS
the masterwork of psycho-gnostic drug addled sci fi...based on Phillip K Dick's very real religous experience and the accompanying mental breakdown, includes the idea that the world is fake, that dick shares his head with one of the disciples of christ, that christ is the logos from gnosticism, being living information as well as drugs, movies,rock stars, lasers and madness, check it out
http://www.booksxyz.com/profile.php?bid=170714&x1=Y
Maps In a Mirror
a great collection of orson scott card's short stories ( including the original ender's game)
for those of you that don't know, card is a very devout mormon..not exactly normal christianity, but pretty close in the way it influences his fantastic fiction
http://www.booksxyz.com/profile.php?bid=830045&x1=Y
also there is of course tolkien, who was very devout and friends with lewis and has a touch of allegory here and there as well..there are some fantastic elements in bunyan's pilgrim's progress, if it comes to that, as well as paradise lost by milton, although that is a bit heavy for most modern tastes
bradbury has a great story about a martian forced to take on the role of christ in "the martian chronicles"..i will post some more if i think of any
to get such joking replies so here are some serious ones
first of all, the narnia books are christian as can be:
http://www.booksxyz.com/profile.php?bid=415125&x1=Y
also try the screwtape letters and the great divorce...while not exactly fantasy or sci fi, they are christian apologetics in a slightly fantastical vein. they also happen to be very well written so much so that even a raging agnostic like myself can enjoy them
a canticle for liebowitz
absolutely amazing, a sci fi classic..post apocolyptic story, monks preserve knowledge in medeival style scriptorums,, the canonization of the saint of engineers, etc.. illuminating blueprints, electronics textbooks, etc..the world makes it back up to nuclear technology again in the course of the book..read it, and read it now
http://www.booksxyz.com/profile.php?bid=152680&x1=Y
saint vidicon to the rescue
not as good as liebowitz, but still pretty good.a sci fi novel about the patron saint of programmers, the battle against murphy's law, the struggle of order against chaos, etc..funny and lighthearted, a fast read, lots of fantastic stuff, but a little dated
http://www.booksxyz.com/profile.php?bid=1319910&x1=Y
VALIS
the masterwork of psycho-gnostic drug addled sci fi...based on Phillip K Dick's very real religous experience and the accompanying mental breakdown, includes the idea that the world is fake, that dick shares his head with one of the disciples of christ, that christ is the logos from gnosticism, being living information as well as drugs, movies,rock stars, lasers and madness, check it out
http://www.booksxyz.com/profile.php?bid=170714&x1=Y
Maps In a Mirror
a great collection of orson scott card's short stories ( including the original ender's game)
for those of you that don't know, card is a very devout mormon..not exactly normal christianity, but pretty close in the way it influences his fantastic fiction
http://www.booksxyz.com/profile.php?bid=830045&x1=Y
also there is of course tolkien, who was very devout and friends with lewis and has a touch of allegory here and there as well..there are some fantastic elements in bunyan's pilgrim's progress, if it comes to that, as well as paradise lost by milton, although that is a bit heavy for most modern tastes
bradbury has a great story about a martian forced to take on the role of christ in "the martian chronicles"..i will post some more if i think of any
MonkeyCatcher
New Member
Wolhay said:
I distinctly remember reading an interview in which he admitted that he did. Maybe he did it for other reasons also.
~MonkeyCatcher~
More Lawhead and other points
He also wrote a book titled _Dream Thief_ which is very good. He seems to be more palatable to non-Christians, as is Tolkien, so perhaps someone from this thread besided Psyco and myself will end up reading it. Lawhead has also written quite a bit of historical fantasy dealing with legends on Atlantis, Merlin, and Aurthur.
I would caution you, Psyco, against limiting your reading to only Christian authors. The best fiction, of any kind, relates truth(s) about reality - and one need not be a Christian to recognize and relate truth. Also, not all Christian authors are worth reading because some are very poor writers. I would place LaHaye & Jenkins solidly in this category. Their stories are formulaic and their characters are flat. In my opinion reading them because they are Christian (instead of because you disagree with me and think that they are good writers, in which case stick to your guns as long as you believe you're right) is akin to taking your car to the mechanic who attends church with you even though he is a price-gouger and doesn't do good work.
Instead, read books that are well written regardless of the author's worldview. They will still have something to say to you that is worthwhile and in addition they will challenge you to more firmly know your own worldview. Terry Pratchett, Douglass Adams, Poul Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Raymond Feist, C.S. Lewis, Aldous Huxley, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, George R.R. Martin, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, G.K. Chesterton and many more are well-respected and loved authors by people of all kinds of worldviews because they are good at what they do (or did). They bring you enjoyment, which is the first responsibility of fiction, and they relate a truth or truths, which is secondary.
My guess is that you are a lot like myself several years ago, and many of the young peopleI work with. You want reading that will encourage and strenthen you in your faith, and that you can enjoy. And possibly you would like to avoid something you find uncomfortable or even offensive in works by non-Christians (though I say this with much less confidence, not wishing to make too many assumptions about you especially negative ones). Fight this inclination to withdraw from differences and confrontations. Engage different philosophies, challenge them and be challenged by them. That is where true strength in one's faith comes from. (And there's always those reminders about salt and light.)
Well, I have come off very preachy and though it was unintentional I see no way to undo it and preserve my points. Perhaps if I fully confess to working at a school and being married to a teacher all will be forgiven?
He also wrote a book titled _Dream Thief_ which is very good. He seems to be more palatable to non-Christians, as is Tolkien, so perhaps someone from this thread besided Psyco and myself will end up reading it. Lawhead has also written quite a bit of historical fantasy dealing with legends on Atlantis, Merlin, and Aurthur.
I would caution you, Psyco, against limiting your reading to only Christian authors. The best fiction, of any kind, relates truth(s) about reality - and one need not be a Christian to recognize and relate truth. Also, not all Christian authors are worth reading because some are very poor writers. I would place LaHaye & Jenkins solidly in this category. Their stories are formulaic and their characters are flat. In my opinion reading them because they are Christian (instead of because you disagree with me and think that they are good writers, in which case stick to your guns as long as you believe you're right) is akin to taking your car to the mechanic who attends church with you even though he is a price-gouger and doesn't do good work.
Instead, read books that are well written regardless of the author's worldview. They will still have something to say to you that is worthwhile and in addition they will challenge you to more firmly know your own worldview. Terry Pratchett, Douglass Adams, Poul Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Raymond Feist, C.S. Lewis, Aldous Huxley, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, George R.R. Martin, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, G.K. Chesterton and many more are well-respected and loved authors by people of all kinds of worldviews because they are good at what they do (or did). They bring you enjoyment, which is the first responsibility of fiction, and they relate a truth or truths, which is secondary.
My guess is that you are a lot like myself several years ago, and many of the young peopleI work with. You want reading that will encourage and strenthen you in your faith, and that you can enjoy. And possibly you would like to avoid something you find uncomfortable or even offensive in works by non-Christians (though I say this with much less confidence, not wishing to make too many assumptions about you especially negative ones). Fight this inclination to withdraw from differences and confrontations. Engage different philosophies, challenge them and be challenged by them. That is where true strength in one's faith comes from. (And there's always those reminders about salt and light.
)Well, I have come off very preachy and though it was unintentional I see no way to undo it and preserve my points. Perhaps if I fully confess to working at a school and being married to a teacher all will be forgiven?
PSYCO
New Member
First of all... thanks for all the helpful and not so helpful suggetions. Hi Neesey...thanks for the input but actually I have just recently started reading books by christian authors. I read a couple that I really liked and it seemed to me that this was somewhat of an untapped resourse for sci-fi/fantasy. For example: you won't find these books in sci-fi/fantasy on Amazon but in the religion and spirituality section. Some of these are very good but are hidden, so to speak. I don't beleive you have to be a christian to read these books, they would be good no matter what. If you would like to speak more with me about this please PM me. Thanks again.
There is a Christian author, Frank Peretti, who writes great books. I don't know whether or not they would be considered fantasy and I doubt you would find them in the fantasy section of any bookshop as they are more spirtual books thatare written in a fantasy type of way. (I hope you understand what I mean here. I can get confusing at times.)
Three that come to mind are: This Present Darkness, Piercing the Darkness and The Oath. If you can get hold of them, I would strongly recommend them. They are very good.
Three that come to mind are: This Present Darkness, Piercing the Darkness and The Oath. If you can get hold of them, I would strongly recommend them. They are very good.
lady.cordelia
New Member
I agree with Neesey, but also wanted to mention Frank Peretti. It's been a while since I read two of his books, but I liked them when I read them. Because he is a religious author and it deals with religious themes, it is always put in the religious sections, but I think that is unfair. It could be enjoyed by anyone just for the story within and is more along the lines of kind of a sci-fi/fantasy book.
Now, Madeleine L'Engle wrote some great children's science fiction. If you have kids, I highly recommend getting her four books about four kids within a family that travel time and the universe. Great fun to read with your kids!
Of course Tolkien and C. S. Lewis both are Christian authors who wrote great books with a Christian theme, or I should say at least with a Christian worldview in mind at least in Tolkien's case. But I have found many secular authors have great stories that would fall into this category (following a basic moral principle/worldview of Christians and other religious groups with similar philosophies) - Rowling would be one of these. She, of course, has said that she is a Christian, but obviously her books aren't a Christian theme, although if you follow the points and the morality of the stories they do fall in line with the Christian worldview. I have to argue this point with my overly dogmatic friends on occasion who chastise me for subjecting my kids to them! doh!
There are so many great stories out there. It would be a shame to limit yourself, although I do applaud you for wanting to give Christian authors a chance as they after often overlooked by the secular world.
As noted by so many rude posts to your request, many nonbelievers are as close-minded as they believe Christians are and jump at the chance to put down our beliefs, all the while they may find some of these books stimulating and great reading. Just reading books by Christian authors doesn't mean you'll get the "disease!" Sorry for my soap box, but I was highly annoyed by the response you got and many other posts I come across and never say anything. This just tipped me over the edge.
I believe you should only post to posts that are directed to you or that you may be helpful with, not just to post derogatory remarks and be blatantly rude and disrespectful.
Now, Madeleine L'Engle wrote some great children's science fiction. If you have kids, I highly recommend getting her four books about four kids within a family that travel time and the universe. Great fun to read with your kids!
Of course Tolkien and C. S. Lewis both are Christian authors who wrote great books with a Christian theme, or I should say at least with a Christian worldview in mind at least in Tolkien's case. But I have found many secular authors have great stories that would fall into this category (following a basic moral principle/worldview of Christians and other religious groups with similar philosophies) - Rowling would be one of these. She, of course, has said that she is a Christian, but obviously her books aren't a Christian theme, although if you follow the points and the morality of the stories they do fall in line with the Christian worldview. I have to argue this point with my overly dogmatic friends on occasion who chastise me for subjecting my kids to them! doh!
There are so many great stories out there. It would be a shame to limit yourself, although I do applaud you for wanting to give Christian authors a chance as they after often overlooked by the secular world.
As noted by so many rude posts to your request, many nonbelievers are as close-minded as they believe Christians are and jump at the chance to put down our beliefs, all the while they may find some of these books stimulating and great reading. Just reading books by Christian authors doesn't mean you'll get the "disease!" Sorry for my soap box, but I was highly annoyed by the response you got and many other posts I come across and never say anything. This just tipped me over the edge.
I believe you should only post to posts that are directed to you or that you may be helpful with, not just to post derogatory remarks and be blatantly rude and disrespectful.
tietsoone
New Member
try the Didymus Contingency
Hello,
You might tryThe Didymus Contingency, by Jeremy Robinson.
It's about time travel back to the time of Jesus walking the Earth. An unbelieving scientist who loses his Christian wife journey's back in time to disprove the ressurection of Jesus. What he finds is far from what he expected!
--James
Hello,
You might tryThe Didymus Contingency, by Jeremy Robinson.
It's about time travel back to the time of Jesus walking the Earth. An unbelieving scientist who loses his Christian wife journey's back in time to disprove the ressurection of Jesus. What he finds is far from what he expected!
--James
ValkyrieRaven88
New Member
I will second other opinions that C.S. Lewis wrote very good/interesting Christian fantasy. I normally dislike Christian fiction, but I loved Lewis. I didn't personally care for Tolkein because I found him difficult to understand and somewhat boring.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
The Sparrow, in a nutshell, is about the discovery of a planet with sentient life, and the subsequent exploratory mission conducted by the Jesuit Society. The book raises some religious issues through different character's perspectives; the Jesuit priests, the atheist doctor, the Jewish scientist. The author is herself a Catholic who has since converted to Judaism, though if you read her bio she is still heavily involved in some Catholic organizations.
Outside of the religious aspect of the book, it's an excellent read unto itself. I'd highly recommend it.
I'm currently reading the sequel to The Sparrow, titled Children of God.
The Sparrow, in a nutshell, is about the discovery of a planet with sentient life, and the subsequent exploratory mission conducted by the Jesuit Society. The book raises some religious issues through different character's perspectives; the Jesuit priests, the atheist doctor, the Jewish scientist. The author is herself a Catholic who has since converted to Judaism, though if you read her bio she is still heavily involved in some Catholic organizations.
Outside of the religious aspect of the book, it's an excellent read unto itself. I'd highly recommend it.
I'm currently reading the sequel to The Sparrow, titled Children of God.
Carlos
New Member
Don't worry about it so much, for those with a strong faith in their beliefs a few jokes should be water off a ducks back. If not then re-examine your faith. Make fun of my beliefs any day of the week.
Saying that there is this book, a bit long, but it's about a man with magical powers who plods around the country recruiting people to his clan, can't for the life of me remember the title though.
Edit
Clicked on one of the google ads. All should do this to keep the site alive.
Any way http://www.templeandsword.com/
described in the ad as christian SciFi. Should be what you want. A quote from the author
Sounds like the author is 110% christian!
angelfire
New Member
looking for new christian fantasy books
hi! just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for christian fantasy books. Currently i am reading the dragonspell series by donita k. paul and i am really enjoying them, and i know when i get finished with them i will totally be jonesing for some more reads like these, so if anyone could help or suggest, it would be much appreciated!
thanks!
hi! just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for christian fantasy books. Currently i am reading the dragonspell series by donita k. paul and i am really enjoying them, and i know when i get finished with them i will totally be jonesing for some more reads like these, so if anyone could help or suggest, it would be much appreciated!
thanks!
Bluraven
Member
I suppose I should be the first both to welcome you to this Forum, and to suggest the ever-popular Chronicles of Narnia. I think that they're sort of the bedrock upon which all other Fantasy (Christian or otherwise) is built upon...well, alongside the Lord of the Rings, of course!
Also, I remember a lot of buzz about a book called Shadowmancer, by Graham Taylor, which is a bit dark, but you may like it as well. I hope you can get some good suggestions in addition to these!
Also, I remember a lot of buzz about a book called Shadowmancer, by Graham Taylor, which is a bit dark, but you may like it as well. I hope you can get some good suggestions in addition to these!
What exactly is "Christian Fantasy"?
Bluraven
Member
I would imagine Christian Fantasy to be a sub-genre of general fantasy, most noticeable by the use of Christian symbolism or the implementation of Christian principles. I'm not particularly a fan of Christian Literature as such, since I consider it too obvious and blatant. I'm all for infusing Christian beliefs into one's story, just don't let me know that's what you're doing...I'd prefer to make the connection myself, like with Tolkien or Rowling, or even Christopher Paolini.
I see. No His Dark Materials then.
Bluraven
Member
Well, I personally didn't have a problem with The Golden Compass, and didn't pick up on Mr. Pullman's anti-Christian worldview at all. In fact, I only later learned of such views when the movie was soon to premiere. I own the whole trilogy, and have read to about half-way through The Subtle Knife (where I put it down to read Cory Doctorow's Little Brother), and while I can see his views about "God" and "Sin" being rather heretical (i.e., sin is just "dust", etc.)...I honestly just enjoyed it all as a Story. I thought Lyra a wonderful girl, just as adorable as Lucy Pevensie or Frodo Baggins.
Bob Magness
Member
Yeah, good question. It has to be more than just Christian symbolism I would think or the book I am reading right now, American Gods, would be considered Christian fantasy as it has a good amount of such symbolism. But it is definitely not "Christian fantasy".
Next I would think it is fantasy that a Christian would feel comfortable reading without compromising his/her values. No gratuitous sex or blasphemy and so forth. But almost by definition fantasy is going to have magic and sorcery which the Bible frowns upon if I remember correctly.
So I am interested as well in what this particular genre entails.
vclouds
New Member
If you like the Narnia books and don't mind more young adult fiction there's a 5 book series entitled The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper that is reputed to contain Christian themes, albeit muted. I read it when I was too young (7th grade) to notice them, but others say they are there. Either way, the series is an enjoyable read.
If you'd like something a little more adult, the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins is supposedly Christian oriented, concerning Revelations and the End of Days. Personally I've only read a few of the sizable series because it was a bit too dramatic for me - it lacked any subtlety in my opinion, but many speak highly of the books.
Also, there are a number of Christian-themed books by an author named Frank E. Peretti. His books focus on the spiritual warfare people face when encountering temptation. I've read his book This Present Darkness, and although it was a bit preachy in parts, some might not be bothered by that. Overall, it was an engaging story, with riveting, if a bit wooden, characters.
Hope that helps.
If you'd like something a little more adult, the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins is supposedly Christian oriented, concerning Revelations and the End of Days. Personally I've only read a few of the sizable series because it was a bit too dramatic for me - it lacked any subtlety in my opinion, but many speak highly of the books.
Also, there are a number of Christian-themed books by an author named Frank E. Peretti. His books focus on the spiritual warfare people face when encountering temptation. I've read his book This Present Darkness, and although it was a bit preachy in parts, some might not be bothered by that. Overall, it was an engaging story, with riveting, if a bit wooden, characters.
Hope that helps.
Robert
Active Member
C. S. Lewis has a space trilogy you might be interested in.
The Space Trilogy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Space Trilogy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia