by Jason Joyner | Sep 23, 2008 | Blog, CSFF, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative fiction
In the 2+ years I’ve been blogging, I’ve read a lot of fiction. A good chunk of that has been speculative (an encompassing term for science fiction and fantasy). I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed this genre, and I’ve become a real fan. Unfortunately, the CBA market of Christian fiction doesn’t yet supply a lot of choice in this area. Sure, there’s more than 15 years ago. But if you look at a section of Christian fiction, it is still dominated by romance and historical fiction.
Becky Miller continues to argue for a larger potential audience for Christian speculative fiction based on properties such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Narnia. On the other side, publishers cite low sales for speculative titles. In a free market system, demand will drive supply. So where does that leave fans of spec fic?
Somtimes an enterprising person sees an opportunity and runs with it, meeting a niche that is currently under-supported. That person, the focus of this month’s CSFF tour, is Jeff Gerke.
Marcher Lord Press is an independent publisher for Christian speculative fiction. Jeff’s goal is to provide an outlet for authors and readers of this genre. He has the credentials to pull it off. He is a published author, under the name Jefferson Scott. He has also been a fiction acquisition editor (meaning he has an eye for what works). He also founded the site WheretheMapEnds, a good creative resource for aspiring writers.
I encourage you to look into Marcher Lord Press today, and check back over the next two days for more about this new outlet. Also check out my fellow tourmates, listed below.
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Courtney
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Kameron M. Franklin
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Kait
Mike Lynch
Terri Main
Margaret
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika or Mir’s Here
Greg Slade
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
Tina Kulesa
Jason Waguespac
by Jason Joyner | Sep 23, 2008 | Blog, CSFF, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative fiction
In the 2+ years I’ve been blogging, I’ve read a lot of fiction. A good chunk of that has been speculative (an encompassing term for science fiction and fantasy). I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed this genre, and I’ve become a real fan. Unfortunately, the CBA market of Christian fiction doesn’t yet supply a lot of choice in this area. Sure, there’s more than 15 years ago. But if you look at a section of Christian fiction, it is still dominated by romance and historical fiction.
Becky Miller continues to argue for a larger potential audience for Christian speculative fiction based on properties such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Narnia. On the other side, publishers cite low sales for speculative titles. In a free market system, demand will drive supply. So where does that leave fans of spec fic?
Somtimes an enterprising person sees an opportunity and runs with it, meeting a niche that is currently under-supported. That person, the focus of this month’s CSFF tour, is Jeff Gerke.
Marcher Lord Press is an independent publisher for Christian speculative fiction. Jeff’s goal is to provide an outlet for authors and readers of this genre. He has the credentials to pull it off. He is a published author, under the name Jefferson Scott. He has also been a fiction acquisition editor (meaning he has an eye for what works). He also founded the site WheretheMapEnds, a good creative resource for aspiring writers.
I encourage you to look into Marcher Lord Press today, and check back over the next two days for more about this new outlet. Also check out my fellow tourmates, listed below.
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Courtney
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Kameron M. Franklin
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Kait
Mike Lynch
Terri Main
Margaret
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika or Mir’s Here
Greg Slade
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
Tina Kulesa
Jason Waguespac
by Jason Joyner | May 29, 2008 | Blog, Mass Effect, reading, reviews, sci-fi
After finishing two books last week required for blog tours, I chilled this weekend with a book of my own choosing (well, I also choose the ones I review, but yanno, I mean no deadline here).
One of my hobbies is playing video games. I got an Xbox 360 last year for my birthday, mainly so I could play Mass Effect, the latest role-playing game from powerhouse developer Bioware when it released last November. I got the game the day it came out (I know, sad), and played through it over the holidays. I wasn’t disappointed. The gameplay was unique, the story and characters were engrossing, and it was one of the best video game experiences I’ve had. The game earns its “M” for Mature rating, and a little of the content is disappointing, but overall I really got into the original sci-fi universe that Bioware created.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Mass Effect: Revelation. The book is written by Drew Karpyshyn, lead writer for the game and also for my favorite all-time game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (lets hear it for KotOR!). He has also written other sci-fi novels, including Star Wars spin-offs, so he has novel writing experience. I mentioned above that the writing for the game Mass Effect was excellent.
I found out that getting a novel based off a video game is…what it is. The book starts 20 years prior to the game. Humanity is a new race to the galactic population. An ancient race called the Protheans have left technology scattered across the galaxy, allowing interstellar transport. Humans find buried ruins on Mars, then realize that the Plutonian moon Charon is actually a dormant mass effect relay, allowing us to join the star-faring races.
This isn’t Star Trek however, where Earthlings are the main force. Humanity is a new player, catching up with other established races like the turians and asaris, and sometimes acting like the little kid at the table scrambling to be heard. It makes for an interesting take on a sci-fi setting.
The book covers a mission from Lt. David Anderson, a secondary character in the game. He is charged with finding a missing scientist who suspiciously went missing prior to her whole research unit being wiped out. Anderson must contend with Saren, a turian Spectre (elite agent of the galactic Council) who is hostile toward humanity and concerned with his own agenda, and the krogran mercenary Skaar. When Anderson gets a chance to show humanity’s potential by being considered for the Spectres, will he succeed in proving humanity’s ability, or will he fall against his alien contenders?
The book will appeal to fans of the game only. The author does a fine job explaining the universe, but I don’t know that it could stand on its own. I enjoyed as far as it re-immersed me into the Mass Effect universe, but overall it is only a mediocre read. The characterization is flat throughout, and the writing comes across as fairly stock, cliche sci-fi. The pacing is good, and it is a quick, easy read. If someone really wants to dive more into the ME universe, it is not an expensive purchase. However, I think the big climax was more succinctly explained with more tension in 5 minutes of game conversation rather than in the book. It also seems to set up the story of the game too perfectly – I would’ve preferred to see less of a blatant set-up for the game.
That’s my out of left field review for the week. If you have a 360, don’t miss out on Mass Effect. The novel, on the other hand, is optional.
by Jason Joyner | May 29, 2008 | Blog, Mass Effect, reading, reviews, sci-fi
After finishing two books last week required for blog tours, I chilled this weekend with a book of my own choosing (well, I also choose the ones I review, but yanno, I mean no deadline here).
One of my hobbies is playing video games. I got an Xbox 360 last year for my birthday, mainly so I could play Mass Effect, the latest role-playing game from powerhouse developer Bioware when it released last November. I got the game the day it came out (I know, sad), and played through it over the holidays. I wasn’t disappointed. The gameplay was unique, the story and characters were engrossing, and it was one of the best video game experiences I’ve had. The game earns its “M” for Mature rating, and a little of the content is disappointing, but overall I really got into the original sci-fi universe that Bioware created.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Mass Effect: Revelation. The book is written by Drew Karpyshyn, lead writer for the game and also for my favorite all-time game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (lets hear it for KotOR!). He has also written other sci-fi novels, including Star Wars spin-offs, so he has novel writing experience. I mentioned above that the writing for the game Mass Effect was excellent.
I found out that getting a novel based off a video game is…what it is. The book starts 20 years prior to the game. Humanity is a new race to the galactic population. An ancient race called the Protheans have left technology scattered across the galaxy, allowing interstellar transport. Humans find buried ruins on Mars, then realize that the Plutonian moon Charon is actually a dormant mass effect relay, allowing us to join the star-faring races.
This isn’t Star Trek however, where Earthlings are the main force. Humanity is a new player, catching up with other established races like the turians and asaris, and sometimes acting like the little kid at the table scrambling to be heard. It makes for an interesting take on a sci-fi setting.
The book covers a mission from Lt. David Anderson, a secondary character in the game. He is charged with finding a missing scientist who suspiciously went missing prior to her whole research unit being wiped out. Anderson must contend with Saren, a turian Spectre (elite agent of the galactic Council) who is hostile toward humanity and concerned with his own agenda, and the krogran mercenary Skaar. When Anderson gets a chance to show humanity’s potential by being considered for the Spectres, will he succeed in proving humanity’s ability, or will he fall against his alien contenders?
The book will appeal to fans of the game only. The author does a fine job explaining the universe, but I don’t know that it could stand on its own. I enjoyed as far as it re-immersed me into the Mass Effect universe, but overall it is only a mediocre read. The characterization is flat throughout, and the writing comes across as fairly stock, cliche sci-fi. The pacing is good, and it is a quick, easy read. If someone really wants to dive more into the ME universe, it is not an expensive purchase. However, I think the big climax was more succinctly explained with more tension in 5 minutes of game conversation rather than in the book. It also seems to set up the story of the game too perfectly – I would’ve preferred to see less of a blatant set-up for the game.
That’s my out of left field review for the week. If you have a 360, don’t miss out on Mass Effect. The novel, on the other hand, is optional.
by Jason Joyner | Feb 21, 2008 | Blog, CSFF, fiction, sci-fi
I had to chime in a little more on the blog tour for The Shadow and Night by Chris Walley. I confessed on Sunday that I had only read about 125 pages, so I couldn’t give an accurate review of the whole book. I wanted to see what people were saying about the book before I opened my mouth and filled it with shoe leather (doesn’t sound filling this week).
I’m glad that I did. It seems a lot of people really enjoyed the book. One of the major things from other blog posts and the comments to my first post is that, yes the book may start slow, but around page 150 it really picked up. So I’ve determined to read a little farther to see if I can get into it.
In my last post I listed all of my CSFF colleagues for your linkage pleasure. Today there are three that I’d like to highlight.
Author Christopher Hopper had a thoughtful review that discussed both positive and negative aspects, without total gushing or bashing. Also check out the comments to this link, as he’s kind enough to answer a question of mine about catching a reader quick versus a slow burn.
John Otte gave a great primer on end times and millennialism, as this is a major foundation for the plot. A good quick overview even for those just curious about the various types of end times views out there. In other posts he discusses his review and ideas about sin brought up by the book. Well worth reading.
CSFF’s other John, John Ottinger (what are the odds?), gives a very positive review of the book and makes a case in support of the book’s slower start.
I wish I could’ve participated more, both in having read the book as well as having time to check out other blogs. Like I said, I’m going to give the book a little more time to see if I can get into it. I will say that I’m not enamored by his writing style, but perhaps when the conflict really takes off I will see the intensity of the trouble for main characters Merral and Vero, which seems to be a really big part of what others like. Perhaps I can add a follow up post later on.
My one other comment has also been repeated elsewhere in the tour. The book is listed as “A Fantasy in the Tradition of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.” I found this quite misleading and presumptuous, as 1. it is not a fantasy, and 2. I don’t think it is fair or accurate to suggest this book is to the level of Lewis or Tolkien. Not a turn off for me, but hopefully the marketers will be a little more thoughtful in this aspect in the future.
If you’re curious, please go to my last post and check out others’ posts on this book!
by Jason Joyner | Feb 21, 2008 | Blog, CSFF, fiction, sci-fi
I had to chime in a little more on the blog tour for The Shadow and Night by Chris Walley. I confessed on Sunday that I had only read about 125 pages, so I couldn’t give an accurate review of the whole book. I wanted to see what people were saying about the book before I opened my mouth and filled it with shoe leather (doesn’t sound filling this week).
I’m glad that I did. It seems a lot of people really enjoyed the book. One of the major things from other blog posts and the comments to my first post is that, yes the book may start slow, but around page 150 it really picked up. So I’ve determined to read a little farther to see if I can get into it.
In my last post I listed all of my CSFF colleagues for your linkage pleasure. Today there are three that I’d like to highlight.
Author Christopher Hopper had a thoughtful review that discussed both positive and negative aspects, without total gushing or bashing. Also check out the comments to this link, as he’s kind enough to answer a question of mine about catching a reader quick versus a slow burn.
John Otte gave a great primer on end times and millennialism, as this is a major foundation for the plot. A good quick overview even for those just curious about the various types of end times views out there. In other posts he discusses his review and ideas about sin brought up by the book. Well worth reading.
CSFF’s other John, John Ottinger (what are the odds?), gives a very positive review of the book and makes a case in support of the book’s slower start.
I wish I could’ve participated more, both in having read the book as well as having time to check out other blogs. Like I said, I’m going to give the book a little more time to see if I can get into it. I will say that I’m not enamored by his writing style, but perhaps when the conflict really takes off I will see the intensity of the trouble for main characters Merral and Vero, which seems to be a really big part of what others like. Perhaps I can add a follow up post later on.
My one other comment has also been repeated elsewhere in the tour. The book is listed as “A Fantasy in the Tradition of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.” I found this quite misleading and presumptuous, as 1. it is not a fantasy, and 2. I don’t think it is fair or accurate to suggest this book is to the level of Lewis or Tolkien. Not a turn off for me, but hopefully the marketers will be a little more thoughtful in this aspect in the future.
If you’re curious, please go to my last post and check out others’ posts on this book!
