by Jason Joyner | Aug 24, 2010 | Andrew Peterson, Blog, CSFF, pirates, speculative fiction, top books
Greetings, wayward travelers. You have come upon the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Tour for August. This month you are treated to a “free-for-all”, as we had no specific book or website to promote. Instead, you will find a wide variety of books discussed, from all-time favorites such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, to newer books by contemporary authors.
Here at Spoiled for the Ordinary, I am focusing on books from the 4 years I’ve been doing the tour (o_O). My how time flies…
Coming in at number
I can’t think of a better series (other than Narnia) to recommend for kids other than the Wingfeather Saga. Andrew Peterson has created a fun fantasy series with peril, adventures, and toothy cows. Who can ask for more than that?
Peterson is an accomplished singer/songwriter, so his prose, as I’ve mentioned before, has a lyrical quality to it. He keeps a great pace, leaving my kids dying whenever we hit a cliffhanger as I read to them (which is pretty much every chapter!) It is probably most reminscent of
The Princess Bride, with whimsy and suspense. I mean, how great is it to have a bad guy who is a Nameless Evil, (named Gnag the Nameless, natch). This leader of the Fangs of Dang (dang Fangs!) is after the Lost Jewels of Anniera. He thinks the Igiby children have them in the first book, only to find out (spoilers) that the three kids ARE the lost jewels.
The world Peterson has created is a magical place, with a great literary history (Peterson often quotes from these imaginary works, the footnotes are worth reading in this book). There is a thoughfulness about this work, and the deep themes within it, that continue to resonate in me after several readings.
I have to also give a personal story. For a homeschool English assignment, I thought it would be a good exercise for my two older boys to write a letter to Peterson. They asked their own questions and offered their favorite parts of the book, as well as offering their artistic interpretations of key scenes (they each drew him a picture). My boys called me a couple weeks later at work so excited, because Andrew had written them each a personal handwritten letter, refering to their letters specifically, and commenting on their art. What a class act!
So for number 2 in CSFF Tours, I have to give a shout out to a good man, a great musician, and a thoughtful writer, Andrew Peterson! If you have missed these books, you have missed a treat. And bomnubbles. Don’t forget the bomnubbles.
See what else is going on for the CSFF Tour this month with the latest at Becky’s blog (the mother ship as we like to say…)
Oh, and a note from Becky: “Before I forget, we have just a little over a week left in the voting for the Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction – Readers’ Choice. I hope you’re planning to vote.”
I voted for North! Or Be Eaten. What’s your vote?
—
by Jason Joyner | Aug 24, 2010 | Andrew Peterson, Blog, CSFF, pirates, speculative fiction, top books
Greetings, wayward travelers. You have come upon the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Tour for August. This month you are treated to a “free-for-all”, as we had no specific book or website to promote. Instead, you will find a wide variety of books discussed, from all-time favorites such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, to newer books by contemporary authors.
Here at Spoiled for the Ordinary, I am focusing on books from the 4 years I’ve been doing the tour (o_O). My how time flies…
Coming in at number
I can’t think of a better series (other than Narnia) to recommend for kids other than the Wingfeather Saga. Andrew Peterson has created a fun fantasy series with peril, adventures, and toothy cows. Who can ask for more than that?
Peterson is an accomplished singer/songwriter, so his prose, as I’ve mentioned before, has a lyrical quality to it. He keeps a great pace, leaving my kids dying whenever we hit a cliffhanger as I read to them (which is pretty much every chapter!) It is probably most reminscent of
The Princess Bride, with whimsy and suspense. I mean, how great is it to have a bad guy who is a Nameless Evil, (named Gnag the Nameless, natch). This leader of the Fangs of Dang (dang Fangs!) is after the Lost Jewels of Anniera. He thinks the Igiby children have them in the first book, only to find out (spoilers) that the three kids ARE the lost jewels.
The world Peterson has created is a magical place, with a great literary history (Peterson often quotes from these imaginary works, the footnotes are worth reading in this book). There is a thoughfulness about this work, and the deep themes within it, that continue to resonate in me after several readings.
I have to also give a personal story. For a homeschool English assignment, I thought it would be a good exercise for my two older boys to write a letter to Peterson. They asked their own questions and offered their favorite parts of the book, as well as offering their artistic interpretations of key scenes (they each drew him a picture). My boys called me a couple weeks later at work so excited, because Andrew had written them each a personal handwritten letter, refering to their letters specifically, and commenting on their art. What a class act!
So for number 2 in CSFF Tours, I have to give a shout out to a good man, a great musician, and a thoughtful writer, Andrew Peterson! If you have missed these books, you have missed a treat. And bomnubbles. Don’t forget the bomnubbles.
See what else is going on for the CSFF Tour this month with the latest at Becky’s blog (the mother ship as we like to say…)
Oh, and a note from Becky: “Before I forget, we have just a little over a week left in the voting for the Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction – Readers’ Choice. I hope you’re planning to vote.”
I voted for North! Or Be Eaten. What’s your vote?
—
by Jason Joyner | Aug 23, 2010 | Blog, CSFF, speculative fiction, The Gifted, top books
Hearken back to May of 2006. Do you remember what was happening back then? Do you even remember what you had for breakfast yesterday?
Anyway, I recall (thanks to the power of the web) that it was the first time I participated in the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy tour! Amazing how time flies. There have been a lot of good books that we’ve covered, and for this special August 2010 edition of the CSFF Tour, I give you Spoiled for the Ordinary’s best of:
Coming in at number…
is The Gifted series by Lisa T. Bergren, from April 2009. The CSFF Tour featured the first book of the series,
The Begotten for this tour. The story continues in
The Betrayed and
The Blessed.
This series was set in Italy of the 1300’s, a dynamic time with rival popes competing for leadership of the Church and the continued mixing of cultures across the Mediterranean Sea. The premise rests on the
Lost Corinthian Correspondence of St. Paul, letters lost at the compilation of the Bible.
Fragments of the letters are being hunted by Father Pietro and Lady Daria, as it foretells the gathering of a group called The Gifted that will walk in the gifts of the Holy Spirit to bring light and healing to a dark time. The group is pursued by a lord willing to walk in very evil ways in order to bring the Gifted to ruin.
This series was considered borderline “speculative” as it is set in a historical period and wasn’t fully science fiction or fantasy. Still, the premise and supernatural aspect of the story brought it to the attention of the CSFF Tour, and it became one of my favorite series we have featured. Bergren did a lot of research and brought this intriguing pre-Renaissance period to life. The characters were rich and the suspense thick. I had two books in mind for this tour, and needing a third to feature. After skimming through all of my CSFF posts, I had almost forgotten about The Gifted. I’m tempted to pull them out and re-read them after refreshing my mind – if you missed this series and enjoy a historical tale, make sure to check this out.
In the meantime, I’m sure these folks will have some interesting posts as well – my fellow CSFF tourmates!
Brandon Barr
Thomas Clayton Booher
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Jeff Chapman
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
George Duncan
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Mike Lynch
Rebecca LuElla Miller
New Authors Fellowship
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Jason Waguespac
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher
by Jason Joyner | Aug 23, 2010 | Blog, CSFF, speculative fiction, The Gifted, top books
Hearken back to May of 2006. Do you remember what was happening back then? Do you even remember what you had for breakfast yesterday?
Anyway, I recall (thanks to the power of the web) that it was the first time I participated in the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy tour! Amazing how time flies. There have been a lot of good books that we’ve covered, and for this special August 2010 edition of the CSFF Tour, I give you Spoiled for the Ordinary’s best of:
Coming in at number…
is The Gifted series by Lisa T. Bergren, from April 2009. The CSFF Tour featured the first book of the series,
The Begotten for this tour. The story continues in
The Betrayed and
The Blessed.
This series was set in Italy of the 1300’s, a dynamic time with rival popes competing for leadership of the Church and the continued mixing of cultures across the Mediterranean Sea. The premise rests on the
Lost Corinthian Correspondence of St. Paul, letters lost at the compilation of the Bible.
Fragments of the letters are being hunted by Father Pietro and Lady Daria, as it foretells the gathering of a group called The Gifted that will walk in the gifts of the Holy Spirit to bring light and healing to a dark time. The group is pursued by a lord willing to walk in very evil ways in order to bring the Gifted to ruin.
This series was considered borderline “speculative” as it is set in a historical period and wasn’t fully science fiction or fantasy. Still, the premise and supernatural aspect of the story brought it to the attention of the CSFF Tour, and it became one of my favorite series we have featured. Bergren did a lot of research and brought this intriguing pre-Renaissance period to life. The characters were rich and the suspense thick. I had two books in mind for this tour, and needing a third to feature. After skimming through all of my CSFF posts, I had almost forgotten about The Gifted. I’m tempted to pull them out and re-read them after refreshing my mind – if you missed this series and enjoy a historical tale, make sure to check this out.
In the meantime, I’m sure these folks will have some interesting posts as well – my fellow CSFF tourmates!
Brandon Barr
Thomas Clayton Booher
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Jeff Chapman
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
George Duncan
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Mike Lynch
Rebecca LuElla Miller
New Authors Fellowship
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Jason Waguespac
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher
by Jason Joyner | Aug 23, 2010 | Blog, CBA, christian fiction, Robin Parrish, speculative fiction
On Friday I reviewed Nightmare by Robin Parrish. As a paranormal suspense novel, close to a horror novel, this book has received some interesting reviews. None of the reviews I’ve seen have said that it is a bad story. They all acknowledge Robin as a good suspense author.
However, a few reviews I’ve seen (on Christianbook.com, a couple during the CFBA tour) turn negative when they talk about the spiritual aspects of the book. Obviously Nightmare takes on a topic that may seem to go against some people’s theology. To this I say, make sure you read the book all the way through, and read it carefully. It is a work of speculative fiction – as in “speculate.” He is not saying a definitive position on the topic, he came up with a suspenseful story idea and worked on it. If you expect a treatise on spiritual warfare you’ll be disappointed.
Spoilers Ahead!
Robin never denies or totally affirms the paranormal in the book. He writes an author note at the back of the book saying he believes closer to a Christian character in the book, and warns people that he does not believe dabbling in the paranormal is a good idea at all. The plot hinges around a machine that is able to remove a person’s soul from their body. There is a large McGuffin plot device that pops up at this time to explain this. The people are able to be reconnected soul to body at the end.
End Spoilers
I’ve had some bad experience with things like Dungeons and Dragons in the past. I believe that Christians shouldn’t dabble in every possible form of evil or paranormal. This is a whole different ball game to me. I don’t believe he is trying to glamorize anything, but to use a plot point to tell a story. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Robin makes sure at the end to remind people it is just a story to make people think – not to sermonize on ghosts or glorify any kind of evil. At least in my opinion.
So is there a place in CBA fiction for a book like Nightmare? The answer is: it depends who you ask!
Nightmare is going to trip up some people who think that CBA fiction means uplifting, theologically correct books that are squeaky clean in the orthodoxy department. Thus the negative reviews. There is another segment of readers who are more open to fiction that has a little more ambiguity, without things fully nailed to a theological premise. People who read science fiction or fantasy should have no problem in general. I would like to see a CBA industry that has room for authors like Robin Parrish or Eric Wilson. However, in my opinion there is enough resistance to writers like them at this time that they may need to pursue other options in publishing.
—
by Jason Joyner | Aug 23, 2010 | Blog, CBA, christian fiction, Robin Parrish, speculative fiction
On Friday I reviewed Nightmare by Robin Parrish. As a paranormal suspense novel, close to a horror novel, this book has received some interesting reviews. None of the reviews I’ve seen have said that it is a bad story. They all acknowledge Robin as a good suspense author.
However, a few reviews I’ve seen (on Christianbook.com, a couple during the CFBA tour) turn negative when they talk about the spiritual aspects of the book. Obviously Nightmare takes on a topic that may seem to go against some people’s theology. To this I say, make sure you read the book all the way through, and read it carefully. It is a work of speculative fiction – as in “speculate.” He is not saying a definitive position on the topic, he came up with a suspenseful story idea and worked on it. If you expect a treatise on spiritual warfare you’ll be disappointed.
Spoilers Ahead!
Robin never denies or totally affirms the paranormal in the book. He writes an author note at the back of the book saying he believes closer to a Christian character in the book, and warns people that he does not believe dabbling in the paranormal is a good idea at all. The plot hinges around a machine that is able to remove a person’s soul from their body. There is a large McGuffin plot device that pops up at this time to explain this. The people are able to be reconnected soul to body at the end.
End Spoilers
I’ve had some bad experience with things like Dungeons and Dragons in the past. I believe that Christians shouldn’t dabble in every possible form of evil or paranormal. This is a whole different ball game to me. I don’t believe he is trying to glamorize anything, but to use a plot point to tell a story. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Robin makes sure at the end to remind people it is just a story to make people think – not to sermonize on ghosts or glorify any kind of evil. At least in my opinion.
So is there a place in CBA fiction for a book like Nightmare? The answer is: it depends who you ask!
Nightmare is going to trip up some people who think that CBA fiction means uplifting, theologically correct books that are squeaky clean in the orthodoxy department. Thus the negative reviews. There is another segment of readers who are more open to fiction that has a little more ambiguity, without things fully nailed to a theological premise. People who read science fiction or fantasy should have no problem in general. I would like to see a CBA industry that has room for authors like Robin Parrish or Eric Wilson. However, in my opinion there is enough resistance to writers like them at this time that they may need to pursue other options in publishing.
—
