Four Legendary Fantasy Authors

By Karlissa J.

For my latest book, To Narnia and Beyond, I’ve been getting to know four incredible Christian authors who wrote fantasy. How many of these authors are you familiar with? How many of their books have you read? And what’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned about them? Let me know in the comments!

Most famous for writing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as well as the nonfiction work Mere Christianity.

Superfans admire him for his final novel, Till We Have Faces, as well as his Cosmic Trilogy (also called the Ransom Trilogy or Space Trilogy).

One of the most interesting things I learned about him…

He loved science fiction – a genre that seems just right for the way his mind worked. He naturally mulled over experimental concepts, some of them a little odd. Like playing with the idea of a universe where there are exactly seven genders…

Most famous for writing The Princess and the Goblin.

Superfans admire him for Phantastes, a novel that C.S. Lewis considered life changing. They may also know his sermons, his fiction novels, his fairytales… MacDonald wrote a lot.

One of the most interesting things I learned about him…

MacDonald was a thoughtful and welcoming man with a big family. In addition to influencing the people who read his writings after he died (such as C.S. Lewis), he entertained multiple now-famous people at his house. A certain man named Charles Dodgeson read to MacDonald’s children an imaginative novel he was working on, and the family encouraged him to get it published. You may know Charles Dodgeson by his pen name, Lewis Carroll; and the book he read to MacDonald’s kids was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Most famous for writing The Lord of the Rings.

Superfans admire him for The Silmarillion – which was published after his death – and for his thoughtful essay “On Fairy Stories.”

One of the most interesting things I learned about him…

J.R.R. Tolkien studied linguistics. He put his knowledge of languages to use in various ways: helping write a dictionary, translating the Biblical book of Jonah… and, of course, inventing two Elvish languages for his novels.

Most famous for writing A Wrinkle in Time.

Superfans admire her for her nonfiction book on art, Walking on Water, as well as the various novels that followed the protagonists of A Wrinkle in Time (for example, the Time Quartet, of which Wrinkle is the first book).

One of the most interesting things I learned about her…

Did you know it is possible to write a tale with an endearing, magical, eye-covered seraphim? Or that mammoths, shape-shifting angels, and teleporting unicorns could belong together in a retelling of Noah’s Ark? Madeleine L’Engle’s creativity is inspiring.

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Sonic the Hedgehog: New Characters from the Comics

By Jason Koop

In 2018, Sonic the Hedgehog, an icon in the video game industry since 1991, made a significant change.  His long-running comic book changed publishers, from Archie Comics to IDW Publishing.  While long-time writers and artists like Ian Flynn, Evan Stanley, Tracy Yardley and Adam Bryce Thomas stayed on as contributors, the comic book started a new continuity with the new publisher.  One that was more in line with the video games, and with parent company SEGA taking a more active, supervising role than they had with the Archie Comics series.

One thing long-running, serialized comic series do to freshen things up is introduce new characters.  They can offer a fresh perspective, new conflicts, and change the dynamic of the series.  Just using the video games, Sonic already had a large extended cast, so a comic that focuses not just on the titular character but spreads it out might not feel the “need” to freshen things up with new characters. 

Thankfully, the creative team has brought in new characters that – for the most part – have brought something new and distinct to the series; to help make it a worthwhile read in of itself, separate from the video games.  Some of these new characters have had starring roles for stretches, others have thus far been relegated to strictly secondary/background.

In this blog, I would like to bring into focus – albeit briefly – seven characters that have been introduced to us via the IDW comics.  Some of these have been introduced or referenced in other mediums – video games, podcast dramas, etc. – but all of these characters got their start in the IDW comics.

A deeply personal favourite, in more than one way.  In addition to the fact my love for wolves is only rivaled by wolverines, Whisper brings something truly unique to the series.  Not only is she as quiet and reserved like her name would suggest – a bit of a rarity in a series where it can feel like most characters are extroverts – but she also has her own personal history fighting Eggman, separate from Sonic.  She is deeply wounded, and watching her heal – with more than a few starts and stops – is refreshing.  Also, she has a variable Wispon and dresses in more tactical gear, which gives her a unique appearance.

Boisterous, energetic, a tail that can stretch to absurd lengths, and with optimism to spare, Tangle immediately felt right when she was introduced.  Her inexperience and naivete make her both an ideal person to get through Whisper’s walls, as well as being taken advantage of by Rouge.  Her hero-worshipping of all things Sonic make her both a fan-girl and a reminder of the simpler “good guys good and will always win” mentality that can be lost by the more experienced crowd.

If Tangle is something of a fan-girl for Sonic, Dr. Starline is a full-on fanatic of Dr. Eggman.  When Starline is on the scene, you can rest assured that more there will be at least a few references to either past Eggman tech or schemes.  But Starline is no lackey.  He is determined to be Eggman’s equal, and this is reflected in both how he dresses and his obsessions.

Surge is the product of Dr. Starline’s obsession.  Essentially created by Starline in a lab, she has been cybernetically enhanced and psychologically groomed to both hate Sonic and then replace him.  While her backstory – who she was before Starline – is still a mystery, it’s her current trajectory that is most interesting.  She has rough edges that would make even Shadow wince, and yet she finds herself looking down the road of being a hero of sorts.  As she continues to sort through what it means to live without any real past to fall back on, she also tends to push Sonic and friends to the extreme of what it means to live out what they say they stand for.

While Lanolin might seem to have come out of nowhere, if one were to look more closely, they would see that her first appearance dates back to the second issue.  Starting out as a background character, she is seen getting more and more involved in the Restoration, until she pushes herself into a critical role.  A hard worker who is determined to make the world a better place, Lanolin gives the audience an idea of what it might look like if one of us average joes were in a world of hedgehogs that run at Mach speeds, chameleons that can turn invisible, and lemurs with tails that can stretch to insane lengths.

One thing that was an early hook for the comics was that Dr. Eggman lost his memory and had re-invented himself as Mr. Tinkerer.  A friendly handyman for a remote mountain village, until kidnapped by Dr. Starline and forcefully having his memories returned, this new persona for the doctor does leave its mark on the audience.  But of course, Eggman is returned to the status quo, but “Mr. Tinkerer” has left behind a legacy.  A marionette-like robot named Belle.  Kind-hearted, helpful, and not at all useful in a fight, Belle deals with feelings of abandonment and wondering what her purpose is.

Karlissa’s favourite new addition.  Two big reasons why:  One, she is a beetle, and Karlissa loves bugs.  Two, Karlissa loves Jewel’s design (which is fair, considering that she is introduced in a comic).  But what makes her standout to me is that, like Lanolin, she exists outside of the adventures of Sonic.  She starts out as a curator of a mineral and gem museum, but then comes into a leadership role at the Restoration.  She is timid, but likes to challenge herself.  Frankly she is the kind of pencil pusher that isn’t likely to place herself in the middle of one of Sonic’s adventures, yet what she does is given value and dignity.  She has to be reminded – sometimes forcefully – not  to get lost in her work and forget whom and for what she is doing this work.

Want more Sonic the Hedgehog discussions? Check out Jason’s ranking of Sonic shows, listen to our first podcast episode on Sonic, or listen to Jason’s experiment with charting Sonic characters according to the Enneagram!

Nerding Out on C.S. Lewis

By Karlissa J

Clive Staples Lewis: many Christians have read at least a few of his books, we quote him without hesitation, and we value his writings for leading so many skeptics to accept Christianity. But how much do you actually know about “Jack,” as he preferred to be called?

In researching for To Narnia and Beyond, I discovered so much I hadn’t known or even expected. I collected books, read much, and then strived to select highlights for the Lewis chapters in To Narnia and Beyond.

But maybe you want more! Maybe you’re thinking: “I’m a nerd too, and I want to understand C.S. Lewis better!” If that’s the case, this blog post is for you: here are four books I recommend for nerdy readers wanting to learn more about Lewis!

Book One: GEORGE MACDONALD by C.S. Lewis

Let’s start with a book that Lewis wrote himself! In these 365 quotes from George MacDonald selected by C. S. Lewis, it becomes clearer how MacDonald influenced Lewis' spiritual beliefs. For me, it accomplished Lewis' stated goal: "to spread his [MacDonald's] religious teaching".

MacDonald's teachings in this book focus on subjects like nature, possessions, our relationship with Christ, and obedience to God.

I found it worth having a physical copy to write notes in: there are many insightful reflections worth recalling and meditating on.

Book Two: IMAGES OF SALVATION IN THE FICTION OF C.S. LEWIS by Clyde S. Kilby

A short, helpful aid to contemplating Lewis' fiction. Contains a brief overview of each of Lewis' novels (handy, since I have not read The Pilgrim's Regress and have no intention to), followed by several spiritual themes that can be drawn from the novel's story and characters.

Book Three: THE MEDIEVAL MIND OF C.S. LEWIS by Jason M. Baxter

Baxter invites us into some of C. S. Lewis' philosophies and creative choices by revealing the inspiration behind them: quotes and ideas from Lewis' favourite medieval books are paired with instances when Lewis modeled his writing after them. I felt drawn in to the 'magic' of these classics, as Baxter's writing style is very contemplative and welcoming.

Book Four: PLANET NARNIA by Michael Ward

Ward explores how ancient and Medieval astrology - particularly the concept of seven planetary personalities - shows up repeatedly throughout Lewis' writing. The core thesis is built around the Chronicles of Narnia, but there is plenty here diving into the Space Trilogy and Lewis' academic works and poetry as well.

Planet Narnia is at times quite technical, and one-quarter of the book is notes, bibliography, and indexes. This is the volume for nitty-gritty details, while Jason M. Baxter's The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis provides a more easy-reading introduction to the general topic of Medieval thinking and Medieval astrology/astronomy in Lewis' writing.

Sonic the Hedgehog on the Small Screen... Ranked

By Jason Koop

Everyone: in this, the month of March, the year of our Lord 2025, I am petitioning that this be henceforth known as “The Month of Sonic the Hedgehog”.  Why, you ask?  Simple, because everyone knows that a march is like walking really fast.  That’s as close as you can get to running without lifting your knees that high.

So, to celebrate this inaugural month of Sonic, let’s do something that is still very much “in” these days.  Ranking media.

But what to rank… the Sonic video games, where the hedgehog got his start?  Nah, I haven’t played every Sonic game. How about the comics?  I’ve certainly talked ad nauseum about those on the podcast.  Yeah… about that.  I’ve only really read the IDW comics, and have only seen parts of the Archie comic run. And the movies… well, the less I say about those the better.

Hmmm… the problem with making these click-bait-y type blogs is you either need to come in with a ton of knowledge or a lot of time to get caught up on what you don’t know.

For the sake of brevity, we will rank something from a relatively small selection size.  Sonic’s adventures on the small screen.  Heck, we can make it even smaller by reducing it to purely animated series.  That way I can eliminate the Knuckles mini-series.

#6.   The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993)

Full disclaimer, I have only seen a couple episodes of this, and… I honestly feel that gives me a pretty good grasp on the series as a whole.  The theme song kind of summarizes what to expect.  Sonic and Tails run around, clash with the Dr. Robotnik and his minions, wacky hi-jinks ensue, with no real plot or character to make them stick.  Frankly, it has more in common with a Looney Tunes cartoon than anything particularly “Sonic”.  While certain characters from the show got limited exposure in the Archie comic run, there’s a reason why no one is really clamouring for references to this part of Sonic’s history.

#5.   Sonic Underground (1999)

Again, having only seen a couple episodes of this, this is another insanely wacky chapter in the Hedgehog’s existence.  Really, about the only thing it does is affirm the Hedgehog’s affinity to music.  Which, while neat in of itself, does little to make this one worth watching.  At least it pretends at having a plot/story arc for its protagonists.  That’s something.  And the title is a pun.

#4.   Sonic Boom (2014-17)

Part of an attempted re-boot for the franchise (which also included a few video games sharing the same title), this series presented both different designs for the characters and a much lighter tone.  While the characters are relatively flat, there are some fun episodes and truly humorous jokes.  Thankfully, the show is self-aware enough not to take itself seriously.  Overall though, it’s best described by its in-show fast-food franchise, a “Meh Burger”.

#3.   Sonic Prime (2022-24)

This series is… confusing to me.  On the one hand, it cuts out the wacky silliness that Sonic has been known to indulge in with his animated shows.  On the other hand, it replaces it with a multi-verse story that frankly feels too spread out.  While the multi-verse does give the audience interesting takes on certain characters (like Nine, Knuckles the Dread and Mangey Tails), we aren’t given any real reason to get attached to them and their conflict.

The Chaos Council – comprised of 5 different Eggmen – is pretty funny with its squabbles and Shadow does his best to keep things on point.  There are multiple cool action sequences, and the dialogue is pretty good too.  However, it’s all too… surface and would have been better off with less multi-verse hopping.

#2.   Sonic the Hedgehog (1993-94)

Also known as Sonic SatAM (because it typically played on Saturday mornings), this is the series that is arguably the most recognizable.  In a world where Robotnik has pretty much won, polluting most of the planet and robotizing many of its inhabitants, it’s up to Sonic, Tails and the Freedom Fighters to fight back.  It provided the groundwork for the initial 10 years of Sonic’s run in Archie comics; with several characters introduced in the show being main characters, like Princess Sally Acorn, Bunnie Rabbot, Antoine, Rotor, Nicole, and Robotnik’s lackey Snively.  There is a surprising amount of world-building that happens to separate it from just being “stop the evil Dr.’s most recent evil plan”.

#1.   Sonic X (2003-06)

This is by far the largest Sonic show, in terms of story and scope.  The cast is big, including Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Cream, Shadow, Rouge, and a human character, Chris Thorndyke. In the first season, the episodes range from funny side-stories (like where they play a baseball game against Eggman and his robots for a Chaos emerald), to more serious fare (like dealing with the fact that Chris feels very much an after thought of his parents).

The second season is where the series truly shines, taking Sonic and his friends away from Earth, and placing them in their own planet where they are soon caught up in an intergalactic war with the Metarex.  Here the series really goes big with its spectacle and stakes, leading to some surprisingly dark turns for a kids show, which makes the victory feel all the more earned.

The theme song is a fun jam.  And finally, it proves my theory that the perfect Sonic show should be an anime.

#0.   Sonic x Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings (2024)

Karlissa went over my head an insisted I include this, to which I respond with…  IT’S NOT FAIR!!!  I mean, c’mon!  The animation is gorgeous, the dialogue is fantastic, the action scenes are flat-out SICK, and it features a hauntingly beautiful song by Casey Lee Williams!  I know, it’s a prelude to Shadow’s portion of the video game, and non-Sonic fans might not get a whole lot of it, but for someone like me (or even Karlissa, who has received fandom by association with me) its only flaw is that it’s not a full-on show!  Please, SEGA!!!  Make a show like this!  P.S.  Watch it on YouTube if you don’t own the game.