Book Review: The Mythmakers

In the latter stages of my research for To Narnia and Beyond, I encountered frequent praise for The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Created by illustrator and writer John Hendrix, and released in 2024, the book meshes elements of graphic novel with illustrations-alongside-prose.

Eventually, I was convinced to buy the book and stepped into Hendrix’s immersive biography of Lewis and Tolkien. Following their lives from birth to death, The Mythmakers gives special attention to their friendship and years shared together. Imaginative narration from a lion and a wizard guides the reader in a fun and informative manner, giving playful context to bunny trails – “Portals” as the book calls them – about the nature of myth and the fantasy genre.

Beautiful, well-researched and poignant, the visuals of The Mythmakers give greater weight and context to the experiences of Lewis and Tolkien. I find it particularly useful for thinking about their time in World War I, where pictures can convey a heaviness that words struggle to speak of.

Whether you are researching Lewis and Tolkien or simply passionate about fantasy and history, I highly recommend this lovingly crafted book. The price tag is a little higher, as it comes in hardcover and full-colour: there is no paperback or black-ink-only edition to provide a cheaper entry point. However, the cost isn’t unreasonable, and I found it well worth the price.

If you’re interested in learning more about the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, you may enjoy my upcoming book, To Narnia and Beyond: Four Christians Who Used Fantasy to Teach Spiritual Truths. Click on the image below to learn more!

Is It Time You Read Out of the Silent Planet?

By Karlissa J

Have you read C.S. Lewis’ Cosmic Trilogy?

You may or may not be aware, but today – November 29 – is C.S. Lewis Reading Day.

Clive Staples Lewis has served as an entry point to fantasy for many Christian readers. He is also well-respected for his spiritual teaching. But before he ever wrote The Chronicles of Narnia or Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis pursued the creation of a trilogy in a genre that thrilled him: science fiction. The first book of the trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, was released in 1938.

Out of the Silent Planet introduces Ransom, a man who finds himself kidnapped and taken on a journey through space to another planet. He escapes his kidnappers and wanders the planet’s wilderness until he encounters a native. Ransom befriends the alien being, and from there, his understanding of the world gradually grows.

I have to admit, this is my kind of story! Exploring an enchanting world, interacting with non-human creatures, and discovering a new language and culture!

Appropriately (or perhaps conveniently), Ransom is a philologist (someone who studies language differences); this provides an excuse for the language barrier to be rather smoothly crossed, and an excuse for Lewis to fixate on unique words and concepts.

Perhaps the lesser fame of this work is, in part, due to the fact that it's not for kids: unlike Narnia, it contains a spattering of mature content, nudity, and mild swearing; nothing obscene, but some Christian readers may find it unexpected. Especially those who assume that Lewis’ fantasy stories were all written for children.

However, if you love fantasy and sci-fi, and want to read more from Lewis, I recommend you pick up Out of the Silent Planet!

Also, if you’re interested in learning more about fantasy novels from Christian authors like C.S. Lewis, you may enjoy my upcoming book, To Narnia and Beyond: Four Christians Who Used Fantasy to Teach Spiritual Truths. You can learn more about it by clicking on the image below!

Fantasy Review: Rewriting Adam by Connie Mae Inglis

Review by Karlissa J

What distance would you travel to finally find a sense of home?

Rewriting Adam by Connie Mae Inglis is the story of a man named Ethan, and how his recent divorce sends him on a quest of soul-searching in Thailand. He doesn’t know how to begin or what to do with himself, but a providential encounter with Janus, and archaeologist, puts him on a path towards facing a ghost, rethinking his past, and setting foot in an alternate, Edenic realm.

From my first read, I was enamoured by the vivid depictions of Thailand and Myanmar. Before the Eden-realm comes into play, we follow Ethan – a Canadian – as he experiences these countries and their cultural differences. When Eden does come into the story, it holds surprises of its own. And there are layers to this novel that stand out the more I’ve read it.

Rewriting Adam generally does a good job of balancing elements of drama, horror, and enchantment. What I would say upon my third reading is that the drama can, in moments, feel overplayed; and the horror aspects could have been more intense and introduced earlier in the novel, considering the important role they play in Ethan’s journey. However, that may be more of my personal preference.

If you expect a fantasy novel to instantly throw you into another world and upon a hero’s quest, the fantastical elements will seem to be introduced too late in the novel. But if you are a lover of sci-fi and fantasy who enjoys stories with more unorthodox pacing, this is a narratively unique and spiritually thoughtful journey worth taking.

Fantasy Review: Castaways of the Flying Dutchman

By Jason Koop

Published in 2001 and written by Brian Jacques, this fantasy novel (which is in fact, the first book of a trilogy) sees its author writing at peak levels. Jacques packs all the charm, lavish descriptions, puzzles and riddles that are hallmarks of his Redwall series to elevate this tale into one of my all-time favourites.

Without going into too much spoilers, a boy and his dog, Neb and Den, take part on an ill-fated voyage upon the ship the Flying Dutchman, which results with the ship, its captain and crew cursed to sail the waters of the earth for all eternity.  Neb and Den are spared this fate by an angel, whom gifts them with eternal youth, among other mercies.

The second part of the story establishes how the two protagonists interact with the world around them, which leads to the third part – which is the bulk of the story.  Our protagonists, now going by Ben and Ned, must help a quiet English village fight back against industrialists which threaten to destroy it in the name of progress.

I know, sounds like something that’s been used to death in fiction, but what makes this one worth experiencing?  Oh… now you’re getting me started.

First of all, I absolutely love how Ben and Ned communicate.  They have a mental connection, and their banter very much befits two friends who have experienced so much together.  They work well together as a team, while remaining two distinct entities.

Second, the protagonists aren’t there to solve the village’s problems single-handed.  Rather, they tend to act as galvanizing forces, encouraging those they interact with to grapple with their problems and solve things by themselves.  I guess another way to describe it would be that Ben and Ned are active participants in helping the villagers, but they aren’t cheat codes that immediately solve everything themselves.

Third, and this one could apply to any of Jacques’ fantasy novels, I absolutely adore the descriptive way Jacques weaves the tale.  Whether it’s on a ship at sea, or at a quiet English village, Jacques weaves such colourful descriptions that it makes it easy for the audience to lose themselves in the locales and action.

Finally, it’s the story’s smallness.  Fantasy has long been marked by its proclivity for the fantastical – hence its name, most likely – and that fantastical-ness knows no bounds.  Fantastical journeys, feats, wars, events, settings, they seemingly know no bounds.

Castaway’s, despite its roaring start, reins things in as soon as the second part for a much slower, smaller tale.  There are no world-ending stakes, no one’s life is in danger (at least as of the third part), and yet… it’s the relatively small scope that makes the story more intimate and cozy.  Like a favourite hoodie, it will keep you hooked until the tale is done, and you will find yourself wanting to slip back into it in short order.

Those who listen to our podcast, or know me personally, should not find it surprising that I absolutely adore this story.  While I’m admittedly a huge fan of Jacques’ Redwall series, this story’s small scope and fun characters makes this a cozy, intimate tale that stands out even when compared to its author’s other works.  It’s what I would call a comfort fantasy of the highest order.

Rating:  2 of 2 eternal best friends

Book Review Black Mists

Black Mists is the black sheep of my books. My second published work, it’s a ‘real world’ story, instead of a fantasy. It’s also my darkest book, better suited for adults than youth.

I previously called Black Mists a mystery, but upon revisiting it, I’d say it’s more of a thriller. It’s actually three or four stories combined into one. It features fast-paced action and a thrilling writing style, with many surprises along the way. Characters are unique, and can be quite colourful.

However, I do have several problems with this book. I feel like I’m a different person now than when I wrote Black Mists, with different life experiences affecting my perspective of it.

Black Mists is something… Bizarre. Complex. And fast-paced. And if that’s your type of book, it could be worth giving a read.

As a warning, the rest of this book review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. I know many prefer not to read spoilers before they’ve read a book: this is your warning!

Like I said, I do have some problems with Black Mists, and new life experiences that change how I see the book today.

Since I wrote the story – about six years ago – I’ve actually been in a situation where a hospital had to find me a place to spend the night. With that experience, I would write the first scene with “Julia” at the hospital a bit differently!

I’ve also been to mental health appointments, and learned a bit more about psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia and how they are diagnosed. Revisiting how I approached the topic of mental illness in Black Mists, it seems shallow and half-hazard, lacking much focus or education. There is sympathy towards Nika and her situation, but I believe I could do better at writing those scenes today than I did back then.

And since publishing Black Mists, I’ve been to London again, refreshing my memory of this beautiful city. My descriptions of it would be more in-depth now.

Regardless of my problems with the book, it was a big part of my writing journey. I had a surprising amount of memories floating through my mind while reading it… which seems appropriate for a story about remembering.

Book Review Dwelling in Darkness

It’s been a while since I read my third published book, “Dwelling in Darkness.”

I’ve called it a ‘loose sequel’ to “Kingdom of Bats.” But really, the two have different writing styles and characters, and take place on different worlds with different technology. They are in the same universe, and one character is in both, but that’s about it.

Rereading “Dwelling in Darkness” today, I’d say it’s one of my favourites. The threats to the heroes are introduced right from the start. And the story is fast-paced, but still allows time to get to know the characters involved.

One of my readers described this book as “nerdy,” and I think that’s a pretty accurate description! I wanted it to be more informative and fact-based than “Kingdom of Bats,” so I dived deeper into the animals represented.

I also wanted to stretch and challenge myself as a writer.

I took a swing at tapping into traditional stories, with references to Mayan and Malagasy (Madagascan) mythologies.

Chapter thirteen gave me an opportunity to dive into what it might be like to experience the world from the perspective of deep-sea fishes, creatures very unlike us. I enjoyed writing that chapter, challenging myself to think outside the box.

This is one of those books that someone like me may love, but someone else may find infuriating.

The mystery concerning how, why, and to what extent the dream-world is real never gets answered. I think it works fine that way, but I could see it frustrating certain readers.

The nerdiness was something I enjoyed, something I can appreciate in animal fantasy stories; though I know some may find it distracting.

And my dive into the weird world of cave and deep-sea creatures – especially the latter – really was designed to stretch the mind a little. I can see some people finding that a bog to get through.

The book has flaws, but I still had fun reading it, and I felt very passionately about it when it first got published. I find it sad it hasn’t succeeded as well as “Kingdom of Bats” and “Black Mists,” but I suppose it is more written for a niche audience than either of those.

If it sounds like your type of book, then give it a read! It’s available online, and in ebook form from various sellers!

Looking Back: First Book

Back in 2013, I published my very first book, Kingdom of Bats. A lot can change - and has changed - in seven years. I got married, had kids, and my writing style has evolved.

I decided to revisit that first book: rereading it and seeing whether my perspective on the story has changed over these seven years.

And… I found Kingdom of Bats to be a good book! But for different reasons than I expected.

The themes of good versus evil, and how the past affects the present, were what stood out to me.

A variety of bat species are introduced, along with other animals, creating a colourful and diverse world.

And I found the climax exciting and well-paced… even if it was too early on in the book!

It’s evident that this was my first published work, with my writing and storytelling less polished and developed than future works. It’s interesting to see how far I’ve come since then, and how much better I feel about how I wrote my most recent books, The Quest and The Loss.

Thank you to those of you who’ve shown an interest in the art contest: it sounds like some artists are hard at work on their pieces! Remember, the contest is currently open for submissions, and will close at the end of January.