Four Approaches to Writing Christian Fantasy

By Karlissa J

“If a writer’s aim be logical conviction, he must spare no logical pains… where his object is to move by suggestion, to cause to imagine… If there be music in my reader, I would gladly wake it.” George MacDonald, “The Fantastic Imagination”

Many people debate over whether The Lord of the Rings should be called a “Christian” book series. Tolkien himself once said his books were religious, but different people have different standards for applying the label “Christian” to a work of art; and The Lord of the Rings is subtle in its use of spiritual themes.

For some readers, the subtlety leaves them more open to learning from the books, and the lessons go deeper. Other readers, however, walk away unsure whether they learned anything, and completely unaware of Tolkien’s Christian faith.

Contrast that with the style of George MacDonald. MacDonald was a preacher, and when he told stories he didn’t stop preaching. His fantasy books and fairytales were also deeply symbolic, so in addition to surface-level teachings there are layers to discover upon rereading.

For some (like Lewis) this makes MacDonald’s fantasies rich, exciting, and memorable. Tolkien, however, came to resent them as being too preachy; and some modern readers will find MacDonald’s florid narrative style and layered symbolism hard to make sense of.

L'Engle’s Time Quartet books are an odd mix of openly Christian and bizarrely unconventional. Some readers are deeply moved and drawn to Jesus by these stories, while other readers come away critiquing her beliefs as unorthodox.

And then there’s Lewis. His Cosmic Trilogy alone is all over the place, from only subtly Christian (Out of the Silent Planet) to deeply theological (Perelandra) to focused on critiquing a particular philosophy (That Hideous Strength). His preachiness varies accordingly.

Which is better: to openly declare a Christian message? To subtly explore a Christian worldview in a tale of good versus evil? To fill a story with much teaching and instruction?

I believe all have their place, because there are a myriad of readers in different stages of their walk with God, coming from a variety of backgrounds, ages, reading skills, and learning styles.

In response to a question about how to include Christian messages in a fantasy book, current fantasy author Wayne Thomas Batson had this to say:

“Your allegory will always be too obvious for some and not enough for others. The big thing is, always respect the story itself. If the message within the allegory is precious and valuable, but the story built around it is superficial, it will fail. Tell a fantastic and meaningful story; respect the genre and the reader, and any allegory within will be that much more powerful.” {See Note}

Each of these four classic authors – George MacDonald, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Madeleine L’Engle – had a different way of telling a fantasy story. I encourage you to try reading a book from all of them! Find out which author or authors you enjoy most and learn from best.

NOTE: quote from GoodReads author page for Wayne Thomas Batson: https://www.goodreads.com/author/33508.Wayne_Thomas_Batson/questions (accessed August 27, 2024)

The Fantasy Author's Secret Tool

By Jason Koop

What are the tools any writer – particularly one of fantasy – requires?  Talent, some are more apt and able than others; communication skills, nothing kills a story’s potential than it being communicated poorly; grit and determination to see a project through to completion; and curiosity.  And not just any curiosity, but a particularly nerdy type.

Now, we will explore that last one, but first, some clarification.  As someone who has dabbled in writing fantasy almost since I could write, I have come to realize in the past few years that I have built up some assumptions that I now realize are a big “wrongzo” to quote my favourite YouTuber Arlo.  Primarily, I assumed that the best thing for a fantasy writer to do to help inspire them was to intake fantasy.  It makes sense, right?  Fantasy goes in, fantasy goes out.

One thing about being married to someone who not only writes fantasy, but has gotten multiple books published (7 as of this blog posting), is that I have had my eyes opened to the realities of getting a quality fantasy story written, and the tools necessary to accomplish this.

Yes, she has the talent, grit and drive, and has come a long way in her communication skills.  But more notably for me, most of her published novels have come from a nerdiness that predated the published work.

While we have stated on the podcast that Kenneth Oppel’s novel Silverwing did inspire Karlissa’s Kingdom of Bats, it was her love for – and knowledge of – bats that was the real driving force.  It’s evident in that there are multiple species of bat represented, and they aren’t readily defined as “good bat species” and “bad bat species”.

Dwelling in Darkness is heavily inspired by both animals of the night, the Popol Vuh (a Mayan religious text), and Malagasy mythology.  There are multiple reference books around the house about the age of sailing and weaponry of that time frame that Karlissa delved into well before writing the Tales of the Diversity trilogy.  Davy Jones’ Aquarium was primarily inspired by her interest and knowledge of creatures that live in the dark depths of our oceans… and aquariums, of course.

There are examples of this in other fantasy writers.  Madeline L’Engle had a love for science, which one can definitely pick up in her Wrinkle in Time series.  J.R.R. Tolkien had a deep affinity for Norse mythology.  C.S. Lewis was a Medieval and Renaissance scholar.

Timothy Zahn, whom has written some of my favourite Star Wars novels, has a doctorate in physics, which definitely is evident in things like space battles; he can elevate these conflicts beyond a simple shoot and explode scene.

One advantage of being at the very least curious or knowledgeable in any area is that the writer can then use this to provide greater detail and “colour” for the reader’s imagination.  If Karlissa’s knowledge of creatures that live in the dark ocean depths were contained in a Google search, then Davy Jones’ life in the Abyss would undoubtedly come across as a lot more boring, with not much to differentiate it from our own.

Fantasy is a wonderfully malleable genre.  And some of the best examples of fantasy come from taking a dash or two from this wonderful world God created and letting that influence what happens in our fantasies.

As much as writers of fantasy are encouraged to let their imagination go wild with the possibilities, I think we should also praise their own unique flairs that they bring to the table.  If a writer’s work is clearly painted by their love of animals or the way physics would interact with something fictional in space, I think it all adds depth to the fantasy experience.