Karlissa J's Top Ten Xenofiction Reads!

Karlissa J's Top 10 Xenofiction Reads!
Book-Bat

Karlissa did a lot of xenofiction reading this year and has compiled a list of her top ten novels! She reveals her list to Jason, pitching to him the books he hasn’t read and contemplating with him the books he has. What makes these some of her favourite xenofiction tales?

Xenofiction refers to a story where at least one of the primary point-of-view characters is nonhuman. Fantastical xenofiction is a story where at least one point-of-view character is a made-up creature, and naturalistic xenofiction is a story with animal characters who behave in largely realistic ways.

Rules for the top ten list: includes graphic novels and novels; only first-in-series and stand-alone books (except where the complete series exists as one book); no serious plot spoilers.

Outline:

0:00) Introduction and rules

4:09) Books #10-8: the graphic novels

15:46) Books #7-4: modern books

27:10) Books #3-1: classics over 50 years old

38:58) The longevity and value of classics

TOP TEN LIST IS REVEALED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SHOW NOTES – scroll with caution if you wish to be surprised!

What are your favourite xenofiction books? How about you give us your top ten list in the comments on our website at book-bat.com/podcast/top10xenofiction

Full top ten list in ascending order: Bone (Jeff Smith); Petals (Gustavo Borges & Cris Peter); Silverwing (Kenneth Oppel, graphic novel version illustrated by Christopher Steininger); Sing to Me of Rain (E.B. Dawson); Wingless (Catherine Witzaney); Beasts within Our Blood (S.N.C. Fletcher); The Wild Robot (Peter Brown); Watership Down (Richard Adams); The Last Unicorn (Peter S. Beagle); The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)

To all the Molly Gru fans: Karlissa apologizes for messing up her name.

Episode 48 - Rankings Part 2: Fantasy Novels

Episode 48 - Rankings Part 2: Fantasy Novels
Book-Bat

In this three-part series, Jason and Karlissa J each give their top fives in fantasy: top 5 animated fantasy shows, top 5 fantasy novels, and top 5 animated fantasy movies!

Here on the Book-Bat podcast, we talk about movies, shows, even video games - but of course, we also talk about books! In Part 2 of our Rankings series, Jason and Karlissa J each list five fantasy novels that stand out as exceptionally well-written and memorable.

Towards the end of the episode, Jason shifts the topic into exploring Karlissa’s book preferences and how she writes her stories.

Jason’s review for his favourite book!

What are your top five fantasy novels of all time? Do you agree with some of the picks on our lists? Let us know in the comments!

Episode 38 – Till We Have Faces: An Underrated Classic or Niche?

Episode 38 – Till We Have Faces: An Underrated Classic or Niche?
Book-Bat

Is C.S. Lewis’ final novel deserving of more attention, or too difficult to understand and get into? Karlissa and Jason both came out of reading it with differing opinions, and now, they want to discuss why Till We Have Faces has been largely forgotten.

Episode 26 - Books We Used to Like

Episode 26 - Books We Used to Like
Book-Bat

Jason and Karlissa talk about how they got into fantasy, books they haven’t read in a while, books they finished reading recently, and the books they are working on writing!

Recent books read: “Thrawn Treason” (Timothy Zahn), “Rewriting Adam” (Connie Mae Inglis), “JRR Tolkien: the Mind Behind the Rings” (Mark Horne), “The Woodcutter” (Lorn Wolf), “A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War” (Joseph Loconte), and “Let the Ghosts Speak” (Bryan Davis).

Episode 9 - Underrated Books

Episode 9 - Underrated Books
Book-Bat

Karlissa and Jason share their lists of fantasy books that deserve more attention: forgotten books from renowned authors, personal favourites, and recognized classics that are just hard to market.

Recommended books: Phantastes (George MacDonald), The Children of Hurin (J.R.R. Tolkien), Lilith (George MacDonald), The Thrawn Trilogy (Timothy Zahn), Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis), Tales of the Diversity trilogy (Karlissa J.), Till We Have Faces (C.S. Lewis).

Resource mentioned: The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis (Jason M. Baxter).

This episode is from back when the Book-Bat podcast was focused on Christian fantasy books. Visit book-bat.com/about to learn more about who we are and our goals for the podcast!

Join the Conversation!

What fantasy books, Christian or otherwise, do you think are underrated? Let us know in the comments!