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.

Lessons Learned from Four Legendary Authors

Lessons Learned From Four Legendary Authors
Karlissa Koop, Jason Koop

For her latest book, To Narnia and Beyond, Karlissa has been getting to know four incredible Christian authors who wrote fantasy: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, and Madeleine L’Engle. Over the course of reading their fantasy novels and learning about their lives, she and Jason have both learned life lessons, interesting facts, and writing wisdom.

 

(00:38) Getting to know dead people

(2:26) The Unexpected C.S. Lewis

(5:35) The Influential George MacDonald

(7:46) The Thoughtful J.R.R. Tolkien

(10:24) The Creative Madeleine L’Engle

(15:18) Overview: being shaped as a writer

(19:12) Our favourite authors

(23:14) A lesson from each author

(27:27) News from Book-Bat

 

Out of these four authors, how many have you read? And who is your favourite? Comment on our website at book-bat.com or email us at connect@book-bat.com to let us know!

 

If you like this episode, you may enjoy:

Episode 57 - "To Narnia and Beyond" Preview!

Episode 50 - To Narnia and Beyond

Episode 45 - War of the Rohirrim Review

Our Top Nine A.I. Characters

Top 9 Favourite A.I. Characters
Book-Bat

Since before the times when artificial intelligence took over our online experiences and philosophical discussions, writers have been using the concept of A.I. to craft characters that speak to who we are as humans, and to explore how we interact with beings that are not quite like us.

Today, we are going to talk about some of our favourite A.I. characters: from robots to intelligences imbued into swords. Who are they, how do they interact with their world, and what draws us to them?

These characters come to us from comic books, a video game, tv shows, a movie, and a novel – and no, absolutely none of these are from live-action movies, dystopian worlds, or more cynical what-if fare. These are from fun, positive, hero-filled fantasies and soft sci-fi tales that treat their A.I. characters less like real-life A.I. and more like an opportunity to explore aspects of human nature and even animal nature.

So, without further ado: nine A.I. characters whom we enjoy!

 

(1:49) Becoming Embodied: Nicole from the Sonic comics Archie run

(5:46) Children of a Difficult Dad: Belle, Sage, and Metal Sonic from the IDW Sonic comics

(12:21) The Spirit Inside a Sword: Fi from the video game Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

(20:56) The A.I. Who Hated Feeling Emotions: Aya from Green Lanterns: The Animated Series

(24:47) The Robot Who Studied Nature: Roz, from The Wild Robot novel by Peter Brown, and the Dreamworks movie adaptation

(29:10) She’s Combat-Ready: Penny from RWBY

(32:07) The Robot with Cat-Ititude: Chopper from the animated show Star Wars Rebels

(33:00) A.I. as characterization shortcut

 

Thank you for listening to us talk about some of our favourite A.I. characters. Who are some of your favourite A.I. characters? Comment on our website at book-bat.com or email us at connect@book-bat.com to let us know!

Episode 49 - Rankings Part 3: Fantasy Animated Movies

Episode 49 - Rankings Part 3: Fantasy Animated Movies
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!

It’s time for our top movie picks! Jason and Karlissa J each give their top 5 animated fantasy movies, reflect on when they first discovered these animated films, and explore what makes them stand out.

SPOILER ALERT: some of the dialogue runs into mild spoiler territory!

Do you agree with any of our picks? What are your favourite fantasy animated movies?

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 47 - Rankings Part 1: Animated Fantasy Shows

Rankings Part 1: Animated Fantasy Shows
Book-Bat

Here on the Book-Bat podcast, we regularly drop references to our favourite media and stories. Now, 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!

In Part 1, Jason and Karlissa J discuss the animated fantasy shows they love and what makes these shows stand out!

Episode 33 - 6 Things About Lilith

Episode 33 - 6 Things About Lilith
Book-Bat

Time to talk about George MacDonald, and his final novel, Lilith! Karlissa gives six reading tips for understanding what's going on under-the-surface in this philosophical, magical story.

Fernando Soto’s article “The Worm as Metaphor in Lilith” was published in 2006 in North Wind: A Journal of George MacDonald Studies, and can be found on the George MacDonald society website, at https://digitalcommons.snc.edu/northwind/

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).