Episode 59 - Lessons Learned from Four Legendary Authors

July 16, 2026 by Karlissa Koop in Classic Novels & Authors, Author Insights

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

Episode 57 - "To Narnia and Beyond" Preview!

May 21, 2026 by Karlissa Koop in Classic Novels & Authors, Sneak Peek

A peek inside To Narnia and Beyond!

What if fantasy stories hold spiritual insights that can be your pathway to a deeper faith? This brief, approachable guide invites readers into the major fantasy works of four writers of great fantasy: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, and Madeleine L’Engle. They all share in the distinction of being outspoken about their Christian faith, as well as having written stories of fantasy that have endured and inspired generations.

Whether you are discovering these authors and their works for the first time or are a fan seeking fresh insight, To Narnia and Beyond presents spiritual themes, historical background, and scholarly analysis in an accessible manner.

Learn more about the book: https://www.book-bat.com/nonfiction

Episode 53 - What Is Xenofiction?

February 19, 2026 by Karlissa Koop in Fantastic Xenofiction

Xenofiction - stories told from a nonhuman perspective - is all around us! In this episode, Karlissa and Jason explore the appeal of xenofiction from a writer’s perspective and dive into a few examples of xenofiction. They discuss… Does it matter that Superman is an alien? Are hobbits truly distinct from humans? And what’s up with the animosity between the human Dr. Eggman and animal-people like Sonic the hedgehog? And of course, Karlissa sneaks in a quote from C.S. Lewis!

Episode 50 - To Narnia and Beyond

November 20, 2025 by Karlissa Koop in Classic Novels & Authors, Sneak Peek, Author Insights

Karlissa J’s latest book, To Narnia and Beyond, comes out next year! In this episode, she talks about the inspiration behind the book, her research process, and how she hopes readers will be inspired to pick up more classic works of fantasy!

To Narnia and Beyond explores the fantasy novels of George MacDonald, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Madeleine L’Engle.

More about To Narnia and Beyond: book-bat.com/nonfiction

Publisher’s website: siretona.com

Preordering and Release: To Narnia and Beyond will be released in 2026; stay tuned to hear when it becomes available for preorder!

Episode 48 - Rankings Part 2: Fantasy Novels

September 18, 2025 by Karlissa Koop in Book Review, Thoughts on Fantasy

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?

October 16, 2024 by Karlissa Koop in Book Review, Classic Novels & Authors

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 32 - The Great Divorce and The Divine Comedy

June 27, 2024 by Karlissa Koop in Classic Novels & Authors

What does CS Lewis’ novel The Great Divorce have in common with Dante’s Divine Comedy? Is The Great Divorce a fantasy book, or not quite? Jason and Karlissa have finished reading The Great Divorce, and discuss its themes, before Karlissa tells Jason about her experience reading The Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso).

Much of Karlissa’s understanding of The Divine Comedy comes from Jason M. Baxter’s guide, A Beginner’s Guide to Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Episode 31 - Perelandra and Star Wars

June 13, 2024 by Karlissa Koop in Thoughts on Fantasy, Classic Novels & Authors

Jason finished reading CS Lewis’ Perelandra! What did he think? Karlissa and Jason use this as a launch point for talking about hard and soft sci-fi, Star Wars, CS Lewis’ novels, and more!

Spoiler warning for Perelandra! This is the second book in CS Lewis’ Space Trilogy, between Out of the Silent Planet (book one) and That Hideous Strength (book three).

Books Referenced:

Perelandra (CS Lewis); Sonic the Hedgehog, Volume 10: Test Run! (IDW Comics); Paradise Lost (Milton); Shivering World (Kathy Tyers); Out of the Silent Planet (CS Lewis); That Hideous Strength (CS Lewis); The Divine Comedy (Dante); The Great Divorce (CS Lewis); Till We Have Faces (CS Lewis);

Notes:

Milton’s (Paradise Lost) first name is John. John Milton.

Perelandra was referenced in the Language of God podcast, “166. Molly Worthing – Science and the Journey to Faith.” Molly Worthing states, “For the most part, I don’t find Mere Christianity to be this very powerful apologetic intervention that I think many people think it is, and for me, The Space Trilogy is most absolutely his most powerful apologetic work.”

Alister McGrath has talked about the racism concerns in Lewis’ books on the CS Lewis Podcast.

Episode 24 - Overview Effect Stories

March 15, 2024 by Karlissa Koop in Thoughts on Fantasy

Karlissa’s mind made a connection between an astronaut interview and a CS Lewis quote. Is there something there that will help us find stories that “cool us” and give us a bigger perspective on the world? This tangent leads her and Jason into discussing the book of Revelation and Dante’s Divine Comedy as they search their minds for stories that can fill this role for the average person.

Episode Resources: BibleProject podcast, “Chaos and the Cosmos: an Astronaut Interview – Chaos Dragon Episode 19” (Dec 11, 2023); and CS Lewis, “On Science Fiction” (as printed in “On Stories”).

Currently Reading: Rewriting Adam (Connie Mae Inglis), The Medieval Mind of CS Lewis (Jason M. Baxter), Thrawn Treason (Timothy Zahn).

Episode 9 - Underrated Books

June 08, 2023 by Karlissa Koop in Book Review

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!