Episode 43 – Interview with Fantasy Author H.M. Richardson

Karlissa J is joined by Heidi Richardson, Canadian author of the Tower of the Deep series, to discuss what inspired her to write, why she chose to write fantasy, and some strategies she used in creating her fantasy world.

 

Synopsis for book one, The Prisoner and the Traitor:

Hennelyn is only fourteen, born into a fierce, warlike race – the Starkhons. Her father, General Tai Kanow, has orders to conquer and enslave the remaining indigenous people who are still living free on the prairie toes of a beautiful mountain range west of the established Starkhon territories. These small people who were first in this land call themselves Bunjis.

But Hennelyn is also the daughter of a woman from Luina, whose people are peaceful and kind. After being put in charge of her father’s first captured Bunji in their prairie outpost, Hennelyn finds herself drawn to the young man. She feels a need to act – but which legacy should she choose, her father’s or her mother’s?

The bunji’s life is in her hands. She must decide what to do… even if her chosen path costs her everything.

 

Visit Heidi’s Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Heidi-Richardson/author/B09QLW84NS?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Episode 32 - The Great Divorce and The Divine Comedy

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

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 28 - Pros and Cons of Christian Fantasy

What are the pros and cons of the recent state of Christian Fantasy? Jason and Karlissa consider the value of Christian-written fantasy, and areas where the ‘genre’ we call Christian Fantasy could grow by moving away from market trends.

Currently Reading: “Silverwing” graphic novel (Kenneth Oppel), “Sonic Volume 16: Misadventures” (Ian Flynn, Evan Stanley), “The Divine Comedy” (Dante, English translations), “A Beginner’s Guide to Dante’s Divine Comedy” (Jason M Baxter), “Perelandra” (CS Lewis).

Correction: “The Divine Comedy” was written about 700 years ago (not 600)!

Episode 25 - Fear of Death

Lord of the Rings; Harry Potter; The Dragon Prince; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – what do all have in common with a verse from the book of Hebrews?

Spoiler Warning for “The Dragon Prince” show from Wonderstorm! (Also, be aware that this series contains abundant LGBTQ+ content and some dark themes.)

Currently Reading: “The Woodcutter” by Lorn Wolf; “J. R. R. Tolkien: The Mind Behind the Rings” by Mark Horne.

Episode 23 - Friendship: the Lost Magic

Do we over-emphasize romantic relationships to the detriment of our understanding of friendship? And where can you find good friendship stories in Christian fantasy, and fantasy in general?

Currently reading: “Thrawn Treason” (Timothy Zahn), “Leoshine Book 1” (N. MacCameron), “The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis” (Jason M. Baxter), “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (Akira Himekawa).

Episode 19 – Mature Content Part 3

What would it look like for Christian fantasy to tackle more difficult subjects and questions? We give some ideas, like drawing from deeper history and acknowledging complex emotions. We also give writing updates, and thoughts on how Christian norms affect our writing.

SPOILER WARNING for Tales of the Diversity trilogy (Karlissa J)!

CORRECTION: in The Great Divorce, Lewis does mention that the mentor ghost is George MacDonald.

Mentioned: Thinking Out Loud podcast with Cameron MacAllister and Nathan Rittenhouse (toltogether.com/podcast); Lilith (George MacDonald); The Divine Comedy (Dante); The Great Divorce (CS Lewis).

Episode 18 - Mature Content Part 2

In a subgenre – Christian fantasy novels – largely aimed at youth, is there even room or desire for tackling difficult or complex subject matter: like mental illness, tragedy, or denser theology?

What are the Christian expectations for fantasy novels? Why don’t more people know about or read C.S. Lewis’ adult fantasy stories: The Cosmic Trilogy and Till We Have Faces? How ought authors to challenge their readers, and can the Bible give us some ideas on how to approach mature storytelling?

We move from early 2000s Christian fantasy to works from classic authors as we sort through our thoughts on this topic.

Mentions: Till We Have Faces (CS Lewis), Children of Hurin (JRR Tolkien), Tales of the Diversity trilogy (Karlissa J), The Cosmic Trilogy (CS Lewis) including Out of the Silent Planet; the CS Lewis podcast (with Allister McGrath); The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings (Philip and Carol Zaleski); and the Bible Project series on Parables.