Book-Bat
Exploring the world of fantasy from a Christian perspective!
Why is it so rare that we see stand-alone fantasy books? Is it a marketing scheme? Is this what readers really want?? Jason cracked some numbers, and he has some questions!
Do you prefer fantasy novels to be in a series, or do you also enjoy stand-alone stories? Let us know in the comments!
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)!
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.
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).
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).
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).
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.
Does Christian fantasy need more ‘mature content’? What IS maturity? What is the role of spiritual maturity, difficult themes, and deeper thinking in fantasy? We will be exploring these questions and more in our series on mature content, as we take a look at classic literature and what authors like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien can teach us.
Don’t worry, this episode’s content is suitable for all ages!
Quote from C.S. Lewis comes from his article “The Lord of the Rings,” which can be found in his book On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature.
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!
Jason and Karlissa discuss magic: a topic that sometimes gets brought up in Christian circles concerning fantasy. Together, they consider the complexities that often get overlooked.
Resources used: “The Gospel According to Tolkien” (Ralph C. Wood); “Narnia, Middle-Earth, and the Kingdom of God” (Mark Worthing); “The Fellowship: the Literary Lives of the Inklings” (Philip and Carol Zaleski); and a few dictionaries!
A nod to Madeleine L’Engle, who brought up the magi and the stars in her book, “Penguins and Golden Calves.”
And George MacDonald’s “Lilith” indeed has many odd, magical moments - Karlissa recommends reading it!
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!
What fantasy books, Christian or otherwise, do you think are underrated? Let us know in the comments!