Imagination Investigation

Winning the War--But At What Cost?

2011-12-19T10:08:00.001-06:00

During the past week, I spotted a headline on the internet that read something like, “Christians Winning War on Christmas.” The article was about the battle with stores over “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays.”

Many Christians would rejoice over the stats cited, I’m sure. When I saw the article, though, sadness washed over me. Maybe we are winning—and will win—this so-called war. But at what cost?

Don’t get me wrong. I agree this battle symbolizes the deterioration of our society and emphasizes how our culture wants to remove Jesus Christ from the culture. But isn’t that really all it is—a Symbol? In view of eternity, does it matter if an employee wishes me “Merry Christmas” or a store displays “Happy Holidays”? (Which, by the way, refers to Holy Days, and aren’t we Christians celebrating the holiest and happiest ones of all?)

More and more the issue seems cosmetic. A surface problem that points to a deeper one and that will solve itself when that deeper problem is resolved. So why are we spending so much time and effort and money over this? May not such attention to the outward ultimately cause greater damage to the inward?

If this war points back to Christ being removed from the culture, wouldn’t it be better to focus on putting Christ back into the hearts of men rather than just in their mouths?

“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34, NIV

So Merry Christmas!

The Bone House

2011-10-25T21:26:00.000-05:00

Title: The Bone House

Series: Bright Empires #2

Author: Stephen R. Lawhead

Genre: Adult alternate-reality sci-fi

Excerpt from “Chapter 1, In Which Some Things Are Best Forgotten,” of The Bone House:

From a snug in the corner of the Museum Tavern, Douglas Flinders-Petrie dipped a sop of bread into the gravy of his steak and kidney pudding and watched the entrance to the British Museum across the street. The great edifice was dark, the building closed to the public for over three hours. The employees had gone home, the charwomen had finished their cleaning, and the high iron gates were locked behind them. The courtyard was empty and, outside the gates, there were fewer people on the street now than an hour ago. He felt no sense of urgency: only keen anticipation, which he savoured as he took another draught of London Pride. He had spent most of the afternoon in the museum, once more marking the doors and exits, the blind spots, the rooms where a person might hide and remain unseen by the night watchmen, of which there were but three to cover the entire acreage of the sprawling institution.

Douglas knew from his researches that at eleven each night the head watchman retired to his office on the ground floor to make tea. He would be duly joined by his two underling guards, and the three would enter their observations in the logbook and then spend an enjoyable thirty minutes drinking their tea, eating pies, and exchanging gossip.

While they were thus occupied, he would strike.

Two modern Londoners chase a map through multiple historical dimensions.

The Craft: For me, The Bone House was a mixed read.

While I enjoyed the novel, the plot seemed to take an unusually long time to hook me. It was almost halfway into the story before I was eager to learn what happened next. At any time preceding that, I could have walked away without regret, unconcerned about the characters’ fate. Considering this is book two, such low emotional investment in the characters is somewhat alarming.

The plot’s meandering feel, mixed with minor confusion over some of the timelines, also impeded progress. Some scenes, though probably needed, felt irrelevant at the time of reading and lacked good bridging tension. In addition, the different storylines, which I assume are all necessary, seem to have only peripheral bearing on each other at a time I fully expected their interconnection to start becoming apparent.

But beyond this, the writing was good. The huge cast of characters, which challenge the most expert writers, is well delineated. The historical worlds are vividly drawn—a Lawhead specialty that will not disappoint in this book. The prose please the ear, and the plot continues to have some intriguing twists.

The Content: As often happens, the content mirrors the craft—The Bone House again presents a mixed bag.

The Bone House doesn’t carry much by way of thematic material, which felt a little unusual even for a Lawhead novel. Of course, I may have simply missed them in the midst of the story. There were a couple interesting discussions on death and mortality, man’s craving for immortality, and man as a living soul. I fully expect to see these topics further expanded in the future.

However, on the negative side, I did have some unease with how some elements were handled. The whole piece with cavemen/primitive man felt distorted, although I cannot pinpoint the exact reasons for my mixed reactions to that.

But perhaps more concerning were the scenes involved in the Egyptian foretelling. While such rituals did take place and the characters appear to have no reason for them not to get involved, these kinds of acts are forbidden in Scripture. Therefore, in a Christian novel, I would fully expected those acts to be ultimately seen in a negative light. But thus far there have been no negative repercussions and it could even be construed that such rituals are being put forth as harmless, if not outright helpful.

As a result, this content require discernment and some caution should be applied.

Summary: The Bone House didn’t seem to quite live up to the standard I have come to expect from a Stephen Lawhead novel, containing both positive and negative points in craft and content. I would not recommend it for teens under sixteen or new Christians. Otherwise, it is an interesting, take-it-or-leave-it story, though those who like both science-fiction and historicals may greatly enjoy this book.

Ratings: Craft—4, Content—3, Overall—3.8 out of 5 stars

October CSFF Tour

2011-10-24T16:13:00.000-05:00

Another month, another Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy tour. This week we're featuring the second book in Stephen Lawhead's Bright Empires series. Meshing science fiction's multiple dimensions with a historical feel, The Bone House is a unique read midst the world of Christian science-fiction.

I will be posting a review soon, but in the meantime, check out my fellow tour members and their opinions:

Noah Arsenault, Red Bissell, Thomas Clayton Booher, Beckie Burnham, Morgan L. Busse, CSFF Blog Tour, Jeff Chapman, Carol Bruce Collett , Karri Compton, D. G. D. Davidson, Theresa Dunlap, April Erwin, Victor Gentile, Tori Greene, Ryan Heart, Bruce Hennigan, Timothy Hicks, Christopher Hopper, Janeen Ippolito, Becca Johnson, Jason Joyner, Julie, Carol Keen, Krystine Kercher, Marzabeth, Katie McCurdy, Shannon McDermott, Rebecca LuElla Miller, Joan Nienhuis, Kathleen Smith, Donna Swanson, Rachel Starr Thomson, Robert Treskillard, Steve Trower, Fred Warren, Phyllis Wheeler, Nicole White, Rachel Wyant

Determining My Priorities

2011-10-17T17:39:00.000-05:00

In my world, time is a precious commodity.

Like talent and intelligence, time is a gift from God given in set amounts, and while all these things can be wasted, none of them can be manufactured. We can only use what we’ve been given.

My problem is that have many interests in a wide variety of areas, each of which requires a substantial amount of time to maintain, much less actually improve at. As a result, I have been forced to determine again where it is best for me to focus.

One of the decisions facing me is how best to divide my writing time. Long projects and short pieces vie for my attention. Both fiction and nonfiction are on my writing wish list. But I cannot do all things at the same time. So what is it I really want to do?

The answer came back the same as it did almost eleven years ago: Write novels.

The realms of the imaginary have long been a passion. To expand reader’s horizons, to open unseen realms, to allow them to experience the fantastic in a way that will challenge them to see this world differently—this has long been my heart.

The types of stories I envision, however, do not come easily or effortlessly, even after ten years of practice. If anything, the process has become more complex, demanding, and complicated. In short, more time-consuming.

So I must cut back to keep doing what I love, and this blog shall see some of those cuts. For I am convinced that, at this point, focusing on creating a finely crafted novel will far exceed a split of my efforts, which will result at the moment in mediocre blogs and mediocre books.

Therefore in the coming weeks, this blog shall change. All the ways are yet unknown to me. Fewer posts, for sure. Perhaps a change in content or focus too. I’m not sure. But I am first a novelist. Novelists write novels. And this is what I intend to do.

The Monster in the Hollows

2011-09-20T03:20:00.001-05:00

Title: The Monster in the Hollows

Series: The Wingfeather Saga #3

Author: Andrew Peterson

Genre: Mid-grade Fantasy Adventure

Excerpt from “A Smoldering Silence,” Chapter 1 of The Monster in the Hollows:

It wasn’t a sound that woke Janner Igiby. It was a silence.

Something was wrong.

He strained into a sitting position, wincing at the pain in his neck, shoulders, and thighs. Every time he moved he was reminded of the claws and teeth that had caused his wounds.

He expected to see the bearer of those claws and teeth asleep in the bunk beside him, but his brother was gone. Sunlight fell through the porthole and slid to and fro across the empty mattress like a pendulum, keeping time with the rocking of the boat. The other bunk’s bedclothes were in a heap on the floor, which was typical; Kalmar never made his bed back in Glipwood, either. What wasn’t typical was his absence.

Three royal children seek refuge in a land ravaged by suspicion.

Craft: The Monster in the Hollows exhibits solid writing, providing a fun romp of story.

So while this novel may not make a list of great literature, its quirky characters entertain and the colorful landscape sparks the imagination. The plot has coalesced, ever-moving forward in a clear arc while maintaining the offbeat, episodic feel of earlier books.

Two things I did miss were the humorous footnotes and the more frequent illustrations. These do not affect the overall quality of the story, I grant you, but I missed them nonetheless, especially as the story took on a more somber tone.

Content: As the plot develops, so do the themes. So in The Monster in the Hollows, several spiritual/moral threads have crystallized as the progression of the plot becomes clear. Learning to place others’ interests above your own is probably the most predominate in this story.

Beyond this, there is little to note. There’s no additional magical elements except what has been already established. Also some fantasy violence is lightly depicted, including the resulting death of an important character.

Summary: The Monster in the Hollows is a fun adventure full of quirky humor and distinctive characters. A light, entertaining read for older mid-grade readers and their parents.

Ratings: Craft—4, Content—3, Overall—3.9 out of 5

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

September CSFF Tour

2011-09-19T15:34:00.000-05:00

Although I've not been very consistent on this blog this summer, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to participate in this month's Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy blog tour. Why? Because September's selection in the third book in the Wingfeather Saga (The Monster in the Hollows) written by Andrew Peterson. It is a series full of quirky characters and colorful adventures, which I've enjoyed much in the past.

Tomorrow I'll be posting a short review of this novel, but in the meantime, I'm sure the other participants will have plenty to say. So I encourage you to check them out and find out what all the chatter is about:

Gillian Adams
Red Bissell
Jennifer Bogart
Thomas Clayton Booher
Beckie Burnham
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Cynthia Dyer
Amber French
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirriam Neal
* Eve Nielsen
Joan Nienhuis
Donita K. Paul
Sarah Sawyer
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant

Labor Day Fun

2011-09-05T18:55:00.000-05:00

Today is Labor Day here in the U.S., celebrating our hardworking labor force. So for the fun of it, leave a comment about the most bizarre, most interesting, or most fun occupation you've read about in fiction.

Swearing in Fiction, Part 6

2011-08-30T10:41:00.000-05:00

Today, another excerpt to consider with swearing, this time from a novel called Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos. An adult satire, the story starts with a Christian hanging out with his Jesus when a burly, fish-loving man named Pete Jonason interrupts their time together. Conversation quickly escalates into confrontation:

I put a hand on [Pete’s] arm and told him to calm down, but he ignored me and said, “What exactly do you want from my friend Matt here?”

Jesus stared at him. “I have plans to prosper him, plans for peace. I want him to be happy and rich. If he follows my instructions, that’s exactly what will—”

Pete punched Jesus hard, in the face, causing his head to snap to the right and bounce off the window. I jumped up to intervene. Pete dragged Jesus from the table, and Jesus kicked over his chair, feet flailing. Pete had him in a bear hug, and Jesus elbowed him in the stomach. Pete lost his grip, grabbed Jesus by the hair, and slammed him to the ground. I shoved Pete with all my strength and he stumbled backward, flipping over a table and shattering a chair on the way down.

I helped Jesus up. “Are you okay? You should have called down some angels to protect you.”

With a guttural roar, Pete launched himself across the table, straight for Jesus’ head. Jesus sidestepped, turned, and ran out the door. Pete shook himself off and rose to go after him, but before he could leave, I picked up a leg from the broken chair and clocked him as hard as I could right in the back of the head. That didn’t stop him, but it did slow him down enough for Jesus to get a good head start. I watched as he gathered his robes in his hands and ran like crazy, his white legs flashing out, his sandals eating the pavement like a dog licking ice cream.

Pete stood up, rubbing his head. He glared at me and then at the rapidly retreating Jesus. “Damn it,” he said and kicked the table.

“You shouldn’t curse.”

“Sometimes a curse is called for. That—” Pete pointed out the window at the racing back of my Lord—“that was an imaginary Jesus, my friend. I choose my words carefully, and I said what I meant.”

So what do you think? Is this a legitimate use of swearing, why or why not?

(Disclaimer: “At the Red and Black,” Chapter Zero, Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos, copyright 2010, is used under the fair use provisions of the United States Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C §107, for educational and critical purposes.)

Swearing in Fiction, Part 5

2011-08-03T10:43:00.001-05:00

In my last post on discernment in fiction, I included a clip from The Unsinkable Molly Brown, asking once again whether this was a legitimate use of swearing. While this clip is more borderline, I would say it probably would qualify for three reasons.

The first two reasons mirror those used for the My Fair Lady clip: We are dealing with a non-Christian character who has no restraints against swearing and who has reached a point of extreme emotion. For what else can he say that captures this moment? Even something like “I hate you” doesn’t ring strong or true enough.

But the third factor I see at work here is historical context. James and Margaret Brown were real people. Therefore, the language needs to be consistent with what’s known about them, thus conforming to reality and meeting the standard of “true.”

If James Brown had been the sort of man known for never uttering foul language, I don’t care how extreme the emotion is—the swearing would be inexcusable. However, the Browns (if I have my facts straight) came from a rougher culture where the swearing wouldn’t be unusual. Thus the swearing seems to work here.

Christy Awards 2011

2011-07-13T09:37:00.000-05:00

The Christy Award winners have been announced for 2011. This is a very prestigious reward for the Christian book market, often equated as the Oscars of Christian fiction as they seek to recognize excellence in the crafting of Christian novels. So each year three nominees are chosen from releases of the previous year (so this year's selection came from books published in 2010) in nine categories.

Here are 2011's nominees, with the winners highlighted in red:

Contemporary Romance

Blood Ransom by Lisa Harris (Zondervan)
Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann (WaterBrook Press)
Sworn to Protect by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale House Publishers)

Contemporary Series, Sequels, and Novellas
The Reluctant Prophet by Nancy Rue (David C. Cook)
The Thorn by Beverly Lewis (Bethany House Publishers)
The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Revell Books)

Contemporary Standalone
Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers)
Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner (WaterBrook Press)
A Season of Miracles by Rusty Whitener (Kregel Publications)

First Novel
Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes (Tyndale House Publishers)
Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House Publishers)
A Season of Miracles by Rusty Whitener (Kregel Publications)

Historical
Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther by Ginger Garrett (David C. Cook)
For Time & Eternity by Allison Pitman (Tyndale House Publishers)
While We’re Far Apart by Lynn Austin (Bethany House Publishers)

Historical Romance
The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen (Bethany House)
She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell (Bethany House Publishers)
Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House Publishers)

Suspense
The Bishop by Steven James (Revell Books)
The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker (Center Street)
Predator by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan)

Visionary
To Darkness Fled by Jill Williamson (Marcher Lord Press)
Konig’s Fire by Marc Schooley (Marcher Lord Press)
The Last Christian by David Gregory (WaterBrook Press)

Young Adult
The Charlatan’s Boy by Jonathan Rogers (WaterBrook Press)
The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson (Zondervan)
Motorcycles, Sushi, and One Strange Book by Nancy Rue (Zondervan)

Swearing in Fiction Part 4

2011-07-11T10:44:00.001-05:00

Here's another video clip to consider. This week we're looking at a piece near the end of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, where he finally puts his foot down to Molly:

So what do you think? Is this a reasonable, justifiable use of swearing in fiction? Why or why not?

Disclaimer: The Unsinkable Molly Brown, ©2000 by Warner Hom Video, is used under the fair use provisions of the United States Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C §107, for educational and critical purposes.

Flying

2011-06-29T11:08:00.000-05:00

“You swim alone, climb rocks, rescue servants . . . is there anything you don’t do?”
“FLY!”

This scene from Ever After lingers in my mind today. What is it about these words that so pull at the heartstring as Danielle flings wide her arms and utters that single syllable? How does it capture so simply yet so perfectly that unnamable desire residing in the depths of the being?

For it is not like I’ve not flown before. I’ve done so many times with the aide of an airplane. Yet it is not he same. Flying is meant to be so much more than simply moving through the air.

Flying is freedom. Freedom from the burdens that weigh us down. Freedom from a perspective boxed-in. Freedom to move about, to soar above, to explore the expanse.

Flying is soaring, tumbling, whirling with joy. Joy in living. Joy in being. Joy in doing what we were created to do.

Flying is peace, drifting, gliding, buoyed by air, cradled by the wind, unrestrained by fear.

Flying is everything life should be. Though it’s occasionally lonely and often hard work, and though storm may batter at times, a heart in flight is a heart resting secure in the hand of God Himself.

Swearing in Fiction, Part 3

2011-06-27T19:16:00.000-05:00

Last week I posted a clip from My Fair Lady and asked whether this was a legitimate use of swearing.

As a whole, it probably is. I see two factors at play:

First, Professor Henry Higgins is not a Christian, and even more, has little regard or respect for anything or anyone. Therefore, nothing constrains him in his use of language; he has no reason not to swear.

Second, the use of “damn” here is used to show an extreme emotional disturbance. There is little else that could be said or done to show his unusual agitation in such a short, confined space.

Also notice that the language is reserved for the moment of most extreme emotion. While the professor could have easily been a character who would swear every other sentence, he used this type of language only here (as far as I remember), giving it more impact.

So from this we see that swearing can be an effective way to reveal extreme emotion. However, it is only effective if limited to the point of greatest impact.

First-Ever Guest Post

2011-06-24T07:19:00.000-05:00

Today my first-ever guest post was put up on the Speculative Faith blog. Yes, someone actually came to me and asked me to write for them. Amazing, isn't it? So please go check out "Of Distant Places and Daring Sword Fights" and leave the comment. I'd love to see you there.

10 Activities for a Writer Regenerating Creativity

2011-06-22T01:59:00.000-05:00

After finish a major project, I often find my creativity needs time to regenerate. This is not uncommon, but the ways of rebooting creativity seems to vary from writer to writer. Here are ten things that I often do during these in-between times:

1. Sleep (Creativity is ex-haust-ing!)

2. Clean House (Mindless activities gives time for creativity to rest)

3. Coloring (Yes, like with Crayola Crayons & coloring books.)

4. Walks outside (Reawakens my senses)

5. Journaling (Provides emotional decompress)

6. Handwork like crochet and weaving (The tactile reattaches me to the real world)

7. Organize (Order and structure gives boundless creativity an anchor)

8. Play a variety of games (Preferably a wide variety with other people)

9. Reading books/watching movies, old & new (Creativity sparks creativity)

10. Increase Bible Study (Creativity comes the Creator)

Swearing in Fiction Part 2

2011-06-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

The first movie clip we’re analyzing this week comes from My Fair Lady. Near the end of the musical, the arrogant and overbearing Professor Higgins is told off by his experimental protégé, Eliza Doolittle. He storms out of the house and well, this is what happens:

So what do you think? Is this an appropriate time/place for swearing? Why or why not?

Disclaimer: My Fair Lady, ©2009 by Paramount, is used under the fair use provisions of the United States Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C §107, for educational and critical purposes.

The Tenth Crusader

2011-06-18T15:20:00.001-05:00

Title: The Tenth Crusader

Series: Rick Macey Cyberthriller #2

Author: Kirk Outerbridge

Genre: Adult Cyberthriller

Excerpt from Chapter One of The Tenth Crusdaer:

One last job.

Rick Macey accessed the internal comms of his neural net as the sun-bleached hangars of the old Downey Fields complex loomed like an airport ghost town on his right. It was an hour’s drive from downtown LA, and the autonav had him arriving right on schedule for the transaction. Good timing—he wanted this deal over with.

His comms came online and spat out an e-mail from Sheila. Macey opened it, and its contents unfolded in the corner of his vision. An itinerary. One peek at the incredible destinations and already he wanted this job done. Macey closed the e-mail, isolated his comm from the net.

One last job, he thought again. One last job and I’m out of here.

A military cyborg returns to the Philippines to solve a political—or is it religious?—assassination.

Craft: Like book one (Eternity Falls), The Tenth Crusader reflects solid writing skills.

The characters are often complex, full of flaws, virtues and mixed motivations. The plot is forever twisting as allies become foes and foes allies—only to shift back unexpectedly—and the lines between good guys and bad blur. The prose is clean, servicing the story practically, even if lacking the grace I’ve come to appreciate during the past nine months of renewed reading in classic literature.

However, The Tenth Crusader seems to lack some of book one’s appeal, and the climax felt somewhat reminiscent of Eternity Falls—and therefore somewhat predictable. The end itself was incomplete and unsettled, not providing the normal pressure release, but that could be a set up for a third book.

Content: Not unexpectedly, The Tenth Crusader carries content constructed in grays as it allows the reader to wrestle with some questions with far-reaching implications. Many of these echo the “does the end justify the means” questions voiced in book one, but approaches from the direction of complacency, persecution, taking a stand for one’s faith, and living “at peace with everyone” “as far as it depends on you.” (Romans 12:18)

As for additional issues, the line between good and evil is consistently blurred; a Christian married a non-Christian (though on the positive side, the repercussions are shown); and violence is depicted in detail, though not usually dwelt-on. Finally, many strong sexual threads, implied and talked about (though again not usually shown), are found in this book, from prostitution to fornication. They’re not out of place contextually, but could be problematic for some readers.

Summary: Although I enjoyed The Tenth Crusader, it does not feel quite on par with Eternity Falls. The content is also a stronger mixed bag. Therefore I recommend strong caution, if not outright avoidance, for new Christians, those under 18 years, and anyone with sensitivities toward strong violence or sexual content. However, readers who love suspense and/or techno-type thrillers will probably find this a great read, and the questions asked could makes this a good discussion book.

Ratings: Craft—4, Content—3, Overall 3.7 out of 5 stars

First Results Are In

2011-06-15T10:19:00.002-05:00

I’ve met with my first group of teenage test readers on my latest manuscript. It turned out to be an interesting experience.

While I’ve used test readers in the past, this is the first time I’ve done a face-to-face in any form. So we had some bugs in the technology and that impeded discussion a little. But it was worth it. Being able to hear the voice inflects and see the faces as the teens discuss was a privilege for me, and I will be using Skype for more teleconferences in the future for sure.

As for the reactions themselves, the good news is none of the hated the story. Maybe they weren’t as enthusiastic as I hoped, but from other things I heard afterward, this may be because about half the group was still processing the story itself, having finished it not long before the discussion. Either way, this is good news since this first group was handpicked because I knew they are in my very specific target market.

Also despite the processing still going on, everyone contributed helpful comments, positive and negative. It was fun to see which characters sparked what kind of reactions in which teens, and how they termed those characters. They also found some very specific spots needing improvement with some very specific reasons why.

So while there is still work to be done, I am content with how this first round went, convinced my story remains on the right track overall.

Swearing in Fiction, Part 1

2011-06-13T10:25:00.000-05:00

So we’ve defined swearing (crude and offensive language and/or action which often insults God and/or the recipient thereof) and scrutinized it through the lens of Scripture, especially Philippians 4:8. From that we discovered there is very little justification for swearing.

Nonetheless, swearing is part of the real world. Since fiction reflects reality, it would make sense there would be times and places for swearing.

So before we delve into movie clips for analysis, what do you think? What might be appropriate uses of obscenities, cursing, epithets, and the other language I’ve placed under the umbrella of swearing?

This is a Test . . .

2011-06-08T01:32:00.000-05:00

Today I will be meeting on Skype my first batch of teenage test readers about my latest WIP (work-in-progress).

Will they like it?

Will they hate it?

There’s no way to predict. I know my story hasn’t been perfected yet, so there will be criticism—no way around it. But I still yearn for the story to connect with the readers and touch the deepest part of the heart.

Will my quest be successful, even in part?

Other Biblical Notes on Swearing

2011-06-06T09:31:00.000-05:00

From Philippians 4:8 we saw that swearing doesn’t match up to those standards. But Philippians 4:8 isn’t the Bible’s only commentary on our use of language. Rather, here’s a very small sampling of what Scripture has to say:

“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18) Language is not intrinsically evil, but can be used for good or evil.

It is also powerful: By language God created the world (Genesis 1), and Christ Himself is called the Word (John 1:1). So perhaps not surprisingly, it is also through language—specifically God’s Word—that Christians are protected: “Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17)

Is it any wonder, then, that we will held accountable for what we say? “‘But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.’” (Matthew 12:36-37)

So how are we supposed to use our words?

First, wrong usage of God’s name (e.g. blasphemy or profanity) is never appropriate: “‘You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.’” (Exodus 20:7)

And since humans are made in the image of God, we are also to extend to them respect: “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:4) Rather “do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs” (Ephesians 4:29) letting our “conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.” (Colossians 4:6)

So for the Christian in their daily lives, profanity and obscenities are off-limits, as is much of the other problematic language I grouped under the definition of swearing.

However, swearing is part of our culture these days and a very prevalent one at that. Therefore, as I showed with Philippians 4:8, there may be a place for it in fiction and that is what we’ll be looking at next.

During the Cool Down

2011-06-01T02:35:00.000-05:00

With my first man revision out of the way on my current work-in-progress (WIP), I find myself caught in the in-between spot known as the cool down, the doldrums of the writing life

I don’t want to continue work on my WIP, for I need time for it to set and cool down to a point at which I can see the manuscript with fresh eyes. But what do I meantime?

Should I go back and revise an older novel? Or perhaps it’s time to start a new story. If so, what? The sequel to the one I just finished? Or a totally unrelated project? Maybe it’s time to focus on that non-fiction piece I keep tinkering with.

Endless possibilities. Many choices. Too many, in fact. After all, isn’t a cool down partially for the resting of the brain from all those decisions I just finished making? So I turn to the one always-present task that requires little decision making but inevitably needs doing after a long deadline crunch like this last one:

Cleaning the house.

Welcome to the strange and not-so-glamorous life of a writer.

Summary of Philippians 4:8 on Swearing

2011-05-30T02:32:00.001-05:00

Definition of Swearing: Crude and offensive language (and/or action) which often insults God and/or the recipient thereof. Includes (for this study) profanity, obscenities, epithets, and cursing.

There’s only two qualities left to examine from Philippians 4:8—the two overarching principles of this verse: “If anything is excellent or praiseworthy…”

So is swearing excellent or praiseworthy? (Excellence: anything that sets its craft over and above others for its good quality. Praiseworthy: brings praise to God.)

While swearing (both in the broader sense of insults to the narrower definition of obscenity and profanity) can be tactfully handled, it rarely is and overall usually does not show excellence in the use of language; rather it often reflects a degradation of words.

Likewise, swearing is almost never God-honoring. There are rare occasion a true curse may be called for, and the broadest sense of to insult can be employed in this way, as seen in the non-derogatory types of sarcasm. But most language of this category is an insult of God and/or the good He has made. As a result, most of it is not praiseworthy either.

And so what do we learn from this analysis of swearing? While it is a part of our real world (true), most of it is not respectful (noble), is not reflective of God’s character and commands (right), would contaminate us upon leaving our mouths (pure), does not please the senses or move the heart toward love (lovely), and rarely has a good reputation (admirable). As a result, swearing has very little to justify its use in fiction.

Bouncing an Idea

2011-05-25T01:11:00.000-05:00

I will get back to my original series on swearing next week, but today I wanted to throw out an idea that’s been bouncing around in my head since conference:

Would there be any interest in a curriculum on developing discernment?

It would basically be a thirty-week course on what discernment is, why it’s important, and how we get it. Targeted for teens, I would probably develop the course with homeschoolers in mind first with an adaptation for a youth group setting. It would include a teacher’s manual and a student workbook with Scripture readings, discussion questions, suggested movie clips (for practice & discussion), and few hands-on activities.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Met the Deadline—Almost

2011-05-23T01:07:00.001-05:00

The past two months have been insanely crazy. Between two business trips (vending UTCH and MACHE), needed family time (a week and half with my sister’s family, a trip to hear my sister-in-law sing the lead in Maria Padilla), a funeral (my grandmother’s), and miscellaneous problems (book shipments gone awry, a busted waterbed, etc.), it has been a chaotic and a rollercoaster of a ride.

And in the midst of this, I had twenty chapters of my current WIP to finish revising for my teenage test readers.

Yeah. Definitely insanity.

But I was able to extend the original deadline by a week, which helped. I wouldn’t have made it otherwise. As it is I spent the night before the deadline working until 3:30 Am, typing in revisions. Not an experience I would want to repeat, but one worth having once.

Ultimately, I missed my deadline by fifteen minutes. Not the idea, but consider the past two months, I am please that I came that close. And in this case, I doubt any of my readers noticed the difference.

But now I can breathe again. Now I can catch up on the rest of life. Now I can return to blogging regularly.

I hope.

Philippians 4:8 on Swearing, Part 3

2011-05-02T07:49:00.000-05:00

Definition of Swearing: Crude and offensive language (and/or action) which often insults God and/or the recipient thereof. Includes (for this study) profanity, obscenities, epithets, and cursing.

Is it lovely? (Lovely: Pleasing to the senses or moves the heart toward love/affection)

Something crude is often considered unpolished or unfinished. Language is no different. When crude, it rough around the edges both in content and sound. As a result swearing often is harsh to the ear.

Likewise, swearing doesn’t move the affections toward love. Rather it has an opposite effect: We don’t tend to kindly toward someone cursing us, and swearing is often used when a person is feeling anything but affectionate.

So swearing isn’t lovely.

Is it admirable? (Admirable: Something spoken well of; a good reputation)

Unfortunately swearing has become largely acceptable in our culture, and sometimes is even applauded, like with some types of comedy.

However, there are still many negative connotations attached to those who swear, including the concepts of being foul-mouthed, unrefined, and uneducated—that is, lacking the vocabulary to express oneself better.

Therefore, this one is mixed with leanings toward the negative.

Waterfall

2011-04-30T19:34:00.000-05:00

Title: Waterfall

Series: The River of Time #1

Author: Lisa T. Bergren

Genre: YA Time-Travel Romance

Excerpt from the Prologue of Waterfall:

We paused on our hike, panting and wiping our upper lips as our guide—the old Italian farmer who owned this land—chopped down a small sapling, clearing the overgrown trail. “Ecco, vedi,” he said, pointing at the ground. See, here.

“See that?” my mom cried, pushing the tree branch back farther, squatting beside a slightly sculpted limestone paver. Not really expecting a response, she spoke more to herself—or was it Dad’s ghost she addressed?—than to us. But the hairs on the back of my neck prickled with echoed excitement.

“Here, too,” she said, her blue eyes wide, pointing at another. She followed our guide, tossing her Danish blonde braid over her shoulder, ignoring the brambles scratching at her lean, tanned legs. She never noticed much of anything in such situations. I could fall and break my leg, but it would take a fair amount of screaming for her to turn around and tune in.

My sister, Lia, rolled her blue eyes—so much like Mom’s—as if to say, Oh brother, here we go again.

The teenaged daughters of an archeologist inadvertently travel back to fourteenth-century Italy, becoming entangled in warring lords, betrothals, and political intrigue.

Craft: Waterfall was a delightful story all around! It has a well-paced plot with mystery, suspense, and romance; colorful descriptions of an era long gone; and a protagonist, though slightly difficult (at least for me) to connect with at first, that’s ultimately likeable and multi-dimensional.

This is a story that hooks the attention, engages the imagination, and suspends disbelief, even tickling the funny bone along the way.

Content: Waterfall has a clear but low-lying spiritual thread interwoven throughout as the main protagonist struggles with her lack of faith. It’s not that she doesn’t believe God exist so much, but rather whether He has any place in her life—she has no personal relationship with Him.

As a result, questions are raised about who God is and to what extent does He control events. For example, was the time-traveling accidental . . . or intentional?

Beyond this, you’ll deal with medieval violence, everything from swordfights to poison, but everything is shown within reasonable context, neither dwelt on nor graphically portrayed. There are also several references to rape and one attempt thereof.

Summary: Waterfall, though perhaps a little slow to get into, is a delightful tale of history, adventure, and romance. Highly recommended, especially for teen girls who enjoy historical novels and/or romance.

Rating: Craft—5, Content—4, Overall—4.3 out of 5 stars

Philippians 4:8 on Swearing, Part 2

2011-04-25T06:22:00.001-05:00

Definition: Crude and offensive language (and/or action) which often insults God and/or the recipient thereof. Includes (for this study) profanity, obscenities, epithets, and cursing.

Is swearing right? (Right: The conformity to the will, standards and character of God)

Usually no.

We are told to love our neighbor (Matthew 22:39), to bless those who curse (Luke 6:28), and to not employ cursing and filthy language (e.g. James 3:9-12, Colossians 3:8).

While God does use curses, they are reserved for the most extreme circumstances. His language, however, is never crude or filthy, but is only offensive/insulting to those of us who are out of step with Him (e.g. John 6:60-64) and of that which is offensive to Him (e.g. mocking of evil). Nor is being offensive or insulting His sole purpose, but such language is often used to motivate us away from evil and toward good.

Is it pure? (Pure: That which will not contaminate us—cause us to sin—if we should employ it in our own lives)

Usually swearing is not considered pure behavior.

While curses and oaths are not in themselves wrong, they are very serious matters with a weight that few understand these days. But the breaking of an oath or the misapplication of vow or curse carries serious—and sometimes deadly—consequence (e.g. Deuteronomy 23:21, Judges 11:30-39).

Beyond that, though, coarse, crude, demeaning, or filthy language is never condoned in Scripture.

Philippians 4:8 on Swearing, Part 1

2011-04-18T14:57:00.000-05:00

Definition: Crude and offensive language (and/or action) which often insults God and/or the recipient thereof. Includes (for this study) profanity, obscenities, epithets, and cursing.

Now that we have a broad working definition of swearing, the next big question is how does this use of words stack up to the standard set by Philippians 4:8.

Is it true? (True: That which conforms to reality or reveals truth)

Unfortunately, the world of swearing is very much a part of our world. Found in films and books at the lowest levels (Eloise, Inkheart, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, to name a few), fiction is saturated with it. Walk through a mall, converse with co-workers, or even eavesdrop on Christians at church, and you will sadly find many real-life counterparts to the fictional uses of this language.

So swearing does conform to reality, even if it reveals little truth except the depravity of man and our continuous rebellion against our Creator.

Is it noble? (Noble: Action done with dignity and serious topics dealt with respect)

What is dignified about using a name as a throwaway exclamation? Does that not show how little we think of the One Who bears that name?

Or where’s the respect in slandering one’s heritage? And while damnation is a serious topic indeed, does our use of curses show the seriousness of the condemnation? Do we handle such words with the respectful care God has weighted them with?

No, swearing carries few tatters that might be mistaken as the cloak of nobility.

Tales of a Dim Knight

2011-04-15T07:09:00.000-05:00

Title: Tales of a Dim Knight

Series: Stand-alone

Authors: Adam & Andrea Graham

Genre: Adult Superhero Spoof

Excerpt from “Origin,” Chapter 1 of Tales of a Dim Knight:

Superman fell from the sky, collided with a skyscraper, and bounced off as it toppled. The action figure crashed into a green stegosaurus grazing at the foot of the sky blue leather sofa.

Mild-mannered janitor Dave Johnson set the cardboard skyscraper upright again in the model city erected on his steel gray living room carpet.

He tugged down his Spider-Man pajama top and sent a scolding glance at his dimpled nine-year-old. “Derrick, you shouldn’t have dropped him like that.”

Derrick scratched his head. “But, Dad, you said Superman got hit with a missile.”

When would his son ever learn?

At least Derrick still cared, unlike Dave’s oldest. “A missile isn’t going to knock Superman out of the sky, son. He’s invulnerable. He might be fazed, but he’d pop right back up.”

Derrick nodded. “That makes sense.”

“All right, so get him back in the sky.”

A janitor gains superhero powers and becomes caught between who he is, what he could be, and what others expect of him.

Craft: Tales of a Dim Knight strikes me as having average craft. It will never be classified as great literature, but neither is this a novel destined for the trashcan either.

On one hand, I found the story very hard to get into. The title is a little disorienting and suggested elements to my mind that in no way fit with this story: Don’t look for any swordplay here; this spoofs old comic books all the way.

Attaching to the characters was also difficult for me, although they seem well constructed. Part, I’m sure, comes because I’m not overly familiar with the comic book world and no die-hard fan of them. But it’s hard to like and root for a character who frequently annoys, the positive traits failing to counterbalance the agitations in the beginning.

Such problems with the characters, combined with a slightly episodic plotline and confusion over why the superpowers seemed to randomly stop working, caused the story to loose momentum and tension.

That said, there was good stuff too. Tales of a Dim Knight does an excellent job spoofing the comic book world of superheroes (probably even better than I realize, as I’m not a regular reader/watcher of them) and provides some laugh-aloud moments. And when the plot does gain momentum somewhere past the halfway point, it rushes forward with a small adrenaline rush and satisfying conclusion.

Content: Tales of a Dim Knight does a nice job intertwining the faith elements with the main story. While most of those spiritual threads tie into the somewhat expected conversion story of much Christian fiction, the manner in which it was done felt natural to the flow of characters and story, not forced or concocted or manipulative. It was blunt, but not preachy. For that, I applaud the authors.

As for notes on other grey areas, there is no language and the violence is mainly restricted to comic book style. The protagonist goes through a dark period, which I understand is common for a many comic book heroes, but comes out of it and the darkness is rebuked. The superhero powers seem to be explained by either science or alien influence, neither of which I have a problem with. Though the plot deals with a husband-wife relationship, nothing stronger than kissing is shown on the page.

Summary: Tales of a Dim Knight was somewhat hard to get into (partially due to personal tastes in characters, I’m sure), but is a humorously touching story that draws to a satisfying conclusion. While not for everyone, it is accessible to a wide audience, including teens, and is highly recommended for those who love spoof and/or the world of comic-book superheroes.

Ratings: Craft—3, Content—4, Overall—3.7 out of 5 stars

Novel Progress

2011-03-23T01:07:00.001-05:00

Eleven chapters are revised. Part one is done. And it seems like it has taken forever to reach this point on my current WIP.

It’s not that I’m not enjoying my story. I am. And I don’t mind revisions. But why do they have to take so long? That’s what I want to know. Especially when I’m under an unmovable deadline for a group more demanding, more terrifying, more unforgiving than I’ve ever dealt with before: teenage test readers.

Last fall, when I agreed to teach a literature course to some home-schooled high schoolers, I thought it would be fun, for both them and me, if the last book of the year was my current WIP. But now that the deadline is looming, I wonder, “What was I thinking?!”

Too late to back out now, though. After I’ve made them work hard to meet all the deadlines I’ve imposed, I do not want to imagine what would happen if I failed to make mine . . .

So I’m aiming to have major revisions done by May 1. That would then give me about a week and a half to do one more sweeping edit. Will I make it?

Time to dig in and find out.

Defining Swearing

2011-03-21T01:40:00.001-05:00

Before we can examine the uses of swearing, we first must decide what we mean exactly by swearing.

By basic definition, swearing is to solemnly take an oath. However, these days the word has taken on a much more negative connotation, more the equivalent of cursing. It is this latter connotation I have in view for this discussion.

As such, swearing has two basic parts in view, profanities and obscenities.

Profanity desecrates the sacred and takes the name of God in vain, often as a meaningless exclamation. This would include everything from “Good Lord” and “Oh my God!” (or the texting equivalent, OMG) to “Christ” and “Geez” (an abbreviated, misspelled form of Jesus). Blasphemy would be one step beyond this, with the direct cursing/mockery of God and all things connected to Him.

An obscenity by strict definition is crude and lewd language, often referring to bodily functions (e.g. “shit”). However, for the ease of working through this section on language, I’m expanding obscenities to also include three related areas: obscene gestures, epithets (a strong insult demeaning someone with reference to their perceived identity—birth, race, religion. E.g. “son of a bitch”), and general cursing (calling for God’s condemnation on someone or something—e.g. “damn”).

In short, we will define swearing as crude and offensive language (and/or action) which insults God and/or the recipient thereof.

Conference Crunch

2011-03-14T10:32:00.000-05:00

I'm in the final push of preparations for my first homeschool conference (UTCH) of the season. Logisitics overwhelm, as they always do, and I find myself needing to focus there. So I might post something later this week. Or maybe I won't. We'll see how time goes.

The Effects of Deadline Tension

2011-03-09T00:41:00.000-06:00

Time marches on, so much to do;
I’m making lists, life in a queue.

Start with just two, then there are four;
Lists in my house forming décor.

Lists on my desk, lists by my bed,
Lists messing now with my poor head.

Long on their must, short on their skip;
Cogs in my mind starting to slip.

One item off, three more to add;
Maniacal laugh—I’m going mad.

Don’t be surprise, if one day quite soon,
I am found dead, lists my cocoon.

Practical Application: Swearing

2011-03-07T00:39:00.001-06:00

In 1939, one line of dialogue caused a huge uproar over a movie that would go on to be one of the greatest ever filmed.

In 2005, the American Film Institute voted this same line of dialogue the number one movie line of all time.

The line?

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” from Gone with the Wind. And with those eight little words, fueled at the time by an increasing use of obscenities in top-quality literature, a flood was unleashed upon the world of fiction.

Nowadays swearing is nearly inescapable. You can find it in children’s stories as well as in R-rated films. It’s mentioned in Christian novels as well as secular ones.

So what do we do with swearing? How do we handle it?

These are the questions we’ll be attempting to answer during the next few weeks.

The Maze Runner

2011-03-04T05:15:00.004-06:00

Title: The Maze Runner

Series: Maze Runner Trilogy #1

Author: James Dashner

Genre: Teen (13-16 years) sci-fi dystopia

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Maze Runner:

He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air.

Metal ground against metal; a lurching shudder shook the floor beneath him. He fell down at the sudden movement and shuffled backward on his hands and feet, drops of sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool air. His back struck a hard metal wall; he slid along it until he hit the corner of the room. Sinking to the floor, he pulled his legs up tight against his body, hoping his eyes would soon adjust to the darkness.

With a jolt, the room jerked upward like an old lift in a mine shaft.

Harsh sounds of chains and pulleys, like the workings of an ancient steel factory, echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls with a hollow, tinny whine. The lightless elevator swayed back and forth as it ascended, turning the boy’s stomach sour with nausea; a smell like burnt oil invaded his sense, making him feel worse. He wanted to cry, but no tears came; he could only sit there, alone, waiting.

My name is Thomas, he thought.

That . . . that was the only thing he could remember about his life.

A teenage boy who remembers nothing more of himself than his name is stranded in an isolated glade surrounded by a giant maze.

The Craft: Unpredictable and surreal. If I had to describe The Maze Runner in only a couple words, those would sum it up best. If I was allowed one more word, intense would be it.

For this book excels in the techniques of plot twists and world-building. Every time the plot even starts to make sense, it jags and turns again, much like a maze, until you lose your sense of direction. And the world it zigzags through is unlike anything you’ve seen and yet you can see it all. The characters aren’t too bad either, being complex and motivated.

Yet despite all these positive points, the story doesn’t quite hold together. There are some pacing issues, and the story loses some momentum at the end. And while the premise stirs up your curiosity, the story never quite captures the imagination.

As a result, I can easily walk away at this point, despite the unresolved end, and I greatly doubt that I will pick up the next book in the series.

The Content: The Maze Runner presents the typical mix-bag of secular novels.

On one hand, it has some good things to say about perseverance, hope, the encouragement we gain from one another, friendship/community, leadership, and sacrifice.

However, problems and gray areas exist. Though there’s little flat-out swearing (at least as we’re used to hearing it), the language of the teens is coarse and even crude. Many references and jokes are made about bodily functions. Neither is unrealistic in its depiction of a modern male teen culture, but nonetheless, it isn’t pleasant to read.

There’s also some interesting wordplay surrounding the word “wicked.” However, it’s unclear whether that wordplay is a shot at modern teen slang, a sign of our culture’s reversed morality (calling evil good and good evil), or both.

Finally, the “Creator” concept carries an analogy (probably unintentional) with some dubious implications. Because of the main protagonist’s point of view, the analogy could cast God as cold, uncaring, and manipulative. Yet there are indications this view could change in future books.

Overall, the worldview seems slightly warped.

Summary: Intense, action-packed, and unpredictable, The Maze Runner has some good things to offer in craft and content and would probably appeal to many male readers. Nevertheless, this book also has flaws and cracks. So while this may not be a story to avoid, I do not find anything in it worthwhile to recommend it either.

Ratings: Craft—4, Content—2, Overall—2.5 out of 5 stars

A Rebellion Against Snow

2011-03-02T03:13:00.002-06:00

I love snow. Really I do. And truthfully, I am not all that tired of snow, at least not like most I’ve talked to this winter.

But occasionally, I do find myself looking for a bit more color than that which is offered by the white scenery around me. So here’s a short video of the gardens of Williamsburg just for fun, to add a splash of color to your world and to whet your appetite for spring.

One Way to Practice Discernment

2011-02-28T05:10:00.001-06:00

Since practice is consistent, incremental, hypothetical, and under controlled circumstance, how are we to practice discernment? For life is neither consistent, incremental, or hypothetical; and it’s anything but controlled.

This is where I believe fiction can be a huge benefit to the Christian. Through fiction, we can face the questions of life before we encounter them. This gives us time to think and to search the Scriptures for the appropriate response—something we usually lack in life.

But more than that, fiction meets every requirement of practice:

It is controllable. You can choose when you want to tackle which topics and how much you want to work at that subject.

It is hypothetical. Fiction, by definition, is not real, but it must mirror reality or otherwise no one would read it. This mirroring of reality allows us to vicariously experience and wrestle with question we ourselves may face one day. Fiction gives us the chance to ask beforehand, “What would I do if I were faced with _____________?”

It can be incremental. Because fiction is controllable, we can pace ourselves. Again we have choices about how often we indulge in story or which types of stories we indulge in.

It also can be focused. Discernment is complex with many layers which must all connect when applied to life. But with fiction, we can focus on one layer at a time, whether it’s unraveling your personal limitations or practically applying your skills to a target area like humor.

But most of all, fiction, unlike life, is repeatable. You cannot stop life mid-action or rewind a conversation. But you can reread a book, pause a movie, and dissect accurately a situation portrayed in fiction.

As a result, I believe one of the most practical ways to practice discernment is through fiction.

How Effective is Evangelistic Fiction?

2011-02-23T10:47:00.000-06:00

Perhaps I am simply an old cynic. Or maybe I’ve lost sight of how often God uses the foolish to show up the world. But whatever the reason, I found myself again wondering how really effective are the stories like The God Hater—stories written to make a point, often showcasing the basics of the Gospel, which here I’ll simply call evangelistic fiction.

For God does use evangelistic fiction; there’s no denying that. Such stories have a place in the market. And in many ways, it is better to err on the side of incorporating the truth clearly than to produce stories so obscure, so like the secular market, that few can see the difference between Christians and non-Christians. After all, we are responsible for declaring the truth, not for how others respond to it.

On the other hand, evangelistic fiction often feels like the literary equivalent of preaching a four-point gospel message to a Christian congregation. For truthfully, these kinds of books seem to rarely travel much outside Christian circles.

Again, this can be good and is even needed at times. But how much is necessary?

Most of those who don’t know Christ—those who need to be evangelized—are out there, beyond the walls of the church, beyond the realms of “Christian fiction.” Very few come to us; we must go to them usually. With writing, that then often requires a story written so well and which touches the heart so deeply that it can carry its great content to the outside. Few of the evangelistic books I’ve read meet that requirement, and truthfully, most of the non-Christians I know would chuck those books after a few pages.

Rather, it seems like the majority who read Christian fiction already follow Christ. While we need to be reminded of these truths (otherwise we wouldn’t need communion), how many times must we lay the foundation? Should not most of our work among fellow-believers focus on encouragement, growth, and maturity? Why then does so much Christian fiction seem to focus on the basics rather than developing faith? Might this even be harmful, not helpful, because it permits us to stay babies, feasting on the spiritual highs of a new faith? Might that not lead to discouragement when God removes these highs because of the incomplete picture it paints of following Christ? It makes me wonder.

Which brings me back to the original question: How effective is evangelistic fiction? I’m not sure I have answer. Or perhaps the answer is simpler than I am trying to make it: Evangelistic fiction is as effective as God wants it to be. After all, in the end, we may plant and we may water, but it is God who makes it grow.

The God Hater

2011-02-22T12:36:00.000-06:00

Title: The God Hater

Series: Stand-alone

Author: Bill Myers

Genre: Adult Near-future Sci-fi

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of The God Hater:

Samuel Preston, a local reporter with bronzed skin and glow-in-the-dark teeth, turned to one of the guests of his TV show God Talk. “So what’s your take on all of this, Dr. Mackenzie?”

The sixty-something professor stared silently at his wristwatch. He had unruly white hair and wore an outdated sports coat.

“Dr. Mackenzie?”

He glanced up, disoriented, then turned to the host, who repeated the question. “What are your feelings about the book?”

Clearing his throat, Mackenzie raised the watch to his ear and gave it a shake. “I was wondering…” He trailed off, his bushy eyebrows gathered into a scowl as he listened for a sound.

The second guest, a middle-aged pastor with a shirt collar two sizes too small, smiled. “Yes?”

Mackenzie gave up on the watch and turned to him. “Do you make up this drivel as you go along? Or do you simply parrot others who have equally stunted intellects?”

An atheist professor and his Christian colleague become entwined with a computer program to die for.

Craft: The God Hater is a story that both impressed me and left me less than enthused.

On one hand, this novel was written to make a point. Such stories tend to be preachy, and the content usually saps all life out of the story itself. But with The God Hater, it never devolved to that point.

Yes, the story is blunt, but rarely did the content seem out of join with the characters of plot. (I define preachiness when content is forced upon the story in an unnatural way; see more here.) But rather the story does a fairly good job balancing story and content, holding my attention throughout the book. That’s what impressed me.

That said, as a story alone, The God Hater does little for peaking the interest. I found the plot predictable as a whole, and the characters seem to lack that last bit of complexity to really engage me. The prose was straightforward. The ending felt too unresolved—but that is largely a personal taste in this case. The allegorical elements were well applied, which was the main thing that kept this story afloat for me. But overall, very little in the craft commends itself to my attention.

Content: This is where The God Hater shines best. The analogy presented of God’s relationship with man—though incomplete, as every allegory must be due to its limited nature—is unusually apt and brings out some aspects we don’t always consider.

However, a heavy-hitting allegory—a necessity for this particular story—often seems to me less than effective. It usually leeches the very power of story it wishes to employ and strikes me as alienating to the very people it wishes to influence, especially if the story supporting the allegory cannot hold its own. And while this novel doesn't leech the power, neither are the characters and the plotline sufficient to entice me to read the book.

But that again has more to do with the craft; the content itself seems spot-on. It doesn’t present anything startling or complex, but the basic dots of God’s truth are connected in a way somewhat different that we are use to.

Summary: While The God Hater doesn’t impress me as a story, it does a decent job holding the attention while presenting basic truth in a slightly different fashion. It might be a good read for baby Christians, or for older Christians wanting to see the familiar in a new light.

Rating: Craft—3, Content—4, Overall—3.9 out of 5 stars

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher.

Starring Bill Myers!

2011-02-21T19:50:00.001-06:00

Can you believe it? It's already time for another CSFF (Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy) blog tour.

This month we're discussing and dissecting The God Hater by Bill Myers. A contemporary novel with a near-future sci-fi twist, The God Hater follows an atheist college professor and his Christian colleague get involve with a computer program with far-reaching implications.

I will post my standard review tomorrow, but in the meantime there should be plenty of chatter among the other tour participants.

Bill Myers' Website
Bill Myers on Facebook
Noah Arsenault
Red Bissell
Thomas Clayton Booher
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Rachel Briard
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
April Erwin
Amber French
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Joleen Howell
Bruce Hennigan
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Emily LaVigne
Shannon McDermott
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
MollyBuuklvr81
John W. Otte
Sarah Sawyer
Andrea Schultz
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
James Somers
Donna Swanson
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Nicole White
Dave Wilson

Eternity Falls

2011-02-19T18:24:00.001-06:00

Title: Eternity Falls

Series: Rick Macey #1

Author: Kirk Outerbridge

Genre: Cyberthriller

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Eternity Falls:

Too close.

Horns and screeching tires yelled at him from behind. Rick Macey counter-steered, sliding the silver Lexus sideways before nearly sideswiping a cab. He tuned his neural net to the local traffic satellite, its overhead image minimizing in the corner of his vision as he careened through another intersection in the turbocharged sedan.

Pouring rain turned the city streets into tar-black mirrors. Traffic signals and holographic billboards reflected in a disorientating array of flashing neon and laser light. He forced his eyes to see through it as he neurally shifted gears, plowing through a hazily reflected red light—rain pounding his car top in a snare drum roll.

Artificial adrenaline heightened his senses. He warned slower vehicles with a constant blaring of the horn, weaving restlessly behind them like an Indy car driver waiting for the pace car to pull away. Finally he spotted open roadway ahead on the traffic-sat. He punched the gas, wiper jets barely maintaining visibility as the methanol engine roared and his speed increased.

100 . . . 120 . . . 130 . . .

No way was he letting the killer get away.

Not this time.

A retired colonel investigates the death of a woman medically treated to live forever.

Craft: What makes a great read? Is it a premise so unique you just have to pick up the book to find out where the author is going with it? Or is it a plot that keeps the pages turning? Perhaps it’s those characters who loom larger than life in the mind of the reader or prose that sings in the ear.

Whatever the magical formulae are, Mr. Outerbridge has touched upon it with Eternity Falls. For his main protagonist, Rick Macey, does stand out in the mind as larger than life. This plot does keep the pages turning with ever increasing stakes. The premise does intrigue. And the result is a fun and satisfying story.

Content: The premise of Eternity Falls poses not only a good story question, but also implies a fascinating question spiritually: What if you could live forever?

As a result, much of the content circles around the concepts of life and death. What is the purpose of death? What does it mean to live? How do repentance, salvation, man’s free will and God’s will intersect with that? And while Eternity Falls draws some conclusions in the end, it takes the long road around, allowing the reader to see the many facets of the issue.

For other content issues, there is a fair bit of violence as you might expect in a thriller, described in a straight-forward manner but not dwelt upon. There are also a few explicit sexual references, from prostitution (escort services) to rape, though no sex scenes are portrayed, and a woman is stripped to her underclothing by the villain for one sequence. The only other notes I would make is that there seems to be implied the intention of a marriage proposal between a Christian and a non-Christian, which is anti-biblical. However, the issue is left open-ended and unresolved enough that I may be reading too much into it.

Summary: A great story, Eternity Falls has some great spiritual threads which are truly wrestled with (no pat answers), but also some high violence and sexual references. These latter elements aren’t over the top or out of joint with the book, but as a result, I probably wouldn’t recommend this for readers under sixteen. Otherwise it’s a great read, with extra appeal to guys and readers of thrillers.

Ratings: Craft—5, Content—3, Overall—4.1 out of 5

One Superpower

2011-02-16T03:19:00.001-06:00

If you were endowed with one superpower, what would it be?

Not which superpower you would want, but if someone knew you well—your personality, your talents, your tendencies, your vices and virtues—and decided to give you a superpower based on that, what would it be? Indestructibility? Speed? The ability to bend time or manipulate space?

For a long time, I thought my superpower would be invisibility. Often I felt like I moved from place to place, through a crowd without being seen. Yet, I was seen. People talked to me. Groups involved me. No one ever sat on me. And sometimes I stuck out like a pink flamingo in a snowy landscape. Also I do not fear being unnoticed, but being forgotten or being determined to be not worthwhile—both of which require visibility.

So my problem is not one of being seen, but one of being known. Now you see me—but is it me you really see? No, my superpower is not invisibility, but blending in or sticking out somewhat on whim.

I am a shape-shifter.

The Attributes of Practice

2011-02-14T03:17:00.002-06:00

We need discernment. Discernment is learned by practice. But what exactly is practice?

Well, there’s one thing it is not. Practice is not the performance. That may sound obvious to the point of being ridiculous. But how often do we put off learning a skill, practicing it only in “performance” situations and then are amazed when we don’t excel?

Rather, we are supposed practice so that when those crucial performance moment arrive, whether expectedly or unexpectedly, our skills are already in place. So what makes practice, practice?

1. It’s consistent. Regular routine keeps the skills being learned fresh and makes us ready for the whenever performance.

2. It’s focused. You might learn music by Beethoven, Chopin, Gershwin, and Rachmaninoff, but rarely all at the same time. Rather, you pick a few pieces and work almost exclusively on those songs.

3. It’s incremented. Sports have drills. Music has scales. Dance and art have exercises. Each of these focuses on acquiring a specific skill.

4. It’s hypothetical. Again, practice is not the performance, but the preparation for it. Sometimes that requires simulating a similar situation to a performance.” This is why language studies provide dialogue exchanges and short stories—to allow the speaker or reader to experience new skills in various contexts similar to those encountered in reality.

5. Finally, it’s under controlled circumstances. You (or at least a teacher) can choose when, where, and how much you practice. You can stop and start or even start over. Repetition is an option. You get to dictate the conditions; the conditions don’t dictate the skills required.

So step by step, day by day, you learn and grow until the performance arrives at last. And it will be a performance. For while practice is not the performance, is a performance without practice really a performance? How can you “perform” a skill you’ve never acquired through practice?

The Healer’s Apprentice

2011-02-11T02:45:00.009-06:00

Title: The Healer’s Apprentice

Series: Stand-alone

Author: Melanie Dickerson

Genre: YA fairy-tale retelling/historical romance

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Healer’s Apprentice:

The townspeople of Hagenheim craned their necks as they peered down the cobblestone street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Duke of Hagenheim’s two handsome sons. The top-heavy, half-timbered houses hovered above the crowd as if they too were eager to get a peek at Lord Hamlin and Lord Rupert.

Rose shifted her basket form her left hip to her right and wrinkled her nose at the stale smell of sweat from the many bodies pressed close, mingled with the pungent scent of animal dung. Chickens and children skittered about, the clucking and squealing adding to the excited murmurs.

“I’ll wait with you to the count of one hundred, Hildy, then I’m leaving.” Rose couldn’t let Frau Geruscha think her apprentice was a lazy dawdler.

“Are you not curious to see if they’ve changed?” Hildy asked, her green eyes glinting in the sun.

“No doubt the duke’s sons have developed into humble scholars after two years at Heidelberg’s university.” Even as she spoke, she glanced up the street. In spite of wanting Hildy to think her indifferent to the young noblemen, Rose was glad she had a good view.

A medieval apprentice to the village healer falls in love with a duke betrothed already to a lady-in-hiding.

Craft: I found The Healer’s Apprentice a delightful tale that will curry the favor of many sappy romantic.

Though somewhat predictable due to its ties to a familiar fairy-tale as well to the more formulaic-styled romance, this story remains engaging. Many of its characters are heart-warming. Subplots add a moderate amount of tension, as does the desire to see how this particular romance works out. The descriptions vividly display the historical setting without becoming cumbersome.

Content: Many of the spiritual and thematic threads in The Healer’s Apprentice are directly to the forbidden romance. As a result, issues such as the desired to be loved, chastity, the difference between love and lust, learning to let go, and God’s ability to do the “impossible” are all touched on.

While most of this works well, I felt a couple things were left incomplete, which could leave a wrong impression in our in-love-with-love culture.

First, while we all desired to be loved and need others to love us, that desire ultimately cannot find total satisfaction in any human source. No husband’s—or wife’s or parent’s or child’s or friend’s—love can fill that void. In fact it is possible to be loved quite tenderly by many people and to still crave love, to still feel unloved. Only God’s love is complete enough to satisfy such a craving.

Second, a character says of her birth parents, “It’s merely that...they gave me away. They couldn’t have loved me.” I think many a birth mom who “gave away” her child for adoption would disagree with that statement. Often the greater loves comes from one who can let go another if it’s for their safety and benefit—even though you want to hold onto them desperately. In fact this very principle is illustrated earlier in the story, leading me to believe this implication was unintentional. Nonetheless, because of the place of this statement in the story and the lack of a rebuttal that displays the truth, I felt this needed to be mentioned here.

Summary: A couple questionable elements in the content cause me some concern, but overall The Healer’s Apprentice is a delightful tale worth reading. Recommended, with a light caution toward those who read primarily romance or have tendencies toward falling in love with love.

Ratings: Craft—4, Content—3, Overall—3.7 out of 5 stars

Training to Discern

2011-02-07T03:19:00.002-06:00

We need discernment. We need it badly. The good news is that discernment can be learned.

This good news, though, leads to a new problem: How can we train ourselves, as Hebrews 5:14 puts it, to distinguish good from evil?

Well, how do we learn anything, whether it is mathematics, a foreign language, or a new computer game?

By practice, practice, and more practice.

Discernment is no different. We learn discernment by practicing discernment.

It won’t be easy. We will make mistakes. But we can learn and grow up into the maturity that discernment produces. And that is a reward well-worth the work.

Between Two Kingdoms

2011-02-04T12:34:00.001-06:00

Title: Between Two Kingdoms

Series: Stand-alone

Author: Joe Boyd

Genre: Allegory

Excerpt from “The Upper Kingdom,” Chapter 1 of Between Two Kingdoms:

Mount Basilea pierced the highest clouds in the sky, rising up sharply from the center of a large island in the middle of a vast ocean. The edge of the island was ringed all around with low, rocky hills and cliffs, which made the lower valley regions of the island impossible to see and barely approachable by any seafaring travelers, had any dared venture that way. On one side of the mountain, the thick, dense forest that began somewhere in the clouds gave way about two-thirds of the way down to barren lands and the harsh, angular shard of an obsidian landscape. But on the other side of the mountain, fertile foothills with quilted croplands hinted at civilization somewhere behind the rocky ring. And above the lush forest, glittering like a rare jewel set upon a velvet pillow, shone the crystal towers and golden walls of the Palace of the Great King.

The palace marked the heart of this mountain kingdom—the Upper Kingdom, which had no beginning, but always was. The Great King, whose name was ancient and unpronounceable, ruled the entire expanse of the Upper Kingdom—every tree and animal, every stream and pathway. His son, the Good Prince, faithfully served his father with eternal devotion. The King and Prince had justly and lovingly ruled their subjects for as long as anyone could remember.

The children of the King descend to the dark, lower kingdom to warn of approaching destruction.

Craft: I am not a big fan of hard-core allegory. Never have been. Probably never will be. Allegory simply requires too delicate of a balance between story and the allegorical elements, and though employed frequently enough by Christian writers, it is rarely done well.

It is not that Between Two Kingdoms is poorly written. Though the beginning takes a long while to gain momentum, the story eventually develops some nice plot tensions. The characters are likeable, and the writing itself captures the world in vivid and concrete detail.

Nonetheless, the allegorical elements dominate this story, giving it the appearance that it was written to teach first of all. Stories written mainly teach often lose the entertainment factor that makes story such a powerful conveyor of truth. So it is in Between Two Kingdoms, and as a result, the allegory smoothers many of the positive craft elements.

Content: Like with the craft, content carries the extra burden of added expectation when heavy allegory is employed. So on one hand, Between Two Kingdoms captures some good thematic material about using our gifts, the difference between humility and pride, and learning to serve the King.

But the more allegory is applied, the greater the danger of allegory carrying wrong implication. For when the reader realizes a story uses allegory, he starts looking for allegory, often reading further into the text, applying symbols where there may be none (and should not be), and generally taking the allegory to conclusions never intended.

For example, the concept of the eternally seven-year-old child could be misconstrued that this is the ideal of the Christian faith. But while Scripture commands us to “become like a little child” to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:15), we aren’t to remain there, but are to “in all things grow up into…Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)

So the result is a mixed-bag content with some connotations (probably unintended) that could be considered dubious.

Summary: Between Two Kingdoms has both good and bad. Personally, I would skip it—I don’t think it’s worth the time and effort. But on the other hand, if you are a fan of the hard-core allegory, you might find this an interesting one-time read.

Ratings: Craft—3, Content—3, Overall—3.2 out of 5 stars

On My Bookshelf

2011-02-02T03:55:00.000-06:00

Books, books, and more books—they pile up faster than I can read. But I cannot imagine a world without them. So here’s a glimpse of some of the latest books on my hope-to-read list for the month of February:

The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers

Eternity Falls by Kirk Outerbridge

Final Touch by Brandilyn & Amberly Collins

Bible History: Old Testament by Alfred Edersheim

The God Hater by Bill Myers

Rooms by James L. Rubart

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

Rush by Jonathan Friesen

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Misconceptions about Discernment #5

2011-02-01T09:55:00.000-06:00

Misconception #5: My pastor (or Sunday school teacher, Bible study leader, Christian radio/television personality, etc.) will tell me what I should avoid.

Truth: Discernment is necessary for growing up spiritually. “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14, emphasis mine

God never intended for any Christian to stay a baby. Babies are selfish. Babies are dependent on their elders. And babies are vulnerable—very vulnerable.

This means staying a baby is dangerous for both the child (what if the adult decides to hurt or neglect the child?) and the adult (the care and protection of child drains resources and places the adult between the child and harm’s way). This is one reason why Scripture admonishes us over and over to grow up. Then when you consider we are in a war spiritually and we have an enemy actively seeking to do harm to all in any way…the danger increases tenfold.

Therefore, developing discernment is a must. For while having mature Christians around us is good, they may not always be there to help and guide. And this is assuming their guidance is perfect—which it is not. Mature Christians are fallible and may unintentionally do things that may hurt the younger ones.

So we each must learn how to distinguish good from evil for ourselves. For how will we learn to avoid harm by evil if we cannot even recognize what evil is?

Dragons of the Valley

2011-01-26T11:37:00.000-06:00

Title: Dragons of the Valley

Series: Sequel to The Vanishing Sculptor

Author: Donita K. Paul

Genre: Tween (10-14 yr) fantasy

Excerpt from “Theft,” Chapter 1 of Dragons of the Valley:

Bealomondore stood in the doorway of the darkened hall. Shadows hid the statue he’d been ordered to steal.

His heart told him to retreat. His feet wouldn’t move. But the kimen, whose wildest flying lock of hair reached only to the tumanhofer’s knee, insisted that the statue be stolen.

The artist cast the kimen a menacing look. The rude little man had startled him out of a sound sleep and proposed this ridiculous escapade. Bealomondore only wanted to go back to his chamber. In the middle of the night, the proper place for an aristocratic tumanhofer was his bed.

He had not had time to dress properly. He looked disheveled. He straightened his tie, but he couldn’t do anything about his wrinkled shirt. He closed his fine dinner coat and fastened two ornate buttons.

Bealomondore resented the fact that the small creature had managed to get him out of his bed, dressed, and actually contemplating the theft. An apprentice stealing the work of his esteemed master? Ludicrous!

A painter turns into a reluctant swordsman when war threatens his homeland.

Craft: Yet another splendid novel from Ms. Paul!

Whimsical and charming, Dragons of the Valley is not a novel for those looking for a hard-edged realism. But if you don’t mind suspending your disbelief a little farther, this story will delight and entertain with its colorful cast of characters. I personally enjoyed the addition of minor dragon Rayn and kimen Hollee while my funny bone continues to be tickled by Fenworth and Lady Peg.

Unfortunately, the climax still lacks that last little zing to make this a truly fantastic book. While there’s sufficient tension and danger leading into the climax, the climax itself seems to fizzle. Somehow it fails to bring to a head everything that has gone before and then to trigger a logical and emotionally satisfying release. Maybe the problem seems to be solved too easily?

Nonetheless, this is one small problem that will probably be easily overlooked by many readers and will not mar too greatly the joy of this story.

Content: As diverse as the characters themselves, themes abound within the pages of Dragons of the Valley. Some of the ones that stick out to me include finding joy in God’s creation, learning to follow wherever God leads (even—or especially—when it’s not what you’d choose), and God’s equipping you with enough for whatever tasks you face.

Concerning other issues, there’s some minor fantasy violence (such as decapitating snakes) portrayed in a non-violent way, a light romantic thread presented quite chastely, and borderline magical elements (for further explanation on the magic from Ms. Paul herself, check out an earlier interview I did with her here.)

Summary: Though not perfect and not for everyone, Dragons of the Valley is a colorful, humorous, and whimsical tale that will capture the imagination of many.

Ratings: Craft—4, Content—4, Overall—3.9 out of 5 stars

Check out my reviews of Ms. Paul's other books starting with DragonSpell or The Vanishing Scupltor, or order any or all the books here.

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

The Return of Donita K. Paul!

2011-01-24T09:31:00.000-06:00

Donita K. Paul is a favorite author of tween fantasy, and the Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy blog tour is featuring her latest book, Dragons of the Valley, for our regular January selection. Highly imaginative with a coloful cast of characters, Ms. Paul's books tickle the funny bone and usually provide an afternoon of delightful reading.

I plan on having my normal review up sometime during the next two days. In the meantime, there's plenty else to explore:

If you're unfamiliar with Ms. Paul's books, check out my reviews of her earlier books, starting with DragonSpell. Then persue Ms. Paul's website and blog.

After that, there's many other bloggers with a wide variety of opinions and perspectives participating in this tour. Take random sampling or read them all:

Gillian Adams
Noah Arsenault
Amy Bissell
Red Bissell
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Keanan Brand
Morgan L. Busse
CSFF Blog Tour
Amy Cruson
D. G. D. Davidson
April Erwin
Amber French
Andrea Graham
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Emily LaVigne
Shannon McDermott
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Sarah Sawyer
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
James Somers
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Dave Wilson

The Divine Inspiration Syndrome

2011-01-19T01:35:00.001-06:00

Among the Christian publishing professionals, there is a common disdain for those writers who claim their work came from God and therefore cannot be altered in anyway when it is obvious they have not taken the time to learn the craft or even weed out grammatical errors.

Yet in recent years, I’ve heard, much to my alarm, some of these same professionals offering this fallacy's counterpart, which seems to me an equally ludicrous (yet more insidious) idea: If I’m a Christian, my writing will be Christian and God will not permit me to write anything otherwise.

To them (from what I understand), it is impossible for a Christian to write anything theologically incorrect. They cannot write a story that is too dark or depict anything is a way (positive or negative) that would be displeasing to God. There’s no way God would ever allow them to overstep any boundary.

When I hear this, I sometimes wish I could ask these professionals, “Do you understand what you are claiming?” But I do not want to believe—cannot believe—they do understand, for surely most would be appalled if they did: while they admit their craft may need some work, this statement contends their content is divinely inspired . . . on the level of God-breathed Scripture.

Yes, I fully believe in the inspiration of God, often times in ways that are unpredictable and seen only after the fact. Yes, I fully believe the Holy Spirit will guide. Yes, I fully believe God steps in at times and warns us we are headed in the wrong direction.

But to contend that our content will never overstep? That God would never allow us to do so? That idea is just plain wrong. Christian can and have espoused in their works some decidedly un-Christian ideas—and some of those Christians were very mature, theologically grounded, and scripturally knowledgeable.

So how can this happen? Sometimes it’s outright rebellion; we refuse to listen to what God is saying or follow his directions. Sometimes we lack maturity—just because we have become a Christian doesn’t mean we are instantly purged of old ways of thinking and bad theology that can creep into our writing. Likewise, some of us are scripturally illiterate, for being a Christian a long times does not equal a thorough knowledge of Scripture—or your mind’s conformity to it. Others have developed wrong ideas through trials, pain and encounters with the irreconcilable they've suffered. And the reasons go on and on.

But whatever the reason, we Christians writers can and do err. None of us are perfect. All of us are still growing. And so whether we write fiction or nonfiction for instruction or entertainment, we all assume a position not far removed of a teacher. Therefore, we must tread with extra care in our work, aware of our fallibility, growing in our relationship with God, open to correction, developing in our biblical literacy, and exercising diligence and discernment at every step along the way.

Misconceptions about Discernment #4

2011-01-17T01:33:00.002-06:00

Misconception #4: I’m an adult now; gray area won’t affect me.

Truth: Discernment is a mark of maturity. “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14, emphasis mine

People who flaunt their maturity are rarely as mature as they claim to be.

For while increasing maturity does bring increasing freedoms both physically and spiritually, mature people also acknowledge they are limited, frail and flawed. They know what they can and cannot do. They understand they have weaknesses. They are aware of how the world around them impacts them and adjust their interactions with it accordingly.

So a mature person is not one who does not require discernment, but one who is aware of the necessity for it and has gone to appropriate lengths to cultivate it.

2011 Goals

2011-01-12T09:23:00.002-06:00

Each January I enjoy writing out new goals for the coming year. It’s a task that I find helpful in clearing my mind, even though I know I won’t make everything on the list—I inevitably wish to achieve more than is possible, not to mention the unpredictable flow of life.

Nevertheless, there’s something invigorating in stopping and asking, “What should I be doing?”

For some reason, this allows me to review my actions and refocus on the target—what God wants me to do—in a nonthreatening way.
So here are five of the writing goals I’ve set for myself this year:
1. Read sixty books

2. Complete revisions on current WIP

3. Attend one writing conference

4. Write first draft on a new WIP

5. Listen to a class on marketing and brainstorm a marketing plan
Will I achieve all these goals? Only time will tell.

The Wolf of Tebron

2011-01-04T16:07:00.002-06:00

Title: The Wolf of Tebron

Series: The Gates of Heaven #1

Author: C.S. Lakin

Genre: YA allegorical fairy-tale

Excerpt from the prologue of The Wolf of Tebron:

Exhausted and battle-weary, the wizard chose his footsteps carefully amid the sharp granite crags. Daylight barely seeped through the dark shroud of morning; a few renegade stars dotted the horizon. The sentinels of mountain that hugged the vale were bathed in a lavender hue, their peaks pointing toward heaven in seeming supplication. Leaves, curled and crisp, frosted over with icing, cruched under his boots as he squeezed his way through cracks and crevices, fatigue making him stumble. Cold air burned his throat as he panted. He paused to catch his breath. From the cliff outcropping he could make out his lone cottage burrowed under a ledge of rock, a wisp of smoke from a leftover fire rising and twisting slowly in the chill air.

The wizard tugged his woolen cloak tighter around his neck. His silver hair, matted and leaf-ridden from days of fighting, fell around his face, stuck to his damp cheeks. His scabbard banged rhythmically against his leg—the one without the long gash, bound and oozing blood. His feet throbbed in their boots, the toes numb. But, his wounds disturbed him less than the ache in his heart. For this had been just one of many fierce battles against a force intent on annihilating all the wizard held dear.

An apprentice blacksmith chases his nightmares to free his imprisoned wife.

Craft: Perhaps it’s me. Or perhaps it’s because the other two books I’ve been reading are The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Centennial by James A. Michener. Or maybe it’s the book. Whatever the reason, I’m afraid I can work up only a lukewarm enthusiasm about The Wolf of Tebron.

It’s not that anything majorly wrong stands out. Oh, a couple descriptions felt cumbersome, and reference to real-world science and music (like Firebird) jolted me out of the surreal world created. Yet small flaws like these usually just annoy, not leech all the joy from the reading.

And there are some good stuff in this book. Little quirks of humor. Fun cadences of the animal dialogue. The surreal world and journey, reminiscent of George MacDonald’s adult fairy-tales (Phantastes and Lilith). Interesting characters. A satisfying end.

Nonetheless, this story failed to touch my heart and capture my imagination in the way that makes me fondly recall a story over and over again.

Content: Like the craft, the themes and spiritual threads of The Wolf of Tebron appear to be solid. It mixes gems from older writers like C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton with allegorical elements and themes about dealing with emotions (especially anger, despair and fear), and finding peace, joy and hope in the world. Yet without the emotion impact that connects the truth in story with my life, many of the gems lack the power to make any long-lasting impression. Or so it seems to me, and if it is that way, it is a tragedy indeed.

For other notes: Magical elements are handled in an ambiguous manner, and some of the allegorical elements confused, seeming to send mixed signals at times.

Summary: Personally, I found the The Wolf of Tebron less than inspiring. However, most of the story seems solidly grounded, so that could be just me and others may very well find in this book a story to delight in.

Ratings: Craft—3, Content—3, Overall—3.2 out of 5 stars

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Starring C.S. Lakin!

2011-01-03T21:35:00.003-06:00

Welcome to the Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy blog tour! This week we’re looking at The Wolf of Tebron by C.S. Lakin. Written for young adults, this fantasy reflects the style of 19th century fairy-tales, like Phantastes and Lilith by George MacDonald.

I’ll be posting my normal review tomorrow, but in the meantime, have look at the author’s blog and website or at what the other bloggers are saying:

Noah Arsenault, Amy Bissell, Red Bissell, Justin Boyer,
Keanan Brand, Grace Bridges, Beckie Burnham, Jeff Chapman
Christian Fiction Book Reviews, Carol Bruce Collett, Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour, D. G. D. Davidson, April Erwin, Andrea Graham
Nikole Hahn, Katie Hart, Ryan Heart, Bruce Hennigan
Becky Jesse, Cris Jesse, Becca Johnson, Jason Joyner
Julie, Carol Keen, Dawn King, Shannon McDermott
Matt Mikalatos, Rebecca LuElla Miller, Joan Nienhuis, Nissa
John W. Otte, Tammy Shelnut, Kathleen Smith
James Somers, Rachel Starr Thomson, Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren, Phyllis Wheeler

Misconceptions about Discernment #3

2010-12-29T11:17:00.000-06:00

Misconception #3: Reading the Bible and going to church are enough.

Truth: Discernment must be practiced. “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14, emphasis mine

Yes, we need to study the Bible. Yes, we need instruction from pastors and teachers. Yes, we must spend time with other believers. Without these, it is impossible to gain discernment. Let me state that again. You cannot gain discernment without spending time in the Word of God and with fellow-believers. For church is necessary to our growth as Christians, and Scripture provides us the standard to “distinguish good from evil.”

However, many seem to think this is enough. This is a lie. While you cannot gain discernment without them, neither do church-going and Bible study guarantee the development of discernment. As James points out, knowing does not equal doing. This is why he says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) This admonishment would not be necessary if Christ-like character could be gained by osmosis.

Likewise, discernment: It is not gained by osmosis, but as the writer of Hebrew says, “by constant use.” Discernment is gained through practice, by applying it day in and day out in all situations.

Misconceptions about Discernment #2

2010-12-20T09:41:00.000-06:00

Misconception #2: Discernment is instinctual.

Truth: Discernment can be and must be learned. “But solid food is for the nature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14, emphasis mine.

Many Christians seem to think the ability to discern comes with salvation. That we will be able to simply know what is right and what is wrong. After all, isn’t that one reason why the Holy Spirit is give to us?

While the Holy Spirit can and does guide, warning us when we’re headed for trouble, God also provided us with a mind, which He expects us to use, and His Word, which He expects us to learn. Therefore, why do we expect Him to bail us out of the problems which we should have known how to avoid if we had simply taken the time to know the instruction manual?

Yes, God is gracious and does often help us out. Nevertheless, we are expected to study, learn grow, think. For when we become a Christian, we don’t instantly become perfect. Bad habits and large areas of desensitization carry over. Our old nature, though dead, produces a specter to haunt us. And though we have been given sight, it won’t do us any good if we keep our eyes closed.

Therefore, we must train ourselves to discern. For the truth we have will only benefit us as much as we can distinguish it from Satan’s counterfeits—and that only comes if we learn what truth looks like.

The Hunger Games

2010-12-17T11:35:00.000-06:00

Title: The Hunger Games

Series: The Hunger Games Trilogy #1

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: YA (14-18) Sci-fi Dystopia

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Hunger Games:

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim’s warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping.

I prop myself up on one elbow. There’s enough light in the bedroom to see them. My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother’s body, their cheeks pressed together. In sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten-down. Prim’s face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. My mother was very beautiful once, too. Or so they tell me.

Sitting at Prim’s knees, guarding her, is the world’s ugliest cat. Mashed-in nose, half of one ear missing, eyes the color of rotting squash. Prim named him Buttercup, insisting that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower. He hates me. Or at least distrust me. Even though it was years ago, I think he still remembers how I tried to drown him in a bucket when Prim brought him home. Scrawny kitten, belly swollen with worms, crawling with fleas. The last thing I needed was another mouth to feed. But Prim begged so hard, cried even, I had to let him stay. It turned out okay. Mother got rid of the vermin and he’s a born mouser. Even catches the occasional rat. Sometimes, when I clean a kill, I feed Buttercup the entrails. He has stopped hissing at me.

Entrails. No hissing. This is the closest we will ever come to love.

A teenaged girl volunteers to take her sister’s place in a futuristic, gladiator-styled fight to the death.

Craft: In many novels I read, the author exhibits strength in either characters of plot. Yes, the ideal is to have both, but this is the exception rather than the rule, and the reader must be content for one or the either to carry the story.

But The Hunger Games is one of the exceptions.

The characters, from protagonist Katniss to secondary characters like Foxface and Cinna, are multi-layered. They have flaws. They have virtues. Yet all the protagonists—and many of the secondary ones—remain likeable (or at least respected) so that you cheer them onto the end.

The plot is, if possible, even better. Tightly constructed from chapter one, the novel presents a true page-turner. No spot sags in pace, and every page crackles with tension, even the parts you expect to be boring.

This combined with visual writing, well-integrated description, detailed world-building, a quirk of wit, a solid voice, and a resolution that resolves but leaves you wanting the next book—is it any wonder that it’s as popular as it is among teens?

Content: The Hunger Games is a mixed bag content, a novel cast in grays.

On one hand, I was impressed with how clean this book was, considering where the author could have taken it as a secular YA novel on a very dark topic.

But though violent and dark at times, the darkness never overwhelms and the violence isn’t gory, but almost downplayed. In face, despite its bloody setting, this book is almost bloodless, less gory than some Christian novels I’ve read of late.

Likewise, the romance. Plenty of kissing, but that’s about it. No sex. The hero and heroine share a sleeping bag, but it’s purely for survival and nothing occurs. The one clear scene of nudity (the protagonist actually goes to some lengths to avoid dealing with nudity) is in a non-romantic, non-sexual context, where it is basically stated and left at that.

Beyond this, no language/swearing exists that I’m aware of. Some drinking and drunkenness, but it’s portrayed in a negative light.

No, the concerns with Hunger Games lies beyond the surface.

On one hand, you see acts of sacrifice, protection, dignity, and humanity. There’s grief over the consequence of the Game’s bloodiness and anger over the unfeeling people who enforce and even encourage such bloodletting. Several characters exhibit an unwillingness to murder friend or ally, despite the pressures of government and personal survival.

But on the other hand, you also see the protagonist’s unremorseful participation in illegal activity. Full-scale manipulation and deception is employed against both foe and friend. Attitudes of vengeance and rebellion surface. There’s attempted suicides and a “mercy” killing. Each these can be justified—often necessary to survival—but do the ends ever justify the means? And if they do, where does the justification end and the sin begin? It is a slippery slope, and these difficult questions have no clear answers.

However, in possible favor of The Hunger Games, it does appear that the series intends to show the repercussions of such “justifiable” actions with their long-term effects, unanticipated by the characters. For the consequence are just surfacing at the end of this book, and indications are that they will continue into the next.

Summary: Fabulous craft. Grey-area content. However, I think most teens can probably read and enjoy The Hunger Games, if properly balanced in the media intake (in other words, this type of mixed content should not be a main staple). This story would also make a great discussion book, with many issues to talk about such as if/when certain types of actions are permitted, rebellion versus submission to authority, and what would we do—and what’s the biblical response—if we were faced with such extreme circumstances.

Rating: Craft—5, Content—2, Overall—3.5 out of 5 stars

MN snowstorm

2010-12-15T02:07:00.008-06:00

We had a quite a snowstorm this past weekend. Here's a glimpse of what my world looked like:

[I apologize for the poor filming; I haven't done this a lot, and when you attempt to slog through knee-high snow, where you are pointing the camera is often the last thing on your mind... :o) ]

Misconceptions about Discernment #1

2010-12-13T09:06:00.001-06:00

Misconception #1: I don’t need it.

Truth: Evil exists, so we need discernment more than ever, in every arena of life. "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:14, emphasis mine.

Satan is wily, crafty, cunning, and methodical. He masquerades as an angel of light and will do whatever is necessary by any means (he loves backdoors) to destroy the followers of Christ. If we don’t have discernment, how we recognize his schemes?

More than that, we live in a fallen world with fallen people—many of whom wish to paint life in shades of gray.

But absolutes exist. There is right. There is wrong. Unalterable truth exists—and so do lies. Both good and evil reside in the world, and often it’s not easy to distinguish between the two.

So we need discernment, for that really is all discernment is: The ability to tell the difference between good and evil, right and wrong.

The Charlatan’s Boy

2010-12-07T12:31:00.001-06:00

Title: The Charlatan’s Boy

Series: #1 in untitled series

Author: Jonathan Rogers

Genre: Mid-grade Humor

Excerpt from “Chapter 1: In which I jump out of box and play the Wild Man of the Feechiefen Swamp”:

I don’t remember one thing about the day I was born. It hasn’t been for lack of trying either. I’ve set for hours trying to go back as far as I could, but the earliest thing I remember is riding in the back of Floyd’s wagon and looking at myself in a looking glass.

I’ve run across folks claim they know everything about their birthday—where it happened, who they was with, what day it was. But if you really press them on it, turns out they don’t remember no more about it than I do. They only know what somebody told them.

I don’t care who you are—when it comes to knowing where you come from, you got to take somebody else’s word for it. That’s where things has always got ticklish for me. I only know one man who might be able to tell me where I come from, and that man is a liar and a fraud.

A young boy raised by a charlatan recounts the misadventure of his life.

The Craft: In the writing world, one of the most talked about aspects of craft is voice—the use of language and wordsmithing to create a unique cadence and sound to the story’s telling. Voice can be very difficult to master, but if used well, it can be attention-grabbing and wonderfully engaging. The Charlatan’s Boy is an excellent example of this.

After all, what can be more boring than a discourse on one’s birth? We, as readers, don’t usually care about such things. Yet this is where The Charlatan’s Boy begins, and not only are we not bored, we’re thoroughly engaged. All because of the voice of Grady.

Of course voice cannot do everything. But the voice in The Charlatan’s Boy is combined with a semi-episodic but engaging plot, a diverse cast of characters, and a heaping does of humor. The result? A humorous tale colorfully depicting a life of misadventure.

The Content: Set in the world of a scam artist’s half-truths and performance-driven manipulation, The Charlatan’s Boy is about a search for truth and identity. It captures much of the tumultuous confusion pre-teens & teen face as they seek to answer the questions, “What is true? Whom do I trust? Who am I? What defines my identity?”

As a result, it deals with trust and betrayal, the craving for approval, the marks—and gifts—of friendship, and the freedom truth provides, among other things, although there is no clear spiritual thread at this point (I suspect from the final chapter that it may show up in the coming books).

However, I have one major reservation about this story: Because it portrays the world of charlatans in a comical fashion, this can cause that world’s deception and lies look harmless, permissible, and even downright attractive. Grady, the protagonist, occasionally feels twangs of a guilty conscience, but it is never enough to dissuade him from propagating the lies, and he often justifies his actions—a far too common problem in our society. Nor are the devastating consequences and the destructive nature of such deception totally revealed—and especially not with the clear connection between action and consequence, which this age group often requires.

Some of this could still be coming; this is only the first book of the series. But in the meantime, I recommend parents exercise some caution in handing this book to their child, especially if the child has manipulative tendencies.

Summary: The Charlatan’s Boy is a funny and engaging tale of misadventure, very reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn, with some good content about truth and identity. However, the manipulation and deception are not rebuked as strongly or clearly as I would prefer, especially considering its target reader of pre-teen age. So though strongly recommended as a fun read for older readers, some caution advised with younger readers. This novel would also make an excellent discussion book, a tool parents can use to help their children grow and practice discernment.

Rating: Craft—5, Content—3, Overall—4.2 out of 5 stars

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

The Return of Jonathan Rogers

2010-12-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

It's CSFF tour time again!

This week we're are focusing on newest novel by Jonathan Rogers, The Charlatan's Boy. Set in the same world as his previous books, The Wilderking Trilogy, The Charlatan's Boy is the first book in a new series that mixes fantasy and humor in a style very reminiscent of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Fin. That's all I'm going to say for now--I'll be posting a full review tomorrow.

In the meantime, enjoy checking out the website for Mr. Rogers, or the comments posted by my fellow bloggers:

Sally Apokedak
Amy Bissell
Red Bissell
Jennifer Bogart
Thomas Clayton Booher
Keanan Brand
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
Christian Fiction Book Reviews
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Katie Hart
Bruce Hennigan
Christopher Hopper
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Allen McGraw
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
Donita K. Paul
SarahFlan
Sarah Sawyer
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
James Somers
Donna Swanson
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Elizabeth Williams
Dave Wilson

Dreams

2010-12-01T09:15:00.000-06:00

We need to dream.

We need to dream of tomorrow. We need to dream of the infinite and the impossible. We need to dream BIG, because our God is BIG.

But dreams can also be dangerous.

Dreams of the future can distract from the present. Dreams of the big can cause disdain for the small. Dreams of might-be can devalue the what-is.

So dream. Dream BIG. But don’t let your dreams steal the gift of now.

Misconceptions about Discernment

2010-11-29T10:34:00.000-06:00

Pick a topic, any topic. Theology. Politics. Sports. Books & movies. Health. Then talk about it with a cross-section of fellow-Christians. Discussion will certainly arise. So will hackles. And as the discussion progresses and become more heated, each side, no matter their position, will likely contend they are right with a blind adamancy they cannot seem to defend.

How can this happen? How can such blindness, such indefensible adamancy arise exist among a group exhorted by their ultimate authority, the Bible, to be wise as serpents, to always have an answer prepared, and to take every thought captive?

Because discernment has become lost in the church and our spiritual lives imbalanced.

This imbalance can take many forms. Anything-goes liberalism. List-regulated legalism. Stunted-growth baby Christians who are completely dependent on others for the truth. But just like with the physical body, any imbalance left unchecked is unhealthy and potentially dangerous.

So why are Christians failing to develop the necessary regulator of discernment?

The reasons are many and go far beyond my knowledge and ability to tackle here. However, I think several misconceptions have contributed to the problem. So during the next few weeks I will look at five of the misconceptions I’ve seen and their truth counterpoints.

The Praise of Scripture: For All He Has Done

2010-11-26T00:04:00.002-06:00

Praise be to the Father:

Praise be to Him, who keeps His promises.
Praise be to Him, who made us in His image.
Praise be to Him, who has summoned us by name.
Praise be to Him, who meets all our needs according to His glorious riches.

Praise be to Him, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.
Praise be to Him, who gave us His indescribable gift.
Praise be to Him, who put His Spirit into our hearts.
Praise be to Him, who gives us new birth.

Praise be to the Son:

Praise be to Him, who laid down his life for his friends.
Praise be to Him, who had no sin and yet became sin for us.
Praise be to Him, who died for us while we were yet sinners.
Praise be to Him, who now acts as our sympathetic mediator.

Praise be to Him, will come again to take us to a place prepared for us.
Praise be to Him, who will carry a good work in us to completion.
Praise be to Him, who is able to keep us from falling.
Praise be to Him, who gives us strength.

Praise be to Holy Spirit:

Praise be to Him, who gives life.
Praise be to Him, who sanctifies us.
Praise be to Him, who guides us into all truth.
Praise be to Him, who testifies we are God’s children.

Praise be to Him, who intercedes for us with inexpressible groans.
Praise be to Him, who reveals what God has prepared for us.
Praise be to Him, who seals us until our redemption.
Praise be to Him, who is with us forever.

Praise be to God, the three-in-one, for all He has done, is doing, and will do!

The Praise of Scripture: To the LORD Almighty

2010-11-24T00:01:00.001-06:00

Who among gods is like You, O LORD?
To whom can we compare You? Who is Your equal?

Majestic in holiness
Awesome in glory
Your word stands forever.

Immortal and unchanging
Just and gracious
You remain faithful forever.

Robed in splendor
Resplendent with light
Your righteousness lasts forever.

Armed with strength
Mighty to save
Your name will be great forever.

Slow to anger
Compassionate and merciful
Your love endures forever.

King of kings
Lord of lords
You reign forever.

Who among gods is like You, O LORD?
To whom can we compare You? Who is Your equal?

The Praise of Scripture: To the God of Creation

2010-11-22T12:00:00.001-06:00

In celebration of Thanksgiving week here in the U.S...

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the Creator of the ends of the earth.

For by Him all things were created:
         The visible, the invisible
         The great, the small
         The birds of the air, the fish of the sea
         The beasts of the field, the ones who creep along the ground
         Man and woman, created in His image.
All things were created by Him and for Him.

Therefore let all things that have breath praise the Lord!
Let all exalt the name of the LORD!
For if we keep quiet, the very rocks will cry out.

So declare His glory, heavens!
Tremble before Him, earth!
Resound, sea!
Sing, mountains, and burst into song, hills!

Be jubilant, fields!
Rejoice, meadows!
Clap your hands, O rivers!
Clap your hands, trees, and sing for joy, forest!

Extol, Jerusalem!
Shout, you angels!
Exalt Him, you peoples!
Praise Him with dance and music and a joyful noise!

Let all His people kneel before the LORD our Maker!

Chosen Ones

2010-11-19T20:43:00.004-06:00

Title: Chosen Ones

Series: The Aedyn Chronicles #1

Author: Alister McGrath

Genre: Mid-grade (8-12 yrs) Fantasy

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Chosen Ones:

Once upon a time an old house stood in the English town of Oxford. It was built close by the ancient city walls, ivy growing over its stonework and mullioned windows, and was the sort of place with lots of dark corners and hidden stairways. And in this house lived a professor, his wife, and an old tabby cat.

The professor’s special interest was reading about ancient battles, both at land and at sea. His ramshackle study was filled with paintings of famous naval engagements. The professor had never actually been to sea but rather liked the idea of it, and no one was prouder when his son became a captain in the Royal British Navy. His wife was the cozy, grandmotherly sort of person who specializes in scrumptious teas and biscuits. She had jolly round cheeks and an enormous lap for children to fall into.

On one particular day, not all that long ago, the house was all in a flurry of preparation for the arrival of two special visitors: their grandchildren.

Craft: I’m always looking for exciting new series for midgrade readers, for many 8-12 year-olds read voraciously, and there seems to be an unusually low number of novels I can add to the pile for this group. So I approached The Aedyn Chronicles with more than a little hope.

To my disappointment, I will have to continue my search, for I can say very little good about Chosen Ones. An unimaginative premise, flat characters, a lack of cohesive plot, contrived twist, jagged character arcs—the list of problems seems to go on and on.

Perhaps it is only me. Or maybe it was the time I read the book. I sincerely hope so. But I personally could not find anything to truly engage me as a reader.

Content: Unfortunately, little in the content balances out the flaws in craft. While Chose Ones has some good things to say about serving, humility, and learning who you are, these themes often seemed in-your-face preachy and incorporated in a way that felt jagged and disconnected from the story.

Summary: Aedyn Chronicles: Chosen Ones is pretty safe, as far as books go, with little negative to worry about. On the other hand, it doesn’t offer much that’s wonderful either, at least from my perspective. I could be wrong, and readers are welcome to prove me such. However, I recommend overall that the book be skipped.

Rating: Craft—1, Content—3, Overall—2.1 out of 5 stars

Humor Exercise

2010-11-15T09:34:00.000-06:00

Discernment requires practice and good principles are useful only in as far as they are employed. So here’s your chance to apply what we’ve been learning about humor:

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to pick a favorite piece of humor—whether movie, book, article, or something else—and analyze it with the following questions:

Why does this piece make you laugh? Why do you find it funny?

Does it meet the definition of humor (the juxtaposition of two unexpected or incongruous elements)?

What kind of humor was employed? (E.g. wordplay, slapstick, spoof, sarcasm, etc.)

What does this piece mock—attitudes and actions or position, person, and intelligence?

Are the things mocked good or evil? Can you prove they are good or evil scripturally?

Does the humor employ exaggeration?

Is respect maintained? Are serious topics treated with dignity?

Does this piece use good humor, why or why not?

Do you need to change how you perceive/indulge in this piece or the humor it contains? If so, how are you going to affect those changes?

Graceling

2010-11-10T01:57:00.001-06:00

Title: Graceling

Series: The Seven Kingdoms #1

Author: Kristin Cashore

Genre: YA (14-18) Fantasy

Excerpt from Chapter One of Graceling:

In these dungeons the darkness was complete, but Katsa had a map in her mind. One that had so far proven correct, as Oll’s maps tended to do. Katsa ran her hand along the cold walls and counted doors and passageways as she went. Turning when it was time to turn; stopping finally before an opening that should contain a stairway leading down. She crouched and felt forward with her hands. There was a stone step, damp and slippery with moss, and another one below it. This was Oll’s staircase, then. She only hoped that when he and Giddon followed her with their torches, they would see the moss slime, tread carefully, and not waken the dead by clattering headlong down the steps.

Katsa slunk down the stairway. One left turn and two right turns. She began to hear voices as she entered a corridor where the darkness flickered orange with the light of a torch set in the wall. Across from the torch was another corridor where, according to Oll, anywhere from two to ten guards should be standing watch before a certain cell at the passageway’s end.

These guards were Katsa’s mission. It was for them that she had been sent first.

Exploited for her unusual ability to kill, a teenaged girl forms an unusual friendship and entangles herself in a mystery spanning multiple kingdoms.

Craft: From a fascinating premise—a teenage girl “graced” with a skill she hates, the “gift” of killing—to a plot filled with suspense and humor, Graceling is a story that captures the imagination and the heart.

The characters are probably this story’s strongest point, with dynamic characters that connect with the readers because of their determination and spirit. However, the plot is no slacker. Intertwining with the hero’s and heroine’s internal conflicts as they grapple with their unique giftings and the implications thereof, the external plot continually builds, layer after layer, through a complex mission fraught with tension.

All of this is painted against a backdrop vivid and colorful, with some wonderful world-building inbetween.

Content: I admit, I went into Graceling with trepidation. Come on—a secular novel about a girl “graced” with killing?

Yet I was surprised and amazed how well the issue was handled. It is never portrayed as anything but the evil that it is, and the protagonist’s repulsion at her own ability offers a respect and dignity to the problematic issue.

Nor does the positive end there. Graceling faces head-on a variety of issues and has much good to say about the responsibility we each have for the choices we make, choosing mercy over revenge, and the complexities of being gifted, among other things.

In fact, I would have highly recommended the book, except for one other thing: Halfway through the story, the romance between the two main characters turns very sexual, and it is never denounced or shown to have any repercussions. If anything, the very opposite is true: Marriage is scorned as confining and restrictive, derogatory to the wife, burdensome to both. On top of this, the guy offers himself as the lover, and overall the roles for men and women set by God are reversed.

And with that, a fabulous story was ruined.

Summary: While there is much good to say about Graceling, its scorn for marriage and the promotion of premarital sex leads me to recommend readers skip the story, as such messages are far too prevalent in our culture, and readers—especially teenagers who are already bombarded such things—do not need to be filling their minds with sex scenes.

Rating: Craft—5, Content—1, Overall—1.8 out of 5

Humor in a Nutshell

2010-11-08T01:03:00.001-06:00

Definition: The juxtaposition of two (or more) unexpected or incongruous elements

Philippians 4:8 Analysis: Containing a reflection of reality—albeit a slightly distorted one like a funhouse mirror (true), humor is a gift of God to be used and enjoyed (right), often pleasing to the sense and moving to the heart (lovely). Is it any wonder then that people who make us laugh are well-liked (admirable)? Nonetheless, humor can be corrupted, as sometimes it treats people and topics with dignity and sometimes it does not (noble). As a result it can contaminate us (pure). Therefore we need to seek good humor and shun the bad.

The Marks of Good Humor:
--It mocks what is evil, not what is good.
--It mocks attitudes and actions, not office/position, intelligence or person.
--It exaggerates.
--And most of all, it is respectful at its core.

The Skin Map

2010-11-03T20:32:00.000-05:00

Title: The Skin Map

Series: Bright Empires #1

Author: Stephen R. Lawhead

Genre: Adult Sci-fi/Alternate History

Excerpt from Chapter 1, “In Which Old Ghosts Meet”:

Had he but known that before the day was over he would discover the hidden dimensions of the universe, Kit might have been better prepared. At least, he would have brought an umbrella.

Like most Londoners, Kit was a martyr to the daily travails of navigating a city whose complexities were legendary. He knew well the dangers even the most inconsequential foray could involve. Venturing out into the world beyond his doorstep was the urban equivalent of trial by combat and he armed himself as best he could. He had long ago learned his small patch of the great metropolitan sprawl; he knew where the things most needful for survival were to be found and how to get to them. He kept in his head a ready-reference library of street maps, bus routes, and time schedules. He had memorized the pertinent sections of the London Underground tube schematic; he knew the quickest ways to work, and from work to his favourite pubs, the grocers, the cinema, the park where he jogged.

Sadly, it was rarely enough.

A modern Londoner seeks a missing friend and a strange map lost among alternate historical universes.

Craft: What a premise! The Skin Map shamelessly mixes science-fiction and history in this multiple dimension story, allowing a reader the ability to see what was as well as the what if. And in typical Lawhead fashion, it is pulled off with vivid historical detail blended with a varied cast and effortless prose.

Yet, somewhat to my disappointment, The Skin Map seems to be missing that extra spark that has accompanied the other Lawhead novels I’ve read. While the plot is intriguing, it lacked (at least for me) the tension to drive the story nor the stakes high enough to induce worry. This then all ties into a less-than-satisfying climax that felt both a fraction rushed and contrived.

Nonetheless, this story has much going for it and is still a solid read.

Content: Much like the craft, the content of The Skin Map does not sparkle. This is partially personal taste, I know, but I like stories with a little meat to its content, themes I can sink my teeth into, and/or gems of insight and wisdom. But The Skin Map had little by way of spiritual thread or thematic material.

On the positive side, The Skin Map is not nearly as gruesome as it sounds. With no magical elements, and only a couple scenes of high violence, the content is clean and accessible to both teens and adults.

Summary: For me, The Skin Map was a little disappointing, lacking that final spark in content and craft. Nonetheless, it’s still a good read, recommended for both teens and adults.

Ratings: Craft—4, Content—3, Overall—4.1 out of 5 stars

Starring Stephen Lawhead

2010-11-02T09:09:00.000-05:00

The Christian Sci-fi and Fantas Blog Tour is running a little late, and as a result our October tour has turned into a November feature. But such a minor tweak timing does not matter when it comes to The Skin Map, the first novel in Stephen Lawhead's new series, Bright Empires. What are a few days in light of a novel that covers the ages?

Anyway, I'll be posting my normal review in the next couple days. In the meantime, enjoy hopping between the worlds of the other participating bloggers.

Red Bissell
Thomas Clayton Booher
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Jeff Chapman
Christian Fiction Book Reviews
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
George Duncan
April Erwin
Tori Greene
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Shannon McDermott
Allen McGraw
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Gavin Patchett
Sarah Sawyer
Kathleen Smith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Donna Swanson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Elizabeth Williams
Dave Wilson

Marks of Good Humor, Part 8

2010-10-25T20:07:00.000-05:00

Of the video clips I have posted thus far, the one from Sister Act is probably the most questionable. It probably will rankle the nerve of a few, and some could dismiss it as sacrilegious.

But although this clip may walk the edge, I don’t consider it sacrilegious. Why?

Because while Deloris may not want to be there, nothing she says is intended to be disrespectful. If anything, it’s her striving to be respectful and show admiration (insincere as it may be) that’s so funny. She’s not trying to insult, but everything comes out wrong because of her background. So this is more a mockery of her loose lifestyle than it is of God and the church.

And in this we see portrayed our last principle, the one creating the most definitive line in humor: Good humor is respect-based; bad humor is not.

Why Christians Should Avoid Problematic Fiction Like Harry Potter, Twilight, and Avatar

2010-10-20T03:45:00.000-05:00

For a long time, I have wondered how to advise my fellow Christians on problematic works of fiction like Harry Potter, the Twilight Saga, and Avatar. Should you never deal with them? Should you read/watch them only under certain circumstances? Or when you are a certain age? Or know a certain amount of theology?

For none of these stories are all bad, if only because the story is often handled with skill on some level, which is a commendable trait whether the material presented is good or bad.

However, each of these stories also has major theological problems and/or heresies they propagate. Problems that become exponentially more powerful to influence as the craft improves, making their errors all the more easily absorb and the stories themselves more dangerous to the Christian mind.

Yet I have hesitated to warn Christians completely away from these. While there are definite areas of evil, I also know maturity levels and personal limitations vary from person to person. My boundaries in gray areas will differ from yours.

But today I say that the stories I listed above and those like them should not be indulged in by Christians for pleasure. (Emphasis on pleasure—there are rare occasions when we must go into areas we would not otherwise tread.)

Why should we avoid them? Because much of the theology not only contradicts Scripture, but promote lifestyles, actions, and attitudes that are abhorrent to God. In other words, what these stories promote should make you sick.

The problem is that we often fail to feel sick at these types of works. Again, why? Three possible reasons exist:

1. We failed to be appalled by them because we are not theologically grounded enough or spiritually mature enough.

2. The story taps into a personal limitations, and like a drunk enticed by the smell of alcohol, we are lured into an area that is unhealthy for us.

3. We have become desensitized so far that, even if we “know better,” we either refuse to acknowledge the content is appalling or fail to name the evil as evil.

In any one of these three, the result should be the same: avoidance. Because in each, blind spots result, placing us in the peril of blindly falling into error.

So does wrong theology and the promotion of evil fail to make you feel sick? Then you probably lack the maturity, theology, sensitivity or proper boundaries to handle such fiction—Stay away! And if you do have the maturity, theology, sensitivity, and boundaries to tackle these works, why indulging in something that will only sicken you?

Marks of Good Humor, Part 7

2010-10-18T01:22:00.003-05:00

Okay, time for anothe video clip. This time we're looking at Sister Act, where the main protagonist, a lounge singer turned witness to murder, must face the Mother Superior for the first time:

So any thoughts? Is this good humor, why or why not?

Disclaimer: Sister Act, ©2001 by Touchstone Pictures, is used under the fair use provisions of the United States Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C §107, for educational and critical purposes.

Summa Elvetica

2010-10-15T17:59:00.000-05:00

Title: Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy

Series: Stand-alone

Author: Theodore Beale

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Excerpt from “Prooemium” of Summa Elvetica:

Marcus Valerius looked up from the faded Numidican manuscript in irritation.

The light from the study window was growing dim. Already he’d been forced to light a candle in order to make out the obscure scratchings of the historian Quintus the Elder, whose colorful accounts of his encounters with the pagan desert tribes were as dubious as they were vivid. The imperative knocking at the door threatened a lengthy interruption, one that might cost Marcus what little daylight remained.

“Come in,” he called, resigned.

The latch creaked, and a familiar, sun-bronzed face peered around the corner of the door. It belonged to his cousin Sextus, whose brown eyes were dancing with mischief.

“This better be good,” Marcus warned him. “I was just getting to the part where the tribal chief is about to sacrifice the centurion to his devil-gods.”

The church inquires into whether Elves have souls.

Craft: Summa Elvetica is not your typical fantasy. After all, mixing theological debates with a world of elves and other non-humans is bound to create a strange breed.

The premise is really quite simple: Would elves and the other races that populate most fantasy novels be considered as having souls by the church? And though simple-sounding, it is a premise rife with possibility. Unfortunately, not all the possibilities are utilized and the result left me disappointed.

For while the story is thought-provoking and characters colorful, Summa Elvetica lacks the oomph of…well, story. Missing a solid core of conflict and high stakes for the main character, the book reads more like a loosely-tied together collection of stories and the plot plods along at a pace at which it is easy for the mind to wander. In short, I fail to have a vested interest into the outcome, and as a result the tension is low.

Nonetheless, despite this unorthodox style and the resulting problems, the story manages some cohesiveness mixed in with some humorous and entertaining bits.

Content: Unorthodox in style, Summa Elvetica is also unusual in content, lacking the pull of a strong character arc. Yes, the theological debates are interesting, but they also seem to have little relevance to my day-to-day world. I’m sure I’m missing something significant, but I fail to see what it is at the moment, perhaps due to the lack of investment and strong character arcs.

For other notes, the magic is rebuked as evil, and violence handled with a light touch.

Summary: Thought-provoking but plot-weak, Summa Elvetica is not probably for most readers. However, it does contain some interesting content and entertaining vignettes. So if you like theological debates or the intellectually provocative, this book might be for you.

Ratings: Craft—2, Content—3, Overall—2.9 out of 5 stars

Preachiness in Fiction

2010-10-13T00:39:00.001-05:00

Good fiction is not “preachy.” Writer, readers, and editors alike agree on this point. But what does preachiness mean?

The simplest definition says it is someone preaching at the reader in the middle of a story. Basically, the action stops while a character (or narrator or the author) turns to the readers and says in essence: “This is the moral of the story. This is what is true. This is what you should believe.”

However, preachiness is not the same thing as being blunt.

Of late, there seems to be some confusion surrounding that point. Include anything obviously Christian, offer any piece of theology, talk about morals, and immediately concerns of offending with “preachiness” arises.

But you can speak openly of Christianity and its morals within a story. You can include Bible verses and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. You can say, “This is right, this is wrong, and this is why,” within the parameter of story. And you can it without being preachy.

So what is the difference?

I’ve already eluded to the reason: Preachiness stops the action. When the writer goes out of his way to make a point (as if the reader isn't smart enough to figure out himself), when a character starts spouting theology or morality in the middle of a conversation in a way that seems awkward or forced, whether it is one line or ten paragraphs—that’s preachiness.

But that doesn’t me you cannot bluntly declare the truth. On the contrary! We need to be blunt occasionally. The key is to integrate the spiritual within the story so that it seems logical, a natural part of the story. Indeed, the spiritual dimensions should be so interwoven with the story that it would fall apart without them.

And if you can do that, the truth will ring loud and clear—whether you are blunt or not.

Marks of Good Humor, Part 6

2010-10-11T00:34:00.001-05:00

Drumroll, please...the Tom & Jerry clip I posted a few weeks ago I classified as...

Good humor.

Okay. I can see some of you smiling. And you want to know--why is that?

The answer is simple: Because it’s not real.

But didn’t I say that one of the marks of good fiction is that it’s true—that it conforms to reality?

I did. And I would say it is humor’s non-reality that allows it to conform to that very standard: through exaggeration we begin to see the reality of the situation that we might not want to recognize otherwise and the truth being conveyed by the humor.

Let’s face it—a cat playing a piano like Tom isn’t realistic. Or that a mouse could play the end of Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody” with only two broken hammers from the same piano. Yet it rings true because of the attitudes displayed: Tom’s annoyance at Jerry; Jerry’s determination to outplay Tom; Tom’s panic over maintaining appearances, even going to ridiculous extremes to pull it off.

Each of these attitudes, and resulting actions, are very real. In fact, we all can recognize ourselves in these things. (Anyone out there have a competitive streak? Have concerns over appearances?) But none of us are insulted because the ridiculousness of the situation. And with it seeming so far from our “real” world—after all, we aren’t that bad—we open ourselves to learn the lesson of the scene.

So I would define another mark of good humor as exaggeration: it mirrors reality in a manner so extreme or absurd that we would be crazy ourselves to be insulted by the truth reflected.

Notes from ACFW 2010

2010-10-06T10:05:00.001-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I attended the annual American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. As always, it was an interesting mix of ups and downs, an exhilarating and stressful rollercoaster of emotions.

One of the things I especially enjoyed this year was the classes/speakers. So here’s a small sampling of what I heard this year:

(These are probably not exact quotes, but as accurate as I could get based off the notes I took; I apologize for any errors in advance.)

Marketing is making people like me.
Insult is the price of clarity.
Figure out where your audience is and stand in front of them.
(Jim Rubart & Chip MacGregor, Marketing Your Fiction)

Ideas must be bigger than the page you’re trying to capture it on.
(Tim Downs, Keynote Speaker)

A non-sequential series is easier to sell.
(Thomas Nelson Team, Inside an Acquisitions Meeting)

Sometimes we don’t see [God’s answer] as the answer.
You only have in the wilderness what you brought in with you.
(Susan Meissner, Writing in the Wilderness)

Relish the journey [of writing a novel], even when hard and painful.
Writing is not clear because it’s not clear in the writer’s mind.
Don’t edit [the book] to death.
(Barbara Scott, The Art of Self-Editing)

Humor Refresher

2010-10-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

Okay, I’ve had a month off from regular blogging, so let’s quickly review where we’re at:

During the past few months we’ve been working through the practical application of discernment to humor.

Humor, like many things, is a gray area. Some types of humor are good and healthy. Other forms are quite corruptive. So how do we know which is which? What are the marks of good humor?

First, we saw from a clip in Eloise at Christmastime that good humor mocks what is evil, not what is good.

Then, by comparing Gaston from Beauty and the Beast to Lina Lamont of Singin' in the Rain, we discovered that good humor mocks attitudes and actions, not office/position, intelligence or person.

Finally, the last thing I posted was a clip from a Tom & Jerry cartoon, Cat Concerto. But what kind of humor do they exhibit? And why?

Leave a comment with your thoughts and then next week I’ll post a few of mine.

Venom and Song

2010-09-29T17:30:00.001-05:00

Title: Venom and Song

Series: The Berinfell Prophecies #2

Authors: Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Excerpt from “The Dark Veil,” Chapter One of Venom and Song:

Guardmaster Olin Grimwarden stopped and passed back the order. “Hold.” Elf-to-Elf, the command traveled until the entire line came to a halt. Grimwarden, Elle Goldarrow, Flet Marshall Brynn, Regis, Nelly, Miss Finney, Mr. Spero, Anna, and Mr. Wallace silently formed a perimeter around the seven young lords. Edward, from Dalhousie Castle, kept a close watch out behind, covering their retreat.

Tommy felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped.

“Sorry, lad,” said Brynn. Tommy couldn’t see her, just a phantom outline. She held something out. “Take these,” she said. “Grimwarden commands that you put them in your ears.”

Tommy felt something drop into his hand. There were two objects, both small and very spongy. “Earplug…why?” he asked.

“It is litigen,” she said. “It grows on stumps and dead trees. But earplug is a good name.” Then Brynn was gone.

Grows on dead trees? thought Tommy. Great. And I have to stick it in my ears?

Tommy heard Sentinel Goldarrow’s voice, “Grimwarden, you sly fox…at last I understand.”

At least someone understands something, Tommy thought.

Mr. Wallace strained to see back through the Veil, but his eyes couldn’t penetrate the gloom enough to tell if there was any movement or sign. But his hearing was better than the Elves’, and he heard the faint rustle of many leather boots on stone. The Spider King’s forces were coming…not far now. Yes, he thought, staring at Kat’s silhouette, during the melee she will breathe her last…

***

Seven teen eleven lords, newly rescued from Earth, train to fight the powerful Spider King.

Craft: Venom and Song is a novel of mixed elements.

The plot continues to be the strongest element of this story, with large amounts of action compacted into a tight space while the stakes and tension are ever-rising. Characters are unique and distinctive, quite a feat with a cast of this size. The world-building is solid and vivid.

However, on the flipside, there is little to say about style. It’s not bad. It’s not great. Just unimpressive.

Nor am I wild about the use of an unlimited omniscient point-of-view (which in this second novel is clearly the POV of choice). This POV allows the ability to know anything and peer into any head at any time, expediently delivering information but often distancing or confusing the reader. While the unlimited omniscience in this novel is handled deftly enough to not be annoying, it remains somewhat jarring—at least for me personally—and appears to fragment the characters’ development and growth.

But while Venom and Song lacks some in the area of flow and style, its storytelling is strong overall.

Content: Like its craft, Venom and Song contains some solid thematic material. Getting along despite difference, trusting your elders’ wisdom, taking responsibility, waiting, and the destructive force of bitterness, besides others, all appear within these pages.

However, the character arcs, which themes spring from the most naturally, are somewhat fragmented and incomplete (e.g. having a beginning and end but lacking the connections between). Perhaps this is due to the POV used or just the sheer number of arcs trying to be maintained? Either way, the result weakens the power of themes to delve into the heart, creates some events that seem manipulated to make a point, and occasionally triggers dialogue with a “moral of a story” feel, often delivered to a teen by an adult (e.g. page 180).

I am also a little concerned by the way God/Ellos comes across in the story. While I understand that the characters’ understanding of God is still very much developing, the spiritual element often seemed to work as following: Characters get into trouble, they pray, God answers, and the characters move onto the next thing, without thanking God or even the brief realization/awe that God answered. As a result God almost appears to be merely a divine wish-granter and the concept of God as One to have a relationship with seems to be vague. Maybe this is just an unfortunate backlash of the character arcs being fragmented and the fact this is still the middle of the series. I do, however, seriously doubt this protrayal of God (or my perspection thereof) was the authors’ intention and look forward to seeing the issue addressed soon within this series.

Summary: Venom and Song isn’t the type of novel I personally fall in love with. But it has some strong elements both in craft and content, and many teens will probably find this novel to be a good read.

Ratings: Craft—4, Content—3, Overall—3.7 out of 5 stars

Missed the review on book one, Curse of the Spider King? Find it here.
Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Starring Batson and Hopper!

2010-09-27T20:45:00.000-05:00

The September CSFF blog tour has crept on me, and I find that I'm crunching time. So here's the quick stats about the tour:

What: The second book of a YA fantasy series, Vemon and Song.

When: Now through Wednesday

Who: Authors Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper

Where: On this blog and many other blogs around the 'net--

Angela
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Melissa Carswell
Jeff Chapman
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
April Erwin
Tori Greene
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Tammy Shelnut
James Somers
Kathleen Smith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Jason Waguespac
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson

The Magic Eraser: or Why Excellence in Christian Fiction

2010-09-01T03:38:00.001-05:00

Why does it matter how well Christian novelists write?

Why does it matter if we master story structure? Why does it matter if we build colorful worlds or how we design complex characters and intricate plots? Why does it matter how we intertwine description or use voice?

For a long time I heard it is because excellence in art reflects the majesty of God.

I do not deny this. Excellence in art does reflect God’s majesty, His beauty, just like His creation and His tabernacle did. And this should be a motivator in producing the best work we can. But I think there’s more to it than that.

As humans, we were created for one primary purpose: to give glory to God. A fancy theological phrase, often tossed around by Christians without much though, but one that basically means we were created to make conspicuous the fullness of Who God is.

We can do this in any occupation, but novelists have been given an occupation where we can be especially open about Who God is, even without being blatant about it (yes, I know that sounds like a contradiction, but it's not), because all story is bound to certain characteristics that make it ring true—characteristics that are tightly bound to the attributes of God. And we display all this through the thematic material—or the content—of the story.

But if we novelists primarily make God’s attributes obvious through the content, why does the excellence in how we write (or in the craft) matter so much?

Because excellent craft is the magic eraser in fiction: it removes all barriers between the reader and the content. So the better we write, the deeper the readers are drawn into the story. The deeper they are drawn in, the more they are emotionally moved. The more they are moved, the higher the impact of the content. The higher the impact, the more receptive they will be to the truth presented.

So why should Christian novelists strive to write well? Because great craft erases the presence of the author, providing a direct line between the reader and the God of truth.

Marks of Good Humor, Part 5

2010-08-30T02:21:00.001-05:00

Okay, it's time for another video clip. This time it is part of a Tom and Jerry cartoon, Cat Concerto:

Is this good humor, why or why not? What principles might we pull from this?

Disclaimer: The Cat Concerto, ©2000 by Warner Home Video, is used under the fair use provisions of the United States Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C §107, for educational and critical purposes.

21 Books of Whimsy and Imagination

2010-08-27T02:08:00.002-05:00

To wrap up this week, I thought that I would provide a list of science-fiction and fantasy books that have sparked my imagination throughout the years.

Some were written for adults. Some were written for kids. Some I read recently while others I haven’t read in years but remember loving at the time. Some writing is good and some is not all that great. Some of them are Christian, some have mixed content, and some are decidedly not Christian (the books which are non-Christian, according to my limited knowledge, are marked by an asterisk).

But each caught my fancy and gave my imagination wings at the time I read them. In no particular order:

*And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss

*Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

*Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye

Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers

*James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson

*Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul

Dragons in Our Midst/Oracles of Fire by Bryan Davis

Faery Rebels by R. J. Anderson

*Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Echoes from the Edge by Bryan Davis

*The Hermit Thrush Sings by Susan Butler

The Outcasts of Skagaray by Andrew Clarke

Blood of Kings by Jill Williamson

One Mind’s Eye by Kathy Tyers

Firebird Trilogy by Kathy Tyers

Dream Thief by Stephen Lawhead

My Top Ten CSFF Novels (Sort of)

2010-08-26T02:59:00.001-05:00

I’ve provided my list of the novels with the best writing. I’ve provided a list of some with the best content. But which novels top my list as my all-time favorites? Which ones provide the best balance between the craft and content, in my opinion? Here’s the closest list I can provide:

#10-6: Fun or solid reads and good content, but slightly flawed for me in some way:

Tie for 10th: DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul and The Shadowside Trilogy by Robert Elmer

9. Dragons in Our Midst/Oracles of Fire by Bryan Davis

8. Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers

7. Echoes from the Edge by Bryan Davis

6. Lost Mission by Athol Dickson

The top five slots are characterized by content that’s deep and thought-provoking but doesn’t take over a well-written story:

5. The Sword of Lyric by Sharon Hinck

Tie for 4th: Faery Rebels by R.J. Anderson and Blood of Kings by Jill Williamson

3. The Gifted by Lisa T. Bergren

2. The Lamb Among the Stars by Chris Walley

And my top slot, what I consider the best balance of craft and content, goes without question to:

1. The Firebird Trilogy by Kathy Tyers

One of my biggest goals as a writer is write novels as well-balanced as hers.

Ten Books with Thought-Provoking Content

2010-08-25T02:42:00.031-05:00

Okay, here’s the other half of the list—contemporary Christian science-fiction and fantasy novels with thought-provoking content. This list, therefore, focuses on what the story was about and the story’s ability to make me think. Books link back to my full reviews.

10. A Lever Long Enough by Amy Deardon

9. Shadowside Trilogy by Robert Elmer

8. Blood of Kings by Jill Williamson

7. Legends of the Guardian-King by Karen Hancock

6. Broken Angel by Sigmund Brouwer

5. Lost Mission by Athol Dickson

4. The Gifted by Lisa T. Bergren

3. The Sword of Lyric by Sharon Hinck

2. Firebird Trilogy by Kathy Tyers

1. Lamb Among the Stars by Chris Walley

Ten Books with Fabulous Writing

2010-08-24T02:27:00.002-05:00

Okay. I really can’t pick. It truly depends on the standard given before I can say which are my favorite books. So today, here are ten of the books/series of contemporary Christian science-fiction and fantasy that I believe has some of the best writing on the market. Note—this applies to how the story is told, not the specifics of the content itself. That list I’ll be posting tomorrow. (Books link to my full reviews.)

10. The Blood of Kings by Jill Williamson

9. Firebird Trilogy by Kathy Tyers

8. Legends of the Guardian-King by Karen Hancock

7. Dominion Trilogy by Robin Parish

6. Auralia’s Threads by Jeffrey Overstreet

5. Lost Mission by Athol Dickson

4. The Gifted by Lisa T. Bergen

3. Lamb Among the Stars by Christ Walley

2. Faery Rebels Series by R. J. Anderson

1. King Raven Trilogy by Stephen Lawhead

CSFF Tour: Your Favorites

2010-08-23T02:12:00.007-05:00

This month we are enjoying a change of pace here at the Christian Science-Fiction and Fantasy Tour. Instead of focusing on one book, one e-zine, one website, one…whatever, we all get to yak up about our favorite Christian science-fiction and fantasy novels.

Of course how do I even pick a favorite? I have a six-foot bookcase crammed with nothing but science-fiction and fantasy books. Books with fabulous writing. Books that tickled my imagination or caught my fancy. Books of incredible depth of thought, pushing me as a Christian and a person.

And I’m supposed to pick favorites?! I will be at this all week, with lists of lists.

Okay. Let’s start with one specific area. Seven fantasy and science-fiction stories/authors/series that have majorly impacted me as a writer:

1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis: My first-grade Sunday school teacher read to my class a little each week from this book, and I was hooked.

2. George MacDonald’s children fairy-tales, especially The Princess and the Goblin, “The Wise Woman,” “Little Daylight,” and “The History of Photogen and Nycteris”: During my high school years, I was a huge fan of Michael Phillips. Through him I discovered George MacDonald’s adult novels, ultimately leading me to his fairy-tales, which I devoured.

3-5. Ian by Jeff Baldwin, The Seven Sleepers by Gilbert Morris, and The Archives of Anthropos by John White: These three reawakened my love for the genre in middle school/high school and later inspired me to write my own fantasy and science-fiction because, with the audaciousness of a teenager, I believed I could write something as good. Perhaps the only scary thing about that is, over a decade later, I still believe I can. :o)

6. Harry Potter and the Scorceror’s Stone by J. K. Rowling: Okay, I’m bending the rules here a little. Harry Potter is not a Christian series, and I hesitate to mention it as I consider it as one of my “not recommended” novels. But I cannot deny the huge impact it had on me, as it forced me to sit down and analyze what did I believe the biblical boundaries of “magic” were. That in turn sparked my deep passion to help readers and writers learn the practical application of discernment in fiction.

7. The Firebird Trilogy by Kathy Tyers: This trilogy probably had one of the highest impacts on me since I discovered the Chronicles of Narnia, because it opened the world of modern Christian science-fiction and fantasy to me. It showed what those genres could be like, instead of the half-baked allegories for kids and Narnia knock-offs that I was accustomed to at the time.

Okay, enough from me for now. Go check out the favorites of other tour members, and go vote for your favorite of the new Christian sci-f/fantasy novels for the Clives Staples award--you can find the voting info here and the nominations here.

Other tour members:
Brandon Barr
Thomas Clayton Booher
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Jeff Chapman
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
George Duncan
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Mike Lynch
Rebecca LuElla Miller
New Authors Fellowship
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Jason Waguespac
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher

Top Blog

2010-08-21T17:34:00.000-05:00

PhD Online Programs

I received this award in my e-mail the other day. It sounded petty cool. I guess I'll take accolades wherever I can get them!

Here's the website where the other winners were listed.

Down to One…

2010-08-20T18:45:00.006-05:00

In 2007, my name appeared in a book for the very first time—on the acknowledgement page of The Restorer’s Son by Sharon Hinck.

2008 saw me among the long list in the dedication of Brandilyn Collin’s Amber Morn.

Then this year, in 2010, I landed on the endorsement page in American Midnight by Brandon Barr and Mike Lynch.

Acknowledgement page, dedication page, and endorsement page. Only one more page remains missing from my resume. One more page to crown these little achievements and honors. One more page do I still work to attain.

The title page.

But nothing like saving the best for last, right?

Wayfarer

2010-08-18T01:56:00.008-05:00

Title: Wayfarer

Series: Faery Rebels #2

Author: R. J. Anderson

Genre: Tween (10-14) Magical Realism

Excerpt from “Prologue” of Wayfarer:

The Queen is dying.

The knowledge sat in Linden’s belly like a cold stone as she hunched over the tub of greasy water, scrubbing her thirty-ninth plate. She’d promised Mallow, the Chief Cook, that she’d wash all the Oakenfolk’s dishes in exchange for a second piece of honey cake at dinner, and at the time it had seemed a reasonable bargain. But now that she knew what was happening at the top of the Spiral Stair—that the faery Queen was lying pale and weak upon her bed and might never rise from it again—she wanted to heave up all the cake she’d eaten and throw the last few dishes straight back in the Chief Cook’s face.

How could Mallow look smug, after bringing them such terrible news? The moment she’d spoken those words the whole kitchen had gone silent, Gatherers and cooks and scullions all staring in horrified disbelief. Yet the corners of Mallow’s fat mouth were curled up in obvious self-satisfaction, as though the important thing wasn’t Queen Amaryllis’s fate, only that she’d been the first of them to find out about it.

Still, Linden didn’t dare to question Mallow, or beg her for more details—unless, of course, she was prepared to bargain for the information.

A fifteen-year-old faery sets out with a son of missionaries to find more faeries and magic before her people die.

The Craft: Wayfarer is the kind of story, that when you finish it, you close the cover with a big, happy sigh, even as you wish for more.

The characters tickle your funny bone as they pull on your heartstrings. The world intertwines real life with a thread of the magical that makes you look around at reality with a touch of breathless wonder and anticipation. The plot surges forward, pulling you to stunning heights, only to drop you into the deepest valleys, all with the corkscrew of incredible tension.

In short, Ms. Anderson knows how to tell a really good story.

The Content: The threads, both thematic and spiritual, only hinted at in Spell Hunter, now starts to surface in Wayfarer. While not in your face, all these floats that jump across the web of the story’s fabric slowly combine into an intricate but unmistakable pattern: accountability to a higher authority, using one’s gifts properly, facing questions and doubts about God head-on, honesty, taking a stand for what’s right even against incredible odds.

As for the other matters, magic is an intricate part of the story, but it is wielded only by faeries, treated as a supernatural gift from the “Good Gardener” to this non-human race, much in the was creativity was gifted to humans. There is some minor violence as well, but mostly in the form of hand-to-hand combat that mainly results in a few cuts and bruises.

Summary: Wayfarer is a delightful tale that captures the imagination, tickles the funny bone, and fills the world with wonder. Highly recommended for readers both young and old.

Rating: Craft—5, Content—5, Overall—4.7 out of 5 stars

Intrigued? Don't miss book one, Faery Rebels: Spell Hunters.

Marks of Good Humor, Part 4

2010-08-16T00:16:00.008-05:00

Last week we considered the humor in a clip from the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast.

Now, from our previous clip (Eloise at Christmastime), we gathered there is nothing wrong with mockery…as long as it mocks what is evil. In Beauty and the Beast, mockery is again at work. But what is being mocked?

At first it may appear Gaston is being mocked for a lack of intelligence. Yet when you watch the whole movie, you see that Gaston is quite smart and very skilled when he wants to be.

So what is really being mocked here? I would say it would be Gaston’s pure, raw arrogance—his belief that he is irresistible to any woman. From the outside, we quickly see that’s not true, which is why Gaston seems to be lacking some brains. But in truth he is simply so arrogant that he has become blinded to anything else. And this arrogance, which is wrong, is what the humor targets.

It is much like the way Jesus used hyperbole and sarcasm to mock the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in Matthew 23: “You blink guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” (verse 24) Christ was not mocking the Pharisees’ intelligence or the religious office they held, but the ridiculous incongruity of their actions.

So how can you tell when actions or attitudes are the humor’s target? Because if you can change the gender, occupation, time period, and/or location (for example, from a male hunter in medieval France to a female actress in 1920 Hollywood), the humor would still be valid:

So the second mark of good humor is that it mocks attitudes and actions—not office/position, intelligence or person.

Heartless

2010-08-14T12:02:00.000-05:00

Title: Heartless
Series: The Tales of Goldstone Wood #1

Author: Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Genre: Teen (13-16 years) Fantasy

Excerpt from the prologue of Heartless:

Two children, a brother and a sister, played down by the Old Bridge nearly every day, weather permitting. None observing them would have guessed they were a prince and a princess. The boy, the younger of the two, was generally up to his elbows in mud due to his brave exploits as a frog catcher. His sister, though significantly more prim, was often barefoot and sported a few leaves and flowers stuck in her hair. She thought these romantic, but her nurse, when she brushed the princess’s hair at night, called them “common,” and said it with a distinct sniff.

This never stopped the princess, whose name was Una, from weaving daisies and wild violets and any other forest flower that fell under her hand into garlands and coronets, with which she festooned herself, thereby transforming from an ordinary princess—which was rather drab—into a Faerie Queen of great power and majesty. Felix, her brother, was never a Faerie. He, by dint of a few expert dabs of mud in the right places, made himself her gremlin guard instead and waged war against all her imaginary enemies.

A young princess navigates the treacherous waters of suitors seeking her hand…and her heart.

The Craft: Heartless is a technically correct novel that seems to lack…well, heart.

The premise promises plenty of adventure. The setting provides a unique twist on the typical medieval fantasy world. The characters are complex and motivated, intersecting in fascinating ways, while the plot is well-paced. The prose itself has a simple, lyrical quality to it.

But for all these things done well, Heartless failed to connect with me as a reader at the most basic and necessary levels. This is quite possibly due to who I am, because of my own personality and personal tastes. Nonetheless, it left me sad that such a promising story failed to spark my imagination and capture my heart.

The Content: Heartless did not overly impress me with its thematic material or its spiritual threads either. However, this may be tied to the fact I had a hard time connecting with the story overall, for it does have many good things to say about protecting one’ heart and giving it away wisely.

As for other gray area issues, the magic is restricted to characters that are not human (with one instance of fortune telling, which is soundly rebuked), and the minimal violence is handled with care.

Summary: While Heartless failed to thrill me, this is possibly because of my personal preferences, and many teenagers who love the fantasy genre may find in this novel a delightful tale.

Rating: Craft—3, Content—3, Overall—3.3 out of 5 stars

What Flavor are You?

2010-08-13T03:54:00.000-05:00

I live in the territory of Twins baseball, and one of the things Twins fans are nuttiest about is catcher Joe Mauer, because he is a home-grown player.

So it is not really any surprise when I recently saw that local dairy producer, Kemps, has Mauer endorsing their product.

But I had to laugh when a grocery ad arrived, boasting a sale on “Joe Mauer Ice Cream.” Since no other description was provided, I had to wonder—what flavor did Joe Mauer taste like?

Is he creamy smooth of slow churn with a thick ribbon of carmel? Or is he tangy and crunchy like chocolate chip mint? Or did Kemps devise a flavor as unique as the ballplayer himself?

Which got me to thinking—what flavor am I? If someone like Kemps wanted to make a Chawna Schroeder Ice Cream (okay, okay, you can stop laughing now; it’s just hypothetical, you know), what flavor would I choose?

I’ve finally decided, at least as a writer, I want to be bubble-gum ice cream. Something sweet, something fun, even almost childlike—but with little pockets of stuff to chew on.

Okay. Your turn. If you got to be an ice cream, what would you be? Something familiar? Something completely new? Come on, let's hear about it.

And oh, in case you were wondering, Joe Mauer turned out to be good, ol’ plain vanilla.

Marks of Good Humor, Part 3

2010-08-09T03:32:00.001-05:00

Okay, time for another video clip! This time we're doing an excerpt from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, part of the first conversation between Gaston and Belle:

So...is it good humor? Why or why not? And what principles about humor can we pull from this?

Disclaimer: Beauty and the Beast (Special Plantinum Edition), ©2002 by Walt Disney Video, is used under the fair use provisions of the United States Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C §107, for educational and critical purposes.

Notes from a Retreat

2010-08-07T15:52:00.001-05:00

A few weekends ago, I attended a writing retreat where Susan May Warren taught. It was an interesting weekend, one God used to broaden my perspective in multiple ways, as I sat back and did a lot of listening.

I cannot begin to expound on everything, either the stuff from personal perspective or the immense volume of teaching. But I thought I would pass on a few of my notes from the retreat:

Ask “What is the lie your characters believe, and what is the truth that will set them free?”

Within the first act of the story, give the reader a glimpse of the protagonist’s greatest dream/desire or his greatest fear.

Around the first threshold (Ms. Warren’s “Noble Quest”), implement some push-pull: what draws the protagonist forward into the unknown (pull) and why is it now intolerable to say where she began (push)?

During the final battle (a.k.a. the climax or death & resurrection), what is the protagonist able to do that he couldn’t do at the beginning?

Try starting your scene five minutes later and ending five minutes earlier.

At the beginning of a scene, ask what the protagonist fears most at that moment.

End a scene with a surprise or the worst thing that can happen at that moment.

Word painting is sensory, specific, active, figurative language having the music and rhythm to act as the score beneath the story.

Description can be either static (focused on a point) or active (intertwined as the protagonist moves through a scene).

Don’t feel guilty about taking down time/white space.

Marks of Good Humor, Part 2

2010-08-02T14:15:00.003-05:00

I don't know about you, but I love the Eloise movies. While she is very much a willful and spoiled child who is given her way far too often, you can't help be attracted to her big heart, zeal for life, and the innocent way she cuts to the core of a matter--not to mention she makes you laugh along the way.

Last week, I posted a clip from the second movie, Eloise at Christmastime, along with three questions, since we're currently studying humor: Was the clip good humor? Why or why not? What principles can we draw from this?

Overall, I believe this clip reflects good humor, the one profanity aside. Why? Because there is something true, something right, in watching snobbish and sharp-tongued Prunella being dressed down by the owner's daughter. As Eloise herself puts it, "Please tell me you're loving this as much as I am."

Again, why? Why does this ring true? Because good humor pokes fun at wrong thoughts, attitudes and actions--snobbery in this case. As it says in Psalm 2, "The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One," (v. 2), and at this God laughs (v. 4). Such arrogance and defiance in the face of an all-powerful God--that kind of attitude is laughable because from the outside, it is ridiculous.

And therein lies the power of humor--what we laugh at we also tend to withdraw from, for fear of being laughed at ourselves. The difference between good humor and bad, then, is not that we laugh at something, but rather at what we are laughing, and therefore subconsciously withdrawing from.

Thus, we have the first principle of good humor: It mocks what is evil, not what is good.