Book-Bat
Join us in celebrating, exploring, and navigating the world of Christian fantasy books!
What would it look like for Christian fantasy to tackle more difficult subjects and scenarios? We give some ideas, writing updates, and thoughts on how Christian norms affect our writing.
SPOILER WARNING for “Tales of the Diversity” (Karlissa J)!
Mentioned: Thinking Out Loud podcast with Cameron MacAllister and Nathan Rittenhouse (toltogether.com/podcast); “Lilith” (George MacDonald); “The Divine Comedy” (Dante); “The Great Divorce” (CS Lewis)
Why do many Christians think fantasy is for children? Is there room for Christians to read and write fantasy books designed for a mature audience? How should the Bible influence our storytelling methods?
Recommended: “Till We Have Faces” (CS Lewis), “Children of Hurin” (JRR Tolkien), “Tales of the Diversity” (Karlissa J), “The Cosmic Trilogy” (CS Lewis) including “Out of the Silent Planet.”
Resource mentioned: Philip and Carol Zaleski, “The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings.”
Also: The BibleProject series on Parables!
Does Christian fantasy need more ‘mature content’? What IS maturity? What is the role of the spiritual - and of spiritual maturity - in fantasy? We will be exploring these questions and more in our series on mature content.
(Don’t worry, this episode’s content is suitable for all ages!)
Quote from C.S. Lewis comes from his article “The Lord of the Rings,” which can be found in his book “On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature.”
Does constantly reaching for the familiar stunt our creativity? In this episode, each co-host answers how he/she makes a point of stepping outside the box of familiarity to strengthen their writing abilities.
The evolution of the word stereotype, the invention of the term Mary Sue, our dislike of James Bond, what Ironman has in common with Paw Patrol… our discussion of Mary Sue and Gary Stu characters leads to multiple random reflections!
Dictionary.com article on Mary Sue: https://www.dictionary.com/e/fictional-characters/mary-sue/
The actor who plays Superman in the CW’s “Superman & Lois” is Tyler Hoechlin.
The Tolkien Society Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.tolkiensociety.org/author/faq/
Karlissa came up with a list of ten fun things to say about John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings, among other books!
Resources mentioned: the CS Lewis Podcast with Alister McGrath; J.R.R. Tolkien’s letter to Milton Waldman; “On Fairy Stories” (J.R.R. Tolkien)
Jason Fisher’s Article “Reluctantly Inspired: George MacDonald and J.R.R. Tolkien”: https://digitalcommons.snc.edu/northwind/vol25/iss1/8/
Do we have a type? Can a villain be a favourite character? Can a character be separated from their story? We explore our thoughts on favourite characters!
SPOILER ALERTS: George MacDonald’s “Lilith,” “The Dragon Prince” (Wonderstorm).
Other books mentioned: “The Silmarillion” (JRR Tolkien), “Tales of the Diversity” (Karlissa J), “Till We Have Faces” (CS Lewis), Sonic Comics from IDW, “Rise of the Guardians” (William Joyce), “Chronicles of Narnia” (CS Lewis), Redwall series (Brian Jacques), “All-New Wolverine” (Tom Taylor)… the Bible!
Which are better: characters that exemplify who we wish to be, or ones that remind us of who we already are? Jason and Karlissa discuss the Bible, superheroes, Sonic the Hedgehog, and even throw in a reference to Disney's "Treasure Planet"!
“When a character is relatable, the audience can see themselves in them, and they are more likely to invest in their story.” - neilchasefilm.com/relatable-characters/ - by Neil Chase
2 years ago, the website Comic Vine did a poll that asked which voters preferred: Aspirational or Relatable. Now, out of the fourteen that voted, the results were 57-43 in favour of “Aspirational”.
According to Falcon At the Movies “An aspirational hero is somebody to look up to and fights for the right thing. I think they CAN make mistakes and even have flaws, but they can NEVER question fighting for good.” - https://falconmovies.wordpress.com/2021/07/23/great-debate-what-is-an-aspirational-hero-movies/
Jason and Karlissa discuss magic: a topic that sometimes gets brought up in Christian circles concerning fantasy. Together, they consider the complexities that often get overlooked.
Resources used: “The Gospel According to Tolkien” (Ralph C. Wood); “Narnia, Middle-Earth, and the Kingdom of God” (Mark Worthing); “The Fellowship: the Literary Lives of the Inklings” (Philip and Carol Zaleski); and a few dictionaries!
A nod to Madeleine L’Engle, who brought up the magi and the stars in her book, “Penguins and Golden Calves.”
And George MacDonald’s “Lilith” indeed has many odd, magical moments - Karlissa recommends reading it!
Jason tells the story of how he discovered Brian Jacques’ Redwall series; then he and Karlissa give some ideas on where to find fantasy books.
Karlissa’s Current Reading: “The Heart of George MacDonald” (Rolland Hein), and “The Gospel According to Tolkien” (Ralph C. Wood).
Corrections: “The Green Ember” was written by S.D. Smith. The George MacDonald scholar is Rolland Hein. J.R.R. Tolkien’s book mentioned is “Tales from the Perilous Realm.”