Find yourself in a better story
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Review of Starlighter (Day 2)
Jason Masters is trained to be a hero, a peasant whose skill takes him to the top of warrior training. With his brother Adrian, he grows up fighting homemade dragons and “rescuing” his best friend, Elyssa, from all manner of peril. But growing up brings unwelcome realities with it. His oldest brother, Frederick, disappears, and…
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CSFF Tour: Starlighter
This month’s CSFF feature is Bryan Davis’s Starlighter, a book I almost didn’t get to review. You see, Zondervan was only sending review copies out via UPS, and as a Canadian that didn’t work for me. I asked Bryan for an interview anyway, and when he learned about the situation, he sent me a (signed!)…
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Interview with Matt Mikalatos (Imaginary Jesus Tour, Day 3)
Today, an interview with Matt Mikalatos, author of Imaginary Jesus, in which we discuss controversy, the significance of style, the people behind the story, and more. Venture on! Rachel: The info sheet sent with Imaginary Jesus proclaims that your book “has the potential to get a Christian publisher in a whole lot of trouble.” The…
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Review: Imaginary Jesus (CSFF Tour Day 2)
The story begins at the Red and Black, a Communist coffee shop in Portland, Oregon, where Matt (our hero) and someone he thinks is Jesus are just hanging out. Enter the Apostle Peter, a.k.a. “Pete,” who recognizes Matt’s Jesus as an imposter and quickly instigates a fistfight. Imaginary Jesus takes off running, Pete and Matt…
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CSFF Tour: Imaginary Jesus
This month’s book for the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour is not science fiction or (exactly) fantasy. It is Christian. And it is imaginative. In fact, imagination is a big theme in the book, in one of its less helpful and edifying roles. The book is Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos, a Campus…
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Mustard and Vinegar
A couple of weeks ago at a writers’ meeting I had the privilege of meeting Rosine Nimeh-Mailloux, a gracious lady who grew up in Bethlehem in a Syrian Orthodox family. She’s written and published two books, one a collection of short stories based on her family’s experiences in Turkey, Lebanon, and Palestine (Mustard and Vinegar,…
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Choosing Ourselves (By Darkness Hid Tour, Day 3)
Fred Warren of Frederation, whose reviews are always insightful and entertaining, brought up an interesting point about By Darkness Hid yesterday: Nature vs. Nurture: Given Achan’s terrible upbringing, it was a bit of a puzzlement how well he turned out. Kept ignorant, hungry, and hopeless, beaten and beaten-down at every turn, he was still kind,…
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By Darkness Hid: A Review (CSFF Tour, Day 2)
Pressure filled his head again. This time the insight that followed was not dread but kinship and hope. Achan paused at the entrance to the kitchens and turned, seeking out the source of the sensation. His gaze was drawn to the armory. A knight stood leaning against the crude structure of the armory, watching Achan…
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CSFF Tour: By Darkness Hid
It’s Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour time again! (Say THAT five times fast!) This month’s book (sent to me free by the publisher for review, though as a Canadian I don’t think I’m actually required to disclose that) is By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson. Classic storyline, great world-building, strong characterization — there’s…
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The Man, the Beast, and the Nature of Desire (Raven’s Ladder, Day 4)
The CSFF Tour for this month is officially over, but before we leave Raven’s Ladder, I want to explore one of its themes. I also have a book to give away, so it’s time for a contest! Scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post for contest rules and deadline. Warning: there…