Christian speculative fiction is not new in the
modern era. It has been around for centuries. Back in the day, anything
that would qualify as speculative fiction would've probably been at least
nominally Christian because that's the way the culture was. At least
nominally.
The novels I've been looking at are
those published since 1986 when This Present
Darkness released. But where would any of us be if we couldn't stand
on the shoulders of those who have gone before?
Most people know of Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, but not everyone knows of
his SpaceTrilogy. It's heady stuff, completely
speculative and utterly Christian.
And the last two are classics,
especially Screwtape. It's a
must-read.
MacDonald is considered by many to be
the first Christian speculative novelist of the "modern" (19th century)
period. Writers like Tolkien and Lewis were no doubt influenced by his
writings.
Like I have to introduce Tolkien, the
man who basically invented the modern fantasy genre.
Tolkien's Catholic faith certainly
informed his speculative fiction, but I do not believe he had any direct
allegorical purpose in mind when he wrote of Middle-Earth.
Tolkien's trilogy pretty much
singlehandedly made me decide to become a novelist. There are powers at
work in his fiction that resonate on a level far deeper than allegory.
This is the stuff of myth and human archetype.
Note that this is not a complete
listing of Tolkien's works, and it is certainly not a complete listing of
all the editions of his works, or books about his works. Just have fun
browsing!
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