by Jason Joyner | Dec 31, 2008 | Blog, christian fiction, CSFF, Lost Genre Guild, speculative fiction
Time for one last Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy Blog Tour for 2008. (Wow, I’m only caught up to like, May of ’08. Do we have to rush into ’09 so soon?)
Anyway…
The Lost Genre Guild is a site devoted to promoting speculative fiction that follows a Christian worldview. They have the simplest formula I’ve seen for describing what speculative fiction is:
Entertainment + scriptural framework
It was started by some of the members of the CSFF tour to raise awareness and respect for Christian spec fic according to their “About” page. These folks haven’t just endeavored to write about other works, they are also actively producing their own to try and self-fulfill their mission. The site and group is open for new members to join as well.
Their most ambitious product to date is the self-produced anthology “Light at the Edge of Darkness”. Check out more about it at the link.
My only critique is that they don’t have reviews or apparant support (that I can find on their site) for spec fic produced by mainstream CBA publishers (such as the Dominion trilogy by Robin Parrish through Bethany House Publishers). I admit that I didn’t get to do an exhaustive search of Lost Genre Guild, so maybe I missed something.
It is impressive to find people to see a need and do something about it. I am interested to discover more about their group and works. If you’re a fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror and are looking for alternatives, then check out the Lost Genre Guild.
Also see my fellow tourmates below, and we’ll see you on the other side (in 2009, if everyone is in such a rush to get there…)
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Grace Bridges
Valerie Comer
Courtney
Frank Creed
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Kait
Carol Keen
Lost Genre Guild
Mike Lynch
Magma
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Mirtika
Hanna Sandvig
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Timothy Wise
by Jason Joyner | Dec 31, 2008 | Blog, christian fiction, CSFF, Lost Genre Guild, speculative fiction
Time for one last Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy Blog Tour for 2008. (Wow, I’m only caught up to like, May of ’08. Do we have to rush into ’09 so soon?)
Anyway…
The Lost Genre Guild is a site devoted to promoting speculative fiction that follows a Christian worldview. They have the simplest formula I’ve seen for describing what speculative fiction is:
Entertainment + scriptural framework
It was started by some of the members of the CSFF tour to raise awareness and respect for Christian spec fic according to their “About” page. These folks haven’t just endeavored to write about other works, they are also actively producing their own to try and self-fulfill their mission. The site and group is open for new members to join as well.
Their most ambitious product to date is the self-produced anthology “Light at the Edge of Darkness”. Check out more about it at the link.
My only critique is that they don’t have reviews or apparant support (that I can find on their site) for spec fic produced by mainstream CBA publishers (such as the Dominion trilogy by Robin Parrish through Bethany House Publishers). I admit that I didn’t get to do an exhaustive search of Lost Genre Guild, so maybe I missed something.
It is impressive to find people to see a need and do something about it. I am interested to discover more about their group and works. If you’re a fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror and are looking for alternatives, then check out the Lost Genre Guild.
Also see my fellow tourmates below, and we’ll see you on the other side (in 2009, if everyone is in such a rush to get there…)
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Grace Bridges
Valerie Comer
Courtney
Frank Creed
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Kait
Carol Keen
Lost Genre Guild
Mike Lynch
Magma
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Mirtika
Hanna Sandvig
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Timothy Wise
by Jason Joyner | Nov 19, 2008 | Blog, CSFF, speculative fiction, vampires
Hey there. I’m still here, just doing a little more juggling. It’s time for the monthly CSFF tour, which is featuring John Olson’s latest book, Shade.
This book is set in San Francisco and involves a graduate student possibly getting involved with a mythical underground world, or possibly dealing with paranoid schizophrenia. The question becomes whether the weird things happening to her reality or her own warped imagination.
I was intrigued by the book, but I (wisely) didn’t sign up for it, figuring I wouldn’t have much time with our new baby to commit. Still, I want to promote this book, as the buzz I’m hearing about it is significant and interesting.
Becky Miller, our tour ringleader, referred in her first tour posting to a post of mine regarding vampires in Christian fiction in which Shade was mentioned. It was actually mentioned by someone else in the comment section, but that’s where I first got wind of it.
I’ve tried to read most of my tourmates posts regarding Shade, and I wanted to highlight a few that were the most interesting.
John W. Otte has three posts, giving a good review, explaining how he came by the book, and how ambiguity can be a good thing.
Nissa discusses the use of “real” vampires in Christian fiction in a few posts (make sure to scroll down for more).
Pam Morrisson gives her review and a good overview of the book.
Chawna Schroeder gives a review, an intro to John Olson, and an excerpt from the prologue.
There’s also an interview with John over at Title Trakk that discusses an older book of his as well as Shade, and an interesting story from Randy Ingermanson (scroll most the way down to read it; hat tip to Val Comer) that aren’t officially part of the CSFF tour.
I’m interested in getting this book after all this. Check out other tourmates below for more on Shade. Especially Steve Trower for vampire-inspired music!
John Olson’s Web site – http://www.litany.com/
*Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Kait
Magma
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
Steve Rice
Mirtika or Mir’s Here
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
by Jason Joyner | Nov 19, 2008 | Blog, CSFF, speculative fiction, vampires
Hey there. I’m still here, just doing a little more juggling. It’s time for the monthly CSFF tour, which is featuring John Olson’s latest book, Shade.
This book is set in San Francisco and involves a graduate student possibly getting involved with a mythical underground world, or possibly dealing with paranoid schizophrenia. The question becomes whether the weird things happening to her reality or her own warped imagination.
I was intrigued by the book, but I (wisely) didn’t sign up for it, figuring I wouldn’t have much time with our new baby to commit. Still, I want to promote this book, as the buzz I’m hearing about it is significant and interesting.
Becky Miller, our tour ringleader, referred in her first tour posting to a post of mine regarding vampires in Christian fiction in which Shade was mentioned. It was actually mentioned by someone else in the comment section, but that’s where I first got wind of it.
I’ve tried to read most of my tourmates posts regarding Shade, and I wanted to highlight a few that were the most interesting.
John W. Otte has three posts, giving a good review, explaining how he came by the book, and how ambiguity can be a good thing.
Nissa discusses the use of “real” vampires in Christian fiction in a few posts (make sure to scroll down for more).
Pam Morrisson gives her review and a good overview of the book.
Chawna Schroeder gives a review, an intro to John Olson, and an excerpt from the prologue.
There’s also an interview with John over at Title Trakk that discusses an older book of his as well as Shade, and an interesting story from Randy Ingermanson (scroll most the way down to read it; hat tip to Val Comer) that aren’t officially part of the CSFF tour.
I’m interested in getting this book after all this. Check out other tourmates below for more on Shade. Especially Steve Trower for vampire-inspired music!
John Olson’s Web site – http://www.litany.com/
*Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Kait
Magma
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
Steve Rice
Mirtika or Mir’s Here
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
by Jason Joyner | Oct 21, 2008 | Blog, CSFF, reviews, speculative fiction
Jason Blue and Jason Red enjoyed the book; Jason Yellow isn’t old enough to read yet.
—
This month’s featured book for the Christian Sci-fi/Fantasy blog tour is Beyond the Reflection’s Edge by Bryan Davis.
Beyond is a contemporary sci-fi, fantastic story geared toward the young adult/teen crowd. That appealed to me just fine, as my wife claims I’m a big kid. Nathan Shepherd is a 16 year old child prodigy on the violin, who travels the world with his investigator dad and virtuoso mom, homeschooled by a plucky tutor named Clara. The story pulls no punches with the opening, and by the end of the first chapter Nathan’s parents have been murdered and he is running for his life.
Nathan is taken to a safe haven in the Midwest with a friend of his parents’, Tony Clark. He meets Tony’s teenage daughter Kelly, who is a lot different than Nathan’s Christian background. Together they start searching for clues to his parents’ deaths, with a mirror that shows thoughts, a camera that takes pictures of things that aren’t there, and a violin that speaks to Kelly. Soon they are drawn into a vast conspiracy involving the company Interfinity, which may be trying to use different dimensions to conquer all of them.
The book has an intriguing premise and a suspenseful plot. Davis uses a love of classical music to move key plot points along, which I really enjoyed exposing readers to the beauty involved there. Nathan and Kelly are rounded, interesting characters, and their evolving interaction helps the book along as well. Other characters seem to have less holistic appeal, appearing when needed to achieve a certain function for the plot. There are aspects of most characters that strain credulity: Nathan whips out martial arts, a friend of Kelly is a computer genius, just for a couple of examples. The Shepherds are a super-couple, and the mystery of their deaths is at the heart of the story, but the dad’s role is especially confusing for a while.
The story does involve different dimensions, (labeled Red, Blue, and Yellow-thus the intro to this post), and it provides for good suspense, keeping the reader guessing what is reality and what is not. It can get confusing at times though, keeping Nathan Red and company separate from his other-colored versions. It also offers up an opportunity for some moral choices, and I felt there was a major point that was too glossed over, without exploring the consequences of the choices.
Overall, Davis has offered up an enjoyable conspiracy-tinged speculative fiction suspense. It has some flaws, but I am glad I bought it for this tour, and I plan on continuing with the series and passing it on to my teenage nephew.
If you are interested in more information, check out Bryan Davis’ website, and his blog. The second book in the series, Eternity’s Edge, is in stores now as well.
Finally, see my other blog tourmates for more on Beyond the Reflection’s Edge:
Brandon Barr
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Courtney
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Kait
Mike Lynch
Magma
Terri Main
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Mirtika or Mir’s Here
Chawna Schroeder
Greg Slade
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
by Jason Joyner | Oct 21, 2008 | Blog, CSFF, reviews, speculative fiction
Jason Blue and Jason Red enjoyed the book; Jason Yellow isn’t old enough to read yet.
—
This month’s featured book for the Christian Sci-fi/Fantasy blog tour is Beyond the Reflection’s Edge by Bryan Davis.
Beyond is a contemporary sci-fi, fantastic story geared toward the young adult/teen crowd. That appealed to me just fine, as my wife claims I’m a big kid. Nathan Shepherd is a 16 year old child prodigy on the violin, who travels the world with his investigator dad and virtuoso mom, homeschooled by a plucky tutor named Clara. The story pulls no punches with the opening, and by the end of the first chapter Nathan’s parents have been murdered and he is running for his life.
Nathan is taken to a safe haven in the Midwest with a friend of his parents’, Tony Clark. He meets Tony’s teenage daughter Kelly, who is a lot different than Nathan’s Christian background. Together they start searching for clues to his parents’ deaths, with a mirror that shows thoughts, a camera that takes pictures of things that aren’t there, and a violin that speaks to Kelly. Soon they are drawn into a vast conspiracy involving the company Interfinity, which may be trying to use different dimensions to conquer all of them.
The book has an intriguing premise and a suspenseful plot. Davis uses a love of classical music to move key plot points along, which I really enjoyed exposing readers to the beauty involved there. Nathan and Kelly are rounded, interesting characters, and their evolving interaction helps the book along as well. Other characters seem to have less holistic appeal, appearing when needed to achieve a certain function for the plot. There are aspects of most characters that strain credulity: Nathan whips out martial arts, a friend of Kelly is a computer genius, just for a couple of examples. The Shepherds are a super-couple, and the mystery of their deaths is at the heart of the story, but the dad’s role is especially confusing for a while.
The story does involve different dimensions, (labeled Red, Blue, and Yellow-thus the intro to this post), and it provides for good suspense, keeping the reader guessing what is reality and what is not. It can get confusing at times though, keeping Nathan Red and company separate from his other-colored versions. It also offers up an opportunity for some moral choices, and I felt there was a major point that was too glossed over, without exploring the consequences of the choices.
Overall, Davis has offered up an enjoyable conspiracy-tinged speculative fiction suspense. It has some flaws, but I am glad I bought it for this tour, and I plan on continuing with the series and passing it on to my teenage nephew.
If you are interested in more information, check out Bryan Davis’ website, and his blog. The second book in the series, Eternity’s Edge, is in stores now as well.
Finally, see my other blog tourmates for more on Beyond the Reflection’s Edge:
Brandon Barr
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Courtney
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Kait
Mike Lynch
Magma
Terri Main
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Mirtika or Mir’s Here
Chawna Schroeder
Greg Slade
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
