Sci-fi

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Review- The God Hater, by Bill Myers

So the tour is back on schedule, and this month’s book is “The God Hater” by Bill Myers.  The book is a sci-fi work, and I wasn’t very excited before reading it.  The title put me off, and I’m not a very big fan of sci-fi.  However, I’ve found from doing the tour that I might miss out on some extremely good books based on such criteria.

And Bill Myer’s book, while not as big of a pleasant surprise as books like “The Charlatin’s Boy”, was a good read and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.  The sci-fi element was not as intense as I had assumed it would be, but it definitely increases the further along you read.

The title of the book is based on one of the work’s main characters, a professor who enjoys breaking down the religious beliefs of his students and anyone else who shares with others how they believe.  And through the parallels we see later on in the book, I think we find that the title shows us a problem common to all of mankind to some extend.  It shows that one can claim to follow God, yet meet him face to face and not only not recognize Him… but end up persecuting Him.

I enjoyed all the different elements of the story, and though some particulars in the book do not match up with the Bible, if I remember right most or all of those were limited to being in the fictional world that the book’s fictional characters themselves create.  Add to this that the author inserts a note at the beginning of the book that addresses the issue, and I think readers will be able to understand that these incorrect elements are not meant to be taken as applicable to reality.  I wish more authors would start their books with notes like this, and I’m definitely planning on having such notes in all of my novels.  Overall, I felt like the book made truths of God plain, and easily reached beyond a superficial claim of being a spiritual work of Christian fiction.

I would recommend this book to anyone who does not understand the sacrifice that God has made for his people, as well as for anyone who likes sci-fi or books full of adventure.

Here are some related links:

Book link  –  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1439153264 (or an alternate link of your choice)
Author’s web site – http://www.thegodhater.com/
Author’s Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bill-Myers/44983396181

Check out the fellow blog tour members to see what they think:
Noah Arsenault
Red Bissell
Thomas Clayton Booher
Kathy Brasby
Keanan Brand
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
Chawna Schroeder
Andrea Schultz
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
James Somers
Donna Swanson
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Nicole White
Dave Wilson

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

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Review: Offworld- by Robin Parrish

So I’m finally getting closer to catching up with the Christian Sci-Fi Fantasy Blog Tour, and am able to post a more proper review of the book for the month.  For August us bloggers took a trip to Mars with the characters of Robin Parrish’s Offworld.

This book definitely keeps the pace up, the opposite of a slow and over worded novel.  In fact there were a few times I found myself trying to figure out whether or not it was going too fast.  But only a few times.  I haven’t finished the book yet, though I’m pretty close.  And it’s been hard to break the action to put the book down for the night.  Enjoyable when I don’t have to be up by a certain time the next day.

I’m able to get into the lead characters, each one a necessary part of the story.  There are some I care about more than others, but that may have been Robin’s goal.  Offworld is truly the story of the characters, and not simply a plot filled out with unimportant bodies.

And speaking of the plot, man am I looking forward to seeing how this book ends!  When I said the characters matter, well, it goes the other way too.  This isn’t just a grouping of great characters thrown into a room and inconsequentially recorded.  It’s a good story.

I’ve been partially let down by the direction the book has taken thus far, but I’m not sure why.  I guess I liked things as they were after the first few chapters and hoped it would work out differently.  The way things have turned out is not a let down in and of itself, in fact it’s quite enjoyable.  But I guess I would like to see the idea explored in a different direction (at this point in the book I’m going to assume it would have to be a work completely separate from this novel).  I mention all this not to downplay the book, but rather to point out that it sets a foundation for even more to be explored.

On the spiritual aspect of the work, it’s definitely a safe book to read thus far.  Honestly I haven’t seen much depth spiritually, and I’m hoping for something powerful before it’s all over.  I’m not seeing how it might happen, but there’s enough there to work with if you have the desire to do so.  I’ll just have to wait and see if Robin Parrish wanted to or not.  I will say that considering the Christian world view changes a lot of potential outcomes throughout the book, so in that regard the spiritual aspect has the potential of adding suspense for the reader who accepts Christ as their Lord and Saviour and who accepts the Bible as the infallible word of God.  The book could still tear that apart, though I’m not expecting or hoping that it will do so.  What I’m really wanting to know is what kind of spiritual impact the conclusion of the book is going to have on readers.  Lord willing I’ll find out in the next couple of days.

And, Lord willing, you too dear reader will have the opportunity to see what the conclusion of the book has to offer.  Not just from my opinion, either.  I’ve got in my possession a couple extra copies of this book to give away.  Be on the lookout next month for the giveaways to begin, it’s my goal to start with the next CSFFBT.  And if all goes well there should be somewhat regular giveaways to follow, with a variety of books from a variety of authors.  I have some ideas in mind on how to do the giveaways, but feel free to share any of your own ideas.  However it happens, as long as the end of this book doesn’t tank, I’m really looking forward to passing it on to other readers to enjoy.  It’s been a fun book to read, even for a guy who’s not really a sci-fi fan.

Some official websites to follow up on are:

Offworld – http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764206060

Robin Parrish’s Web site – http://www.robinparrish.com/
Robin Parrish’s blog – http://twitter.com/robinparrish(that’s the address he gives for his blog on his Web site)

To find out what other bloggers thought of the book and the author, please visit some of the other sites below.  And remember, the more you follow and reply to these kinds of reviews and books, the more chances there will be of publishers supporting Christian speculative fiction.

Thanks for reading, and thanks fellow CSFFBT bloggers!

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Gina Burgess
Canadianladybug
Melissa Carswell
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week)
Nissa
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Steve Rice
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Stephanie
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Elizabeth Williams

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Foundation Week- March ’09

Got some crazy ideas that you want to see thrown together into short stories and the like?

 

Wondering if you can give a writing challenge too difficult for an author to accomplish?

 

Bring it on!

 

Partake in the monthly feature: “The Writer’s Challenge”.  You brainstorm the story elements, you choose the story elements, and I write the short story.  This will be written from a Christian world view, so I thank you ahead of time for keeping it clean (inappropriate posts will be deleted). 

 

This first week is dedicated to brainstorming, and any related material needs to be presented as a reply to this post.  This is your opportunity to post your story elements, whether they be elements you think are cool or elements you think I don’t have the skills to handle.  Feel free to include any of the following:

•  Mood (funny, serious, adventurous, etc…)

•  Genre (fantasy, modern, sci-fi, etc…)

•  Characters

•  Settings

•  Plot elements

•  Items (weapons, possessions, animals, relics, etc…)

 

Please use headings for your choices so I’ll have an easier time gathering them.  If you have something that doesn’t fit under one of these categories, you can use the heading “Other”.  Please hold any comments on replies from other people, there will be opportunity for this later.  Any ideas for the month must be posted before the first week of the month ends (this week).

 

Please see the “Writer’s Challenge” page for further details.

 

Let’s make a story!

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Foundation Week- February ’09

Got some crazy ideas that you want to see thrown together into short stories and the like?

 

Wondering if you can give a writing challenge too difficult for an author to accomplish?

 

Bring it on!

 

Partake in the monthly feature: “The Writer’s Challenge”.  You brainstorm the story elements, you choose the story elements, and I write the short story.  This will be written from a Christian world view, so I thank you ahead of time for keeping it clean (inappropriate posts will be deleted). 

 

This first week is dedicated to brainstorming, and any related material needs to be presented as a reply to this post.  This is your opportunity to post your story elements, whether they be elements you think are cool or elements you think I don’t have the skills to handle.  Feel free to include any of the following:

•  Mood (funny, serious, adventurous, etc…)

•  Genre (fantasy, modern, sci-fi, etc…)

•  Characters

•  Settings

•  Plot elements

•  Items (weapons, possessions, animals, relics, etc…)

 

Please use headings for your choices so I’ll have an easier time gathering them.  If you have something that doesn’t fit under one of these categories, you can use the heading “Other”.  Please hold any comments on replies from other people, there will be opportunity for this later.  Any ideas for the month must be posted before the first week of the month ends (this week).

 

Please see the “Writer’s Challenge” page for further details.

 

Let’s make a story!

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The Lost Genre Guild

As some of you know, Christian speculative fiction is a genre that’s not really a part of the general Christian publishing industry.  Authors writing fantasy, sci-fi, alternate reality, spiritual warfare, and other spec-fic  books with a Christian world view have a hard time convincing big Christian publishers that their books will sell.  Their books are not usually the ones picked up on bookshelves.

But that doesn’t mean there’s not an audience.  There is, in fact, quite a large group of people who love Christian spec-fic.  They just spend their time in other places.  Some authors and readers have banded together to reach this audience.  One such group is the “Lost Genre Guild.”

http://www.lostgenreguild.com is where the group can be found online.  They have something for anyone with an interest in Christian spec-fic..

Readers:

  • A list of quality books to read
  • Reviews to help you find the right book for your current mood
  • People who are working to encourage authors to write what you like

Authors:

  • Reviews to help market your material to the right people
  • Links to other groups that support what you write
  • Publisher links specific to Christian spec-fic
  • Contacts for author helps

Beyond these benefits, this is a chance for both readers and writers to partake in a work that brings glory to God Almighty, the Great Story Maker.  All good things come from Him; and when a book’s author understands that, they are able to tap into something that touches the very soul of man. 

So please visit the site, and be a part of what they are doing.  You’ll find good resources, no matter your part in the telling of good fiction.

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For more information on the LGG, and for more on Christian Spec-Fic, please check out the following blogs…

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
Jason Joyner
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