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Sharing My Reading Joy

Many readers are still unfamiliar with Christian speculative fiction–even Christian writers, even Christians writing speculative fiction. Consequently, I thought I’d share with you some of my favorites. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

World-building: The Undervalued Element Of Speculative Fiction

Books that transport me somewhere else have a dense culture filled with rituals, slang, moral right and wrong, tradition, art, entertainment, bureaucracy, and so much more. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Speculation And Biblical Elements

The Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour (CSFF) is currently featuring Broken Wings, Book 2 of the Angel Eyes triology by Shannon Dittemore. I haven’t had time to read the first round of posts yet (those that went up […] · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Reading Classics

Why do we read some books over and over? Why do some books end up in curriculum, each generation savoring the story of an author long dead? · Donita K. Paul

Are Libraries On The Way Out?

If as a reading society, we don’t care about the free availability of reading material on nearly any subject, we may be creating a gatekeeper much more restrictive than any publishing company has been. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

The Stories That Matter

“It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. . . . Those were the stories that stayed with you.” ~ Samwise Gamgee · Gillian Bronte Adams

Who Reads Christian Speculative Fiction?

If Christians who love the genre so much that they are writing their own stories aren’t reading what other Christians are writing, then who is reading them? · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Reading And Standards For It

Maybe the entire reading experience is subjective. Maybe there isn’t an “everyone should read this” book out there. Maybe the best we can do is know ourselves and what’s good for us to read. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

A Brief Introduction To Gene Wolfe, My Favorite Contemporary Author

If you love speculative fiction, either as reader or writer, Wolfe is worth your time. If you’re a Christian wanting to improve the quality of the books you’re reading or improve your craft as a writer, Wolfe is essential. · Matt Mikalatos

Idolatry And Reading-Fandom

Religion scholar David Chidester has famously argued that baseball, Coca-Cola, rock ‘n’ roll, Tupperware—and even the Human Genome Project—serve, for their biggest fans, as “religious fakes,” meaning they play the role of religion, though they aren’t the real thing. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Scary Title Alert: The Discipline Of Reading Fiction

Readers get inoculated by “fun” fiction, and no longer approach stories as vehicles of ideas, shown not told. When we as Christians do look for meaning, we are primarily looking for a Christ figure and a picture of redemption. We rarely dig deeper. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Books To Love

I recently talked with a friend about a book I was reading and enjoying. The question came up: why was I enjoying it? What was it about this book that made it a satisfying reading experience? · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Ode To Verse

From Yvonne Anderson: “I think you never hoped to see / A poem on this blog by me. / Although the topic here’s Spec Fic, / My conscience feels no twinge or prick. …” · Yvonne Anderson

Preference V. Weakness

Reader differences go far beyond genre or gender. Each person brings his or her own preferences, prejudices, expectations, beliefs, experiences, and assumptions to the story. · Keanan Brand

‘The Hobbit’ Story Group 3: A Short Rest

Do your fantasy-world Elves sing “tra-la-la-lally” from treetops? J.R.R. Tolkien’s do. And he entreats us to meet these unique Middle-earth residents in “The Hobbit,” chapter 3. · E. Stephen Burnett

Reading Is Worship 12: Desiring God As Fantasy Fans

As we come to the end(?) of this series, I’m curious: How is your God-glorifying, worshipful, speculative-story “singing” voice? What fantastic fiction have you read, seen, or heard that moved you to worship the Author? · E. Stephen Burnett

‘The Hobbit’ Story Group 2: Roast Mutton

In chapter 2, Bilbo Baggins, the reluctant member of Thorin Oakenshield’s Dwarf-company, first tries to put his “burglar” skills to the test. · E. Stephen Burnett
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