1. Lars Walker’s series “The Erling Skjalgsson Saga” (The Year of the Warrior, West Oversea, and Hailstone Mountain) presents a well-formed Christian religion. It is set in the Viking era during the Christianization period.

    The narrator is a priest, and much of the story follows the ebbs and flows of church life.

    Other than this series I was having a hard time coming up with anything else.

  2. Martin LaBar says:

    The Deryni novels of Katherine Kurtz are fantasy set in a medieval time, with something very like the Catholic church of that time, and church beliefs, practices, and rituals playing an important part. Most or all chapters begin with a quotation from the Bible. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deryni_novels

    Lois McMaster Bujold’s Chalion novels have a strong religious aspect. There are five gods, priests, and, occasionally, even actual communication with one or the other of the gods. See here for a short review which picks up on the religious aspect: https://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?ID=64

    See also this dictionary (or glossary) of Bujold’s books, which demonstrates the importance of religion: http://www.dendarii.com/dict-chalion.html

    Thanks for your post.

  3. Tracey Dyck says:

    Excellent point! Not many spec-faith books include religion as a fully fleshed out aspect of the worldbuilding. Definitely an aspect to which I want to devote more time.

  4. notleia says:

    I have a half-formed theory that Halloween is basically an autumn Mardi Gras. Seems to follow the theme of the populace stealing a festival back from a Catholic holy day.

  5. Karen Hancock’s Legend of the Guardian-King series has a rather well-formed religion, and an opposition religion as well. And Patrick Carr’s first series—the title eludes me right now—also had a structured religion. I believe the second series does, too. Then there was the story with the four different priesthoods–identified by the colors of their robes. That was a young adult series some time ago by . . . D. Barkley Briggs. I forget the title of the series.

    So there are some few that do include a well-formed religion, but not many. I wonder if this is because our own lives are so secularized, we don’t miss a religious component in the society we build.

    Becky

    • Martin LaBar says:

      “I wonder if this is because our own lives are so secularized, we don’t miss a religious component in the society we build.” You’re probably on to something there.

  6. Krystine says:

    If I can ever get back to writing on it, my Exile series has a strong religious component. The Legends of Astarkand series also follows Bjorn as he returns Astarkand to the worship of God, rebuilds the churches and restores the priesthood, but–I can’t really afford to write at this time, so–

What do you think?