New!
Author resources • Lorehaven Guild
Podcast sponsors • Subscribe for free
Crew manifest Faith statement FAQs
All author resources Lorehaven Guild Subscribe for free

Into the Darkness
Reviews, Feb 3, 2023

The Chosen Succeeds Where ‘Woke’ Stories Fail
Jenneth Dyck in Articles, Feb 2, 2023

Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, Feb 1, 2023

Library

Find fantastical Christian novels

fantasy · sci-fi · and beyond
middle grade · young adult · grown-ups
All novels Search Add a novel
Silver Bounty, Victoria McCombs
A Sword for the Immerland King, F. W. Faller
Calor, J. J. Fisher
Once Upon A Ren Faire, A. C. Castillo
The Genesis 6 Project, Michael Ferguson
Exile, Loren G. Warnemuende
Aberration, Cathy McCrumb
The Truth Beyond the Lies, Kathleen Bird
Frost, Winter's Lonely Guardian, E. E. Rawls
Dream of Kings, Sharon Hinck
The Change, Bradley Caffee
Quest of Fire: Desperation, Brett Armstrong
Wishtress, Nadine Brandes
Flight, Kristen Young
Podcast

Get the Fantastical Truth podcast

Podcast sponsors | Subscribe links
Archives Feedback

147. Why Can Christians Celebrate Stories about Merlin and King Arthur? | with Robert Treskillard
Fantastical Truth, Jan 31, 2023

146. How Did Animators Adapt The Wingfeather Saga For Streaming TV? | with Keith Lango
Fantastical Truth, Jan 24, 2023

145. How Did Edmund Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene’ Shape Christian Fantasy? | with Rebecca K. Reynolds
Fantastical Truth, Jan 17, 2023

144. Which Top Six Fantasy Franchises Gave Fans Grief in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 10, 2023

143. Which Top Ten Lorehaven Stories Proved Most Popular in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 6, 2023

142. What Christmas Gift ‘Tools, Not Toys’ Helped You Grow As a Person?
Fantastical Truth, Dec 20, 2022

Quests

Join our monthly digital book quests.

Lorehaven Guild Faith statement FAQs

Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, February 2023

Prince Caspian
Book Quests, January 2023

Dream of Kings
Book Quests, December 2022

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
Book Quests, November 2022

Reviews

Find fantastical Christian reviews

All reviews Request review

Into the Darkness
“Charles Hack’s Into the Darkness summons a close-range science fiction story, focusing on the personal challenges of space warfare among alien cultures with a steady pace and serious tone.”
—Lorehaven on Feb 3, 2023

A Crown of Chains
“A Crown of Chains creatively retells a biblical tale to explore themes of providence, racism, faith, and fidelity.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 27, 2023

Lander’s Legacy
“Lander’s Legacy stacks modern thrills and complex characters on a foundation of biblical what-ifs.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 20, 2023

Prince Caspian
“Pacing starts slow but creature lore grows in C. S. Lewis’s sequel, introducing practical tyrants and talking-beast politics into a Narnian resistance.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 13, 2023

Gifts

Find new gifts for Christian fans

Archives

The original SpecFaith: est. 2006

Speculative Faith | archives

Lorehaven issues (2018–2020)

Order back issues online!
New
Library
Podcast
Quests
Reviews
Gifts
Archives
Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
Subscribe free to Lorehaven
/ SpecFaith /

No Such Thing As Miracles

Author Athol Dickson: “Magical realism presents the supernatural as a matter of fact, almost as an everyday event, much as science fiction does. But like pure fantasy, magical realism refuses to explain itself.”
Athol Dickson on May 4, 2012
No comments

For the last few years I’ve been writing in a little backwater of a genre called “magical realism.” Most people aren’t sure what it is, but some think it’s a kind of speculative fiction.

According to Wikipedia, speculative fiction is “an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature . . . .”

With its roots sunken deeply into the supernatural, magical realism definitely fits that definition, but it didn’t make the list of examples. Part of the reason may be the way it deals with the supernatural. It’s similar enough to be confused with other speculative fiction genres, yet different enough to be left out.

Of course, there are no rigid lines between most genres. One person’s science fiction may be another person’s fantasy. But in general terms when the supernatural occurs in science fiction it’s usually explained in natural terms. Sometimes it’s a natural part of an alternative universe (although I often find it difficult to tell the difference between alternative universe type science fiction and fantasy). More often what seems supernatural in science fiction is the extension of actual scientific trajectories far into the future. Either way, the apparently supernatural is brought down to earth, so to speak, through some sort of rational explanation. In fact, a big part of the fun with science fiction comes from exploring the technology or systems that make the fantastic events and conditions of the novel possible.

Again remembering that the dividing lines between genres are not always clear, generally speaking we can say in fantasy novels the supernatural is not explained, at least not in the natural or rational terms we find in science fiction. In fact, it’s the inability to offer a rational explanation that makes a novel fantasy. Fantasy is fantastic, which is to say, “not real; conceived or seemingly conceived by unrestrained fancy; so extreme as to challenge belief.” (Webster’s) There’s usually no interest in explaining the fantastic things that happen in a fantasy novel. In fact, explanations might spoil the fun of exploring the unrestrained creativity that a fantasy novel delivers to its fans.

Magical realism gets lost in the gray area between science fiction and fantasy. It borrows something from both genres, while lacking aspects of each. Magical realism presents the supernatural as a matter of fact, almost as an everyday event, much as science fiction does. But like pure fantasy, magical realism refuses to explain itself. You’re reading a story that seems to be taking place in the real world, then suddenly the hero walks off the edge of a cliff and just keeps going, apparently immune to the law of gravity. But the author doesn’t mention gravity. The author doesn’t even remark on the strangeness of a person walking in mid air. The author simply continues telling the hero’s story as if nothing supernatural is happening, and if this defiance of gravity is a natural thing happening in the real world. That’s magical realism.

I think magical realism is a perfect fit with Christian fiction, because when you think about it, the description I just wrote almost perfectly conforms with the way the Bible deals with the supernatural. Think of the very first worlds in the Bible: “In the beginning, God created . . . .” The author of Genesis doesn’t make the slightest effort to explain who God is, or how he created the universe. We’re simply told this fantastic thing occurred—something out of nothing—as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Another example: for forty years in the Sinai desert an entire nation is kept alive by bread given to them directly from heaven, one omer per person, yet the story ends with words so dry and matter of fact that they might have been a margin note in a textbook: “An omer is one tenth of an ephah.” That’s it. The end. What could be more natural?

The Bible’s stories about Jesus are particularly reminiscent of magical realism. Jesus touches two blind men’s eyes and the Bible simply says, “Immediately they received their sight and followed him.” Sight is given to the blind, but there’s no hoopla at all. Simply, “they followed him,” end of story. And in another place, when Jesus tells his disciples to pass out a few handfuls of bread and fish to five thousand people, the Bible says simply, “They all ate and were satisfied.” The story is presented as if creating something out of nothing and then using it to feed thousands of people happens every day.

Which, of course, it does.

It was while thinking about miracles, and particularly Jesus’ statement that all it takes to move a mountain is faith the size of a mustard seed, that I got a glimmer of the idea that turned into my first Christy Award-winning novel, River Rising. The question I asked myself was, “What would daily life look like for someone with that kind of faith?”

The answer surprised me. I decided if miracles were a normal part of everyday life, then miracles would no longer be miracles, at least not by the usual definition of the term. To work miracles on a routine basis would mean miracles were normal. Natural. But then of course, they wouldn’t be miracles, would they? So I wrote a story about a man like that, a man named Hale Poser, and as a result of the novel’s premise it ended up being a pretty fair representation of the magical realism genre. The supernatural became natural. Hale Poser was a man who might walk off a cliff and keep walking and not even notice, and because he did that kind of thing routinely, for him, it would be no miracle. Sort of like another man might walk on water.

Now, having several magical realism novels under my belt, I have to wonder what it says about us as a people that we feel compelled to rigorously separate speculative fiction genres from other forms of fiction which we consider more realistic. It’s a way to quickly communicate a novel’s format or style to readers, of course, so on that level there’s a practical reason. But on a deeper level it’s an interesting place to draw a line, because of course the fantastic does happen, all day every day. Water turns to ice. Electricity runs through wires. Little animals emerge from the bodies of bigger ones. People somehow find the strength to forgive each other. No one really understands how these things happen. All around us every moment of our lives is magical, if by that we mean life is constantly influenced and infused by the supernatural.

So it seems to me there’s nothing really speculative about this way of writing fiction. IF anything, in mentioning the supernatural I’m writing about the world as it actually is, because the more true-to-life a story really is, the more the “realism” in a story will seem “magical.”

Athol Dickson is a novelist, teacher, and independent publisher. His novels transcend description with a literary style that blends magical realism, suspense, and a strong sense of spirituality. Critics have favorably compared his work to such diverse authors as Octavia Butler (Publisher’s Weekly), Hermann Hesse (The New York Journal of Books) and Flannery O’Connor (The New York Times). One of his novels, River Rising, is an Audie Award winner, and three have won Christy Awards. His most recent novel, The Opposite Of Art, is a mystical story about pride, passion, and murder as a spiritual pursuit. Athol’s next release will be a “Christy award collection” of his four best selling novels, updated and with new forewords. Each of the novels was a Christy finalist. Athol lives with his wife in southern California. Please visit his website at www.AtholDickson.com, and like his Facebook fan page.

Athol Dickson
Athol Dickson is a novelist, teacher, and independent publisher. His novels transcend description with a literary style that blends magical realism, suspense, and a strong sense of spirituality. Critics have favorably compared his work to such diverse authors as Octavia Butler (Publisher's Weekly), Hermann Hesse (The New York Journal of Books) and Flannery O'Connor (The New York Times). One of his novels, River Rising, is an Audie Award winner, and three have won Christy Awards. His most recent novel, The Opposite Of Art, is a mystical story about pride, passion, and murder as a spiritual pursuit. Athol's next release will be a "Christy award collection” of his four best selling novels, updated and with new forewords. Each of the novels was a Christy finalist. Athol lives with his wife in southern California. Please visit his website at www.AtholDickson.com, and like his Facebook fan page.
Website ·
  1. Galadriel says:
    May 4, 2012 at 10:46 am

    This story sounds like something I might check into.  I have read one magic realism novel (Bless Me, Ultima) and one novel by a Christian author that has magic realism tendacies (Peace Like a River by Leif Enger). It’s not a genre I have found often, but might be interested in reading more of.

    Reply
  2. Morgan L. Busse says:
    May 4, 2012 at 11:55 am

    “But on a deeper level it’s an interesting place to draw a line, because of course the fantastic does happen, all day every day. Water turns to ice. Electricity runs through wires. Little animals emerge from the bodies of bigger ones. People somehow find the strength to forgive each other. No one really understands how these things happen. All around us every moment of our lives is magical, if by that we mean life is constantly influenced and infused by the supernatural.”
     
    I love this! I think about this all the time, about the miracles that are happening around me. Like leaves turning colors, how awesome and scary tornadoes are (I live in Kansas), and the way soap is able to make molecules of dirt cling to it rather than me and wash away. And then I bow my head and realize how absolutely awesome God is that He came up with all this stuff!

    Reply
  3. AccidentalPoet says:
    May 4, 2012 at 12:36 pm

    “Most people aren’t sure what it is” – whatever it is, you’re adept at it.  I thoroughly enjoy your books.

    Reply
  4. Kay Day says:
    May 4, 2012 at 1:16 pm

    River Rising is my favorite.
    I agree with all you’ve said. Good to hear from you! 

    Reply
  5. Rebecca LuElla Miller says:
    May 4, 2012 at 1:57 pm

    Excellent post, Athol. My latest speculation has been about what it would look like if all of us who believe God is sovereign would act like it. Or who believe He has forgiven us would forgive in like kind. How would we pray if we prayed like Christ? How would our world change if we prayed more for lost sinners than for aches and pains? Not that we should stop the one, but should emphasize the other. Anyway, thanks for stirring up these thoughts anew!

    Becky

    Reply
  6. Carlson says:
    May 4, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    I really like River Rising, too.  It’s such a wonderful work. And you’ve got a lot of good points here about miracles and such. So what do you really believe in? Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful post. And by the way, you’ve got a very brilliant blog.

    Reply
  7. Kirsty says:
    May 7, 2012 at 7:01 am

    There are three things that are too amazing for me,
        four that I do not understand:
    the way of an eagle in the sky,
        the way of a snake on a rock,
    the way of a ship on the high seas,
        and the way of a man with a young woman.

    Prov 30v18-19

    Reply

What do you think? Cancel reply

  • Magic Realism, Part 3Magic Realism, Part 3
Lorehaven magazine, spring 2020

Wear the wonder:
Get exclusive shirts and beyond

Listen to Lorehaven’s podcast

Authors and publishers:
Reach new fans with Lorehaven

Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter