Christian writers are often accused of being tone-deaf on popular culture, behind the times, and generally out of touch. We take years to catch on to ideas that used to be paradigm-busters but are now hopelessly passé.

Fear not! I’m here to tell you about a trend that is, if not red-hot, at least respectably warm: The Literary Mash-Up.

The basic idea is to take two dissimilar forms of literature and mix them together, sort of like getting peanut butter on your chocolate. Or chocolate in your peanut butter. Now, I seem to remember Jeff Gerke of Marcher Lord Press talking about an “Amish Vampires in Space” novel, but that doesn’t count–it’s more than just crossing genres, it has to be based on a work with some literary gravitas. Stories like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Android Karenina have rocketed to the top of the bestseller charts. People love ’em.

So, why haven’t we yet seen a good Christian Spec-Fic mash-up yet? The simplest answer is that we haven’t noticed this opportunity, and even worse, none of us will think to do one for another ten years yet if the idea isn’t gently brought to everyone’s attention. It’s almost like we’re tone-deaf on popular culture or something.

Well, I’m here to help. I’ll provide a few ideas based on a body of work we’re all familiar with, C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, then we can all set to work writing our bestsellers.

Kings and Queens of Narnia…Forever!

Thrill to the breathtaking adventures of the Pevensie siblings as they battle the forces of evil during Narnia’s Golden Age! Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy gallop into action from the towering fortress of Cair Paravel under the watchful eye of their mysterious mentor, Aslan, the Immortal Lion. With uncanny powers of Greatness, Gentleness, Justice and Valiant…ness, they fight alongside Narnians both mundane and mythical in their neverending struggle against the White, Green, Purple, and Chartreuse Witches of Lantern Waste. Feel the roar!

The Twilit Lands

Jill Pole was a misfit–a shy, solitary girl, mercilessly tormented by bullies at school. She spent her afternoons weeping alone, her tears falling heedlessly onto the cold stone wall behind the gymnasium. Now, a twist of fate will draw her through a magical gateway into Narnia, a strange land of vast, primeval woodlands bordering an endless sea. Far to the north, an enchanted prince suffers in silence, underground, wandering in caverns deep beneath the mountains, where phosphorescent moss creates a gloomy, unending twilight. Can Jill break the curse and bring her pale, lonely prince back into the sunlight, or will she sacrifice everything to join him for eternity…in the Twilit Lands?

Digory Kirke and the Magician’s Rings

Young Digory Kirke is in dire straits–his mother is dying and he’s under the care of his abusive Uncle Andrew, who dabbles in the Dark Arts. In a desperate bid for freedom, Digory steals Andrew’s magic rings and enlists his friend Polly Plummer in a journey across time and space to find a cure for his mother’s illness. He takes a wrong turn in the Wood Between the Worlds and awakens a monstrous witch, “She Who Must Not Be Awakened,” who relentlessly pursues him to the newborn land of Narnia. Digory and Polly will need all their courage (and a winged horse!) to defeat the witch, save Narnia from her corrupting power, and bring home a rare and wonderful fruit that contains the secret of eternal life.

*Note: Technically, you can’t mash two young-adult magical fantasy adventure stories. It’s like mixing peanut butter with peanut butter.

My Desert Prince

Forbidden love! Dark, dangerous, dashing Rabadash of Calormen aims for the conflicted heart of Narnia’s elegant Queen Susan. Can Rab’s offer of lavish wealth and an ivory tower commanding the windswept dunes of Calormen melt her icy defenses, or will courtly intrigue erupt into the ravaging flames of war, separating them for all time? Their fate rests upon the shoulders of a ragged orphan charging across the desert on a stolen horse–and carrying a message that may change their world forever.

Left Behind: The Shack

These are the last days of Narnia. War rages as the forces of a counterfeit Aslan and the demon-worshipping hordes of Calormen converge on the handful of faithful Narnians who remain. A small community of dwarves huddles in an abandoned shack and waits for the end, fighting desperately to resist the diabolical voices whispering through the walls, claiming to be Aslan, baiting them with promises of a paradise that awaits them outside the shack, luring them to what they know must be certain death. Will they recognize the true Aslan when he appears to judge Narnia and create the world anew, or will they be…left behind?

**Another Note: C.S. Lewis’ stories can’t legally be used as the foundation of a literary mash-up because they aren’t in the public domain…yet. Personally, the idea of spending a lot of quality time with British lawyers gives me hives. I suppose you could float the idea to Douglas Gresham if you’re really determined to try.