Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy and Other Genres

Brandon Barr · at 5:26 PM

The Christian Science Fiction Blog tour's november feature is Jonathan Rogers, Bark of the Bog Owl, book one of The Wilderking Trilogy (B&H Publishers)

Bark of the Bog Owl is young adult fiction, but there are two elements combined in this story that really interesting me.

1) The genre is fantasy

2) It's a retelling of the story of King David

I love what fantasy can do! It can transport us out of the ordinary world, and set us on new, fresh ground. That's what's so magical about fantasy fiction. Often we become so familiar with the things around us, and we begin to "possess" them, as C.S. Lewis once said. The danger in mentally possessing something is that we no longer feel the awe and amazement that once accompanied that thing. A marriage perhaps, or a new home. Once we've "possessed" them a while, we loose that excitement. It's a common problem we human beings have.

Tragically, we do this to the Bible as well. The stories, the parables, the miracles, we've heard them frequently, and they often grow old in our minds, and thus they lose their power. And it's our own faults, because those things still have the power, we just fail to feel it anymore.

But that's where Fantasy fiction comes in. Fantasy fiction can retell a story, giving it a new setting, new names, and can refresh our senses, reminding us of the true power of the story. Think of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis...or the sci-fi short story "Scanners Live in Vain," by Cordwainer Smith.

Bark of the Bog Owl has taken the story of David and retold it in a fantasy world. Christian writers have a wealth of resources to use in the old and new testements, and these "biblical" retellings are so powerful because of the good vs. evil scope that the Bible has established. We are in a battle in this world, but sometimes its hard to remember that. There are spiritual forces battling around us for our thoughts...for our souls. Fantasy can remind us of that. There are still such things as Dragons.

For a good review of Jonathan Rodgers book "Bark of the Bog Owl," check out Mike Lynch's Blog