Who will be pissed off by this book more - Christians or atheists?
I don’t really know. Atheists who read fantasy might actually like it. Readers of fantasy are used to magic, etc. Their only problem will be that many fantasy readers might have an ABC mentality. Anything But Christianity. Many of them don’t mind a writer exploring Celtic, Druidic, Norse, Greek, or Chinese myths but they get uncomfortable when a book explores Christian beliefs. As for Christians, many will like it, but some definitely won’t. Some will have denominational issues, definitely. Some will be annoyed that I included the six sex scenes. And some American Christians will definitely get angry with the book’s depiction of imperialism and manifest destiny. The book will reflect the opinion of a reader on one page and perhaps challenge that very reader on the next. For instance, my warrior is a spoiled rich kid, a momma’s boy raised mostly by women. He’s an epileptic. Most feminists might like it that I explore a male hero who lacks the typical machismo. But at the same time, I have a chapter in which a pro-life comment is made. We will see.
How do you think the Christian market will perceive your book?
They’ll like me, I think. But they will have issues definitely and they’ll nit-pick. They always do. If they like the story, good. If not, that’s also good. The Christian market is one of the harshest markets out there. With all the denominations out there, a writer can always count on some reviewer criticizing her for some doctrine or other. A part of me wishes Christian readers will take me to their arms and love me. But at the same time, if the Christian market were to adopt me as their little mascot I would be in a great deal of trouble because they would want to pigeon-hole me and remove certain aspects of my writing. And that’s dangerous. I suspect that the Christians who like my book will be those folks who generally don’t read Christian fiction.
What do you think about Harry Potter and any other children's book that portray witches as a force for good and demons as having souls? Should good Christians ban their children from reading such books?
Harry Potter is a real tough one. On the one hand, kids love power, and that is one of the main subjects of Harry Potter. The book is also, for lack of a better word, romantic and fantastical. Christianity in America — and whatever power it seems to offers — seems pretty bland compared to the richness of the Potter world. Parents know how discerning their kids are. If a child wants to read Harry Potter, her parents should discuss the Christian world view with them. Kids like reading until that love of reading is knocked out of them by more exciting pleasures. Many Christian young adult books are badly written and preachy and not fun at all. They lack magic and romance. Often they are concerned only with a kind of literary altar call - and seek the salvation of the reader. As if kids are concerned with that. Many Christian YA books are also pale imitations of Narnia etc. The contemporary quality of Harry Potter makes it a better read for many kids, Christian or otherwise.
Article comments
1 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Thanks for a fascinating review.
2 - Wanza Leftwich
This is an informative interview. I do not know much about speculative fiction. I'm intrigued...I just may have to read a few selections in this genre.