Ever since I read C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy back in 1980-something, I’ve been fascinated with the possibilities of Christian Speculative Fiction. I tore through those three books, and proceeded to the other Inklings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were next and, of course, amazing. After that, it was Charles Williams’ The Place of the Lion. Then it was on to Narnia. Soon I was delving into George MacDonald’s Lilith and Phantastes, Madeliene L’Engel’s Wrinkle in Time, and Lewis’ classic Till We Have Faces. In truth, it was a renaissance period in my life, one I’ll never ever forget.
Now, some twenty-plus years later, I’ve come back down to earth.
Maybe it’s me, but contemporary Christian Speculative Fiction has tapered off, if not completely stalled. Sure, it’s out there. There just ain’t very much of it. Peruse the Christian bookstore or the religious fiction section of your local Barnes and Nobles and the selection of spec-fic is slim. In that same Barnes and Nobles, however, there’s about three aisles worth of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror titles. And every year, movies with speculative / fantastic themes seem to top the charts. Just look at this List of Highest-Grossing Films. Almost 40 out of the top 50 titles contain speculative themes! The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Carribean, King Kong, War of the Worlds, the Sixth Sense, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Spider Man, Star Wars… egads! But despite all this interest in the fantastic, the supernatural, the mysterious, the weird, the shocking, the transcendent, Christian publishers can only manage a few titles, and that with mainly big-name authors.
It’s one of those nagging questions that keeps coming back to me — Why isn’t there more Christian Speculative Fiction titles?
Anyway, so I’m working organizing a panel of authors for a Novel Journey spot — bloggers, editors, authors, agents, really, anyone who’ll talk — and posing a couple of questions regarding the state of Christian Speculative Fiction. Thus far, the questions would go something like this:
- How would you assess the state of Christian Speculative Fiction? Is the genre under-represented by Christian publishers, or is its scarcity representative of what the religious market will really sustain?
- Why do you think there is a disparity between the percentage of speculative titles that comprise the general market, and the percentage of titles that comprise the Christian market? How is it that speculative themes can be so prevalent in popular culture, and so rare in Christian bookstores?
- What advice would you give to Christian authors who write speculative fiction? Aim mainstream CBA and hope for change? Is the independent, small press route a legitimate option? Forget straightforward religious themes and write to the general market?
As for me, I have a couple of ideas as to the pathetic state of speculative fiction in CBA / ECPA circles. One is the “gender imbalance” in Christian publishing. In general, women do not read as much speculative fiction as men (and I know they read some, so please, no angry emails). Combine this with a religious market tilted heavily toward women and you reach maximum entropy. According to the Romance Writers of America, “Romance Fiction Is: The largest share of the consumer-book market; More than a quarter of all books sold are romance…. and are read by 51 million people each year.” Staggering stats! These percentages hold true for Christian publishers as well, which doesn’t bode well for a writer of Christian Spec-Fic hoping to get a toe-hold in a market aimed at women. One possible reason that speculative titles are so under-represented in the Christian market is because that market is steered so obviously toward women.
Another, less-explored possibility is the issue of theology. Christians maintain a set of beliefs that are core to their worldview. Embedding those beliefs, or that worldview, in their stories is intrinsic to how some define Christian Fiction. Thus, extracting or deciphering that theology becomes important to many religious readers. The absence of a clear theology, or an unorthodox treatment of it, can be a stumbling block towards “acceptance” of a book / author in evangelical circles. This becomes sticky for Spec authors because the genre, by nature, tinkers with what is real or factual. Alternate histories, parallel worlds, mythologies and monsters — just how far can a Christian author go without violating sound theology? So I would float the idea that the “speculative” part of Speculative Fiction can create problems for people who are so doggedly committed to Truth.
Your thoughts…
I was tracking with you until the below comments.
Alternate histories, parallel worlds, mythologies and monsters — just how far can a Christian author go without violating sound theology? So I would float the idea that the “speculative” part of Speculative Fiction can create problems for people who are so doggedly committed to Truth.
I’d contend that there’s a difference between causing problems with people ‘doggedly committed to Truth’ and ‘doggedly supporting a human interpretation of said truth.’ If Truth is universal, than you’ll find regardless of the package.
You’re right – some people want all the pieces laid out and put together for them. But that’s not specific to the speculative genre: Regardless of the genre, there’s a tension between people who want to be spoonfed and people who like to cut and eat their own steak themselves.
So I don’t think it’s a matter of how committed to truth you are (no offense, but the wording made it sound as if speculative writers are not committed to truth, which I doubt you meant). Rather, it seems to be a question of either:
-How obvious should you be?
-How willing are you to leave questions unanswered?
-How willing are you to let characters draw wrong conclusions?
-Which questions are you trying to answer? (Ex: A character may be wrong about both slavery and the nature of God, but the question of more importance becomes whichever one most directly supports the theme; there may not be room to answer both.)
Anyway. A bit nitpicky, but yeah. I submit Karen Hancock’s essay on fantasy. http://kmhancock.com/Fantasy.htm
Addendum: Sweet. I was hoping the italics would work.
Kaci, thanks for your comments! Two responses:
If I made it sound as if speculative writers are not committed to truth, it was unintentional. The question is how much a Christian author can “alter” or “add to” revealed biblical truth, in a fictional work, and still be acceptable to Christian Fiction readers. Are we free to craft an alternate history to The Fall of Man, The Fall of Satan and The Exodus out of Egypt? Or are those biblical histories anathema? Likewise, just how far can I speculate about the realm of the spirit and the nature of the universe without becoming heterodox?
Second, I think your questions have more to do with Christian Fiction in general, rather than Christian Speculative Fiction specifically. I’ve felt for a long time that in defining the boundaries of Christian Fiction, we force characters to never draw wrong conclusions (especially theological ones) and feel compelled to never leave questions (especially biblical ones) unanswered. It leads to caricatures and predictability, in my opinion.
Thanks so much for your comments, Kaci!
As much as I’d pay for a set of neo-Inklings, I think it is worth noting that, setting that one small group of 1930s-mid 50s (peak years) Oxford authors, L’Engle and Flannery O’Connor, plus a handful of other great, but less widely known authors, your selection of the best in Christian Speculative nearly spans the 20th Century, with a relatively small crew of “breakthrough” overt “weird” Christians.
I see no reason why this should not continue. The Lord used one family to spare the world. He used one (big) fish to ensure the repentance of thousands. He used a few loaves to feed four thousand. The Lord used 12 disciples to overturn the world. He used one Word to start it all.
Tosca Lee, Theodore Beale, Ted Dekker, R.E. Bartlett, Sue Dent, Frank Creed, William P. Young and Chris Walley have all published (or soon will) within the last 12 months. That is a list that rivals, in sheer numbers of books, the annual fiction output of Christendom’s greatest “weird” literary eras, and I certainly haven’t named them all.
The problem that I see is that it isn’t in the ubiquity of these titles is where the challenge lies, but in the somewhat limited readership, relative to the world. In other words, aside from Dekker and Young (and I doubt that Young’s The Shack will inspire many fans of his to become fans of spec-fic in general), the majority of these great spec-fic books aren’t making it into the hands of pagans.
“Out of A Silent Planet” did not sell well until Lewis had established his name several years later with the more humorous and mass-appealing Screwtape Letters.
Keep in mind that Lewis, like many Christians today, was bothered by science fiction of his day being mostly anti-Christian. Though he loved the genre, he saw it as more frequently than not something that promoted materialistic worldviews. He attempted an to provide an “answer,” not a “complement” to the questions of modern sci-fi with a “spiritual adventure” that had Christ at its center.
Lewis saw himself (and his few allies), along with t.s. eliot as being engaged in something of a “rearguard” action against the reigning thought empire of the day. i.e. He saw himself as sowing seed in a hostile field.
As we do today. The culture today may have aggravated symptoms of the malaise he so sharply described in the middle of the century, but it is not so far removed from the culture during and after The War as to be completely alien to it, or, most importantly (in light of God’s Word and Providence) impossible to redeem.
We just need to chop the wood. Do the work. The harvest is high, and the workers are few. They may only be me. They may only be you.
But God isn’t worried about having overwhelming numbers on his side.
I have on my shelf (and I’m a picky, picky, picky reader) more Christian Speculative fiction authors with a copyright date circa 2008 than I do of all other 20th Century authors combined. (Of course, the Lewis library dwarfs it all, but on a per author basis, there’s no contest.)
In addition to that the good news about the relatively small number of published Christian spec-fic books is that means there’s plenty of room for you to get yours on the shelf!
I’ll make one last argument: 75% of fantasy/science fiction in the general market is fairly run of the mill: i.e. it hits its marks, provides the fans with the requisite geegaws, plot and character challenges, but doesn’t stick to the ribs. The percentage of average-to-below average Christian spec fic books is far, far lower than that (and that was not always the case). What’s out there right now in the Christian market has meat on the bone. What it lacks in numbers, it accounts for in quality. Again, I would not have said this even five years ago, and I had been attempting for a decade or so to find something more than the very occasional high-quality Christian venture.
The Left Behind series showed that Christian Speculative stories could rack up massive coin and widespread appeal, but if the goal is literary excellence (a biblically sound goal) and great storytelling (likewise) then we writers just need to keep whacking, and stop being surprised by success as if it hasn’t already been promised.
Wow. That was Steve Martin rambly. Sorry.
I know this will probably shock you, Mike, but I am quite encouraged by the state of Christian speculative fiction, and I’m not alone. In Jeff Gerke’s interviews at WhereTheMapEnds, he asks, “How would you characterize the current state of Christian speculative fiction writing and/or publishing?”
Robert Liparulo: “Booming.”
Donita Paul: “Promising. Things are looking up. It is a good time to be a fantasy writer.”
Frank Creed: “Blossoming.”
Eric Wilson: (less enthusiastic) “I’m excited about the wealth of creativity out there, more than ever before.”
T. L. Hines: “I do think, however, it’s just a matter of time before it happens (breakaway success in fantasy and sci fi).”
My answer: ” Burgeoning. So many writers are working in [Christian] fantasy, in particular.”
Yes, ECPA houses still don’t produce near as many titles (relative to total numbers) as do general market publishers. You may be right about the gender issue—at least at the decision-making level. But the truth is, women read Narnia and Lord of the Rings. Women loved Star Wars and ET and Princes Bride, and more recently, Twilight.
In other words, the gender issue is really a non-issue when the stories are right. The problem comes when someone hears speculative fiction and thinks of a monster story or some apocalyptic dystopian novel, and states categorically, I don’t like speculative fiction.
To be honest, I don’t like the weird and bazar either. I like the imaginative. 😉
As to the other issue, the truth telling in speculative works, I do think Christians need to do our homework. I received one communication from an author who wants to write about vampires, werewolves, dragons, and angels. I had to wonder if this person realized what listing the real among the mythical was saying.
I edited one book (which is currently languishing near the 2 million mark in the Amazon ratings) that presented angels in a very cavalier manner.
I’m reading another that has angels sinning, getting mad at God, and a variety of other activities that seem to clash with Scripture.
So here’s what I think. Speculating about spiritual things in fiction requires an author to do the same kind of work an author of historical fiction must do. If we are doing an alternative to the actual, then we have leeway, but if we are operating within the framework of reality, we need to be consistent with the Bible, just like any historical fiction must be consistent with history.
But that’s why I write the kind of fantasy I write. No limits, if you make up the world in total. 😀
Becky
Mike–
Great article. I’ve been angry with Christian booksellers for decades about all my hours searching their shelves for my favorite genre in vain. I started the lostgenreguild.com in 2006 to promote Christian spec-fic–the artists are on the Web and published by independent presses (indies). Spec-fic and westerns are the strongest genres for tales of good & evil, but Christian males have that Protestant work-ethic thing goin’ on, and take life too seriously to read fiction. Publishers & book-stores aim for women and young adult readers because that’s their customer base.
Thought Probes: Philosophy Through Science-Fiction Literature, a college textbook, calls sci-fi the handmaiden of world-views. L. Ron Hubbard started his own religion from sci-fi. Genre fans are forced to read Asimov, Clarke and other militant atheists because the Christian fiction industry is about profit, not worldviews.
Since the Tolkien films’ success, Christian fantasy has opened-up, and since Peretti’s Darkness novels, spiritual thrillers (horror), has broken-out. The biggest remaining problems for Christian spec-fic are that most everything is written for the young adult market, and sci-fi manuscripts are still stomped at board meetings on genre alone.
Christian readers still trust only Christian bookstores. Only two of fourteen novels nominated for the 2008 Clive Staples Award were indie published–the remaining twelve are primarily young-adult fantasy. There are some amazing writers for YA fantasy, like Donita Paul, but its sad that sci-fi fans are ignored.
The good news for our market niche is that the free-market has gone around large Christian imprints. I look forward to Novel Journey’s conversation on Christian speculative fiction.
Faith,
f
Frank Creed.com: the official site of Flashpoint: Book One of the UNDERGROUND
The Finishers.biz: Polishing Manuscripts until they Shine
Xd, I appreciate your enthusiasm. Really! I’m not sure I entirely share it though. I agree that “What [Christian Spec-Fic] lacks in numbers, it accounts for in quality.” I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of writing and agree it’s comparable to, if not better than, that of the general market. But the real issue for me here IS the “lack of numbers” rather than the quality.
Other than the big names (Dekker, Peretti), some of the authors you mention have been vocally frustrated with the lack of interest from larger Christian publishers. If I’m not mistaken, in fact, most of those authors are published by smaller, independent presses. Why? You wrote: “The problem that I see is that it isn’t in the ubiquity of these titles is where the challenge lies, but in the somewhat limited readership, relative to the world.” With speculative themes apparently so prolific in pop culture (and at your local Barnes and Nobles), why are we worried about “limited readership”? Maybe we are missing something.
Either there IS interest in speculative fiction and Christian publishers just aren’t seeing it, or the limited amount of spec titles in Christian bookstores is indicative of limited interest among Christian readers.
Hey, thanks Xd for your “rambly” comments! 🙂
Apologies! I forgot to check back. 0=)
Kaci, thanks for your comments! Two responses:
If I made it sound as if speculative writers are not committed to truth, it was unintentional.
I assumed, but I’m the accuracy nazi for a reason. 0=)
The question is how much a Christian author can “alter” or “add to” revealed biblical truth, in a fictional work, and still be acceptable to Christian Fiction readers. Are we free to craft an alternate history to The Fall of Man, The Fall of Satan and The Exodus out of Egypt? Or are those biblical histories anathema? Likewise, just how far can I speculate about the realm of the spirit and the nature of the universe without becoming heterodox?
Gotcha. I think that answer lies in the question. The purpose of much writing is exploration. Sometimes answers are offered; sometimes not. But I’m weird – it doesn’t bother me unless I know the writer actually believes the heresy (alternate histories are just that, and likely won’t bother me).
Second, I think your questions have more to do with Christian Fiction in general, rather than Christian Speculative Fiction specifically.
Bad habit of mine. 0=)
I’ve felt for a long time that in defining the boundaries of Christian Fiction, we force characters to never draw wrong conclusions (especially theological ones) and feel compelled to never leave questions (especially biblical ones) unanswered. It leads to caricatures and predictability, in my opinion.
It’s a bit of a toss-up, and I think largely depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. The deal with Christian Fiction is a principle I think applies to just about anything: Be honest about the audience. If your goal is primarily a general audience, admit it. If your goal is primarily to reinforce Christian beliefs to believers, admit it. But largely where the Christian Fiction category as a whole has problems is it confuses itself into thinking that it’s doing ‘evangelism’ or something when really it’s preaching to the choir.
But that’s another rant entirely.
Thanks so much for your comments, Kaci!
Sure thing!
Maybe the reason X-spec hasn’t (and may not ever) “hit the big time” specifically in the X-market is because the X-market is the wrong place to go for it if larger audience and sales is the goal. The X-market is built for focus and for filtering, as opposed to the general book market, which is built for as wide a net as can possibly be cast.
What is the moneymaker for the X-market? Non-fiction theology. Christian formation. Romance fiction. Family. Historical. Modern “slice of life.” It has been that way for 50 years. By its very structure, the X-market caters to tradition and convention. I have a lot of respect for that, but I work in a genre that, by definition, challenges (and I don’t mean in the hippy-dippy contrarian way, but in a thoughtful, respectful approach) tradition, convention and expectation.
I just don’t see the X-book industry, founded on an important traditional/convential market approach, straying too far from its core demographic, just because the secular market has success in a spec-fic market.
Which is why I think, for the most part, X-spec will always be a small publisher, indie group with X-publishing.
Tell me this: which major Christian publisher launched Lewis’ fiction career? Tolkein’s? O’Connor’s? L’Engle’s?
Answer: none of ’em.
Today, there have been some smaller X-publishers, or non-traditional larger fiction publishers (such as NavPress, although they have now mostly bailed on fiction) who have taken a shot on X-spec (Marcher Lord Press being the king of the castle, so to speak – the only publisher I know of solely dedicated to X-spec), but, take a look at the list of publishers of all 2008 x-spec. They are either independent-x, unconventional-x or secular.
Major x-fiction publishers will not dedicate the necessary resources to x-spec, when the certain money is elsewhere. It just isn’t in their best interest.
So x-spec writers need to find success in smaller, unconventional x-spec publishers, or figure out the general market (which, by the way is not the same as secular market:: there are mainstream (i.e. non-CBA) publishing houses with a focus on Christian literature) and play in that space.
I’d have to say that the best strategy for x-spec authors is to submit to companies like MLP AND agents who work in the general market, but to put the big CBA houses at the bottom of the priority list. It is not a good match. After all, if NavPress couldn’t hang on to a bankable author like Tosca Lee, I can’t imagine that they’d be horribly open to unproven talent in the weird realm.
I think it’s funny that Frank says all the speculative fiction nominated for the Clive Staples Award is from ECPA houses (except two) and xpaul says all the speculative titles come from small, independent presses. Which is it?
Not one or the other. It’s both. I think it’s interesting that there are so many alternatives cropping up because of the previous dearth of speculative title with a Christian worldview.
More work to do, definitely, but in an industry that moves so slowly, a good number of authors have come onto the scene since Karen Hancock and Bethany came out with Arena in 2003. It was a start and there has been growth, especially in the YA and middle grade area.
I can hardly begrudge YA and middle grade, though I would like to see a whole lot more titles for adults, because for so long ECPA wouldn’t publish anything for that age. That was one of the “not our target” markets.
Becky