When I was a kid, then a teenager, I loved reading fantasy/sci-fi, mostly fantasy. I read the Thomas Covenant series back then. After I became a Christian I picked it up again, and nearly threw it across the room ;^). I despise Harry Potter and I love Tolkien.
My daughter asked me one night “Dad, why is Harry Potter bad but LOTR good?” I wasn’t quite prepared for that question. I told her that in the Harry Potter series that magic was glorified, and that good and bad were intermingled. Whereas in LOTR good is good, evil is evil, magic is not glorified, more often than not it corrupts those who attempt to wield it.
She then asked “What about Gandalf? He’s a wizard.” I told her that even though he had the title of “Wizard” in the book he was actually an angelic like being that was sent by the one “God” to help protect Middle-Earth.
Anyway, I don’t know why I went into all that, but there it is.
Do you have any good book suggestions for someone of the [fundamental] Christian persuasion? What do you think of Lawhead?
Thanks.
-ksen
Do you have any good book suggestions for someone of the [fundamental] Christian persuasion? What do you think of Lawhead?
Well, I really enjoy Lawhead, personally. His Pendragon cycle is one of the best Arthurian series I've ever read, and I've read a lot. Two reasons: one, the Christianity is there and seems very real, and two, no Lancelot. Also it's a more Celtic than Roman Arthur; Arthur the warleader, and his knights fights Saxons, not giants. Defintely if you like Arthurian stuff, read it. His other stuff is good, too. Byzantium is an incredible story, not fantasy but historical fiction about a Celtic monk journeying to Constantinople during the days of the Muslim advances. Some of Lawhead's other stuff can be weird, but rewarding. The Celtic Crusades set that he's writing now is very good, though I'm not entirely sure where he's going with it, and it's a little - how should I say this? Catholic? for me, but I can overlook that.
Otherwise there are very few Christian writers out there, or even writers who don't blatantly attack Christianity. I disagree with you about Harry Potter, as I find it harmlesss, but that's ok; I read a lot of stuff that isn't Christian at all. Usually as long as the heroes are fairly heroic, and the story doesn't directly attack Christianity, I will read it.
One author I have enjoyed is Connie Willis. I'm not sure if she's a Christian - some of her stuff could be read that way - but I would recommend without reservation Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog. Both are time-travel stories, the first set mostly in the 1300s, in England (Black Death time), the second skips all over the place but is set mostly in the Victorian Era, again England. To Say Nothing... is comedy, very funny; the other is definitely not. I understand some of Connie Willis' other stuff is questionable, but those two novels are excellent.
Hope this helps a little...
I suggest you take a look at A Landscape With Dragons: The Battle for Your Child's Mind by Michael O'Brien. Interestingly, Amazon also lists Landscape With Dragons; Christian and Pagan Imagination in Children's Literature, by the same author. It seems that only the first one has descriptive text accompanying it on Amazon. I have not read either one myself, but O'Brien is supposed to list recommended works of fantasy. I'm sure the list is in the first book, I don't know about the second.
You may also be interested in Christian Mythmakers : C. S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, J. R. R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, G. K. Chesterton & Others by Rolland Hein. I have also not read this, but I saw it in Borders once, and it appears to be an overview of well-known Christian fantasy authors.
It would be best if I were recommending sources with which I am personally familiar, but I thought you might find the suggestions helpful.
You might also want to review the article Good Fantasy & Bad Fantasy from the evangelical Christian Research Institute.