Tag Archives: Christian fiction

Christmas Reading

I thought I’d start something new… Friday conversations. After all, part of the fun of blogs is getting to chat with people.

Since we’re into the Advent season and I just reviewed Melody Carlson’s The Christmas Dog, I thought I’d ask:

Do you like reading Christmas-themed stories this time of year? Does it help give you that Christmas feeling — or does it add to the sense of “I’m not ready yet!”?

For me, sometimes I enjoy reading a Christmas book over the holidays but it’s not something I seek out except… every year between Christmas and New Year’s I read Seeker of Stars, by Canadian author Susan Fish. It’s a novella about Melchior, one of the Three Wise Men, and I don’t fully feel I’ve celebrated the season until I’ve visited Melchi and his crowd. Must review this one so I can tell you more about it….

If you’re looking for short Christmas fiction, check out this month’s Christian Fiction Online magazine. Dee Stewart’s Multicultural Fiction column features eight short stories — and one of them’s mine!

So let us know… do you enjoy Christmas stories or not? Have any favourites?

Review: The Christmas Dog, by Melody Carlson

2 Replies

The Christmas Dog, by Melody Carlson (Revell, 2009)

Betty Kowalski still lives in the house where she raised the children alone after her husband died. Now her son and daughter live far away, and their children are leaving the nest. The neighbourhood has gone downhill lately. Most of the folks she knew have moved away or died, and Betty doesn’t know many of the new residents.

She doesn’t want to know the newest, an abrasive young man named Jack Jones, whose property unfortunately backs onto hers.

Truth be told, Betty may actually hate Jack. She thinks it’s justified, but as a Christian she needs to love her neighbour. She can’t do it on her own, so she prays—once—for help.

All that seems to get her is more annoyance. Jack’s unkempt dog shows up at her door—and keeps coming back.

Between the troublesome dog and Betty’s 20-something granddaughter Avery, who turns up for a surprise visit after running away from home, Betty and Jack discover there’s a lot more to each other than can be seen in a cursory, critical glance.

The Christmas Dog will leave you wondering what deeper value may hide in the people in your life. And it’s a good reminder to check our own hearts for critical attitudes. Most of all, it’s a heart-warming story for the holidays. Don’t be surprised if it inspires Christmas baking.

Melody Carlson is the amazingly prolific writer of over 200 books for women, teens, young readers and children. To learn more about Melody Carlson and her books, check out her website.

The Christmas Dog is available now at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Review copy provided by Graf-Martin Communications.

Review: Last Breath, a novel by Brandilyn Collins and Amberly Collins

Janet Sketchley

October 18, 2009

Starfire, by Stuart Vaughn Stockton (Marcher Lord Press, 2009)

Rathe’s birth order dooms him to a menial existence as a mine guard—until a chance encounter with a dying enemy leaves him a hero.

He and his best friend Rak have been through a lot together, and their jostling banter could be that of any active young men. Except they’re dinosaurs. Sentient, tool-using, weapon-wielding T-Rex lookalikes who stand 11 feet tall.

They live on the planet Sauria, and their people fear the stars. Legend says the stars are angry over an offense the Saurn have long forgotten.

Rathe’s skill in combat earns him an elite position in the Imperial Army—one that may be out of his depth. He feels outclassed in his Spur (military unit) and the second in command is looking for an excuse to send him back. One of his other spur-mates follows the unpopular Wayfarer sect, and his words about his God and His Son’s sacrifice are incomprehensible to Rathe.

Even worse is the appearance of the now-grown hatchling Rathe saved in his moment of glory. Will the young Goshren remember the truth of what happened?

Stuart Vaughn Stockton has created a richly-imagined alien landscape and culture. He lets the setting unfold around the action and resists the urge to stop for information dumps. It’s a fascinating place, especially the vegetation: some plants float, others are harvested for indoor lighting, and there’s a moving forest that eats rocks.

The characters are real. Their very human attitudes and emotions help readers connect. Long before the end of chapter one I was firmly in Rathe’s corner, relating to his struggles and cheering him on.

Starfire is filled with military clashes in a conflict where victory depends on a weapon that ancient prophecy claims will bring disaster. Should Rathe heed the warning or save his people?

I confess by the end I was as battle-weary as Rathe and his unit, and would not have jumped into a sequel if I had it on hand. Give me a while to recover, though, and by the time it’s published I’m sure I’ll be ready.

Starfire includes a size-and-shape-comparison chart for the main types of Saurn, as well as a glossary. It’s great to be able to see what the characters look like, although I found the terms clear enough from context that I didn’t need to look them up. With all these helps, I’d have liked to have a map of the action.

On reflection the character of Karey Or, and Rathe’s connection with her, hinges on the presence of two specific types of Saurn. Major plot points like this shouldn’t depend on coincidence, but Stuart Vaughn Stockton handles it so well we don’t realize at the time how big a coincidence it really is. As such, it doesn’t jolt the reader out of the fictional world.

A few species of Saurn, like the long-necked Apatos, carry names that help the reader to imagine what they look like. A stickler might argue that dinosaurs on another planet, even if they turn out in a later book to be related to ours, would not use the names we assigned to them after they were gone. To that stickler, I say, “It helps the reader visualize. Get over it.”

Marcher Lord Press is an innovative new publisher I’ve been watching from the start. Although all its titles look good and some have won awards, Starfire is the first one I’ve decided to purchase.

For Canadians (and I assume anyone else outside the continental US) I’d recommend ordering through Amazon.ca or your local equivalent.

I like to support my local Christian store, but this book cost a lot for them to bring in. Amazon.ca, even with shipping, would have been significantly cheaper. And as any good Amazon shopper knows, orders over $39 qualify for free shipping.

Amazon.ca lists Starfire at $11.87 Canadian, so you only need to find $28 worth of other products for yourself or for gifts. Maybe try another MLP title or two!

Starfire is Stuart Vaughn Stockton’s first novel, but you can tell from the richness of the story world that he’s been developing and refining it for a long time. You can read the prologue and opening chapter here. Check out an interview with Stuart here.

–Update, 11 March 2010: Starfire won an 2010 EPPIE award (science fiction category).–

Review: Mohamed’s Moon, by Keith Clemons

One Book / One Conference

Review: Double Minds by Terri Blackstock

3 Replies

Double Minds, by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan, 2009)

Parker James is a Christian songwriter who performs when she can and works reception at a recording studio in Nashville. When another receptionist is murdered on the job, her brother is one of the detectives called to the scene. Trouble is, Parker helped him study for his exams and she seems to remember better than he what needs doing.

As well as dealing with the emotional fallout of her co-worker’s death, Parker faces pressure to rewrite her latest worship songs as love songs. Long-time friend Serene has gained so much attention singing Parker’s songs that she’s been approached by a mainstream recording executive.

I like how author Terri Blackstock shows Parker’s conflict over this issue. While on the one hand it’s fine for Parker to be a songwriter who’s Christian—even if she writes mainstream lyrics—on the other hand, the songs she’s been asked to “tone down” were written as acts of worship. Would changing them be selling out?

Theft and a second murder raise the suspense even higher, until it comes to a satisfying and unexpected conclusion. Parker also finds perspective on her song-writing and performance abilities, although I was disappointed not to see an epilogue of where the future would take her.

Double Minds gives readers an interesting insider view of the Nashville music industry. Parker is a genuinely likeable young woman. She and the other characters feel like real people, with interesting quirks and backgrounds.

One of the things I always appreciate about Terri Blackstock’s writing is her honesty about Christians. Double Minds is no exception. Within this fictional Christian recording community, we see believers like Parker who do their best to live as they think Jesus wants them to live. We see characters like Serene and Pete who each know Jesus at some level but are still in bondage (anorexia and alcoholism). And we see others who fall under the “Christian” banner but may have little or no interest in living to please God.

Instead of setting them up for judgement, Terri Blackstock presents them as they are and lets them fall or grow according to their own choices. She treats each character with truth and compassion.

The book’s final pages offer discussion questions about Double Minds, as well as the opening chapter of the author’s next novel, Intervention, releasing September 2009. Looks like another good one!

Review: Exposure, a novel by Brandilyn Collins

2 Replies

Exposure, by Brandilyn Collins (Zondervan, 2009)

Exposure is the sixth Brandilyn Collins novel I’ve read, and I think it’s time to officially call myself a fan. After reading Dark Pursuit, I started asking “when’s the next one coming out?” and picked up Exposure and Always Watching (co-written with daughter Amberly Collins) as soon as they released.

Always Watching is a fast-paced young adult read, and it’s now circulating among my nieces.

In Exposure, Kaycee Raye’s syndicated column on fighting fears helps a lot of people. But the realization that a person’s worst fears can come true has turned her private world into a terrifying place. A fearful woman… doesn’t sound like an ideal protagonist for us to bond with, but Brandilyn Collins pulls it off in her usual “seatbelt suspense”® style.

As terrified as Kaycee is, she’s determined to fight this inner battle because something more important is on the line. Her best friend’s young daughter disappeared on the way to Kaycee’s house. Hannah is nine years old—the same age as Kaycee when she realized she’d absorbed all of her mother’s fears.

But Kaycee’s mother never saw things that weren’t there—someone watching, a camera, images. Is Kaycee cracking up, or is the old joke true: “Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean there isn’t someone out to get me”?

Kind police officer Mark says he believes her, but he’s also the one who accused her of making money from other people’s fear. And she can’t offer proof of what she’s seen. Even her trusted friend suggests it’s a product of her own mind.

As these scares pile up, the search for Hannah intensifies. And there’s another plot thread running through the novel, complete with stolen money, mobsters, and a mother and child on the run.

Brandilyn Collins brings everything together for a tense and satisfying conclusion that I did not see coming. I was so pleased with myself for deciphering some of her clues… and completely missed the twist at the end.

Exposure is a fast-paced read that I didn’t want to put down. Yes, it’s intense, thanks in part to the author’s masterful use of deep point of view to pull readers into Kaycee’s heart and head, but it’s not the traumatic type of scary.

Brandilyn Collins is a multi-published, best-selling author. For information on her other books, visit her website. Click here to read an excerpt from Exposure. Better still, grab a copy of the novel, buckle your seatbelt, and as Brandilyn Collins’ tagline warns, “Don’t forget to b-r-e-a-t-h-e!”®

Review: If Only You Knew, by Mags Storey

2 Replies

If Only You Knew by Mags Storey (Kregel Publications, 2009)

If Only You Knew is a perfect summer read: light, straightforward, non-threatening – and yet with plenty of depth and complexity to chew on.

Recent high school grad Jo Mackenzie is spending the summer with her cousin in a small Ontario town called Silverpoint. With no plans for the future and no great sense of self-worth, she has two pressing goals: find a job and find a boyfriend, not necessarily in that order.

Jo isn’t shallow, she’s just not aware of her own potential – or that life is just as imperfect and complicated for her new friends as it is for her.

She’s a fun character to read about, particularly with Canadian author Mags Storey’s vibrant, candid writing style. We’re in Jo’s head and we can love her vulnerability and honesty. Along with the relationship angst, Jo has a bigger problem: two creepy guys are stalking her, but only one of her friends believes it.

If Only You Knew is the story of a young woman’s search for friendship, love and significance. Mags Storey presents faith from the outside (through Jo and Sam, who don’t feel perfect enough to belong) and the inside (through Kevin, Nate and Lisa the pastor’s daughter, who aren’t perfect either).

The message of Jesus comes through fresh and clear, as do non-Christians’ reactions to things church-goers can take for granted. If Only You Knew would be a good read for a teen who’s not sure about faith as well as for one who believes. It was a good read for me, a Christian at the mid-life mark.

These days it feels like a US-based setting is a requirement for a Christian novel, and it’s great to see that Kregel Publications has given us one set in Canada. Great stories can happen anywhere, and visiting new places is part of the fun of reading. For the record, Silverpoint is a fictional town in Ontario’s cottage country.

Mags Storey is a Canadian writer and editor who has lived in the United States and the Middle East. At present she’s a correspondent for ChristianWeek. You can read some of her articles here. You can also read chapter one of If Only You Knew. If Only You Knew is Mags Storey’s first novel.

Review: The Vanishing Sculptor, by Donita K. Paul

5 Replies

The Vanishing Sculptor, by Donita K. Paul (WaterBrook Press, 2009)

In the land of Chiril, a young woman named Tipper tries to keep the dwindling family estate together. Her father, famed sculptor Verrin Schope, disappeared a long time ago. Her mother claims he talks to her at night, but Lady Peg is scattered at best. Tipper is reduced to selling household furnishings and her father’s beloved statues to meet expenses. It doesn’t help that Lady Peg will buy back everything she sees in the market because it’s “just what I’ve always wanted.”

Verrin Schope reappears—out of thin air—with two companions who will bring smiles of recognition to readers of the author’s DragonKeeper series: wizard Fenworth and his librarian, Librettowit. Tipper, her trusted guardian Sir Beccaroon (a talking Great Parrot), a struggling artist and four minor dragons join them on a dangerous quest.

It seems three of the statues Tipper sold must be reunited… to save her father’s life and the land itself. The questing party is completed by a dragon keeper and four riding dragons.

The novel isn’t all swashbuckling adventure, although these moments do come in satisfying fashion. As with a true quest, it begins with preparation, travel and searching. In the process, it binds this group of diverse characters into a team.

The Vanishing Sculptor is described as “a fantastic journey of discovery for all ages.” It’s rich in language and setting, yet presented in a straightforward young adult style. Wizard Fenworth’s robes shed small creatures whenever he moves, and there are enough bugs to please the young and young at heart.

The tale is also woven with threads of spirituality, truth and character. It’s not a fast read, but very pleasing.

My 12-year-old son and I both enjoyed it. My only complaint is that I took a liking to Hue, the purple singing dragon. Dragons are never pets, but I’d very much like for him to come live with us. My son says this will not happen.

Perhaps I’ll see Hue in a sequel to The Vanishing Sculptor. Donita K. Paul’s first series, DragonKeeper, spanned five books. You can read the first chapter of The Vanishing Sculptor here.