CFBA Tour - Broken Angel

This was a busy week for me with blog tours. Two Christian Fiction Blog Alliance reviews and the Christian Sci/Fi Fantasy tour highlighting Mindflights webzine. Phew.

Today the CFBA tour features Broken Angel, the latest book from author Sigmund Brouwer. He is the author of eighteen best-selling novels for children and adults. His last book was Fuse of Armageddon and his novel The Last Disciple was featured in Time magazine and on ABC’s Good Morning America. A champion of literacy, he teaches writing workshops for students in schools from the Arctic Circle to inner city Los Angeles. Sigmund is married to Christian recording artist Cindy Morgan, and they and their two daughters divide their time between homes in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada and Nashville, Tennessee.

Broken Angel has a very intriguing premise. In the near future there are two nations carved from the United States: Appalachia, where religious people resettled en masse to live in a "godly" land, led by the enigmatic Bar Elohim, and the "Outside", a land that the Appalachians fled to live according to their beliefs. Appalachia is strictly controlled. Even though most people appear happy and satisfied, the occasional but inevitable malcontents pay their debt to society by working in the factories. The truly wicked are stoned to death. Some try to escape to the Outside, but they have to face the mysterious Clan, rumored to kill any who enter their territory and the enemy of Bar Elohim.

Caitlyn is a 15 year old girl carrying a terrible burden in her disfigured body. Hiding in the cover of Appalachia, she lives with her father quietly until the day that they are forced to run for their lives. When her father is taken from her before he can fully reveal painful secrets, she must use all she's been taught to survive bounty hunters, the wilderness, and the Clan.

Broken Angel is a book of strengths and weaknesses. The various characters are memorable and stand out from each other. Brouwer creates an insanely fast paced thriller. It is not a long book, and there is hardly a moment to relax, as each character faces trials and trouble in trying to accomplish their goals - from the expert bounty hunter tracking Caitlyn, to the Sheriff and the agent from Outside trailing both of them.

Unfortunately, the book suffers at times from the fast pace. Characters are introduced fast and furious initially, making it hard to keep them straight. The futuristic scenario is interesting but thinly developed. The premise has a lot of potential, but it is skimmed with the pace and shortness of the book.

Overall, it is an easy, entertaining read. I haven't read any of Brouwer's books before, and he is definitely talented. I wonder if the scope of the story was hampered due to size restraints. I liked the book, but I'm left wanting more. However, if you are looking for a fast-paced escapist summer read, this book would fit the bill.

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE.

CSFF Tour - Mindflights Webzine

This month's Christian Science Fiction/Fantasy blog tour is focusing on the webzine Mindflights.

It is a new magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction brought to you by Double-Edged Publishing. We've recently combined two award-winning magazines - Dragons, Knights, and Angels and The Sword Review - into one frequently-updated, high-quality magazine.

I have to be careful with my internet usage at work anymore, so I have a lot less discretional time online. I haven't poked around a lot on Mindflights. They seem to have an impressive collection of stories and articles for the aspiring writer as well. On the main page currently there is a beautiful photo manipulation, but I couldn't find an easy link to art work, which I would like to see.

The Dragons, Knights, and Angels magazine was featured in the CSFF tour a couple of years ago. You can find my write up on that here. I liked something I said there I want to repeat here:

I'll bet that a lot of people out there think they don't like the sci-fi or fantasy, but if I mention movies like Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, or Star Wars, those same people would say they enjoyed them. So don't overlook sci-fi and fantasy as reading choices, because you may be surprised. And a good, FREE place to start reading some quality short stories to get into CSFF is at [Mindflights].

Be sure to check out my fellow tourmates below.

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Jackie Castle
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Kameron M. Franklin
Beth Goddard
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Christopher Hopper
Joleen Howell
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Terri Main
Margaret
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Pamela Morrisson
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Rachelle Sperling
Stuart Stockton
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Linda Wichman
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

CFBA Tour - Embrace Me

The CFBA Tour today features award-winning author Lisa Samson and her latest book, Embrace Me.

The back cover copy reads, "When a 'lizard woman', a self-mutilating preacher, a tattooed monk, and a sleazy lobbyist find themselves in the same North Carolina town one winter, their lives are edging precariously close to disaster…and improbably close to grace."

That sums up the book very succinctly. Embrace Me is a character-driven novel, a story designed to explore the depths that forgiveness and redemption can reach. The plot revolves around mega-church pastor Drew Parrish confessing his sin to a Catholic priest in 2003, while freak show attraction Valentine winters in between carnival seasons in the quiet town of Mount Oak in 2008. The story bounces back between their timelines, as they battle their internal demons. Val may hide her burned face under a scarf, but both wounded souls have a true face they are hiding.

The plotline is a little convoluted and incredible at times, but the characterization and themes of Embrace Me keep this book an engaging read. The darkness that both Drew and Valentine struggle with are all too real and the interesting supporting cast draw the two wounded people toward grace. It is hard not to enjoy Lella the armless-legless woman, Augustine the tattooed and dreadlocked monk, and Rick the contortionist.

The book isn't afraid to ask hard questions about true faith, and the glossy side of Christianity is strongly challenged. The Way is not easy, and it is hard to love the unlovable. Even when their cry is to "embrace me," just the way they are.

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE

Aid for Myanmar (Burma)

For those who want to donate to help the people suffering from the cyclone in Myanmar (Burma), but are concerned about the way the governing junta seems to be hoarding relief supplies, I have a suggestion. The relief agency World Vision has been in the country for 40 years, and has staff and logistics on the ground to help people.

Of course, we need to pray for the people in need and for freedom from the corrupt dictatorship of the generals as well.

Christian Pop Culture

I came across an article on Slate entitled "Pop Goes Christianity" discussing a book from Daniel Radosh entitled Rapture Ready! : Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture. It is an interesting indictment on the subject of the sub-culture created by American Evangelicals. I think it raises some interesting issues on one hand, and dismisses or misunderstands other ideas mentioned.

How about an inflammatory quote taken out of context?

For faith, the results can be dangerous. A young Christian can get the idea that her religion is a tinny, desperate thing that can't compete with the secular culture. A Christian friend who'd grown up totally sheltered once wrote to me that the first time he heard a Top 40 station he was horrified, and not because of the racy lyrics: "Suddenly, my lifelong suspicions became crystal clear," he wrote. "Christian subculture was nothing but a commercialized rip-off of the mainstream, done with wretched quality and an apocryphal insistence on the sanitization of reality."

I think this article touches on things that this blog and many other of my friends have addressed. There is a problem in how Christian culture is promoting itself, and if we look like a "parallel universe," it is not to our credit. However, the article doesn't understand some of the topics it is talking about either.

Read the article, and I'll talk about it more this weekend.

Some Comments on Christian Fiction

I had a very interesting comment on my post "The Begotten - Final Questions." I can't verify it, because the Blogger profile attached to it is listed as "not shown", but it is labeled as being from one Anne Rice.

Thanks for your kind mention of my novels on Christ the Lord. ---- And I enjoyed your comments on fiction in general. My vocation is to write realistic novels that are about Our Blessed Lord as both Human and Divine, and to keep the probable reality within the truth of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I believe this is not only valid but imperative for me now as a Christian. In my childhood, we had those big novels, The Robe, Ben Hur, Quo Vadis. We need a new Christian realism I think for this generation, and I'm trying to provide my take on it. Again, Thanks, Anne.

I thought this would be good food for thought over the next few days as I'm away from the computer. If this was really Anne, (and I believe it is), then thank you very much for taking time to stop by and comment!

Beijing Olympics, the Torch, and Tibet

The Olympics are going to be in China this year?

...

I want to reassure people that I haven't been living under a rock lately. Yes, I knew that the Olympics will be in Beijing in August. It has been hard not to notice with the amount of attention it has drawn in the media recently.

It seems that China's plan of a tour de force of public relations, showcasing modern China to the world, has hit some serious snags. The torch relay around the world is the longest in Olympic history, yet it has been marred by protesters in numerous countries, notably in the U.K. and France.

The timing didn't help, as there was a crackdown in Tibet just prior to the start of the tour. This led to a lot of groups who have grievances against China protesting along the torch relay route, even to the point of trying to douse the flame.

I am not an expert in the Tibet issue, but it sure seems to me that China is continuing with long-standing behavior of suppressing the full cultural expression and freedom of the Tibetan people. A persecuted people like this reminds us that we do not live in a world where all enjoy the freedoms we have in America. I pray for true freedom for Tibet and that their culture will be allowed to flourish, and I support the protesters using the torch relay to highlight their cause.

Yet, I don't want people to forget that the Tibetans are only one group that suffers persecution and discrimination in China. Another group that the regular media likes to showcase that suffers religious persecution is the Fulan Gong movement. Again, I don't like to see people forbidden to practice what they believe, but there is a much larger group that feels the pressure and is mostly ignored by the media.

By many accounts, there are well over 100 million Christians in China. When the Maoist movement took over the country, there were only up to 1 million Christians. Obviously there has been a remarkable increase in the number of believers in a country that is still officially atheist. The majority of these Christians are subject to persecution for their beliefs, and live with the potential for harassment and harm all the time.

There is an officially government sanctioned Christian church, but it is also controlled by the government. Therefore there is a large underground church, groups that meet informally and have to take care in publicizing themselves so they do not become a target for the authorities. There are so many stories of leaders and believers being imprisoned and punished for walking out their faith, and these are likely just the tip of the iceberg.

As the Olympics approach, I am sure that more attention will be paid not only to China's impressive history and culture, but to controversy on how the regime treats minorities, Tibet, and religious groups. Remember that even if Christians are left off of the official media reports, they probably account for the largest group to suffer under the Maoist leaders in Beijing. Keep them in prayer, and keep this story in mind for the propaganda that will be fed to the public come August. The brothers and sisters in Christ upholding the faith there deserve no less.

For more information, check out the impressive report from Operation World.

CFBA Tour - Winter Haven

Athol Dickson won a lot of acclaim and awards for his last book, River Rising. I didn't read that one, so when his latest work, Winter Haven, was available for review, I didn't want to miss out.

Winter Haven is the name of an island off the coast of Maine. Vera Gambles, a 24 year old accountant, travels there because the body of her long-lost brother, Sigmund or "Siggy", had washed up on the north shore of the island. In the midst of the opening of old wounds, the question of how an autistic savant made it from Texas to the Atlantic is her main concern.

When she sees his body and finds he hasn't aged from thirteen years ago, new questions arise.

What is the connection between this appearance, the strange fog over the north part of the island, the legend of a lost Puritan colony, a figure clothed in black, and Siggy's body? Vera struggles with the strangeness of the island, her own demons, and the mysterious Captain Evan Frost in her journey to discover the secret of Winter Haven.

The characterization is probably the strength of the book. Vera is mousy and flawed - she's not the gorgeous and confident heroine we see in so many other books, and to me, the change is welcome. She has a lot to overcome, and you're not sure if she can rise to it. Evan Frost is very hard to pin down, and even the cranky widow has her moments of sympathy.

The book is an easy read, and it is fairly engaging. The book is written in first person, from Vera's perspective. This allows the author to introduce a lot of suspense that she has problems figuring out, but some sections where she is wrestling with her past were confusing. I got bogged down a couple of times in these spots. The suspense is gripping at times, and overall I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't my favorite in this genre.

I recommend the book, but honestly I would wait for paperback if I were to buy it for someone.

The Begotten - Final Questions

Okay, so the CSFF tour has moved on, but I want to post quickly on two questions that may arise from the book The Begotten.

First of all, what made this book "speculative"?

The book is set in a historical time (1300's Italy), so it is clearly not science fiction. It is not really a fanatsy. Why did it end up in a book tour for speculative fiction? Well, it might be a little of a reach for the core audience for a focus of Christian sci-fi and fantasy. However, it focuses on alternative history with a mix of supernatural power and "speculation" on what would happen if certain letters of Paul, containing prophecies, was found at some time that led to the plot of the book. In my opinion, that premise is enough to support highlighting it during the CSFF tour. Plus, it was a very well written and enjoyable book, so what is the harm in promoting such a product when it is pretty close to the intention of the tour?

The other question is, isn't the idea of a "lost" book of Scripture dangerous territory?

Yes, this premise is dangerous territory. If it was done by someone without respect for the Bible and Christian tradition, it would most likely be a book that I could not support and recommend. Again, a comparison to DaVinci Code comes to mind. Lisa Bergren clearly holds to ideas that show her deep love for Jesus and the gospel message. The book has a rich spiritual message (that doesn't come across preachy), and it overall is a vehicle that combines truth and entertainment in a good way.

Now, there was some liberty with how her characters responded to the lost Corinthian level, and they probably acted a little too out of character for the time frame. They sounded like modern day Pentecostals a lot of the time, not like Roman Catholics confronted with strange new teaching that would be heretical. I think the answer to this will come in the conclusion of the series, but this could be a critique of the first book.

Fiction in general is only a "what if" that happens in the author's mind. Intertwining fiction and the Bible can be a tricky issue. Randy Ingermanson has two novels about time travel that deal with the apostles. Anne Rice is writing a series based off of Jesus' childhood, in areas of history that we have no record for, at least Biblically. One commenter suggested that it made the premise of the book a little harder to handle since Bergren used Paul. However, it also gives the premise more legitimacy since Paul did actually make extra correspondence to Corinth that we don't have in the Bible.

Ultimately, I think Lisa did well in her book, and it must come down to that this is fiction, and not Bible study or teaching. We have to use discernment in ANY book we read, even if it is from a respected scholar, and whether it is fiction or non-fiction. Fiction is meant to be false, yet it can be an avenue for us to examine issues in the hypothetical. Fiction is above all creative, art, and entertainment, so we have to hold to that as a baseline regarding any book.