We have invited an author onto our show for the first time – not really – to do an author interview! Karlissa J talks about her books, her inspiration, and the life experiences that have shaped her as an author.

Karlissa is currently reading: “On Stories” by CS Lewis (hence her multiple CS Lewis references).

Further notes: the Blackhawks won.

What would it look like for Christian fantasy to tackle more difficult subjects and questions?

We give some ideas, like drawing from deeper history and acknowledging complex emotions. We also give writing updates, and thoughts on how Christian norms affect our writing.

SPOILER WARNING for Tales of the Diversity trilogy (Karlissa J)!

CORRECTION: in The Great Divorce, Lewis does mention that the mentor ghost is George MacDonald.

Mentioned: Thinking Out Loud podcast with Cameron MacAllister and Nathan Rittenhouse (toltogether.com/podcast); Lilith (George MacDonald); The Divine Comedy (Dante); The Great Divorce (CS Lewis).

In a subgenre – Christian fantasy novels – largely aimed at youth, is there even room or desire for tackling difficult or complex subject matter: like mental illness, tragedy, or denser theology?

What are the Christian expectations for fantasy novels? Why don’t more people know about or read C.S. Lewis’ adult fantasy stories: The Cosmic Trilogy and Till We Have Faces? How ought authors to challenge their readers, and can the Bible give us some ideas on how to approach mature storytelling?

We move from early 2000s Christian fantasy to works from classic authors as we sort through our thoughts on this topic.

Mentions: Till We Have Faces (CS Lewis), Children of Hurin (JRR Tolkien), Tales of the Diversity trilogy (Karlissa J), The Cosmic Trilogy (CS Lewis) including Out of the Silent Planet; the CS Lewis podcast (with Allister McGrath); The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings (Philip and Carol Zaleski); and the Bible Project series on Parables.

Does Christian fantasy need more ‘mature content’? What IS maturity? What is the role of spiritual maturity, difficult themes, and deeper thinking in fantasy? We will be exploring these questions and more in our series on mature content, as we take a look at classic literature and what authors like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien can teach us.

Don’t worry, this episode’s content is suitable for all ages!

Quote from C.S. Lewis comes from his article “The Lord of the Rings,” which can be found in his book On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature.

This episode is from back when the Book-Bat podcast was focused on Christian fantasy books. Visit book-bat.com/about to learn more about who we are and our goals for the podcast!

Does constantly reaching for the familiar stunt our creativity? In this episode, each co-host answers how he/she makes a point of stepping outside the box of familiarity to strengthen their writing abilities.

The evolution of the word stereotype, the invention of the term Mary Sue, our dislike of James Bond, what Ironman has in common with Paw Patrol… our discussion of Mary Sue and Gary Stu characters leads to multiple random reflections!

Dictionary.com article on Mary Sue: https://www.dictionary.com/e/fictional-characters/mary-sue/

The actor who plays Superman in the CW’s “Superman & Lois” is Tyler Hoechlin.

The Tolkien Society Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.tolkiensociety.org/author/faq/

Karlissa came up with a list of ten fun things to say about John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and multiple short stories!

“Christian Fantasy 101” has become To Narnia and Beyond! Explore the fantasy novels of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, and Madeleine L’Engle, and how they each expressed their faith in their writings.

Learn more: https://www.book-bat.com/nonfiction

Resources mentioned: the CS Lewis Podcast with Alister McGrath; J.R.R. Tolkien’s letter to Milton Waldman; “On Fairy Stories” (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Jason Fisher’s Article “Reluctantly Inspired: George MacDonald and J.R.R. Tolkien”: https://digitalcommons.snc.edu/northwind/vol25/iss1/8/

Do we have a type? Can a villain be a favourite character? Can a character be separated from their story? We explore our thoughts on favourite characters!

SPOILER ALERTS: George MacDonald’s “Lilith,” “The Dragon Prince” (Wonderstorm).

Other books mentioned: “The Silmarillion” (JRR Tolkien), “Tales of the Diversity” (Karlissa J), “Till We Have Faces” (CS Lewis), Sonic Comics from IDW, “Rise of the Guardians” (William Joyce), “Chronicles of Narnia” (CS Lewis), Redwall series (Brian Jacques), “All-New Wolverine” (Tom Taylor)… the Bible!

Which are better: characters that exemplify who we wish to be, or ones that remind us of who we already are? Jason and Karlissa discuss the Bible, superheroes, Sonic the Hedgehog, and even throw in a reference to Disney's "Treasure Planet"!

“When a character is relatable, the audience can see themselves in them, and they are more likely to invest in their story.” - neilchasefilm.com/relatable-characters/ - by Neil Chase

2 years ago, the website Comic Vine did a poll that asked which voters preferred: Aspirational or Relatable. Now, out of the fourteen that voted, the results were 57-43 in favour of “Aspirational”.

According to Falcon At the Movies “An aspirational hero is somebody to look up to and fights for the right thing. I think they CAN make mistakes and even have flaws, but they can NEVER question fighting for good.” - https://falconmovies.wordpress.com/2021/07/23/great-debate-what-is-an-aspirational-hero-movies/

Jason and Karlissa discuss magic: a topic that sometimes gets brought up in Christian circles concerning fantasy. Together, they consider the complexities that often get overlooked.

Resources used: “The Gospel According to Tolkien” (Ralph C. Wood); “Narnia, Middle-Earth, and the Kingdom of God” (Mark Worthing); “The Fellowship: the Literary Lives of the Inklings” (Philip and Carol Zaleski); and a few dictionaries!

A nod to Madeleine L’Engle, who brought up the magi and the stars in her book, “Penguins and Golden Calves.”

And George MacDonald’s “Lilith” indeed has many odd, magical moments - Karlissa recommends reading it!