by J.A. Webb | Apr 5, 2025 | Blog post
Can Christian men really enjoy middle-grade stories seen through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old boy?
If you’ve been reading this blog for any time, you are aware how frustrating has been my search to find thrilling fiction written for Christian men. So often, I retreat to the great classics of the past, all the while moaning, “Where are the great modern Christian writers . . . who are writing for men?”
Sometimes I even take a peek into the YA and MG section, open a few covers, then too often shuffle home empty handed- to pick one of the afore-mentioned classics off my own bookshelf.
I mean, really! How many guys are going to be hooked by a story featuring a pack of snarky teen-age girls? By stories about a geeky kid bullied by the high-school quarterback? We may have lived that story ourselves . . . but who wants to go back and re-live it? Give us stakes that resonate!
Yes, like a bad Groundhog Day nightmare, bookstore offerings too frequently disappoint the Christian man.
But not today.
At the recommendation of a friend- thanks Jeremiah!– yet with trepidation, I picked up A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. I think it was the ent-like green man on the cover that tipped the scales. Who doesn’t love a walking tree monster?
But still, that trepidation was real, having been so repeatedly disappointed by the insipid young protagonists who’ve invaded in so many otherwise promising MG/YA stories. Don’t writers remember what it was like to be young? None of us were ever so vapid. Foolish, perhaps. But not that. At least I hope not.
So it was with great surprise and not a little joy that I entered the world of Monster and found a thirteen-year-old POV character who, not only didn’t make me cringe, but was so well-written that I forgot his age altogether. Was instead swept away by the tale.
Beyond that, I’ll say little about the story. I don’t want to spoil anything for you.
But I will leave with this one caution. Don’t listen to the (very well narrated) audio while driving. Doing so with fogged eyes is highly unsafe. Thanks a lot for the tear-jerker Josiah!
So, though our epic quest for great fiction written for Christian men may not have yielded any new adult fiction this week- still, we did come away with one worthy MG/YA offering.
I’ll take the win.
by J.A. Webb | Mar 22, 2025 | Blog post
Christian men might reasonably wonder- “Why bother to read a Time Travel Dystopian Magical Fantasy written in 1889?”
But if you are asking yourself the same question right now- read on. If you pass this one up because of it’s age you’ll be missing a treat.
As a grade schooler, I so loved The Prince and the Pauper that I grabbed the next book in the Mark Twain section- which happened to be this one- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. I, like the character of the story, was immediately transported to a new world. One of which I had never imagined. And like him, one I never wanted to depart.
And speaking of being transported into a story- this story is available in audio, narrated by Nick Offerman of TV’s Parks and Rec fame. Give that guy a snow white mustachio and he might be Samuel Clemens. Fantastic work!
But why, as a Christian man, bother to read a book written in 1889? Much less love it? And one of Time travel?? With our modern understanding, such an outdated tale is a waste of our time, no?
That depends. Do you love dry humor or sarcastic barbs? Dystopian social commentary so skillfully woven into the story that you’ll miss it as it slides right past your awareness and into a deeper part of your consciousness, where it will set up shop and begin to remodel the way you see your own world? In a historical setting, no less? Quite a trick, that!
No?
Then how about time travel, non-stop action, political intrigue, soundly beating weaselly bad guys, rescuing both fair maidens and the down-trodden- both at the same time? Would you enjoy a tale of a stalwart man, a defender of right-striving to mightily take hold of his world and correct all the many wrongs he observes- and succeeds? An epic saga of hard work and entrepreneurial genius? Of independence and rugged self-reliance? Of valiant battle against injustice, of social systems which both literally or figuratively enslave those trapped within that society?
“But,” you say, “I hate reading 19th century prose. It’s so stilted, deciphering the story is such work. Won’t flow.”
I get it. But you’re out of excuses.
This book reads as naturally and as cleanly as if written yesterday. If I hadn’t told you, you’d not have known it was older than your grandpa. Or your great-grandpa.
“Oh,” you say, the beginnings of a knowing smirk glimmering in your eye. “You say this book is a great read for Christians, but I happen to know Mark Twain was a heathen. Not a Christian. What do you have to say about that?”
Hmm. Well, I can’t speak to Twain’s eternal condition. But perhaps I’ll share a few phrases from the book and let him speak for himself, such as:
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“ . . . Concentrated power in a political machine is bad and an established church is only a political machine.”
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In context, Twain was speaking of a government established religion- and it’s hard to disagree with that. I’d love a bit less concentrated power and fewer political machines in our time, wouldn’t you?
How about this one?:
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“ . . . We must have a religion, it goes without saying . . . “
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I could go on, but that’s not what this article is about- and plenty of others more qualified than I have already written about Twain’s supposed religious beliefs- well after his own death- coincidentally- so he can’t even have a say in the argument. And not one of those experts seems to agree with the other, by the way.
The point is- while we wait for the modern-day Tolkien to appear, or the Christian Heinlein or Asimov, there waits a fantastical tale that lies forgotten in the dusty tomes of your library. Dust it off. Join our intrepid traveler on his journey back in time.
Like him, you may never want to return.
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by J.A. Webb | Feb 22, 2025 | Blog post
Must Christian men turn to the past to find great fantastical tales?
Are there any undiscovered jewels lost among the dusty tomes lining the shelves of stories past? Read on, as we tell a tale of our recent journeys, and decide for yourself.
Having despaired of locating modern Fantastical fiction — written for adult — (dare I say it . . . Men?), we turned our attention backward in time, a path our feet have so often gravitated toward when frustrated by the dearth present in modern day writing.
But in this disheartened rout, unlike so many other times, we passed by the admittedly tempting safe harbors of Lewis and Tolkien, where so often we’ve taken shelter, crying all the while “oh where are the great modern day Christian authors, who would write for such as we?”
But as we marched wearily onward, a faint cry reached our ears from the depth of a wood by which we were about to pass. Though it were the blackest of woods, we could not but heed the call, and gladly there we met author John Buchan. As the sunset and the blackwood encroached, he whispered to us a tale set in Scotland of the 1600s, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
Witch Wood is a speculative tale of ancient pagan magic and a battle between true godliness, variations of false religiosity, and the unseen world. There are no anti-heroes here, no pale pastels, no gray areas or moral ambiguity. Only good and evil, true heroes fighting self-sacrificially for the right, unsympathetic villains, the banally self-ignorant, and the willfully sinful.
The supernatural elements of the story are so elegantly portrayed as to cause the hairs to rise on the back of the neck. Better, the author does not make the mistake that so many modern Christian authors do, namely, the monster is never shown in the light of day. One only catches glimpses of him as he darts between the deep wood shadows, never losing the power of dread.
The setting is gorgeously illuminated in the imagination of the reader. The characters are vibrant and true to life. The story and the stakes were such that we often found ourselves clenching fists and gritting teeth.
In short, we’ve found, finally, a “new” fantastical tale worthy of the attention of Christian men. It’s so satisfying to say that!
P.S.- It would be unworthy if I didn’t give credit where credit was due. I discovered this story when Leo Vaughn mentioned it in a recent post on his Substack blog- Resurrecting the Real.
He’s a writer of Christian fantasy himself, frighteningly smart, and his blog is a great read. Check it out!
by J.A. Webb | Feb 8, 2025 | Blog post
Should Christian men read Kathy Tyers’s space opera Firebird?
The search for thrilling fantastical fiction for Christian men is sometimes so difficult I’ll take a risk when I discover an older title that seems to have promise.
I took one of those risks this month on Firebird by Kathy Tyers. The second edition was released in 1999 and is described as Christian science fiction. When the (audio thank you!) book opened, I was quickly hooked by a romping space opera complete with thrilling space battles and tooth-grinding political corruption and intrigue.
In short, I was having a great time and was quite proud to have discovered a hidden gem in those dusty archives. Then, as if the protagonist’s X-wing fighter stopped mid-air- the munitions aimed her direction frozen mid-flight, the book devolved into an unmitigated romance.
Not a fan of romance, myself, I nearly DNF’d the thing. Yet the first third of the book was so good, I stuck it out, and once the story had cleared its romance-loving throat, the action picked up and finished with a satisfying conclusion.
One of the most interesting things about Firebird is the presentation of the Christian faith- and though not named as such, the references are obvious. The faith-centric story line even features a conversion experience complete with an epiphany. One that was well-written, true to real-world experience, and emotionally evocative. Good stuff.
So- should Christian men read Firebird? Any guy who loves a little battle-intensive space opera will enjoy this story . . . as long as they are able to endure the romantic middle. Of course, for anyone who likes space opera and romance- this is the book for you. A well-written thrilling read (except for the romance shoved in the middle — or did I already mention that?).
So although my search for great masculine fantastical fiction for Christian Men continues unrequited, our journey into the far reaches of space did not return altogether void.
by J.A. Webb | Feb 8, 2025 | Blog post
Should Christian men read Nobledark fantasy?
Possibly- if they enjoy stories about flawed heroes mired in a world of incredible darkness, overcoming crushing odds and battling to reach the light.
Particularly- if the author happens to be a Christian.
Positively- if that Christian author weaves the gospel message throughout.
For the Christian reader, aside from the grim world and an often violent story, the problem with most secular Nobledark fantasy is how the hero achieves the goal. Often, these stories feature heroes who overcome and achieve admittedly worthy goals — but strictly by their own strength. This is true even where that strength is supernatural. Magical. It’s still a power of them, not of God.
Worse, what it means to do good is often based only upon what is good in their own eyes, but not in obedience to the one and only Higher Power of the universe. Oh, the story often does feature “gods” of some sort, but the hero will never find the ultimate Truth. Because the real God of Creation will not be found in those pages.
Therefore, though the hero may experience some sort of transformation, they will never experience the one transformation that matters.
In Darkness Cast, much like other Nobledark fantasies, is set in an incredibly dark world. It’s violent. Terrible things happen.
As Western Christians, comfortable in our own sheltered worlds, we often shrink from such. But to do so is to forget that many genuine heroes have braved that darkness, the violence. Have seen terrible things . . . many of those terrible things happened to them.
They’ve willingly done so that the innocent (you and me) might live in freedom- experiencing no such thing themselves. Never even imagining such.
So it will behoove us to acknowledge that the darkness exists. To realize that even if grittier, dark stories aren’t our preferred reading fodder, they serve a purpose for some Christian readers. These stories mirror real world experience, touch some at a soul level. Engage those readers with the Power of Story for God’s Glory- men whose inner being will never resonate with stories of romantic suspense or even the supernatural suspense and intrigue of my own story world.
So- again the question. Should Christian men read Nobledark fantasy? My answer is yes, if it’s Jonathan Shuerger’s In Darkness Cast -because in Jonathan’s story, the God of Creation plays a leading role. The Gospel and the redemption of the sinner, even the chief of sinners, is a central theme, shining light where “darkness has been cast,” illuminating that lost world. Revealing the path to an eternity worth fighting for.
The author has woven these eternal truths into his story in a way that’s not intrusive. Is natural. Inevitable. Not cheesy or forced.
So finally, after such a long and arduous journey, we can report the acquisition of the long-sought prize- a fantastical story I wholeheartedly recommend to adult male Christian readers!
May this be the first of many.
