| I did a panel called "Oh, God/dess!" at
Capricon 2001, which focused on religion in speculative fiction.
After the fun I had with the xenolinguistics
rec-reading list at WorldCon in 2000, I decided to send copies of
this one to the relevant authors whose contact info I have.
Best wishes,
Elizabeth
Barrette
* * *
Recommended Reading List from Hypatia’s Hoard
for “Oh, God/dess! Religion in Speculative Fiction” Panel
Archangel by Sharon Shinn. Ace, 1996. Science fantasy. Welcome
to Samaria, where colonists worship the starship Jehovah as the
god Jovah – except for the quirky and irrepressible Edori, who still
remember the transcendent Yovah. Jovah has angels to watch over his
flocks: magnificent winged humanoids who take care of the more fragile
humans. And the next Archangel needs an angelica, a human bride … who
is nowhere to be found.
Beyond the Gates by Catherine Wells. Roc, 1999. Science fiction. When
science and religion clash, look out! This book features one of the most
intriguing descriptions of a fundamentalist yet sensible religion that I’ve
ever seen, and the characters who follow it are delightful –
especially the spunky hera who manages to balance science and religion
just fine, thankyouverymuch.
Brain
Plague
by Joan Slonsczewski. Tor, 2000. Science fiction. How would you
like to play host to swarms of microscopic persons who consider you a
deity, who pray to you … and who can share their gifts of inspiration
with you, thus making you a much better artist? This book takes a deeply
insightful look at what it means to be a human, a person, and a
god/dess.
Blue
Moon
by Laurell K. Hamilton. Ace, 1998. Horror with a strong thread of
mystery. While most of the “Anita Blake” novels have some
religious interest, this one is the most notable as it concerns key
questions of what is good, what is evil, whether a necromancer (which
Anita Blake is) can have a soul and get into Heaven … and how you get
rid of a powerful, evil demon summoned by a complete madman.
Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson. Warner Aspect, 1998.
Urban fantasy. The story centers around a brilliant portrayal of
Afro- Caribbean spirituality, in which gods themselves take the stage in
the final act.
Channel’s Destiny by Jean Lorrah and Jacqueline Lichtenberg.
DAW, 1982. Science fiction. In the Sime/Gen series, humanity has
mutated into energy consumers and energy producers. This particular book
contains a significant plot thread about whether or not Simes are
automatically damned, and sundry other sticky religious ramifications.
The Cursed by Dave Duncan. Del Rey, 1995. Fantasy. A bizarre
plague called the “star sickness” leaves survivors forever altered,
each in the image of a particular god, and possessing related powers –
or, as the title implies, problems.
Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz. Del Rey, 1970. Fantasy. This
introduction to the magically gifted Deryni also sets the running theme
of the Christian Church hating and persecuting them … sometimes with
reason.
Harm None: A Rowan Gant Investigation by M.R. Sellars.
Mystery with a touch of fantasy. Willow Tree Press, 2000. Here is a
novel in which many of the main characters are Witches; the Wiccan
religion forms a major part of the plot and background, thoughtfully and
responsibly portrayed. Since some of the other key characters aren’t
Witches, we also get to see some splendid interfaith dynamics.
The Last of the Renshai by Mickey Zucker Reichert. DAW, 1992.
Fantasy. The first in a fascinating trilogy, this book concerns the
Renshai people, whom everyone hates because they dismember their slain
enemies – which everyone thinks will prevent those souls from reaching
Valhalla, although this turns out to be untrue. Genocide based on a
point of inaccurate theology, wow. Much entertainment also ensues over
the battle between Law and Chaos, and the wrangling of the gods and
goddesses.
The Oathbound: Vows and Honor by Mercedes Lackey. DAW, 1988.
Fantasy. Tarma and Kethry serve the same Goddess in different ways
– Tarma as a Swordsworn warrior-priestess, and Kethry as a mage.
Together they work to right the wrongs of the world and restore Tarma’s
murdered clan, Tale’sedrin, to the Plains. The Goddess comes across as
tough yet loving – and just wait until you see what the Law of Returns
does to the demon Thalhkarsh.
Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon. Baen, 1988. Fantasy. Here
is the story of how Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter came to be a paladin of
St. Gird. The spirituality presented herein is eclectic yet with a
distinctly natural feel, and the subtle magic that burbles up for the
informally chosen Paks has a charm that all the whiz-bang spells in the
world can’t match.
The Silver Branch by Patricia Kennealy. Signet, 1988. Science
fantasy. The first of the Keltiad novels, this one introduces the
Kelts and their fascinating Queen Aeron. Among other things, she is a
very gifted priestess of the Goddess, and her Litany in chapter 14
stands out in my memory as one of the most lyrical invocations I’ve
ever seen – my favorite of the Goddess titles used therein is “Wind
out of Betelgeuse.”
So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane. Bantam, 1983. Urban
fantasy. The Universe was created by a number of Powers, and the Lone
Power created death and wreaked much havoc. So the Powers created
wizards and gave them magic to combat entropy. This is an unusually
reverent treatment of magic, wielded not for personal glory but “in
Life’s name and for Life’s sake.”
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Ballantine, 1996. Science
fiction. Suppose you visited another world “for the greater glory
of God” and in the process got all of your closest friends killed,
nearly destroyed the world in question, and ruined your own life. As the
Jesuit main character of this book explains, he does not become an
atheist because if he chooses to believe “that God is vicious,
then at least I have the solace of hating God.”
Strands of Sunlight by Gael Baudino. Roc, 1994. Fantasy. Although
not the first in the series about ancient elves and their star-goddess
Elthia, this one has some of the strongest religious imagery – because
here the elves have lost their goddess and are trying desperately to get
her back.
Sympathy for the Devil by Holly Lisle. Baen, 1996. Urban fantasy.
You pick a bone with God, arguing that Hell is unfair. God answers
your prayer by releasing thousands of Hell’s denizens into your home
state, where they promptly tell all your neighbors who made this
possible. It gets more exciting from there, and the portrayal of God is
brilliant and ultimately satisfying.
* * *
|
