Is it too Edgy? Light at the Edge of Darkness

The new anthology, Light at the Edge of Darkness, has been described as edgy, and in fact is edgy, although that was not the authors' goal. Light gives Christian readers of secular sci-fi, fantasy, horror an alternative: entertaining well-written fiction from a Christian perspective.

The authors of Light write speculative fiction or spec-fic (fantasy, sci-fi, cyberpunk, horror, etc.) that is scripturally sound; it is intended for the Christian audience. It does not evangelize but neither does it cloak Christian beliefs in euphemism and analogy. So, what purpose does Biblical spec-fic serve?

Founder of the Lost Genre Guild, Frank Creed, says this: I'm a longtime fan of spec-fic, especially sci-fi. When shopping Christian bookstores long ago, it didn't take long to realize that there was nothing in my favourite genre on the shelves--so I turned to secular sci-fi. I grew tired of the [often] anti-Christian underpinnings in sci-fi, but the only other option was to quit reading fiction altogether; so I gritted my teeth and ignored anything pointedly anti-Christian. Later, I put my hand to writing sci-fi and fantasy from a Christian worldview. It stood to reason that there were other Christians readers out there who would be interested in a good story that was respectful of Christian values.

Biblical spec-fic, and by extension, Light at the Edge of Darkness, is not white-washed or diluted secular fiction. The good stuff must be able to hold its own as far as plot and characterization goes. It must be "real" in the fictional sense. It must be meaningful. Let's give an example:

"Undeniable" by Canadian horror writer A.P. Fuchs, is horror. It tells the story of a man and son incarcerated in a Chinese jail; the two characters have a choice: renounce Christ or be tortured. These are strong Christians who chose the latter. The torture is palpable and provides the reader with meaningful depictions of the lengths to which the torturers and the strong Christians will go. Without this imagery, it is doubtful that the author would have successfully made his point: how far would you go before compromising your values and beliefs.

"Undeniable" can hold its own in the secular world as quality entertaining horror and at the same time is Christian in nature! Is the violence depicted in this story gratuitous? No. Is it meaningful? Yes. (The difference between gratitous and meaningful is a whole other issue).

Light at the Edge of Darkness contains sci-fi, fantasy, horror, endtimes, time travel, cyberpunk, dystopia and more. The stories are well-written and have been thoroughly enjoyed by fans of spec-fiction. The stories are edgy; they don't succumb to the writing guidelines of the big Christian publishing houses that intimate that their readers are all delicate butterflies who will perish if they read meaningful description--in the words of one large publisher: "sometimes it is better to tell, not show."

The stories in Light do not break this fundamental rule of writing, rather, they are edgy in the sense that they are written from a Christian worldview yet still maintain the writing quality of secular fiction--these writers, along with many others, are edging Christian fiction into something that is real, something that is entertaining, something that is well-written.

If you are a person who does not like the spec-fic genre in the first place, will you like this book? Debatable. Is it fair to judge this book or indeed, a story like "Undeniable" according to your reading tastes? I say a resounding "no." But . . . are Light at the Edge of Darkness and other novels coming from the Lost Genre Guild too edgy? That answer depends on each individual's reading preferences.

--definition and discussion of Biblical speculative fiction can be found at Wikipedia

Listen to Episode 8 of Light at the Edge of Darkness radio theater

Episode 8 of the Light at the Edge of Darkness radio theater is ready for download or you can go to the Lost Genre Guild blog and listen to it there (as well as any of the other short stories you may have missed).

This week's episode, "Chosen of God" written by Andrea and Adam Graham: Casino owner A.L. Snyder comes of age in the years of the Empire and must find his place in the world.

A Preview:

“COME ON IN TO Snyder’s Casino, the best place to gamble without going to Reno. Come on in to Snyder’s Casino.”

Snyder put his feet up on the chips counter. He could listen to that all night. The dancing girl quit after a mere two hours of singing that, so now he just played a loop from his radio ad. That had been a calculated risk—Idaho had a law against gambling.

He puffed on his cigar. Not much of a smoker; the cigar just projected the right image.

The sheriff sauntered in. “Got my money?”

Most in these parts had a superstition against the international currency, or rather that trading in it required a computerized ID tag embedded in the right wrist. Irrational or not, who could resist the big bucks available tax-free on the underground market?

He pulled out a pile of silver from beneath the desk and slid it across the counter. “Here.”

The sheriff pocketed the archaic currency. “Mind if I play a few?”

“Sure.” Snyder opened his drawer and handed the sheriff fifty red chips. “First fifty dollars is on the house.” He’d have his silver back before dawn.

Thank God Mama Borden still lived in Boise. He’d disappointed her enough without the casino. Still, for a high school dropout who chose enlisting over the pen—and got court-martialed three years ago to boot—he hadn’t done half bad. Most twenty-two-year-olds he knew were up to their noses in debt and bussing tables, or something equally glamorous.

Chico ran in. “Boss, someone outside wants to see you.”

“Tell them to come in.”

Chico frowned. “He refused to enter a place that hires Spics.”

Snyder reached under the counter and grabbed his old friend Colt.

The scent of fear poured from Chico. “Hey, Boss, you promised your old woman—”

“—I’ll try and be peaceful.” Snyder slipped the gun inside his coat. “But it doesn’t hurt to be prepared to speak a language he’ll understand.”

Hifalutin' Groovy Cheesehead

I think that there may be one or two "anyone"s out there who may be saying right now . . . did you see the getup Creed was sporting at the Chicago Tribune's Printers Row Book Fair this June?

And, even though Mr. Creed maintains that he wore the getup because he was meeting another Packer fan (Johne Cook who just may want to remain nameless and is certain to be very relieved that he was not part of the photo op . . . ), the true reason is that he likes to bait Bears' fans.

Now, because I am a kind-hearted soul, I will not post the photo. Just try and conjure up your own image.

Okay, so I lied.