busyRecommended Reading List from Hypatia’s Hoard for
“Preaching from the Bookstall: How Religion, Magic and the Occult Are Treated in SF, Fantasy and Horror”
Panel at Archon/NASFiC, 2007
Archangel by Sharon Shinn. Ace, 1996. Science fantasy. Samarian colonists worship the starship Jehovah – except for the Edori, who still remember the transcendent Yovah. Jovah has angels to watch over his flocks: winged humanoids who care for the more fragile humans.
The Awakened City by Victoria Strauss. Eos, 2006. Fantasy. A disturbing story of a magical/religious cult that creates upheaval throughout a whole society.
Belladonna by Anne Bishop. Roc, 2007. Fantasy. Somewhere between woman and goddess, Glorianna Belladonna is the heart of Ephemera and only her magic can make it whole.
Brain Plague by Joan Slonsczewski. Tor, 2000. Science fiction. Imagine hosting swarms of microbes who consider you a deity, pray to you, and inspire you to become a better artist.
Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson. Warner Aspect, 1998. Urban fantasy. A brilliant portrayal of Afro-Caribbean spirituality, in which gods themselves take the stage in the final act.
The Compass Rose by Gail Dayton. Luna, 2005. Fantasy. Followers of the One are bound together magically, spiritually, and romantically to battle demons.
Dark Water’s Embrace by Stephen Leigh. Avon Books, 1998. Science fiction. The religion of the tri-sexed Miccail aliens includes the deity VeiSaTi, who oversees the third sex, the Sa.
Dead Inside: The Roleplaying Game of Loss and Redemption by Chad Underkoffler. Atomic Sock Monkey Press, 2004. Fantasy role-playing game. This fascinating game guides soulless characters through a quest to find their stolen souls or gain new ones.
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.
Exile’s Honor by Mercedes Lackey. DAW, 2002. Fantasy. Raised to worship Vkandis, the Sun God, Alberich finds himself banished from his homeland and cast into Valdemar, a country he believed ruled by demons. Religion underlies much of the plot and characterization.
Flight of the Godkin Griffin by M.C.A. Hogarth. LiveJournal, 2003-2007. Fantasy. Read ongoing story at: http://godkin.livejournal.com/ The Godkin Kingdom believes in crossbreeding to divinity; the Shraeven country-cum-province believes in inbreeding to simplicity.
The Guild of Xenolinguists by Sheila Finch. Golden Gryphon Press, 2007. Science Fiction. Xenolinguists struggle past thought and language to find “the naked face of God.” See also author’s homepage at: http://www.sff.net/people/sheila-finch/index.htm
The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton. Berkley Books, 2007. Anita Blake becomes more secure in her faith, though it’s of limited help against the current bad-guy vampires.
Hell to Pay by Simon R. Green. Ace, 2007. Urban fantasy/crime. In the wake of the godwar that almost destroyed the Nightside, one man’s quest for immortality creates chaos.
Hinterland: Book Two of the Godslayer Chronicles by James Clemens. Roc, 2006. Fantasy. Tylar ventures out of the Blessed Lands into the Hinterland where rogue gods roam.
Hurricane Moon by Alexis Glynn Latner. Pyr, 2007. A starship's astronauts, pilots and researchers – who are variously Humanist, Atheist, Christian, Jewish, and Pagan – all find their faith challenged by encountering the /unknown unknown/. See also author’s homepage at: http://www.sff.net/people/alexis-latner/
The Mountain’s Call by Caitlin Brennan. Luna, 2004. Fantasy. Divine spirits take the form of horses who bond with human riders to foretell and shape the future.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. Warner Books, 1993, 2000. Science fiction. This book chronicles the advent of a new religion, in which God is Change.
“Peaches from the Tree of Heaven” by Elizabeth Barrette. newWitch #15, 2007. A young Chinese-American man struggles with issues of abortion and Buddhism.
The Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop. Roc, 2001. Fantasy. The Witch Ari flees from Inquisitors. The Fae worry about their world dissolving. The complex spiritual and magical connections between Witches and Fae emerge only gradually as the story unfolds.
Rowan Gant Investigation series by M.R. Sellars. Willow Tree Press, 2000-2006. Mystery with a touch of fantasy. Wiccan characters and plot complications. Strong interfaith dynamics with non-Wiccan characters. See also author’s site at: http://www.mrsellars.com/
The Sharing Knife by Lois McMaster Bujold. Eos, 2006. Fantasy. Lakewalkers and farmers of different faiths both fear demonic malices; only Lakewalker magic can teach a malice to die.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Ballantine, 1996. Science fiction. Starflight “for the greater glory of God” gets your friends killed, nearly destroys a world, and ruins your life. You still believe in God, since “if God is vicious, then at least I have the solace of hating God.”
Sympathy for the Devil by Holly Lisle. Baen, 1996. Urban fantasy. You complain to God 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.
Sythyry’s Journal by Bard Bloom. LiveJournal, 2002-2004. Fantasy. Read ongoing story at: http://www.livejournal.com/users/sythyry/ The World Tree exists at the behest of the 7 Verb Gods and 12 Noun Gods, who also created its people and continue to power its magic.
