Christian Author Featured on SciFi.com

Jeffrey Overstreet, author of Auralia's Colors, is featured in a short article on The SciFi Channel's news site: SciFi Wire. He talks about the inspiration behind his debut novel and his plans for the next book in the series.

I've been an avid reader of his blog Looking Closer for about a year now and I read his movie reviews over at Christianity Today. He has interesting and thought-provoking perspectives on films. His commentary on The Golden Compass is a prime example. Sometimes I agree with him, sometimes I don't but that's what makes reviews fun. Overstreet has definitely emerged as one of my favorite Christian film critics.

Things like this give me hope for the Christian sci-fi/fantasy genre. Quality writing by Christian writers can rise to the top and influence our society, one sci-fi lovin' fan at time.

Congrats Jeffrey! And keep up the good work!!!

(Hat tip to SF Signal)

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Katherine, Come Back!

Anyone else want Katherine Heigl to return to Sci-Fi?

I knew she was going to be a big star back when she played Isabel Evans on Roswell. Her portrayal of a teen alien was top-notch.

Now that she's won an Emmy and Knocked Up the box office I hope she doesn't forget her humble sci-fi roots. I remember when Roswell fans across the country united and sent thousands of hot sauce bottles to TV executives pleading with them to keep Roswell on for another season. Those were the good ol' days.

So what movie would be perfect for Ms. Heigl?

That's easy...anything with Will Smith in it. We all know he's bound to save the world again. Whether it's from aliens, robots, zombies or something just as menacing. Mr. "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" can pack the theaters with plenty of sci-fi lovin' fans.

I can imagine Heigl being Smith's snarky partner in some futuristic cop drama. They can't stand each other. She plays it wild and he likes following the rules. (Think of an X-Files Mulder/Scully dynamic). Maybe they're on a distant planet keeping the peace between humans and cyborgs when something goes wrong and they're the only ones who can make it right.

Or something like that.

Here's to hoping that Heigl gets a kick-butt SF role.

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DVDs (Not Diamonds) are girl's best friend

The X-Files Complete Collector's Edition is out on DVD just in time for the Christmas season. And if you're a TV series collector like me then here's something else you can add to your wish list.

It's become somewhat of a tradition in my family for my siblings and I to buy each other new seasons of our favorite shows. Last year my little sister got me Smallville season four and this year I got her Golden Girls season one for her birthday.

Here's to hoping you get your favorite TV show or better yet GIVE it someone special.

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Book Review: Faith Awakened

I wish Faith Awakened was a song. At least that way I could bare getting through it. Bad songs only take up 2-3 minutes of your time. But bad novels, they're not as kind.

I've tried reading this novel more than once but it's always the same thing: it's bland. I've lost count of how many times I've stopped and started, hoping that somehow the next time I opened the book that the story would captivate me. I even skipped around to different sections, reasoning that maybe the first few chapters started off slow. But by the time I got to chapter 21 and there was still no flare, I knew this book wasn't going to light my fire.

And I really wanted to like this book. When I first heard about the concept I was intrigued. But all that excitement faded when I got the business of actually reading it.

Faith Awakened by Grace Bridges tells the story of two young women in a futuristic dystopian Ireland trying to find true meaning and purpose amidst a highly-restrictive government (think China and Afghanistan under Taliban reign times 100). Doesn't that sound interesting??? If only the delivery of the story lived up to its premise.

The story starts with a prologue but I advise skipping over that and chapter 1 and jumping straight into "chapter 2: Introducing Mariah" which is where the story should have began. It's the first time the words on the page have a real pulse and engage you. You get a sense of Mariah's spunky personality through her diary-like rundown of what went wrong in the world. This book could have been stellar if it was as vibrant as this chapter and if we could have seen the events that took place instead of being described what happened. I want that novel!!! I wanted more of Mariah's "toughness" to shine through, to lead us through this futuristic world in disarray.

Even though Faith Awakened didn't put the steam in my cappuccino, some die-hard fans of Christian Sci-Fi might find it appealing. Like LeVar Burton said on Reading Rainbow: "But...you don't have to take my word for it".

I give it 2 unawakened stars out of 5.

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Sue Dent's Trailer

Sue Dent is not your typical Christian author. But that's good. Take a look at a trailer spotlighting the woman behind a new breed of Christian fiction.



For more info visit www.neverceese.com

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Manga

I wrote a post about the Christian manga trend over at Speculative Faith, so head over there and check it out. Leave some comments. Browse around. Whatever. You know the drill.

Oh, and here's a drawing I found by a Christian manga artist:


Back to Innocence by *PsychoAnn on deviantART

I think it's cute.

Well, that's it for now. Keep it sci-fi.

-SolShine7

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