Tag Archives: vampires

Stephen King on the Supernatural

On Tuesday I spent time thinking about my Stickin’ Huge Awesome Novel Winter Awesome Read (SHANWAR) read for 2017, Stephen King’s The Stand. As the snows of winter pen me in, I want a big, long, great book that I … Continue reading

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

From the Mouths of Atheists: Faith Lessons from Terry Pratchett

In creating the Discworld, Terry Pratchett set for himself an interesting problem for an atheist of his era: he created a world where gods are a reality. From an artist’s perspective, this is no particular problem at all. Pratchett made what … Continue reading

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

I Am Legend: Book vs. Film(s)

Can a film be better than the book? It depends on how we define “better,” but book-lovers tend to say two sorts of things about adaptations: “The book was a richer experience.” “The film adaptation was not faithful to the … Continue reading

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Lewis, Wagner, and Frankenstein: Literary Accident or Reader’s Providence?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I call “Pilgrim’s Providence.” This is when we as travelers embrace the challenges and opportunities that come along our pathway as a kind of opportunity provided for us. It is a perspective … Continue reading

Posted in Memorable Quotes, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

What are Readers Actually Reading? Fantasy in America

Bestseller lists can tell us a lot about the books people buy, but they might not tell us as much about what books people actually read. Genre fiction, from Fantasy to Mysteries to Romance, is typically off the radar of … Continue reading

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments