It is Infinite Space, Infinite God . . .

The concept of Karina and Robert Fabian's Infinite Space, Infinite God, an anthology of Catholic sci-fi, was an intriguing one—Catholicism and science . . . and science fiction to boot? come on, everyone knows that the two are incompatible—remember Galileo, people? Was this a group of writer-heretics? Oh goodie—rebels—that was enough to gain my attention.

Of course, I am being facetious here. I write Biblical cyberpunk and receive a similar reaction whenever I mention it! And, so to my review . . .

The backbone of ISIG is the editorial commentary. The Fabians introduce ISIG with a commentary on science and the Catholic church. While there are those Christian legalists who would dissect the Fabian's argument, I found it interesting, however, unnecessary to apologize for writing sci-fi, whatever one's beliefs. It is fiction, fantasy, written by authors glorifying Him with their talents. But I digress. Within the book itself, the Fabians introduce each segment of stories with thought-provoking discussion: "The Catholic Church and Humanity," ". . . Evangelism," ". . . its Servants," etc. The result is a well-organized survey of well-crafted and entertaining Catholic sci-fi.


Some of my favorite stories in ISIG:

In Karina Fabian's "Interstellar Calling," Frankie, a sixteen-year-old is tired and disillusioned with her life—and like many folks in this position, blames God. The author lulls the reader seemingly into a romance story or at best, a growing-up story. But Fabian changes gears smoothly to provide the heroine a chance at a cool life-changing event.

Every anthology needs a good spy story and in "The Mask of the Ferret" (Ken Pick and Alan Loewen) we have an intergallactic version of secret agent (priest) on the trail of a fugitive smuggler. The ancient artifact the priest seeks is dangerous cargo for the interstellar craft and its unusual group of travelers and crew. The storyline is enjoyable and the characters a real kick (sorry real fans of intergallactic-ness) though I have to say my imagination isn't developed well enough to clearly envision the disparate group assembled on board!

"A Cruel and Unusual Punishment" (Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff) is the fascinating journey of a Sein Finn soldier, slated for death row, who gains redepemption through the Zagorsky experiment. A must read!

And finally, Simon Morden's "Little Madeleine." I was eager to read a sample of Dr. Morden's work. I'd recently read his essay Sex, Death and Christian Fiction and wanted to determine for myself where his fiction fit . . . in the 10% or the ninety (you'll have to read his essay to decipher this code) of Christian fiction. Like the rest of the stories contained in ISIG, "Little Madeleine" did not disappoint. The concept of the Joans, warrior-nuns who protect God's servants, is pretty darn cool. Morden is a talented writer who sends the CBA church-lady-protective filters flying, a la Little Maddeleine herself.


The Fabians have amassed a fine group of writers in ISIG. Besides being entertaining, these stories provoke thought, educate us non-Catholics, and give the reader a new take on commonly held suppositions about the the Catholic church. Pick up a copy of Infinite Space, Infinite God and see for yourself—but careful, this is hot stuff!

Return tomorrow for an interview with editor Karina Fabian as she talks about the August Virtual Book Tour for ISIG. She provides some real insights into virtual book tours—authors and self-publishers, this is must read information!

Title: Infinite Space, Infinite God
Author: Karina and Robert Fabian, editors
Category: Science Fiction
ISBN: ISBN 1-933353-62-7
Format: Trade paperback
Publication Date: August 15, 2007
Pages: 288
Price: $18.95 US
Trim: 6 x 9
Available from: Twilight Times Books
First Print Run: 5000
For More Info: isigsf.tripod.com

Light at the Edge of Darkness "Best Book Trailers on YouTube"

The Best Book Trailers on YouTube

S.L. Newman of Associated Content: The People's Media Company in his article "The Best Book Trailers on YouTube says that the Light at the Edge of Darkness Book Trailer's opening phrase "may be the catchiest catch phrase of this millennium, and it fits the feel of the genres it represents perfects [sic]."

Of course the Lost Genre Guild folks greatly appreciate the work and creativity that Daniel I Weaver put into making this Book Trailer—but it is wonderful to see that others appreciate it as well!

And, below is the chef d'ouevre itself . . . or you can go to YouTube, type in Light at the Edge of Darkness, and view it there.

The Duke's Handmaid by Caprice Hokstad

Caprice Hokstad's The Duke's Handmaid has something for everyone! If you like adventure and intrigue and danger, this is the book for you. Fantasy? yup, the descriptions and features of the enchanted kingdom of Latoph, set in the world of Byntar—the land of twin suns, moons and continents—will more than sate your thirst. How about romance . . . yes, we have that too.

Hokstad's main characters are three-dimensional. timna, the duke's optimess and slave interested me from her first appearance. Just discovering her motivation for wholeheartedly accepting her servitude to Vahn, her duke, kept me eager to read on! I wanted to learn more and more about this society. I wanted to know why our heroine's— Keedrina—only goal was to become a slave! What sort of a place was this?

The plot pulls the reader along from chapter to chapter beginning with the horrifying tragedy that befalls Keedrina and provides the impetus for leaving her simple life to search for more. The noble household that she enters is already fraught with intrigue and murder and Keedrina finds herself in the midst of danger. The action sequences are compelling and encourage the reader to discover more. Yes, there is violence—this is a medieval-type of society—and your average Christian romance reader might be put off. But The Duke's Handmaid isn't your average Christian romance and I found the scenes to be realistic to the setting and tastefully written.

The setting of The Duke's Handmaid is the jewel of the book! The rich and detailed description of Latoph—its society: customs, dress, speech; its geography and its place in time and space—is reminiscent of the world Tolkien wrote about. Ms Hokstad must be commended for the detailed and rich world she has created here. Although one doesn't need to view the information on the Latoph website to appreciate the setting, I certainly found that it enhanced the vivid picture I formed in my mind while reading the book.

Go to the website, learn more about Caprice Hokstad and her writing, read the sample chapters . . . then go out and purchase this beautifully edited book. You won't be disappointed.

The Duke's Handmaid: CFRB Tour Day One

The Christian Fiction Review Blog Tour's book for August is The Duke's Handmaid, Book One of a fantasy triology by novelist Caprice Hokstad. For Day One of the tour, an introduction to this novel of adventure, mystery, romance . . . and of course, fantasy:

The Story:

Keedrina is a young peasant maiden who lives on the outskirts of a prosperous seaport town until marauders kill her family and burn her farmhouse. She reports the tragedy to Duke Vahn, who champions her cause, apprehending the outlaws and meting out justice. Orphaned and homeless, Keedrina envies the slaves who live in fine homes with luxuries she has never had. The duke offers her a position as his indentured servant. With very little left to live on and intrigued with the handsome young noble, Keedrina accepts. Can the simple farmgirl find a home among the refined servants in the duke's house? Not if the prejudiced and conniving duchess has her way!

The Setting:

Latoph is an enchanted kingdom introduced in The Duke’s Handmaid, a fantasy novel by Caprice Hokstad. Brimming with adventure, chivalry, and passion, Latoph is a place of beauty and justice, but it has its dark side as well. Rivalry, conspiracy, prejudice and enslavement wreak havoc on the otherwise idyllic existence of a dualistic society ruled by the same glorious dynasty for a millennium... The world of Byntar has twin suns, twin moons, and twin continents, though neither continent knows of the other’s existence. Twins and duality feature prominently in the plot of The Duke’s Handmaid. You can read a wonderfully detailed description of the kingdom Latoph at the book site.

The novelist has put together an excellent website at http://www.latoph.com/. I highly recommend that you check it out and be certain to follow all the links. I was absolutely impressed by all the background information Hokstad has provided the reader. A small sampling of this:

• a map of Raeru
• an example of what royal ladies are wearing in Latoph, sewn and modeled by the author!
• study guide for The Duke's Handmaid including student questions and discussion guide (and phew! answers)
• an artistic rendition of the hero Duke Vahn Rebono, an Elva
• listing of the main characters

Until Tuesday when I'll be back with part one of The Duke's Handmaid review, here is a teaser for you:

In the meantime, pick up a copy of The Duke's Handmaid so that you can follow along with the coming review.

The book is also available at amazon.com: