Poll Question:
As a Speculative Fiction fan, what do you tend to read?
Make sure to vote and discuss this topic with us.
I, myself, tend to read a combination of both. When I discovered The Door Within Trilogy, I actually didn't know it was a Christian series. I had found it at my local library and instantly fell in love with it. After ordering all three from Amazon.com, I kept noticing parallels to the Christian life and struggles I've personally faced. The more I read, the more I was convinced that the author must be a Christian. I'd had little experience with Christian Fiction up to this point and assumed it would be blatent and preachy. The words God and Christ never appeared on the pages, but the story was all there.
Eventually, I got into contact with Wayne Thomas Batson and discovered that not only was he a Christian, he was a Christian author published by a Christian publisher. My initial suspicions were at last confirmed. This realization opened up a whole new genre for me. I had found my writing home.
I still love any good Fantasy. It may be secular, and if it's Christian - Bonus! Now though, I'm constantly exposed to excellent Christian Fantasy books and can't fit them all in to my reading schedule. It's a good problem to have.
My favorite kind of book to read, and what I hope to get published some day is a Fantasy that has an amazing story, told by a great story-teller, that has subtle suggestions of faith. The kind of book that a non-Christian would be just as likely to pick up and read as a Christian, and end up wondering where they personally fit into the grand scheme of things. It's like a ministry unto itself, without turning away the people that need to hear the message the most.
