"WHICH NARNIA BOOK ARE YOU?" - A PSYCHO-VISIT TO NARNIA
   - posted by Peggie Bohanon
July 20, 2004 -- An unofficial "psychologist" from Narnia, the
fantasy land of C. S. Lewis,  has opened an intriging "Web office" to
analyze and transform you into a book in the "Chronicles of Narnia"
series, one that best fits your personality. Bluelikethat[1] invites
you to Take this fun quiz[2], view the results and be sure to check
out the results listed for each of the other Narnia books. Narnia
fans will especially love this fun psychoanalysis--at no charge! Then
surf over to Into the Wardrobe: A Web Site Devoted to C. S. Lewis[3]
to find Lewis links and related resources--a bookstore, an extensive
index of papers pertaining to C. S. Lewis and/or his writing, a
picture album and audio clips (MP3 format) and more. Message forums
and a chat room are also available.

-- Links in this story --
[1] http://www.bluelikethat.com/
[2] http://www.bluelikethat.com/narnia/
[3] http://cslewis.DrZeus.net/

posted on Internet for Christians site: http://ifc.gospelcom.net/

How about we get some life into this fine gathering?

Possible topics to consider:

1. Reviews, comments on favorite book(s)
2. Questions re authors, books, etc.
3. Theology--general or specific
4. Reviews, comments on films or TV productions within the fantasy/sf
genre.
5. ???????????

Anyone been following Lawhead's 'Crusade' series? I read the first
one (_The Iron Lance_) and was slightly bothered by the involvement
of the secret society. It feels too much like the stuff Dan Brown is
propogating in the _The DaVinci Code_ and other novels.

Anyone read the new offering by Stephen Lawhead, "Patrick"?  If so,
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
-Donovan

I'm a big fan of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.  I have published my first
novel, Lucy's Treasure.  It demonstrates love, ethics, and a giving
and doing heart.  It is not fantasy, but looks at a true life
experience of tragedy to triumph.  This book can be viewed at
www.LucysTreasure.com and I'm G. E. Dabbs.  I am currently writing a
novel with similar design to that of another writer mentioned here.
Hope to hear from him and see how his book is going.  Might want a
copy. G.E. Dabbs

Hi All,

Blessings to one and all this most blessed Eastertide

Excuse any cross-postings.

To better manage my emails I have decided to put like with like, to
this end, I am moving all my religious and theological groups
memberships to a different email account: anglicanformary@...
I look forward to corresponding with you all from my new address by
the end of the week.  Blessings and all Peace from the heavenly
places

In Christ and His holy Mother Our Lady of Walsingham

Michael Lilly

For those who love Tolkien, J.M.MacLeod's "The Singing Sword" will be
a fulfilling read. Based on the spiritual realities of newbirth and
continuing spiritual warfare, TSS contrasts the world, flesh and the
devil against The Church, The Lord and the believer through a fantasy
medieval setting. It is exciting from beginning to end, and as one
avid reader exclaimed--"It screams for a sequel!" In fact, TSS is the
first of The Singing Sword series that will not only entertain
readers, but challenge them to keep their swords sharp for the
spiritual battle that rages in the very air all about us. Published
by Xulon Press in 2002, is available through Amazon.com,
Barnes&Noble.co, Booksamillion.com, or can be ordered through most
Christian bookstores.

Welcome Pilgrim,
     As to the Williams/Tolkien issue, I can't comment.  However, if
you're looking for respectable Christian fantasy I have a few
recommendations: "Song of Fire" by Joseph Bentz was great, and "The
Last Guardian" by Shane Johnson was pretty good as well.  These kind
of blur the line between fantasy and SF, but what can you do?
     The Harold Myra trilogy (that starts with "Children of the
Night") carries some good themes well.  And there's a recent SF blur
(leaning more toward SF- nevermind, it's actually entirely SF)
entitled "The Arena" by Karen Hancock that is also very well done.
     Hope this helps.  I could also give you a list of books to save
your money from.  If you're interested in more info, let me know.

     Blessings,
snblackmon


--- In inklingsofglory@yahoogroups.com, "greypilgrim97
<greypilgrim97@y...>" <greypilgrim97@y...> wrote:
> hi to one and all! i have been a c.s. lewis-tolkien fan (can you be
> one without being the other?) for about a decade now. i don't know
> much about the other Christian fantasy authors you've been
discussing
> here (other than frank peretti; his 'this present darkness'
> and 'piercing the darkness' were pretty good), and i was hoping you
> could give me some recommendations. books are pricey, pricey
things,
> so i want to be sure before buying anything. thanks! and one more
> thing: i'm curious about charles williams. i read in various
tolkien
> and lewis biographies that c.s.lewis' friendship with williams
caused
> a strain in his friendship with tolkien. why was that so? didn't
> tolkien think well of charles williams? just wondering...

Welcome, Greypilgrim!

   Quick answers for now:
     "...i have been a c.s. lewis-tolkien fan (can you be one without
being the other?)..."
    Yes, actually, you can. But I don't think that applies to anyone
here.
    "...i don't know much about the other Christian fantasy authors
you've been discussing here (other than frank peretti; his 'this
present darkness' and 'piercing the darkness' were pretty good), and
i was hoping you could give me some recommendations."
     IMHO, Stephen Lawhead is a safe bet, esp his early stuff:
the "Dragon King" trilogy (Tolkienesque), "Dream Thief" (Lewisian
SF), the Empyrion saga (SF), the "Song of Albion" trilogy (heroic
fantasy), and the "Pendragon Cycle" (Arthurian fantasy). His latest
stuff on the Crusades is good but a little tough to get into.
    "i'm curious about charles williams. i read in various tolkien
and lewis biographies that c.s.lewis' friendship with williams caused
a strain in his friendship with tolkien. why was that so? didn't
tolkien think well of charles williams? just wondering..."
    Short answer: The strain was on Tolkien's part, I think. For all
his faith and good humour, Tolkien was probably a bit of a snob.
Williams was not well educated in the fomral sense, spoke with
a "lower class" accent, and was not really part of the university
culture Tolkien was comfortable with. Also, Williams' writings are a
bit more mystical and slightly unorthodox than Tolkien would prefer.

Michael

hi to one and all! i have been a c.s. lewis-tolkien fan (can you be
one without being the other?) for about a decade now. i don't know
much about the other Christian fantasy authors you've been discussing
here (other than frank peretti; his 'this present darkness'
and 'piercing the darkness' were pretty good), and i was hoping you
could give me some recommendations. books are pricey, pricey things,
so i want to be sure before buying anything. thanks! and one more
thing: i'm curious about charles williams. i read in various tolkien
and lewis biographies that c.s.lewis' friendship with williams caused
a strain in his friendship with tolkien. why was that so? didn't
tolkien think well of charles williams? just wondering...

Glory to God! and greetings in the Name of Our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ

Thanks for forming this Christian sci-fi/fantasy community.

I am a committed Christian in the Anglican tradition, who follows
our Lord Jesus Christ as an Anglo-Catholic in the Episcopal Church.
I seek to give glory to His Name in my life and in my writing, and
in my work, though it is an uphill battle in all three areas.

Among my fav. Christian authors are (the obvious) Msrs. Tolkein and
Lewis, but Chesterson, Lawhead, Hooker, Miller.

As of yet I have not written (read completed) much of anything
fiction or nonfiction apart from two Tenchi Muyo! fanfics (one
dealing with Tenchi's conversion to Christianity). This is
not to say I am totally without ideas; I have a literary creation in
mind that I have been nurse-maiding for the past several years:
placing the Church (the pre-Schism Great Church of the first
millenium) into a fantasy setting where the Gospel spreads to
peoples and nations not normally expected to receive the life-giving
message of Christ Jesus.

What I have so far completed is one short story, with three more
short stories in outline form; excerpts of the life of three of the
greatest Saints of the Church of Petergate; a sketch of the history
of the Christian Church before and after the discovery of the
Petergate; and a sort of lexicon of words, phrases, and ideas, that
leave plenty of room for inking in.

I have always thought we needed a more overt Christian prescence
within the fantasy world-view, and deplored the few instances (the
only instances where Christianity (or the Church) is used as real
characters I can think of are Judith Tarr, Miller's "A Canticle for
Leibowitz", Dan Simmon's "Hyperion" saga, Harry Turtledove's "Agent
of Byzantium", and of course Katherine Kurtz's "Deryni" series
though none of the above are necessarily or even actually written
with the intent of spreading the Christian message of salvation in
Christ Jesus. The Chronicles of the Church of Petergate, however,
does intend to spread the saving message of Christ Jesus. (And in
fact, Kurtz's Deryni novels were the spark that led me to committ
what thoughts I do have about the Church of Petergate do paper and
memory, with her very fascinating treatment of the Church (with its
tweak that there is no Roman primacy in the world of the Deryni),
and its complex relation to the Deryni, the quasi-religious ritual
of the Deryni, and the relation of Church and State, which kind of
parallels the actual history in England to a point.)

Of course I have also been greatly influenced by Lewis, McDonald,
Milton, Spenser, Tolkien, Donne, Herbert, Lancelot Andrews, and
Thorndike.

Hopefully, this gives us a starating place from which to engage the
powers and principalities of this age and win the world for Christ!

Hey, Pam!

As Founder of this club I welcome you.

I'm not sure why things never got "busy" here--even three or four
people can get a pretty good conversation going.

Here's something for us all to consider as a topic:

What do you think is the overall value of books like the "Left Behind"
series compared to those of Lewis, Tolkien and Lawhead? In other
words, will the LB series endure as have those of the Inklings and
their heirs?

Michael

Hi,

My name is Pam and I live in beautiful Colorado.

I just stumbled across this list by doing a search for Stephen
Lawhead.

I especially enjoy Lawhead and C.S. Lewis' Narnia universe.

Since there are only 18 messages so far, I read all of them and
immediately went to Amazon.com and ordered Janine Miller's "Worlds
Apart".  It looked fascinating and I can't wait to get it.

I see that including me, we are only four members, but I hope to hear
from the group occasionally.

TTYL

Pam

I am leaving any of my groups that don't seem to
be active, but am still a part of the Broad
Universe group if anyone wants to talk to me.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/broaduniverse/

--J

Just Released by Xulon Press--WORLDS APART, by
J. C. Miller.  What if we are not alone?  What
would that mean to fundamental Christians?  Is
it possible God did create other life?  Do they
live and die by the same rules He has given us?
So many questions, so few Christian novels
exploring them. WORLDS APART, by J. C. Miller,
does.  Now available on xulonpress.com, amazon.com,
BarnesandNoble.com, through your local
bookstore, or call 866-909-BOOK.

I just published a book, now available at the publisher's site, or
Amazon.com

WORLDS APART, by J. C. Miller

You can read a blurb at xulonpress.com in their bookstore under
fiction.  You can also purchase it there, or (more cheaply) on
Amazon.com.  Amazon is taking orders, but does not stock the book
yet.  You have to search by title and exact author name (J. C.
Miller)

I am very eager to hear what people think of my work.  It is not
easy to blend Christian beliefs with science fiction, but I do
believe science is only a way to learn more about God--not something
that negates Him.

--J

I just posted a review for Transgression on the
site:<br>www.consuminfireinc.com/new_reviews.htm<br> It was pretty good. I
haven't read the Immortal
yet by Hunt, but I'm planning to soon. Tell me if
there are other ones that you'd like to know about (but
a good percentage of the ones I've read are listed
on the site).<br> And please fill out a
survey.<br>Blessings

I haven't read either of the books you mentioned. could you tell me about them,
if I know more about them I'll be able to find them easier.

Has anyone read Transgression by Randall Ingermanson?  Or The Immortal by Angela
Hunt?

Hi!<br> I've heard your name before but no one in my family can remember from
where so who are you? If nothing more then to get my parents off my back-please
answer.

That is an arrinim it stands for Jesus Loves Us
All-Pass It On. One letter for every word, nice and
neat.<br> I've never read Stephen Lawhead-haven't even
heard of him before now, but I will try to get the
book.-Naomi

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the only one of
the Chronicles that has been individually listed as
someone's favorite book on the survey. As a matter of fact,
my cousin has a publishing company called Dawn
Treader Publications. <br> The wonder, the deep spiritual
truth, Reepicheep floating up and over a wall; ah, the
memories!<br> I feel like I should know what the letters mean
(J.L.U.A.-P.I.O.) but I don't. It's been a while since I even went
back and read the Chronicles.<br> Ships, hunh? If you
like journeys, you might want to try Byzantium by
Stephen Lawhead. It's not fantasy, but it's very much an
adventure.

Hi!<br> I first saw one of the movies in the
series at a friend's house when we were have a movie
party. After I saw that I wanted to read the books
begining with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which was
the only one my friend had. Since then The Cronicles
of Narnia have always been a favorite series with
me.<br> Out of all of the books in the series I would
have to say that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has
always been my favorite because I enjoy reading about
ships. J.L.U.A.-P.I.O.

Welcome nsluke1411,<br> The Chronicles of Narnia
are true classics. They planted some of the first
seeds in me of the gospel. They also sparked my
interest/love of reading. Lewis was a master, who got help from
the Master. I went back and read them again (most of
them) a few years ago, and got even more out of them.
Lewis writes in a style similar to scripture: the more
you know, the more you find.<br> If you don't know
anything about the bible, The Chronicles are good fiction.
They have a good story, and are entertaining. But the
more you know about the bible, the more symbolism you
see, the more message you see.<br> I write, and Lewis
is one of my primary influences.<br> How long ago
did you read them?<br> Which is your favorite, and
why?<br><br> You can feel free to write me. I'm more than
happy to converse. However, I'm also in grad school,
and I can't promise that I will reply daily.<br>
Blessings,<br>snblackmon

Welcome!<br><br>Your question definitely opens up
a lot of possible topics. The Chronicles of Narnia,
as all of Lewis' writings, were very important in
bringing me to faith. (See my introductory essay-- MSG #2)
<br><br>Michael

Hi!<br> I am a new member to this club and I was
wondering what the other members thought of The Cronicals
of Narnia by:C.S.Lewis?<br> Also I was wondering if
any of the members would like to be my pen pal my
e-mail is nsluke1411@....

Thank you for filling out the survey. I
appreciate it. I've updated the results page, so you can go
and look anytime.<br> Aside from the Song of Albion
series, are there other books of the genre that you've
read/heard of? <br>Here's a list of books that will eith
have a review posted soon, or I'm not posting one for
other reasons:<br> Lord of the Rings (coming soon)<br>
Lord Foulgrin's letters<br> Ishbane conspiracy<br>
Shining Face trilogy by Harold Myra<br> Song of Albion
(know of it, but never read it. Since it now comes so
highly recommended, maybe I'll give it a shot).<br>
Crown of Eden<br> Crystal Connection<br> A Requiem for
Love<br> The Angelwalk Series<br> Millenium series by Paul
Meier<br><br> If either (soon any) of you know of other books
that fit the category, could you let me know? I'm
trying to exhast the genre. But there's also a few I
haven't posted or reviewed because it would be
exceedingly harsh. And seeing your responses, you must have
read some other stuff.<br> For example, I keep finding
books that were only distributed on the west coast:
Song of Fire by Joseph Bentz, Transgression by Randall
Ingermanson, etc. Do you know of any others?

Links:<br><br><a href=http://www.consumingfireinc.com
target=new>http://www.consumingfireinc.com</a><br><a
href=http://intercom.virginia.edu/SurveySuite/Surveys/ChristianFiction
target=new>http://intercom.virginia.edu/SurveySuite/Surveys/ChristianFiction</a>

Hello all.  There are new things on the horizon;  New books, and new ways to
tell whats out there.  Check out the new links.

I was born in Detroit (1958), migrated to Long
Island at the age of four, and then transplanted to the
Adirondacks just before my ninth birthday. I remained in the
mountains (with frequent travels to other parts of the
globe) until 1981, when I moved back to Long Island and
got married the month after Charles & Diana. My
aforementioned travels included Britain, Canada, across the US
three times by car (several by plane), &
Mexico.<br><br>My interests as I grew up (and many still remain)
were: theater, filmmaking, SF/fantasy, theology, and
broadcasting. I was a puppeteer on both professional and
semi-pro levels from the time of my first public
performance in fourth grade until I graduated from college.
Attended State University@Potsdam, NY, with major in
English Lit. Also took graduate courses toward a teaching
certification, but never completed due to financial and time
constraints.<br><br>Favorite authors: Ray Bradbury, Stephen R. Lawhead, C. S.
Lewis, Tolkien, John Gardner(the English professor not
the new James Bond guy), Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Peter
Kreeft, Francis Schaeffer -- to name a few. Most
influential in my spiritual, imaginative and intellectual
development would be C.S. Lewis. For devotional purposes I
read through Pascal's _Pensees_ every year; in
previous years Bonhoeffer's _Cost of Discipleship_ as
well. I do a great deal of what Lewis called "literary
reading", which is re-reading (see his _An Experiment in
Criticism_.) I have a love for things Arthurian that goes back
to childhood. My family can't stand stuff like STAR
TREK and BABYLON 5, and I love them. <br><br>I have
worked for a major banking institution for close to 17
years, but my heart is in writing and teaching. I teach
Sunday school, and am an elder at the Presbyterian
Church to which I have belonged for over 5 years. My
formal religious affiliation has always been Presby,
though I was raised to explore all avenues of
spirituality and organized religion. <br><br>For over 9 years
I worked part-time for a Christian radio station
(contemporary CHR music & ministries). About 6 years ago the
station was sold and became a "moldy oldies" format. Am
looking for another chance at CCM radio. <br><br>I have 3
children: 2 girls (14 & 12) and 1 boy (3+ years old).

I wrote the following in 1990, but thought it
might be a good intro to the List re my background in
Lewis, et al.<br><br> "Visions Great and Small"<br><br>
Dreaming comes easily to me now that I've "grown up";
visions come with less clarity, more effort. Visions are
for the young, I guess,because they were quite
plentiful when I was a solitary child in the North Country.
Firstborn son of an English teacher, the world of words was
opened before me early on. As many hours were spent
tucked in a corner somewhere with a book propped before
me,exploring other lives and worlds, as were spent exploring
the woods and mountains around my childhood home,
maybe more. I rubbed elbows with Daniel Boone, noses
with Winnie-the-Pooh, and shook hands with Sherlock
Holmes. Through it all, those books that captured my mind
and heart focused on a Quest.<br><br> When I was 10
or 11, Mother read C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch
and The Wardrobe to my little brother and me at
bedtime; my brother had dreams about being chased by The
Lion (later, my brother and I were "caught" by the
Real Lion), and my imagination was "baptized" by the
simple eloquence of Aslan's resurrection and the joy of
the Romp before the Stone Table, now broken. Close on
the heels of that experience, I discovered the
luminous heavens and unfallen races of the "Space
Trilogy"(found again in Bradbury's Martian odysseys), the
twisted wisdom of Screwtape, and the common-sense
reasoning of Mere Christianity; my intellect found itself
"baptized" as well.<br><br> After that it wasn't difficult
to find myself immersed in the wonders of The Lord
of the Rings, washed in the crystalline vision of a
world where duty and friendship, honor and loyalty are
the norms. In Tolkien's "sub-creation" I discovered
the magic of my own language in the tongues of Elves.
The marvelous legacy of Beowulf, the Eddas, Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight was handed to me brand new
in the earthiness and grandeur of
Middle-earth.<br><br> My wanderings in those worlds drew me into The
Quest -- the search for Truth. I awakened to a new life
of seeing spiritual realms which were at the same
time boundless yet clearly defined. Faith was not
blind, nor did it mean death to the mind. More than
fanciful dreams, for dreams fade to vanishing in the hard
light of morning, they were vital visions that spurred
me on to love and good deeds. Visions remain, though
veiled by the fog of daily life.<br><br> Every now and
then I return to Narnia or the Fields of Arbol or the
Shire; the veil is pierced, my vision is cleared. I can
say, like Sam Gamgee before me, "I'm back." The most
wonderful part is that I come back to two little girls with
whom to share the Joy. Who knows what marvels they
shall yet discover, what visions they will pass on to
me? I can hardly wait.<br> -- 1990

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