10 best Christian fantasy books, ranked
Ever since a certain carpenter told people to stop chucking rocks at each other 2,000 odd years ago, the literary world was forever changed. The Bible has become one of the most influential works ever penned, serving as a font of inspiration for many a fantasy writer. But don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a list of faith-based fantasy, but rather fantasy works the reference (and often subvert) Christian themes in order to serve the plot. Here are the 10 best Christian fantasy books, ranked – some of which were boycotted by the church itself.
10. Between Two Fires
Even a cursory read of the Bible is terrifying: lakes of fire, virgin devouring dragons, angelic abominations chock full of wings and eyes. Christopher Buehlman decided to capitalize on all of it in his post apocalyptic fantasy horror novel Between Two Fires. The state is set in Medieval Europe, which is ridden with violence, death, and plague – and that’s BEFORE the demons show up. After Book of Revelation style war breaks out in Heaven, a fallen from grace knight named Tomas takes up a quest to transport a little orphan girl to safety from the hordes of Hell. After all, she may be the last instrument of God’s grace, capable of cleansing the evil from the world and turning the tide of war in Heaven’s favor – Satan can’t have that now, can he?
9. The Screwtape Letters
An epistolary novel by C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters is a correspondence between the forces of Hell. Experienced tempter Screwtape is advising his protege Wormwood on how best to corrupt the soul of a young man before it can be claimed by “The Enemy” (i.e. Jesus). While it’s mainly a satirical novel detailing the hellish bureaucracy of the Inferno and the best (worst) practices of its denizens, the book is at times a fascinating mediation on morality – no matter what your faith. It details all the little ways that humans can be unkind to themselves and one another, and how those seemingly small cracks can erode the foundations of the soul. Remember that TikTok song “Soldier, Poet, King”? This novel actually serves as the inspiration for that Oh Hellos’ folk banger, along with the album it’s featured on: Dear Wormwood.
8. The Library at Mount Char
The Library at Mount Char is a weird novel written by a man who, as evidenced by his writing, has the sort of religious trauma that makes a person interesting (as an ex-Catholic myself, game recognizes game). The Library at Mount Char is the story of twelve orphans (apostles?) who are raised by a dark, mysterious and godlike figure known as The Father, who trains them in all manner of supernatural magics. After The Father goes missing, the orphan Carolyn decides to use her gift of speaking in tongues in order to claim Father’s power and wield it over her siblings, who are using their own divine gifts in order to play God themselves.
7. Hell Followed With Us
Andrew Joseph White’s Hell Followed With Us is a graphic novel about Benji – a sixteen year old trans boy on the run from a doomsday cult. Unfortunately for Benji (and the rest of the planet) this cult was correct in their eschatological reckoning, and the world is indeed at the brink of Armageddon. In order to speed up The End, the cult injected Benji with mutagenic compounds which will transform him into a monster that will destroy the human race for good – unless a the queer gang of teens led by a charismatic sharpshooter can figure out a way to stop the madness. White’s novel the places the power in the hands of minority that Christian sects have historically oppressed, denied and outright murdered – and the story makes queerness itself a force of glorious divinity.
6. The Sparrow
Maria Doria Russel’s novel The Sparrow can be summarized in three words: Jesuits… IN SPACE. For those who don’t know, the Jesuits are sect of the Catholic Church clergy that pride themselves on embracing scientific ideas while still adhering to Christian faith. In the year 2060, the Jesuits have turned their attention to the stars, specifically the newly discovered planet Rakhat, which has been broadcasting music from nearby star system Alpha Centauri. After attempting to find the source of the cosmic jams, expedition force returns to Earth with one survivor: a sole Jesuit priest who has been left psychologically traumatized by what he saw. As the novel unfolds, we learn what horrors the Jesuit priest experienced on the faraway planet – many of which stemmed from his own failure to understand the native inhabitants. The novel is an allegory for the destruction that missionary work so often causes, and ironically reminds the reader of the old Christian adage – the path to Hell is paved with good intentions.
5. Kill Six Billion Demons
My personal favorite graphic novel, Tom Parkinson-Morgan’s Kill Six Billion Demons is the story of a sorority girl on a quest to kill God. After an inter-dimensional deity rips her out of her college dorm and implants divine power in her forehead, young Allison Ruth has to struggle to survive in Heaven – which as it turns out is a corpse city run by thieves, slavers, and hungry godlings. After befriending a gender-questioning angel/cop and a trash-talking demon named after a popular human soda, Allison embarks on a journey to defeat a deity who seeks to smash the universe itself to pieces. In order to prepare, she robs dragon banks, gets martial arts lessons from angels, and begins a sapphic relationship with the aforementioned demoness with a love hot enough to make Hell blush. And yes, there is a Hell too, hundreds of them in fact. Maybe thousands. Depends on who you ask.
4. A Wrinkle In Time
While Madeline L’Engle’s fantasy/sci-fi romp A Wrinkle In Time might not seem like Christian fantasy, the author herself admitted that her Episcopalian faith served as the chief inspiration for the novel. The story centers around thirteen year old Meg Murray, who is thrust into a universal battle of good vs. evil after her father is kidnapped by and taken to a faraway planet by a malevolent force. After her next door neighbors reveal themselves to be angelic alien beings, Meg journeys across the stars in order to liberate her father and the universe itself from The Black Thing – a force of cosmic darkness that permeates reality. The story hinges on a central theme of Christianity, that evil can (and must) be overcome with unbridled love. Throughout the tale, Meg’s love is shown to be her greatest weapon, capable transformative power that can survive in the face of ultimate despair.
3. The Chronicles of Narnia
It doesn’t take a theological scholar to spot the parallels between Christianity and C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. The story begins with four children coming out of the closet, and into a fantasy world that was hidden at the other end of a wardrobe in Britain. In the magical realm of Narnia, the kids learn that the world has been threatened by the machinations of The White Witch (Satan reference) who can only be thwarted by the power of a divine lion named Aslan. Considering that Jesus is also known as “The Lion of Judah” and Aslan literally comes back from the dead at one point, it isn’t hard to see the parallels. While the Christian themes are obvious, The Chronicles of Narnia is one of the most beloved fantasy tales ever penned. Hell, the secular world even made a movie series.
2. Paradise Lost
Arguably the first ever Christian fanfic, John Milton’s Paradise Lost is regarded as one of the most monumental works in the English canon, second only to the works of Shakespeare. First published in 1667, the novel was groundbreaking (heretical, some thought) for its sympathetic portrayal of a figure of ultimate evil: Satan. Beginning with Satan’s fall from Paradise, the novel details the Prince of Darkness’ transition from exiled angelic sadboi to the king of the Inferno, ending with his successful temptation of Adam and Eve. Written entirely in blank verse, the novel features some of the most beautiful prose in the English language (a phrase from which inspired the #1 entry on this list) and elevated still-developing English literature into the lofty realm of art.
1. His Dark Materials
Philip Pullman read the phrase “His dark materials to create more Worlds” in Paradise Lost, then took it and ran with it. His Dark Materials is the story of Lyra Belacqua, a 12 year old girl who embarks on a Miltonian quest to stick it in the eye of God. After she discovers a metaphysical secret that a world controlling church would rather keep under wraps, Lyra goes on multiverse hopping quest to discover the fundamental truth of existence, even if it means she has to tear down Heaven in the process. The novel is essentially a subversion of Milton’s original work, and attempts to rewrite the concept of Original Sin – the guilt of Adam and Eve that the Christian faith believes is shared by all humanity. With its tender prose based around a romance between two inter-dimensional teens, Pullman’s novel states that humanity’s thirst for understanding is not the source of our troubles, but the secret of our divinity.
(Featured Image: HarperCollins)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
