Stephen Lawhead - Empyrion

[madphilb]

On the short list of Christian Authored Sci-Fi is a pair of great books by Stephen Lawhead:

Empyrion: The Search for Fierra
Empyrion II: The Siege of Dome

I found this jem while looking for a book to passify me while I waited for Frank Peretti's 2nd book to come out, and by now I've read them 4-5 times.

The back of the first book setup of the series like this:

First, he is abducted at gunpoint. Then he is offered eight million dollars and the adventure of a lifetime. Bewildering. Especially to Orion Treet, an itinerant and often unemployed writer.

Asked to observe and chronicle the growth of a new extra-terrestrial settlement, Empyrion, Treet arrives only to discover a civilization in decline, fragmented by hatred and mistrust that runs three millenia deep. Mysterious? Absoluetly. The Search for Fierra follows Treet and his oddly-assorted band of companions as they try to unscramble the enigmas of an entierly strange and unfamiliar environment.

Frankly the books are even better than they sound

Anyone else read these?

[Straylight]

No, but it does sound quite interesting. I might have to track that down...

[madphilb]

No, but it does sound quite interesting. I might have to track that down...

I think I looked a while back and found it on Amazon.com with both books together in one volume (much like they've done with Peretti's "darkness" books).

[Gypsy]

I've purchesed the incredibly thick paperback volume that includes both books. I haven't read it yet (I'm going through Lawhead's "Pendragon Cycle" first) but it's high on my "to read" list.

[madphilb]

I don't have anything to say about Empyrion right now, but I just had to say that I still love that animated GIF in your Sig Gypsy!

[wiggins]

Is Lawhead a Christian author?

[madphilb]

Is Lawhead a Christian author?

Yes.

In the credits on the back of the books I have, he's listed as having written "Turn Back the Night: A Christian Response to Popular Culture" and I've also seen reference to him being part of, umm.... was it Campus Life? It was a Christian magazine for College students or something (a friend of mine used to get it years and years ago while we where in HS together).

Just curious or do you know/think something that I don't?

[wiggins]

No...I remember reading Pendragon something... and...wel...it didn't expressly talk about God or did it? Well unless my memory serves me wrong, it didn;t talk about God right? Or was there an allusion? I can't remember...I read it three years ago...

Are there any other good Christian sci-fi books other than Lawhead?

[madphilb]

I've only read his sci-fi books (can't speak for the others) but he does include God in his stories, however the ones I've read aren't allegory or anything.

I think your confusion comes from the fact that there really isn't a clear solid definition of what Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy is.

Anyway...

I've read "Arena" by Karen Hancock (I think I've got the name right).... good book, doesn't mention God but is very allegorical in nature (if you know what to look for). Was a good read (but I'm easy).

C.S. Lewis did one as well, but I don't remember the titles (ask around in the C.S. Lewis thread in the book section).... I've read 2 of the 3 books, but I don't remember them well enough (don't own them yet).

There is a series (3?) of books done on Mars or something, Ashley knows this one I think, she'll have to fill in... I can't for the life of me remember the name, but I'm brain fried from my work training.