Tag Archives: CSFF Blog Tour

CSFF Blog Tour-Night of the Living Dead Christian, Day 3

March 28, 2012 Morgan L. Busse 5 Comments

Spiritual Factor: Night of the Living Dead Christian is full of spiritual questions, lessons, and thoughts. What I found most interesting is how Matt categorized different people into different monsters, each with their own inner issues and needs.

The werewolf represents those of us who succumb to our baser instincts. We see how destructive we can be when we let loose the beast within. We hurt our friends, our families, and ourselves. We want to be free and desire to not hurt others anymore. But the wolf beckons and we answer the call, turn savage, and leave a trail of blood behind us.

The vampire represents those of us who leach life out of other people in order to give life to ourselves. In other words, we use people. And once we’ve used them, we ditch them to the side and look for another fresh life to use up. We don’t like to look in the mirror because we are ashamed of what we do and do not want to see what we have become. But we lack the ability to stop.

The zombie represents those of us who mindlessly follow others without rationally thinking for ourselves. We buy a particular leader’s books, podcasts, and videos. We never learn to read and understand God’s Word for ourselves. Instead, we let leaders tell us what to do and then heavy handedly encourage others to do the same. Disclaimer: it is not a bad thing to follow church leaders. But when we lean heavily on a leader for our spirituality, it usually means we are not leaning heavily on God.

The robot represents those of us who, if we lived in the world of Star Trek, would have been born Vulcan. We tend to over think and have a hard time feeling. Everything is a cold calculation. The problem with that is we forget to love people the way God loves people.

The mad scientist represents those of us who have an answer to everything. And because we have the answer, we don’t listen to anybody else. It also means that we think we can fix the world. In other words, we have a big problem with pride.

There are other monsters listed in the back of Matt’s book, but I list the top five that show up during the story. As you can see, it’s kinda funny to compare people to monsters. And yet look how scarily accurate the descriptions are?

We are all monsters. Or as the Bible would say, we are all sinners. And no matter how hard we try, we cannot get rid of the monster inside of us. Only God can. Only God can bring true transformation, transformation that starts from the inside out.

I highly recommend Night of the Living Dead Christian. And if you really want, I also recommend Matt Mikalatos’s first book My Imaginary Jesus.

Book Reviews

CSFF Blog Tour-Night of the Living Dead Christian, Day 2

March 27, 2012 Morgan L. Busse 6 Comments

I love the humor used in Night of the Living Dead Christian. Humor is a powerful tool. It can disarm the reader, making one chuckle or laugh out loud, and then a second later, grow sober and realize a good point has been made.

Through the story, we follow a werewolf. In reality, he is a man with a troubled past and a problem with anger (major problem). But by turning him into a werewolf, Matt puts a light touch on a dark subject. On the outside, we see the werewolf. He grows hair and claws when he loses his temper. But on the inside, he is just like us: beastly and scary. And is willing to do anything to get rid of the beast within and become a man again.

Of course, not everyone is a werewolf. There are vampires, zombies, mad scientists, androids, you name it. Each one is a monster. Most of them realize this. And want to be human again.

I laughed when I read about the church filled with zombies. They did everything the pastor told them to. They had their study bibles, their podcasts, and their commentaries. The problem was, they never thought for themselves.

As I read that chapter, a part of me pointed and said, “You know these people in real life. In fact, you were once one of them.” That realization made me sad.

I also laughed at the comments the android would say. He was more about logic and calculations that he was about a person’s feelings. But I also knew that some of his comments could have come right out of my mouth.

By using humor, Matt drew me in as a reader. And then held a mirror up for me to see myself. I love books like that :). Tomorrow, I will take a look at the Spiritual Factor of Night of the Living Dead Christian.

Book Reviews

CSFF Blog Tour-Night of the Living Dead Christian, Day 1

March 26, 2012 Morgan L. Busse 11 Comments

The Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog tour (also known as the CSFF) is a group of people dedicated to reading and reviewing Christian speculative novels. This month, we are reviewing Night of the Living Dead Christian by Matt Mikalatos.

I. Loved. This. Book. In fact, I loved this book so much I’ve decided to break it down and blog on it for the full three days of the blog tour. So grab your stakes and silver bullets and get ready for a wild night!

Cool Factor: First thing I loved about this book: the title. It’s one of those that makes you do a double take and stutter, “Say what?” Night of the Living Dead Christian. And yes, that’s what the book is about. Monsters, dark creatures, and things that go bump in the night, Christian style :).

Matt uses monsters like Zombies, Vampires, and Werewolves in a tongue-in-cheek way to show how we as Christians can be. It’s a funny and scarily accurate portrayal at the same time (pun intended).

The story starts off with Matt (the author) on neighborhood watch late at night. He finds two of his neighbors out fiddling with an electric box. One neighbor is a mad scientist. The other is a robot (I mean android).

He finds out they are trying to invent a device that will drive away all werewolves in the neighborhood. When they start up the machine, a bunch of zombies come lumbering down the street in the moonlight. Not quite what the machine was suppose to do.

Then the werewolf appears (yes, there really is one living in the neighborhood). Matt realizes it’s one of his neighbors down the street. Matt follows the werewolf to his house. After a jumbled attempt to capture the werewolf, the werewolf actually captures Matt.

The werewolf explains to Matt that he wants to get rid of the beast within. He has given up on Christianity because the promised “transformation” never happened. He is still a wolf. And now it has driven his wife and his daughter away.

The werewolf pleads with Matt to help him find a way to become a man again. And thus the story begins.

I loved this book. I laughed, I cried (tears of sadness, not humor), and I thought about the book long after I finished it.

Tomorrow I will take a look at the Writing Factor and Wednesday I will dive into the Spiritual Factor of Night of the Living Dead Christian. Until then, take a look at what these other CSFF Bloggers have to say:

Gillian Adams

Julie Bihn

Red Bissell

Thomas Clayton Booher

Thomas Fletcher Booher

Rebecca LuElla Miller

*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

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CSFF Blog Tour- The Bone House

October 24, 2011 Morgan L. Busse 2 Comments

It’s been a couple months since I reviewed a book with the CSFF Blog Tour. This month I’m back and with the next book in Stephen Lawhead’s The Bright Empire series. Exactly a year ago I review The Skin Map, the first book in this series. Today I will be taking a look at The Bone House, the second book.

A quick recap: in this series, Stephen Lawhead explores the idea of ley travel. Here is what I wrote last year: Ley Lines: unexplainable forces of energy around our world that allow a person to jump through time and dimensions. Kit Livingstone possesses the gift to make these jumps. But jumping can be dangerous. You never know if you’ll end up in a tiger filled jungle or on the battlefield. You need a map to help you know where to go.

Such a map exists, tattooed onto the body of a man who has mapped out these times and dimensions. This map is priceless and sought by everyone who knows of its existence. Some of those searching for it are willing to do anything to obtain it, even murder.

Stephen Lawhead goes another step and throws in a couple dimensions in The Bone House. He explores the idea of multiverses (worlds like ours, but different, depending on history and choices made). So the characters are not only jumping to different time periods, they are jumping to different worlds.

I found The Bone House a bit complicated to read because the very nature of the story requires the reader to keep track of different time periods and different worlds. However, Stephen did a good job navigating and most of the time I did not feel lost.

He also did an excellent job with description. He carefully painted each time period and world change, giving description to the food, clothing, and general feel to where the character was at that moment.

However, there were two things I did not like about The Bone House. One: all the characters. Actually, I did like the characters; each one was unique and interesting. But I was never with one person long enough to actually start caring about him/her. And if I don’t connect with a character, then I don’t feel submerged in the story.

Secondly: God was hardly there. Now I’m not saying The Bone House needed to be preachy or overtly about God. After all, the book of Esther in the Bible never mentions God. But you know by the context of the story that He is an integral part of it. I saw none of that with The Bone House. It was no different than any other speculative books I see on the bookshelf. It had a great premise and good writing. But what I wanted to see is where is God’s sovereignty in ley lines and multiverses?

When I began reading The Bone House, I thought something like that would be tackled. Or addressed. Or even debated. Instead, I read about a lot of characters on lots of adventures. But hardly any mention of God. And I was disappointed.

In fact, there were things that made me pause: a detailed account of an entrail reading and a world of cavemen. Now as a writer, I know Stephen was writing from the viewpoint of those time periods and customs and religions. But why were these emphasized and hardly anything written about God? Why not at least have one character bring up the question about God and ley lines and multiverses?

It’s a fascinating question and one I’ve thought about myself. After all, God is not only the God of our time, but He even knows what could have been. As I thought about that while reading The Bone House, I found myself even more in awe about how much more God knows and understands than I do. So to read a Christian speculative book without even asking where God is in all of this was disappointing.

Perhaps God will show up in the third book. I have a year to wait.

Do I recommend The Bone House? Good writing, good plot, interesting characters. However, as a book toted as Christian speculative fiction, I think it missed out on exploring some great questions. But don’t take my word for it, go read it yourself :). And check out what these other CSFF Bloggers had to say!

Noah Arsenault

Red Bissell

Thomas Clayton Booher

Rebecca LuElla Miller

*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

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CSFF Blog Tour- The Ale Boy’s Feast

May 16, 2011 Morgan L. Busse 5 Comments

Its been a couple months since I last reviewed a book for the CSFF Blog Tour, so I am excited to be back this month with the featured book The Ale Boy’s Feast by Jeffrey Overstreet.

I knew this book was the fourth and last book in the series before I even began reading it. But I had heard so many good things about the Auralia’s Thread series that I wanted to jump at the chance to review this book. So here we go!

Quick overview: Auralia is a young woman who brings color into a world where color is forbidden. It is her free spirit and artistry that awakens people to beauty. The four books in this series cover the changes that go on in the world due to Auralia entering it.

That is the briefest summary I could come up with. Trust me, these books are a lot more complex than that. To describe each nuance of the series would take more blog space than I have. That and I would deprive you of the pleasure of reading these books yourself 🙂

So how would I describe The Ale Boy’s Feast? Let me use a food analogy. This is not your “eat a pint of ice cream and watch your favorite reruns on TV while sitting on the couch in an old pair of sweats” kind of book. I have those kinds of books. They line my shelf and when I need something to read, I grab those old friends.

Instead, The Ale Boy’s Feast is like going to an amazing gourmet restaurant. The food is like nothing you have ever tasted. The ambience of the restaurant is candlelight and soft music. You are wearing that dress that you only take out once a year. You spent hours on your hair, face, body, and now you are sitting across from that one person you love more than any other. It is a night you will always remember.

Same with The Ale Boy’s Feast. The writing is so poetic, so flowing with sound and smell and color that you feel like you are savoring a bite of the most luscious cheesecake. There were times I found myself confused by the story, but then the beauty of the story and words drew me in again.

I was never able to really connect with any of the characters or find myself deeply entrenched in the plot. Usually that would turn me off from a book. But like I said above, the writing itself is so captivating it keeps you in the story. It’s a book I would probably read only once (just like I rarely go to an extravagant restaurant), but the experience will stay with me long afterward.

I highly recommend The Ale Boy’s Feast with two thoughts: 1) Start with the first book, Auralia’s Colors. 2) I would say this series is only for teens and adults due to some dark plots and themes (not immoral, just dark in its content).

If you want to see what others are saying about The Ale Boy’s Feast, check out these links below:

Rebecca LuElla Miller

*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

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CSFF Blog Tour- The God Hater, Day 3

February 23, 2011 Morgan L. Busse 4 Comments

Yesterday I said that it was the Spiritual Factor, more than the Cool Factor, which drew me into The God Hater. Looking back, I think that’s a first when reading Speculative novels (although now that I think about that, A Star Curiously Singing is a close second, see what I had to say about that here).

But before I dive in, it amazed me the diverse responses to this book by the participants of this tour. Some loved it (like I did), while others found it lacking in different areas. Goes to show you how different people are and how varied our tastes are :). Check out the links I gave on the first day to see what others are saying about The God Hater.

Now, onto the Spiritual Factor.

Yesterday I stated that The God Hater is an allegory. It is a story used to illustrate abstract ideas or principles. Or in my own terms, an allegory gives handles to the basket so we can carry away the idea. For example, try explaining grace. God’s Righteousness At Christ’s Expense (a nice little acronym there). But can you picture that in you mind? All I come up with is a fuzzy grey picture. But when you add a story or illustration (i.e. Jesus hanging on the cross in our place), suddenly I have a picture. I can see Jesus in my mind, bloody and beaten for my sin. See how powerful a story or illustration can be? It helps us see the idea or principle.

As a teacher, this is what I strive to do. Take God’s Word and break it down into pictures that people can see and understand (probably why I write stories). I believe this is why I resonated so strongly with The God Hater. Bill Myers did a fantastic job of presenting the concepts of free will, grace, sin, and even God. And he did it through a means that we would not normally think: through a computer program.

Here are some parts I loved in The God Hater: (Warning, big spoilers)

Free will: As the programmers (and Dr. Mackenzie) try to save the digital world, one thing cannot be touched: the digital people’s free will. They cannot be programmed to make good choices; they have to choose to make good choices.

The Law: The Law is introduced when Dr. Mackenzie grudgingly realizes that these people need instruction from an outside source, specifically, from their creators (those who made the program). You can see why he is reluctant; it’s too close to the idea of introducing a god. However, these people need to know there is a greater reality than the one that they are experiencing inside the computer program and that those outside the program can help them. So Dr. Mackenzie gives them one command: “Treat one another as though you are sacred. Treat one another as you would treat me.” That’s all. Just love one another

Unfortunately, the people inside the computer program devise rules to make sure everyone is following this command. And if you don’t, you are taken to the Grid, which sucks some of your life out (how much life is dependent on the crime).

Grace: The digital people are better at following the letter of The Law (as they call the command to love now), rather than the heart of it. Once again, Dr. Mackenzie realizes that in order to show these people what meant, he will need to meet them personally. Through nanobots, an exact replica of him is made and put into the computer program.

As the virtual Dr. Mackenzie interacts with the people, he grows to love them. He is hurt by how they hurt each other and the pain of their own poor choices. He also sees there is no hope for the Lawbreakers because if they were to be taken to the Grid, their entire life would be taken because of how much lawbreaking they did. Near the end of the book, the only way the virtual Dr. Mackenzie sees the Lawbreakers being allowed back into civilization is to go onto the Grid for them and have his own life units taken as payment.

God: God is more complex, more superior, with thoughts so vastly outweighing our own that to compare him to a virtual Dr. Mackenzie is like a raindrop compared to the ocean. That said we get a glimpse of God’s love for us through the virtual Dr. Mackenzie’s love for the virtual people and his willingness to go to the Grid for them.

I could go on for a couple more pages about all the allegories in The God Hater, but instead I’ll say this: Go read the book. I highly recommend it :).

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CSFF Blog Tour- The God Hater, Day 2

February 22, 2011 Morgan L. Busse 6 Comments

Today I want to take a look at the Writing Factor of The God Hater. Bill Myers begins his book with this disclaimer:

“The following is fiction. I’ve tried to make the science and theology reasonably accurate. But, just as I’m sure I’ve made scientific blunders in the writing, I’m equally positive I’ve stepped on theological land mines. Then there’s that whole pesky issue of allegories… if something doesn’t sound right… don’t waste your time reading this. Go to the original Source and see what it says.” (The God Hater, IX)

I think this disclaimer should go in every book, whether fiction or nonfiction. If something doesn’t resonate with you, go to the original Source, especially in areas of spirituality or theology. As a writer, I try to stick with an accurate portrayal of God and Christian worldview in my writing. But my writing is fallible. And so is everyone else. Only God’s Word is perfect. He is the ultimate source. Go to him for answers, not me or anyone else :).

I found The God Hater an intriguing, thought provoking read. It is not bogged down by scientific details nor did it come across preachy. Instead, it did exactly what an allegory (in my opinion) should do: use a story to illustrate abstract ideas or principles. And Bill does this well in The God Hater. He illustrates the ideas of the Law, of grace, and free will. He puts handles on the baskets of these ideas so we can carry them away.

Characters: I liked the character Dr. Mackenzie a lot, perhaps because I personally know old men like him :). I also found my heart connected with the people inside the computer program: people like Alpha and Nyrah. Even though they aren’t “real”, they become real because they have real desires, fears, and hurts. They are three-dimensional human beings.

I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to dive into the Spiritual Factor tomorrow. This book is probably the first one that the Spiritual Factor drew me in more than the Cool Factor. So come back tomorrow and see what I have to say :).

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CSFF Blog Tour- The God Hater, Day 1

February 21, 2011 Morgan L. Busse 7 Comments

Hey everyone! Welcome again to the CSFF Blog Tour. This month we are reviewing the book The God Hater by Bill Myers (you can find his facebook link here).

First let’s talk about Bill Myers. When I was a kid, I watched a video series called McGee and Me. For those unfamiliar with the series, imagine Lizzy McGuire only it’s about a boy and his cartoon counterpart with morale themes. I loved them! So imagine my surprise when I found out Bill also wrote books, specifically speculative books for adult audiences. Awesome! (Also, on a side note, I met Bill last year at a writing conference. He asked what college I was attending… Thanks Bill, you made my day :P)

Now for The God Hater.

I was blown away by everything! It has a cool plotline, a great main character (I loved Dr. Mackenzie the moment I met him), and the spiritual factor… wow! This is a three-day review you won’t want to miss!

So let’s start with the Cool Factor. This book revolves around the idea of a mega computer program built to simulate the growth and evolution of civilization. The only problem is the pseudo civilization always ends with the annihilation of every person. So the makers of this program bring in Dr. Mackenzie, leading philosopher and atheist, to figure out why this computerized civilization always dies out.

Dr. Mackenzie tries out every philosophical model out there, from Darwinism to Existentialism, but it the program ends the same every time: the wipe out of the computerized civilization. Dr. Mackenzie knows that this computer civilization is actually a model of the real world. And if he can’t find a way to keep the computer world from dying out, then what hope is there for his own world?

Stop in tomorrow for the Writing Factor and you definitely do not want to miss the Spiritual Factor on Wednesday. Click on the links below to see what other CSFF Bloggers are saying about The God Hater:

Noah Arsenault

Red Bissell

Thomas Clayton Booher

Rebecca LuElla Miller

*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

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CSFF Blog Tour- Dragons of the Valley, Day 3

January 26, 2011 Morgan L. Busse 13 Comments

Before I dive into the spiritual elements found in Dragons of the Valley, I want to revisit what I mean by that. There is a lot of debate out there (for writers and authors) about how much of our faith we should put into our books. Is there too much gospel? Not enough? Should there be an altar call? Or should there just be a moral theme for our readers to take away?

After thinking about this debate (and reading what others have to say), I think I will say yes. Yes to it all. Because we need all kinds of books. We need books that lay out the gospel. We need books that show what it means to follow Christ. We need books that slowly introduce Christ to people who would never otherwise darken the doorway of a church.

We need all kinds of books that will bring the reader into a deeper understanding of God (more specifically, an accurate understanding of God; there are books out there that are not theologically sound).

So for those of us who write out there, we should write the stories God has impressed upon our hearts. For some of us (like me) there will be strong Christian elements. For others (like a friend of mine), God will not even be mentioned in the first book. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t there.

Okay, jumping off my soapbox now :).

Wulder is the name given to the personification of God in Dragons of the Valley. He created the world, is an intimate part of the lives of the races he created, and loves unconditionally. One of the spiritual themes in Dragons of the Valley is the people of Chiril had forgotten Wulder. Their ancestors failed to pass down the writings and knowledge of Wulder, which resulted in this generation knowing nothing of him. It isn’t until the artist Verrin Schope returns from Amara with the wizard Fenworth and the tumanhofer librarian Librettowit that the people of Chiril are reintroduced to Wulder.

This is an important point. Later in the book, the race of Kimens realize it only took two generations for them to completely forget Wulder. He was still there, in their songs and dances. But the moment their ancestors stopped talking about Wulder, they forgot.

We as humans can easily forget too. How many of us forget birthdays or anniversarys! I think that is why God admonishes us to teach our children about Him, to read His word, and why there is communion (In Remembrance of Him…). We do this so we do not forget Him. We pass on what we know so the next generations know what God has done for them.

I highly recommend Dragons of the Valley for anyone looking for a light Christian fantasy full of good spiritual truth 🙂

In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

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CSFF Blog Tour- Dragons of the Valley, Day 2

January 25, 2011 Morgan L. Busse 6 Comments

Today I want to cover the Writing Factor of Dragons of the Valley. In the Writing Factor, I take a look at how well the writer built their world, conveyed their plot, and how engaging was the story. But before I begin, I need to point out something: I was under the impression that this book was for young adults. A kind friend showed me that this book is actually advertised for all ages. My goof 🙂

Dragons of the Valley is set in a fantasy world filled with rich history and races. Donita has done a wonderful job of creating all these different races (fourteen total!) each with their own particular uniqueness. The Kimens (imagine light pixies) are small, wear light for clothing and love to be merry. The Tumanhofers enjoy nice clothing (they kind of remind me of hobbits). But I think my favorite race is the Emerlindians. They are described as tall and slender (like elves in my opinion). But what made this race fascinating to me is they are born pale (hair, eyes, skin), but as they age, they darken (darker eyes, darker hair, darker skin). I thought that was cool!

A+ on world building!

Plot: Donita keeps it light and simple. Yes, there is a war going on, but she does not go into the more violent details (remember, she writes for all ages). Her characters go on a quest, which keeps the plot moving. The humor is great and keeps the story light. Here is one of my favorite quotes: “I do wish one’s figure did not reflect the love of good food. It’s so annoying to butter your bread and find rolls around your middle.” (Lady Peg Schope, pg. 236-237). Yes Lady Peg, I absolutely agree!

The only thing I found annoying is there were so many races and characters that I could not keep them all straight at first. I absolutely hate having to go to the back of the book and look at the appendix. It takes me out of the story. But after a couple chapters, I was able to remember what a Tumanhofer was or what a Bisonbeck was and no longer needed the appendix. But that’s just me personally 🙂

Tomorrow I will take a look at the Spiritual Factor of Dragons of the Valley.

In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.