Reddit mentions: The best science fiction books for christians

The book Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism has many wonderful little tales and concepts. It has short stories drawn from centuries-old Jewish midrash. Some of them you might have to flesh out to make into a good story, but there are many droplets of inspiration in the book.

This is the first story I heard from the book and the reason I purchased it:

> 581. THE STAR MAIDEN

> When the generation of the Flood went astray, God began to regret having created humans. Then two angels, Shemhazai and Azazel, reminded God that they had opposed the creation of humans, saying, "What is man, that You have been mindful of him? (Ps. 8:5)." God replied: "Those who dwell on earth are subject to the Evil Inclination. Even you would be overpowered by it." But the angels protested, saying: "Let us descend to the world of humans, and let us show You how we will sanctify Your name." And God said: "Go down and dwell among them."

> So the two angels descended to earth, where they were certain they could resist the power of the Evil Inclination. But as soon as they saw how beautiful were the daughters of men, they forgot their vows and took lovers from among them, even though they were defiling their own pure essence. So too did they teach them secrets of how to entice men, as well as the dark arts of sorcery, incantations, and the divining of roots.

> Then the two angels decided to select brides for themselves from among the daughters of men. Azazel desired Na’amah, the sister of Tubal-Cain, the most beautiful woman on earth. But there was another beautiful maiden, Istahar, the last of the virgins, whom Shemhazai desired, and she refused him. This made him want her all the more.

> "I am an angel," he revealed to her, "you cannot refuse me."

>" I will not give in to you," Istahar replied, "unless you teach me God’s Ineffable Name."

> "That I cannot do," Shemhazai replied, "for it is a secret of heaven."

> "Why should I believe you?" said Istahar. "Perhaps you don’t know it at all. Perhaps you are not really an angel."

> "Of course I know it," said Shemhazai, and he revealed God’s Name.

> Now as soon as she heard the holy Name, Istahar pronounced it and flew up into the heavens, escaping the angel. And when God saw this, He said: "Because she removed herself from sin, let Istahar be set among the stars." And Istahar was transformed into a star, one of the brightest in the sky. And when Shemhazai saw this, he recognized God’s rebuke of his sin and repented, hanging himself upside down between heaven and earth. But Azazel refused to repent, and God hung him upside down in a canyon, bound in chains, where he remains to this day. That is why a scapegoat is sent to Azazel on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, bearing the sins of Israel.

> Others say that when the two angels, Shemhazai and Azazel, came down to earth, they were still innocent. But they were corrupted by the demonesses Na’amah and Lilith. The children they bore were the giants of old, known as the Nefilim, or Fallen Ones. They bore six children at each birth, and in that very hour their offspring stood up, spoke the holy language, and danced before them like sheep. There were said to be sixty in all. These giants had such great appetites that God rained manna on them in many different flavors, so that they might not eat flesh. But the Fallen Ones rejected the manna, slaughtered animals, and even dined on human flesh.

> Still others say that the offspring of the fallen angels were tall and handsome, and had greater strength than all the children of men. Because of the heavenly origin of their fathers, they are referred to as "the children of heaven."

The book also provides some explanations for the stories it tells:

> The primary mystery of Genesis 6 is the identity of the Sons of God. Anthropologists have suggested that they may have been a tribe of exceptionally tall and handsome men who appeared and were irresistible to women. But the ancient rabbis were certain that the Sons of God were angels, although an alternate version in Aggadat Bereshit identifies them as the Sons of Cain. As a model, the rabbis drew on the prologue to Job, where God and Satan agree to test Job to see if he is truly righteous. Here God has a dialogue in heaven with two angels, Shemhazai and Azazel, who condemn the corrupt ways of men. God argues that if they lived on earth they would behave the same way, because everyone on earth is subject to the Yetzer ha-Ra, the Evil Inclination. The angels insist that they would remain righteous, and they convince God to let them descend to earth (in some versions, by Jacob’s ladder). When they do, they are immediately filled with lust for the beautiful daughters of men, and use their heavenly powers to satisfy their desires. And the offspring of these unions are described as the Nefilim, which has been interpreted to mean giants. Thus the account in Genesis 6 also provides the origin of giants.

> In some versions of this myth, the two angels end up coming down to earth not to demonstrate their ability to resist the Evil Inclination, but because God cast them out of heaven for opposing the creation of man. According to Zohar Hadash, Ruth 81a, the angels acquired human form as they descended from on high. When they mated with human women, the “daughters of men,” their offspring were the Nefilim in Genesis 6:4, which literally means “fallen beings.”

> There are many variants of the story of the two angels from a wide range of sources, including The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) and Yalkut Shim’oni. The best-known of these stories concerns two maidens, Istahar and Na’amah, whom the two angels sought to seduce.

> Note that this story, with its fairy-tale quality, manages to explain who the Sons of God were, how they brought corruption to the earth, and the origin of giants. The story also demonstrates that no one, not even angels, is immune to the Evil Impulse. Indeed, so corrupt did the angels become, that it is said that in the end they indiscriminately enjoyed virgins, married women, men, and beasts. The Sons of God are also blamed for having invented the use of ornaments, rouge, and multicolored garments to make women more enticing. The daughters of men are identified as the children of Seth, Adam’s son, and therefore are human (Zohar 1:37a). The heroine of the story is, of course, Istahar, the virgin who resisted the advances of Shemhazai, and was turned into a star. Istahar is a variant name for the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, who was equated with the planet Venus, the brightest star. As for Na’amah, the young woman who is said to have overwhelmed Azazel with her beauty, she is identified as the sister of Tubal-Cain. In later legends, Na’amah is also identified as a sister or daughter of Lilith.

> In most versions of this myth, Istahar demands to be told God’s secret Name, the Tetragrammaton (YHVH). But in one alternate version in Beit ha-Midrash 5:156, which, because it mutes the sexual elements of the story, might be described as a midrash for children, she demands that he let her try on his wings. At first he denies that his wings come off, but when she insists, he takes them off and lets her put them on and at that moment she flies off into heaven and is transformed into a star.

> In later versions of this legend, the role of Shemhazai is diminished, while the role of Azazel is expanded, until Azazel is virtually identified with Satan. Ultimately, it is Shemhazai who repents and Azazel who does not. This leads to subsequent legends about the evil-doings of Azazel. According to Yalkut Shim’oni, Istahar became a star set among the seven stars of the Pleiades, while Shemhazai, hung upside down between heaven and earth, became the constellation Orion. Thus this myth may also be viewed from an astrological perspective as the origin of the constellations Pleiades and Orion.

> There are strong echoes of Greek mythology in the myth of the Sons of God and daughters of men. In bringing heavenly secrets to earth, the Sons of God function much as does Prometheus when he steals fire from heaven and brings it to earth. For more on Prometheus stealing fire from heaven see Graves, The Greek Myths, 39g. There is also a strong parallel to the fate of Istahar in the story of Zeus setting Callisto’s image among the stars. See Graves, The Greek Myths, 22h. See also “Adam Brings Down Fire from Heaven,” p. 137.

And, finally, sources are always given:

> Sources:

> Targum Pseudo-Yonathan on Genesis 6:1-4; Yalkut Shim’oni, Bereshit 44; Midrash Avkir in Beit ha-Midrash, 4:127-128; The Book of Jubilees 4:15, 4:22, 5:1-3; 1 Enoch 6:14; Bereshit Rabbati 29-30; Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 22; Zohar 1:37a; Zohar Hadash, Ruth 81a; IFA 10856.

So that's just one of hundreds of stories in the book. They all have the same format. Some are longer, some are shorter. This book certainly has beautifully mythic tales which certainly can be shared with children, but it also has further discussion and information of interest to any older children or parents with an interest in folklore and mythology.

It's normal to have questions. It's good you're thinking about your religion.

>1 I heard the Bible has been altered (esp. the New Testament) by people so that they can eat pork, drink occasionally, not be circumcised, etc. However, the Quran hasn't. This is why my Muslim friends are all circumcised, don't eat pork, drink, etc. Like the stuff in the Old Testament. Is there any proof that the Bible is unaltered?

The dietary laws found in the OT are strictly for the nation of Israel. Most of them come as a sort of national penance for the idolatry at Sinai and were never meant to followed by the Gentiles. God elected Israel to prepare the world to see what election is grounded in (His gratuitous love). He choose a people who were of no account to demonstrate that when He elects, He does so freely and not because we bring anything to the table. He gave Israel the law to train them so that they would learn to grow accustomed to delighting in following God.

>2 Why did Jesus die for our sins, if anything is possible?

God did not have to become man and dwell among us (John 1.14) and be crucified for our sins. It was nevertheless fitting that He did so. Why? One reason is because it shows us what sort of love God has for us. He's fully invested in His creation. He knew from eternity that when He created this place, He was going to come down here and show His love in the Incarnation and crucifixion.

The Crucifix also inverts the world's expectations about power. Adam and Eve sinned because of pride, preferring themselves to God. So Jesus comes and shows us what true humility looks like (cf. Phil. 2). He doesn't "win" by power (though He could have), but shows His creatures what it looks like to love humbly.

>3 Why does God send us, who He created, to Hell to be eternally tortured if we don't believe (believe in me or I'll torture you)? I'm trying my hardest to believe and be a good Christian, but I have so many unanswered questions and doubts that are getting in the way.

Wouldn't Heaven for someone who does not love God actually be Hell? If they don't love Him now on earth, what makes you think they would enjoy Him in Heaven? It's not a safe assumption that the person who stood before God would automatically enjoy it. God has created creatures with a will because to love Him without being able to will it would be meaningless. It would be a sort of farce on God's part. However, that means some will freely choose to reject Him. If our wills mean anything, then God respects that and doesn't force those people to love Him for eternity (which is what Heaven is). I would read CS Lewis' The Great Divorce.

>4 Will God send those people who are raised in another religion, such as in Thailand (Buddhism), who don't have any external way of being informed of Christianity (like missionaries), to be tortured forever in Hell?

Some Christians believe this is so - that you're just out of luck if you happen not to be exposed to the Gospel. Catholics are not one of those sorts and I can only speak as a Catholic. For us, we follow St. Paul's thinking in Romans 2.14-15. Paul there talks about the natural law which is imprinted on our hearts by virtue of being created in the image of God. The Catechism says that the man who searches for God in another religion and does so earnestly is somehow being prepared for the Gospel (CCC 843) because all truth and goodness come from God. We trust those souls to God's mercy and justice, knowing that He is both.

>5 Why did God put a tree of knowledge if no one could eat from it? Like He purposely put the temptation there, knowing that at least some of us will be tempted to sin, and from there, be eternally damned.

Obedience which comes from love is the mark of the Christian life. CS Lewis' Perelandra does a good job at thinking about this. Basically Lewis says that there are sometimes rules which God gives which do not have a rationale on their own except that God has asked us to follow them. So in Perelandra, the woman is not allowed to live on the fixed land simply because God has asked her not to. By following this rule, however, she grows in love for God. She grows up, understanding what obedience is.

>6 Why does sin and the possibility of being sent to Hell for eternal torture exist, if God loves us more than anything? Doesn't He know that with creating humans, a lot of them will sin?

He does, but He hasn't remained aloof from the situation. Hebrews 4.15 tells us, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." That's beautiful. Think on the Incarnation and the sheer gratuity of God's love in that act. Also see my above answer about hell.

>7 How would He judge agnostics? Like there are so many religions, and uncertainties, that some people will just gather from every religion that there is indeed a God who created us. Like people who follow basic morals like treating others well, but still do sins like, greed, lust (without rape or cheating), sodomy?

We don't know about any particular person who goes to hell. We simply trust God's goodness, His mercy, His justice, etc.

>8 Lust, masturbation, greed - why do those traits seem natural to humans, if they are sins? Like of course it's natural to look at the opposite sex and lust after them, especially when our hormones are raging.

Sin is the distortion of something good. Some women are beautiful. Recognizing their beauty isn't wrong. But sin warps our wills and desires, it warps our inclinations. Adam's and Eve's wills were in accord with their reason, but sin distorts this unity. This is why we do things (like sin) that we wish we did not (cf. Rom. 7). Neither lust, masturbation, nor greed are natural to man - they do not accord with the end for which God has created them (beatitude). Lust is an unhealthy fixation and a distortion of the natural goodness of human sexuality, which is given as a gift. Masturbation is the same - masturbation takes a gift meant for the sake of another (i.e. one's spouse) and misuses it for oneself. It takes something which is meant to be outward looking and makes it isolated. That's not what God created us for. Greed likewise is a disordered desire of goods. Any good thing we see on earth should point us to God, but greed terminates solely in created things and forgets the Creator.

I hope some of that helps.

First off, I got what looks to be some great books from my match. I got Perdido Street Station, Hyperion, The Sparrow, The Little Country, and American Gods. I have never read nor heard of these titles, but I'm excited to start reading them.

Now for the best part. My match sent me an original manuscript for a novel they wrote. How awesome is that? They also included a short story (a side story to the novel) that includes me as a character. I can honestly say that this is one of the best things I've ever received! I think I'll start with the novel first.

http://imgur.com/xVFbm

*update: Thanks for all of the encouraging posts! It seems that I really struck gold on this exchange. I sent a little reddit gold love to my SS for the wonderful gift. It's such a great collection that I feel like the books I sent to my match are woefully inadequate.

Always looking for reading like this, thanks for the suggestion, Frug.

Here's one for you (I can't directly recommend it since I just heard about it myself the other day): Mr. Blue by Myles Connolly (pub'd 1928).

Someone described it as a Catholic The Great Gatsby, which is one of my favorites, so I took note.

Here's the TL;DR: from Amazon: "J. Blue is a young man who decides to take Christianity seriously, not as a chore but as a challenge. He spends his inherited wealth almost as soon as he gets it. He lives in a packing box on a New York City rooftop. He embraces the poor as his best friends and wisest companions, distrusts the promises of technology (except for the movies), and is fascinated by anything involving the wide expanse of God’s universe. He is the ultimate free spirit, it seems; but what is the source—and purpose—of his freedom? This novel about a contemporary St. Francis figure has delighted and inspired countless readers since it was first published in 1928."

Robert Graves' 2 volume The Greek Myths is comprehensive, but there's a catch: Graves has arranged and chosen his version of the myths in order to facilitate a kind of narrative continuity that's not particularly true to the way that the Greeks understood their myths. Karl Kerenyi and Carl Kerenyi's The Greek Gods and The Greek Heroes are closer to the source material, and will give you a better sense of the variety and disagreements involved. Ultimately, though, it's a matter of preference: Do you want narrative sweep, or fidelity to tradition?

Alternately, you could go back to the sources themselves. Ovid's Metamorphoses is basically a treasury of Greco-Roman myth. Again, there's a catch: Ovid's theme is that of things transforming into something else (hence the title), so there's a definite bias in favor of myths that suit that motif. That said, Ovid is also as close as you're going to get to the original form of a lot of Greco-Roman myths, so it's hard to go wrong there.

If you really want to do some heavy lifting on the Greco-Roman myths, get a copy of Pausanius' Guide to Greece, Vol. I and Vol. II. This is basically a travelogue of Greece, written for the Roman Emperor, and it lists in detail most of the locations associated with Greek myths and legends, and gives some detail on most of the lesser known ones. There's a lot to sift through here, and you'll probably want to have an Atlas of the Ancient World on hand to get a sense of where he's talking about at any given time, so I definitely don't recommend starting out here, but if you're looking for really in-depth source material, this is the place to go.

For the Norse myths, there's the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, as well as a slew of sagas that are worth looking into. On of the most famous is certainly The Nibelungenlied, on which Wagner based his [Ring Cycle]() (you know, "Ride of the Valkyries," and all that), which was the basis for much of Lord of the Rings. Personally, my favorite of the sagas I've read so far is the Volsungs.

For the Sumerians, the obvious starting point is Gilgamesh. Our sources are pretty fragmented, and there are editions that reflect that fragmentation, but for pure readability, I suggest the Herbert Mason retelling. Or, if you're really into it, get both and compare. The go-to author for Sumerian myth and religion in general is Samuel Noah Kramer; his book Sumerian Mythology is as good a general survey as you're likely to find, particularly if you're interested in the archeological method behind our knowledge of the Sumerians.

What else? For the Egyptians, E. A. Budge is your man. Dover Books in general has a good series of older, public domain works on mythology, including books on Japanese and Chinese mythology. I wish I had some sources to give you on meso-American or African myth, but those are areas of inquiry I'm just delving into myself. But then, you're probably overwhelmed as it is.

Good luck.

Hey Lena :) Thanks for saying that, Costa didn't understand when I told him, but i'll thnak you on his behalf hehe.

Book wise, that would have to be Mortal Engines - the concept of cities moving over the ground and 'eating' other smaller cities is a fantastic concept, and really lets you think about what an alternative universe could be like! Whilst it might be a kids book, I loved it.

How about yourself, what was your last great book?

I really liked The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. It may not be what you're looking for because 1) the story involves humans making contact with aliens on their planet, rather than the other way 'round and 2) the outreach mission is run by the Jesuits, so the initial motivation for contact is religious as well as scientific, and so discussion of religious issues arises here and there.

All of that aside, it's a great book and it really gets at the assumptions we tend to make about alien life. The characters in the book make a lot of assumptions about the aliens, and the results are shocking and unexpected. It's more about change on individual level, rather than societal - but definitely worth a read.

The Catholic Church figures pretty heavily into the story, but doesn't come out looking all that great. It's not really a "pro-organized religion" sort of book.

Use of Weapons and, everything else by Iain M. Banks. Amazing stuff. Trust me.

The Blade Itself and the rest of that series by Joe Abercrombie.

Altered Carbon and the rest of that series as well as Thirteen and The Steel Remains, and it's sequel (still waiting on book 3) by Richard K. Morgan. He's pretty amazing.

That would keep you busy for a long time and are all pretty amazing. Seconding Dune, which is amazing, and the Name of the Wind which is great but very popcorn.

But really, if you were to read everything by Iain M. Banks you would be a better person.

Edit: The Sparrow

Here is a partial reading list I'd recommend to anyone hoping to make themselves more critical and rational in their understanding of the world.

Normally, I dislike lists without some explanation for each element; lists without reasons are boring. But I hope the links here will help stand for what would otherwise be somewhat lengthy descriptions of these works and their value to developing a really comprehensive personal epistemology.

• The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien
  
  
• Nova Express by William S. Burroughs
  
  
• A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay
  
  
• The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll (a bit lighter than the others, you might enjoy Martin Gardner's mathematical annotations as a good entry point.)
  
  
• The Post Card by Jacques Derrida. (Kind of cheating, since it's semiotics disguised as a novel.)
  
  
• A Humument by Tom Phillips.
  
  Once you've gotten through those, you'll have a really dense and textured appreciation for the world, I think. Real think-food, those books are.
  
  Hope you enjoy them!
  
  
  

It always surprises me how The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell has slipped under the radar of many. It's intense in places but extraordinarily well-written. It has a sequel that's not nearly as good (probably due to a publisher urging a rush job), but overall this is an amazing book. It's my number one favorite book, not just sci-fi book, for a variety of reasons. Very thoughtful, very vivid characters, very interesting descriptive detail. So realistic in places it almost doesn't feel like sci-fi.

I enjoyed Ascent by Jed Mercurio a lot. The opening chapter is more violent than I wish. I almost stopped reading, worrying the whole book would be that way, but it lightens up. The first chapter can, frankly, pretty much be skipped by anyone who doesn't like that kind of thing. The rest of the story was much more even and interesting. I have a feeling when I see the upcoming Apollo 18, if I even bother (I'm expecting bad reviews), I'm going to wish it was this story instead.

Two months is enough time to get through several books, but if you're anything like me you'll need a variety depending on your mood at the end of the day. I'm guessing you like interesting stories that are still somewhat socially/philosophically transformative, so here's a few personal suggestions:

End-of-the-day short reading spells:

• Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (mentioned earlier by littlewren42)
  
• Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro
  
• Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
  
  
  Something a little heavier:
  
  
• The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
  
• The Leopard by Guiseppe Di Lampedusa
  
• The Notice by Sean Chandler
  
  Something to make you smile (you'll really need this at some point):
  
  
• Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
  
• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
  
• Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos (note this is the audible version, I couldn't link to the kindle version). This last one has a slightly religious skew, but I (a non-christian) didn't find this annoying. Plus I needed a third book.

> Sandalphon is one of the most prominent of the angels in Jewish lore. He is said to
be so tall that if he were standing on the earth, his head would reach into the highest
heaven. In the myths about the ascent of Moses into heaven, Moses sees Sandalphon
standing behind God’s throne. But the most common myth about Sandalphon concerns his gathering the prayers of Israel and forming
them into crowns of prayer for God to wear on His Throne of Glory.

> Sources:
B. Hagigah 13a; Pesikta Rabbati 20:4; Midrash Tehillim 19:7; Hekhalot Rabbati 11; Sefer ha-
Zikhronot 52:6.

> Studies:
Keter: The Crown of God in Early Jewish Mysticism by Arthur Green.

• Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism

Welcome :)

Can't legally link the full book, but I'm sure your library has (or can get) a copy. I believe the book was The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.

The story you talked about sounds pretty interesting. Sometimes I'm tempted to read OSC's fiction that people observe(/complain) is just thinly veiled Mormon cosmology, because it sounds interesting, but I don't think I can stomach reading any of his books anymore now that I know a bit more about him as a person. Kind of sad.

I really loved The Poisonwood Bible. And she wrote The Invention of Wings too, right?

Check out The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. It's science fiction, but written beautifully and the focus is on humanity and characterization, not "beep boop robots aliens" haha. This book really stuck with me after reading it, in the same way the Kingsolver novels did.

Also check out The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea. It's a semi-fictionalized account of the life of Teresita Urrea, and is also absolutely wonderful and will stick with you.

Me too :) In a way we already have Biblical proof of aliens. If we define alien as another created species from somewhere other than earth possessing sentience, then what are angels if not aliens?

Also, if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend CS Lewis' space trilogy. It's a series of fiction books where he explores the ideas of other planets and alien species created by God :)

Out of the Silent Planet

Perelandra

That Hideous Strength

If you liked the Ender universe, try the offshoot series for Ender and Bean. Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide and Children of the Mind are more philosophical and deal with Ender coming to terms with killing all the Formics. Everything after Ender's Shadow follows Bean and the other Battle School kids as the world superpowers try to achieve global domination after the Formic War, it's more about military and political strategy. They're both great, but very different.

For something new, check out Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow and its sequel, Children of God. Here's the Publishers Weekly description of The Sparrow:

An enigma wrapped inside a mystery sets up expectations that prove difficult to fulfill in Russell's first novel, which is about first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. The enigma is Father Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit linguist whose messianic virtues hide his occasional doubt about his calling. The mystery is the climactic turn of events that has left him the sole survivor of a secret Jesuit expedition to the planet Rakhat and, upon his return, made him a disgrace to his faith. Suspense escalates as the narrative ping-pongs between the years 2016, when Sandoz begins assembling the team that first detects signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life, and 2060, when a Vatican inquest is convened to coax an explanation from the physically mutilated and emotionally devastated priest. A vibrant cast of characters who come to life through their intense scientific and philosophical debates help distract attention from the space-opera elements necessary to get them off the Earth.

Oh, and I almost forget, the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin is so freaking amazing. If you want a new fictional universe to explore, this is it. Well written, ridiculous plot twists, tons of interesting and unique characters that you hate with a passion until you read the chapter written from their point of view, then you fall in love with them. I watched the first two episodes of Game of Thrones before deciding I wanted to read the books first. I stayed up way later than I planned to because I just had to read the next chapter, then the next, then the next book, until I'd read all five in no time and might read them again because I'm addicted to the characters and universe. It's just such rich content that you'll find yourself flipping back and forth to re-read different parts. You won't regret it.

Thanks so much for putting this together! So much great info came out of this con!!

*possible spoiler - do not click on link below if you don’t want to know a big picture possibility about where the show may be headed***

For those interested, a fan overheard the book that JRoth apparently gave to Bob for season 6 and it is this.

Oh yes. (Note: Read this book if you like Catholic Sci-Fi - it's about the first "native" Bishop of Mars. It is very good!)

Actually, for a novel I'm (slowly!) writing, I've had to think about and develop how the Church would have spread to human-colonized worlds and survived where Communications back to Earth were spotty at best and the journey was practically a one-way trip.

Clarification: This is a picture of me (on the left) with my friend at his book release party. He just released his book, Void Voyage, and I thought it would be funny to do one of these 'I met a celebrity' posts.

The joke was supposed to be that he isn't a celebrity, so the title of the post is technically true.

You should look at their Murder Slasher Porn Like the Left Behind Series they used to fap furiously to until they realized they could get their Jesusmurderboner off for realz in places like Uganda.

It's a very Christian, family, heartwarming story about Giant Jeezus coming down from The Great North Korea In The Sky and the holy wonder of his genocide of all of the Infidels on the planet to the joyful tears of the fundamentalist faithful.

So yes, the murder of infidels is something that they get off on.

The Cross is always followed by The Sword.

Edith Hamilton is always a good primer, though you should realize she sanitizes the source http://www.amazon.com/Mythology-Edith-Hamilton-ebook/dp/B00852YXU8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414360728&sr=8-1&keywords=edith+hamilton Still, not a bad option, my Mythology class in College used this book.

Robert Graves is also a decent introduction: http://www.amazon.com/The-Greek-Myths-Complete-Edition/dp/0140171991/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414360818&sr=8-2&keywords=Robert+Graves+Greek+Myths

Finally, you can't go wrong with Bullfinch http://www.amazon.com/Bulfinchs-Mythology-Modern-Library-Bulfinch-ebook/dp/B000FC1H50/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414360874&sr=1-1&keywords=bullfinch%27s+mythology Even my grandmother, who was off-the-boat from Greece had a copy of Bullfinch's Mythology.

There are other books, of course, but these should give you a good starting point.

I am curious to see any other suggestions. My library could use a refresh. ;-)

If you're into Sci-fi type books, you should check out The Sparrow. Easily one of my favorites that draws on philosophy, religion, linguistics, space travel, and more.

There was a follow-up called "Children of God" which I'd recommend if you like the first one.

So if credits are normally $15, and books are usually 1 credit. 3 books for 2 credits makes the cost of each audiobook $10.

I just checked the first book I might like to buy, The Dreaming Void (Commonwealth - The Void Trilogy Book 1) by Peter F. Hamilton, and the Kindle edition is only $2.99 currently, with which you can get the audiobook for only $2.99 more. So $6 for the audiobook if that is all you want.

Same for the C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WTIASCG

Adding up the costs of the rest of the Kindle ebook + audiobook give $29 for the both Kindle ebook plus the Audible audiobook of this three book series, cheaper than just getting the audiobooks with this deal!

About to read The Sparrow. A good friend recommended it to me and said the author and one of the characters reminds him of me, so now my curiosity must be satisfied.

Catholics by Brian Moore

I read this after learning that David Foster Wallace thought it was brilliant. It really is a great little book. Only 160 pages, dealing with exactly what you are looking for.

Lilith's Brood, by Octavia Butler, previously published as The Xenogenesis Trilogy. Excellent sf!

ETA: The Sparrow and its sequel Children of God, by Mary Doria Russell. I know I keep mentioning this book, but it's that good!

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

Sharon shinn has a couple others that might match up. The shape-changer's wife is proabably the closest with an apprentice magician falling for his master's mysterious supernatural wife. Jovah's Angel is also a good one with an human man falling in love with an Angel. Neither are written exactly for men, but they are both really enjoyable reads and have primarily male POV.

https://www.amazon.com/Shape-Changers-Wife-Sharon-Shinn-ebook/dp/B005KGJWSA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1486844618&sr=1-1&keywords=Shape+changers+wife

https://www.amazon.com/Jovahs-Angel-Sharon-Shinn-ebook/dp/B006VR7I9W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1486844679&sr=1-1&keywords=jovah%27s+angel

check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sparrow-Mary-Doria-Russell/dp/0449912558/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341599508&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sparrow+russell

it's fiction, but the author does a good job of considering this question philosophically via empathy (the title ends up adding depth to a cliche christian sentiment in a way that was probably not intended, but is true nonetheless).

First think that came to mind for me was Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow. Really quality stuff.

From Amazon (SPOILER ALERT): In 2019, humanity finally finds proof of extraterrestrial life when a listening post in Puerto Rico picks up exquisite singing from a planet which will come to be known as Rakhat. While United Nations diplomats endlessly debate a possible first contact mission, the Society of Jesus quietly organizes an eight-person scientific expedition of its own. What the Jesuits find is a world so beyond comprehension that it will lead them to question the meaning of being "human." When the lone survivor of the expedition, Emilio Sandoz, returns to Earth in 2059, he will try to explain what went wrong... Words like "provocative" and "compelling" will come to mind as you read this shocking novel about first contact with a race that creates music akin to both poetry and prayer.

Only 3 hours and 26 minutes in total, according to the schedules:

Episode | Date | Broadcast at| Length

---:|:---:|:----:|----
1 | 22/12 | 23:00 | 30 mins
2 | 22/12 | 23:30 | 30 mins
3 | 23/12 | 23:30 | 30 mins
4 | 25/12 | 23:30 | 30 mins
5 | 26/12 | 23:27 | 28 mins
6 | 27/12 | 14:30 | 60 mins

^ Actually 28 minutes due to the 11 o'clock news summary not being factored in.

The CD version will be released on 15th January "with bonus length episodes and outtakes" (but it doesn't say how much bonus length there will be).

Not my own work, but if you like this prompt then you'll like this book

And the sequel

Check out the scifi novel "the Sparrow" by Mary Russell, tackles the religion in space dilemma, pretty good read too.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sparrow-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0449912558

Forever Peace - Haldeman

Book of The New Sun/Book of the Long Sun - Wolfe (this is a very rewarding story, but it requires commitment)

Never Let Me Go - Ishiguro

The Sparrow - Russell

Please be aware that these are all fairly dark. Maybe I'm soft, but The Sparrow was one of the roughest books I've read, from a psychological perspective.

The Sparrow. Possibly my favorite book of all time. There is a sequel as well, Children of God.

You might like The Sparrow


I found it really compelling and thought provoking (though very dark at times!). It was a good balance of scifi and theology/philosophy.

Thanks. That's a better way to put it. I recently read this, and it seems a bit of the author's language crept into my own.

Just a side note, this theme is explored in Russel's novel, The Sparrow. The crew sent to the planet found with intelligent life include Jesuits.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sparrow-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0449912558

If I may add an extra layer to your observation: This book is about a group of people who find themselves in a first contact scenario based on a signal received at the Arecibo array. The book's title? The Sparrow.

I highly, highly recommend it - some of the most emotional sci-fi I've ever read.

First book on the list has a sample online under the trilogy it's a part of

https://www.amazon.com/Children-Hiding-Trilogy-Victoria-Randall-ebook/dp/B07V46MMF6

Once you get past all the reviews and praise that are wasting space in the front of the sample, there's actually a good book there..... somewhere.

It's just extremely frustrating when authors do this with samples: when all you actually want is the sample and they insist on having other people tell you how good the sample would be if they would only show it to you--which they delay as long as possible for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Anyway, what I saw of the sample was rather surprisingly smooth writing. Sometimes people forget you don't have to be verbally complex to tell a good story. Also, blindly stumbling into stupidity through blind trust of fate is very much a human thing. Without spoiling much more than is already in the sample; even if it's just a 1% chance of something happening oh, it's a 100% chance if you're the one percent it happens to--the forgetting of which is what got our protagonist into the situation in the first place.

Anyway, told the Reddit link to send me the first book in the series to my email; so I should be able to finish it sometime this week.

Don't really have time to research the other samples at the moment.

Does anybody have any recommendations?

Serious answer, if you're interested in a fictional exploration of that idea from a Catholic writer, I highly recommend The Sparrow. It's basically about First Contact from the lense of a Jesuit, and I found it extremely thought provoking.

Yikes I reeeeeeally hope they are not going the [hover for spoiler](/spoiler alien) route.... that's a big nope for me :/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sparrow_(novel)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/0449912558/R1VLVTYCBFUYI/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_1?ie=UTF8&cursor=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/0449912558/R346EEJCNWLWYG/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_7?ie=UTF8&cursor=7

Edit: ok well I can't figure out how to properly hide what I am talking about but those who look up the plot of the book should know what I'm talking about.... going in that particular direction would really feel like jumping the shark for me and I'm not here for it :/

CS Lewis - That Hideous Strength

Haven't read it but a guy on the Tom Woods podcast did a lesson on Libertarianism in literature and he said this is the one book he would recommend from his course. It's part 3 of a trilogy but, from what he said, they aren't connected so you can skip ahead.

I really enjoyed The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

My favorite religiously-themed fiction book: The Sparrow

Try the BBC adaptation it's fab. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Omens-Radio-dramatisation-Dramatisations/dp/1910281913/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426182742&sr=8-2&keywords=good+omens

Mortal Engines :P - Thanks OP

I have this and have found it useful

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sparrow-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0449912558/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396116677&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sparrow


"The Sparrow: A Novel"

by Mary Doria Russell

Does the name "Trappist" have anything to do with the science fiction novel "The Sparrow"? https://www.amazon.com/Sparrow-Novel-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0449912558

The Great Divorce is one of my favorite books of all time, Lewis really had a insightful understanding of sin, and how temptation works on a person. Have you read his space trilogy? In the second book, Perelandra, he tells the story of Eve's temptation with such gripping detail I found it difficult to read, it was almost too real, too tragic. I highly recommend the whole series.

Something similar, fictionally, is The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell. She's an anthropologist, and the novel's contents are germane to your question (so as not to spoil anything). There's a sequel novel too but I haven't read it.

Jesus did not just take on a human shape when he came to earth - he became fully human. He is still fully human. A human cannot simply discard their flesh, because flesh is an essential component to humanity. In order to be human still, he must have flesh still.

>If he were to appear to another species elsewhere in the universe presumably he would use a body from their species...right?

There is no evidence that he ever does this, and so to comment on it would be pure speculation. However, if you want speculation on that very issue, check out C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy, specifically the second book, Perelandra. Essentially the thrust is that by becoming a man, the Lord forever marked man as the high mark of creation, and that anyone who knows the Lord would recognize that.

My favorite: Tree of Souls. A detailed encyclopedia of Jewish/Hebrew/Israelite mythology and folklore, with sources and arguments.

I know that there are sci-fi novels that deal with this, but I can't recall any at the moment except for The Sparrow.

EDIT: formatting and fixed link

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel

http://www.amazon.com/A-Voyage-Arcturus-David-Lindsay/dp/1604591455

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Voyage_to_Arcturus

You should read The Sparrow by M.D. Russel. The book makes you think about self preservation of an ecosystem, not just a type of animal or plant.

A Case of Conscience by James Blish and The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.

Take a look at the book The Sparrow

The Sparrow.

The BBC have released a CD.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Omens-Radio-dramatisation-Dramatisations/dp/1910281913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421009391&sr=8-1&keywords=good+omens

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. http://www.amazon.com/Sparrow-Mary-Doria-Russell/dp/0449912558

http://www.amazon.com/Sparrow-Mary-Doria-Russell/dp/0449912558

Second.

1. Out of the Silent Planet
   
   
2. Perelandra
   
   
3. That Hideous Strength

The Sparrow. I loathed this book. Jesuits in space. However, I think it would be funny for those who got it.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell goes into first contact material like Contact does, but (IMHO) it's much deeper and more thought provoking.

Robert Graves: The Greek Myths

the Diamond Age

Friday

the Sparrow

the Blind Assasin

Parable of the Sower

Well . . . if you're looking at a book simply as a collection of text, I too have never feared a line of text. What books allow, is a slow building of fear that require quite a bit of character development. I don't read horror novels waiting to be frightened, and truthfully read very little horror. The fear just happens. To be honest, it's a different type of fear - more of an uneasy feeling really. Certainly, a book can't have, what my son calls, "The scary jump out scenes". But if we exchange the term fear with edgy, here are a list of my favorite books with an "Edge":

[The Passage] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Passage-Novel-Book-Trilogy/dp/0345528174)
[The Terror] (http://www.amazon.com/Terror-Novel-Dan-Simmons/dp/0316008079/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404481514&sr=1-1&keywords=terror)
The Stand
Carrion Comfort
Desperation
I am Legend
The Sparrow
Night
Frankenstein
All Quite on the Western Front
Hunger
Blood Meridian
Watchers
The Minus Man

In no particular order - Not the usual suggestions either. Hope it helps, and happy reading!

Longevity is not immortality. What Kurzweil posits is amazing, and may happen - but isn't biblical immortality. You could be three thousand years old and still get eaten by a bear. Your "upload" could crash and burn somehow. It is, in a word, artificial. I'm all for it, on some level, and it may even be in accord with the Isaiah promise that "the one who dies at a hundred will be considered a mere youth, and the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed," but it isn't the same thing as RESURRECTION - physical and spiritual immortality, accompanied by the re-creation of all things.

Edit: the futurist vision of Kurzweil could also have a nasty turn to it - read C.S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength.