The Sci Fi Catholic: Mark Shea Discusses Catholicism in Sci-Fi

Monday, April 7, 2008

Mark Shea Discusses Catholicism in Sci-Fi

Mark Shea, obsessive Catholic blogger and writer, has a fine op-ed piece, "Science Fiction and the Areopagus," up at InsideCatholic.

Not that I don't enjoy science fiction and fantasy novels and films, not least because they constitute perhaps the principal place in our culture where it is routine, expected, normal, and welcome to discuss matters of both theology and philosophy. [more...]

He mentions a number of Catholic writers and works dealing with Catholicism in the piece. His comments are thoughtful, and he suggests that sf and fantasy are just about the only forum left in our culture where someone can present an intelligent discussion of philosophy and religion.

He forgets to mention one important Catholic sf work, however: Space Vulture by Gary K. Wolf and the archbishop of Newark. My copy's in the mail right now, and there's a chance I'll drop everything else and read it as soon as it gets here. Gene Wolfe, a Catholic and one of the greatest sf writers of the age, has complimented it, so it should be good.

Hat tip: Claw of the Conciliator

Currently Reading

D.G.D.: Someone recently told me I need to be more manly. I assumed he meant I need to read more manly military space opera. For sheer manliness, you can't go wrong with a book entitled Armor by a guy with "steak" in his name...dang, that sentence contains so much testosterone, my biceps grew a quarter inch while I was writing it. Anyway, this novel, about soldiers in powered armor fighting giant insects (yes, I know you've heard that one before), is made of pure awesome.

D.G.D.: How do I put this...? I hate this book. Abbey has a way with words, but his characters have got to be the nastiest, small-mindedest people I've ever read about. An unabashed apology for eco-terrorism, the novel wants to be about big people doing big things in big places, but it ends up being about little people doing little things in big places. Its one redeeming feature is nice landscapes. Abbey's habit of telling the reader what to think and depicting all non-eco-terrorist characters as jerks or idiots doesn't help. His protagonists get indignant at the indifferent misuse of the land and even compare it to rape; oddly enough, they have nothing against the indifferent misuse of women and indulge in it frequently...you'd think they could make the connection, but thinking doesn't seem to be their forte.