The Shadow and Night, Part I

It is my belief, as I will explain later on this blog, that good stories are made of two things: excellent content (that which aligns with the Bible) and excellent craft (quality execution of the art). However, it is possible for books to have only one or the other. Therefore, my reviews will consist of four basic parts: a excerpt from the novel, review of the content ("The Story"), review of craft ("The Writing"), and my overall recommendation ("Summary" and "Rating").

The Shadow At Evening, Chapter 2:

That night Merral dreamed in a way he had never thought possible. Normally, if he did dream, all he would remember of it on waking was a short-lived, gentle, and vague memory. But that night his dream was of an extraordinary intensity and unpleasantness.

He was standing alone on a dark, endless sandy beach at the edge of a sullen, night-colored sea, whose slow, heavy waves never broke, but seemed to just crawl up the shore and die before sliding back with a quiet, drawn-out whisper. Somehow, there was something swollen and infected about the sea. The cloudy, sunless sky above was lit with an overcast, tepid yellow light that seemed sickly. In the far distance some dark-winged objects, which he knew were not birds, wheeled and dived ominously.

It seemed to Merral that he stood there for an age, a lone figure looking at a sick sea and a dead sky, watching the oily ebb and flow of the waters. There was an atmosphere of expectancy, a feeling that something was on its way, something impending. It was as though the waves in their slow, lapping decay were saying in words just beyond hearing, "Wait…Wait…Wait…"

Thus are the first signs a world gone amiss for a forester, Merral Stefan D’Avanos, and his friends in Chris Walley’s futuristic novel, The Shadow and Night. Since I originally read this book as it was first printed, as two novels (The Shadow at Evening and The Power of the Night), I will be dealing with it here also in two parts.

The Story: After twelve hundred years of peace beneath the reign of God, evil has breached the world again and the war for survival renewed.

If you are willing to accept this basic premise—a twelve-hundred year "millennial reign" of Christ—the story is thought-provoking, intriguing, and challenging. It paints a compelling portrait of evil’s insidious nature and confronts our own often-complacent attitudes toward it. More than that, it reveals the grace and mercy of God, reminding us that light often shines brightest in the darkest nights.

The Writing: The craft Walley exhibits in part one, The Shadow at Evening, amazed me. It is far above the average for the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association), especially in what I’ve read for young adult fantasy and sci-fiction books.

Beyond a slightly slow start to the book, probably necessary to establish this unfamiliar story world, the plotting is well paced. Not heart-pounding tension, like many books in this genre, but a masterful building of it brick by brick.

Nor will you find this book preachy, like many of the CSFF (Christian science fiction and fantasy) in the young adult market. This, for me, was a great relief and delight, allowing me to engage with the characters fully and enjoy the story itself to the maximum.

That said, the book does have a few flaws. But which books don’t? And Walley’s writing trumps his flaws, most of which aren’t worth mentioning here. He does occasionally fall into long passages of descriptions (multiple paragraphs), so if you’re like me, you might need to skim in spots. On the other hand, if you’re one of the readers that loves every detail spelled out, you’ll probably enjoy these showcases of Walley's grasp of language.

However, for me the most glaring flaw is the prologue. It is a long passage telling how non-earth worlds came to be, and unless you’re fascinated by the science of it, I’d recommend skipping it, as it seems to add little to the story itself. Of course, I could always be wrong.

Summary: This story seems overall biblically sound with no preachiness, extreme violence (only one hand-to-hand combat that results in death which is handled very well), or other offensive material. In addition, the craft is good and the thesis fascinating. Therefore, I highly recommend you take the time to shift through the slow beginning. It’s a worthwhile read for both teens and adults, sci-fi fans and those who aren’t crazy about the genre.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Story Power

Think of your favorite movies and books.

Have a few? Good. Now think of a favorite sermon or Sunday School lesson.

Hmm…a bit harder, isn’t it? You came up with one? You’re doing better than I am. But now let me ask you another question: what was so memorable about it?

I bet you just launched into or started describing a story.

Whether factual or fictional, story is how we remember, isn’t it? We hear a sermon, and we remember the funny story the pastor told. We go to Sunday School, and we remember the teacher’s goofy hat—giving us a great story to tell. We read an article; we remember the anecdote. We have a lesson hit home hard, and there’s a story about the surrounding circumstances.

How even more memorable are the stories we read and watch! There’s just something so powerful, so mysterious about the way a character we’ve never met grabs our attention and drags us on a journey that few ever want to experience in reality. And for a couple hours, we don’t only sympathize with these imaginary people, we are them—seeing what they see, experiencing what they experience, feeling what they feel—until their story becomes part of our story and their memories, our memories. Then the best ones imbed themselves—and their stories—into our hearts forever.

Don’t believe me? Ask your friends after church what the sermon they just heard was about. Then ask them what happened on their favorite television show last week.

Which one was longer?

Feet on the ground, head in the clouds,
Chawna Schroeder

A Professional What?!

Yes, you read that right. This blog is by a professional liar. No, I’m not a con-artist, politician, or lawyer. I’m a novelist.

So why don’t I say that? I suppose "professional liar" sounds more interesting to me, not to mention the fascinating reactions from other people. Besides, it accurately describes my work, doesn’t it? I spend my days telling stories about people that don’t exist and things that didn’t occur. More than that, I want—no, I expect—a few gullible people to believe every word I wrote. At least for a few hours.

Of course, I was always taught that whatever I do, do with all my might. So I don’t spin any old web of stories. I shoot for the extravagant, the outrageous, the fantastical: I tell stories not only about nonexistent people and counterfeit events, but most of my stories are also set in places that aren’t there at times that haven’t happened. Or didn’t happen. Or will never happen. So you might say I’m a professional liar specializing in out-of-this-world tales.

And that’s what I do. Beyond that, I’m a pretty normal person. Or at least semi-normal. After all, someone who spends her days talking to imaginary people will probably tend toward a slightly warped perspective of reality.

But I still like to eat popcorn with my movies (Beauty and the Beast, anyone? I can almost quote it), and go camping with my family. Love chocolate, a very necessary—perhaps the most necessary—tool of any writer. Fought more fights than I can count with my younger sister. Hate zits. Can make a whopper of a banana split. Attended school from kindergarten through 12th grade and usually complained loudly about it (although Mom, who was my teacher most of those years, paid absolutely no attention to it).

I also enjoy a good snowball fight. Occasionally sing in the shower. Think Charlie Epps (Numb3rs) is cute and drove the car into the ditch when I learned to drive. Collect stuff by Precious Moments®, Thomas Kinkade, Norman Rockwell, and Disney. Had stitches twice, though no broken bones (yet). Find Bible translation and theological discussions fascinating. Okay, maybe that last one isn’t quite normal, but nobody’s perfect.

So I guess I could say that, in a squeeze, I’m just like you. Of course, that might just be another of my tall tales.

Feet on the ground, head in the clouds,
Chawna Schroeder

Feeding Our Imagination

Imagination--what an amazing gift from God!

With it we can zip through the universe on a spaceship, conquer armies, plod across the prairies with the wagon trains, and meet people long dead. We can visit the past, explore the present, and peek into the future. We can dive into the human heart or fly to a galaxy far, far away. All from the security of our backyard.

But because the imagination can roam to the limits of human experience, it too has been corrupted by sin. Just as the imagination can give wings to the good, it can also feed the voracious evil inside every human heart until that evil consumes every part of our imagination. And since the imagination is contained within the mind, the growth of evil is invisible to those on the outside.

Or at least at first, for input does equal output: "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart and these make a man 'unclean.'" (Matthew 15:18) Therefore, we must be cautious with what we feed our imaginations, because the imagination, being internal, feeds the heart.

What then should we "eat" to have a healthy imagination? How much influence do things like books and television have on our minds? Where should we draw the line? When do we cross those lines, if ever?

It is these types of questions I wish to explore on this blog through posts on how I set my guidelines; discussions on faith, fiction, and fantasy; interviews with other imagination experts; and practical application to books and films I encounter along the way. And who knows? Maybe you'll learn a thing or two anyway. I know I will.

Feet on the ground, head in the clouds,
Chawna Schroeder