Science Fiction

Fiction is the realm of the unbound imagination. Throughout history, authors have striven to create brave new worlds, populated with every kind of character imaginable. And Science Fiction is the ultimate trip in the literary world. Not bound by the day-to-day realities of what we see about us, Science Fiction transports the reader to far, unknown times and places, and introduces characters not only stranger than we ever imagined, but sometimes even stranger than we can imagine.

I find Science Fiction particularly appealing partly because I also enjoy Science Fact. Having spent nine and a half years studying physics and astronomy (see About Billiard and The Cosmos) probably has something to do with it.

Christian Science Fiction

In my view of things, there are actually two kinds of Sci-Fi commonly called "Christian". One type I call "Christian Science Fiction", and the other I call "Science Fiction written from a Christian viewpoint". So what's the difference? you are probably wanting to know

Christian Science Fiction has as its central theme a Biblical message. The entire story is built around this theme and, were it removed, there wouldn't be much left. Main characters are always believers. They don't always "have their lives together", but by the end of the story they usually are on the right road. Christian Sci-Fi is very idealistic.

On the other hand, Science Fiction written from a Christian perspective often has other central themes. The chief difference between this type of writing and common Sci-Fi is that the world view is Biblically based. The story does not ignore the spiritual and supernatural side of things. Main characters may be believers, but often are not. Like Christian Sci-Fi, this type of writing avoids obscenity, explicit sex, graphic violence and other offensive things. I find that I prefer this type of writing simply because the characters and situations are more believable.

Works of Roy W. Penn

Roy W. Penn is a new author of Science Fiction from a Christian perspective. In accordance with the basic philosophy of the genre, Penn takes the view that the same God that inspired the Bible also created the universe, and therefore, fictional works about the universe must take that into account. Some of his works are blatantly Christian. Others are more like the book of Esther, which does not mention God specifically, but Whose presence is clearly evident nevertheless.

EvilSpace is a full length novel written by Roy W. Penn. This story takes place several hundred years in the future, and is about a frightening judgment upon a human race that has forgotten its Creator.

An exploration ship out on the edges of known space discovers a planet where all life has been blasted out of existence. At the same time, a young man begins experiencing a recurring nightmare, while another young man hundreds of light years away wins a trip to Earth in a lottery. Though seemingly unconnected, all of these incidents are merely the beginning signs of the coming of a terrible force of evil, bent upon total annihilation of humanity.

As chaos spreads and civilization crumbles, three men are called by God to return to Earth to take a stand against this force. And it is more than merely a journey through space and across a world plunged into darkness. For each man it is also a journey into himself, into and beyond his deepest convictions.

And in the end, EvilSpace is more than merely a story. It is also a message.

EvilSpace is available in print from Amazon.com, and electronically from Reader's Eden.

EvilSpace is published by Writers Exchange E-Publishing

Click here for the print version from Amazon.com
Click here for the electronic version from Reader's Eden

Read an excerpt from EvilSpace.

Other Roy W. Penn Stories

Reader's Eden has recently begun offering free short stories, to give potential customers a chance to see some of the work of their authors without having to make a purchase. The Roy W. Penn short story Animals is included in this offering. You can find it in the July-August archives in the Reader's Eden Community Area.

On this website I have also included some public domain works by Roy W. Penn, both Christian and secular. These are here to give visitors to the Billiard Page a chance to see an example of Penn's writing without having to actually purchase a book or magazine, either print or electronic.

Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) is required to read these stories.

Christian Stories Time's Twilight

Secular Stories Communication Seasons in the Sun

(You may wonder why I promote the works of Roy W. Penn on this website. If you really, really can't figure it out, feel free to drop me an email and I will send you a hint.)

Other Favorite Sci-Fi

Movies: One of my favorite Sci-Fi movies of all time was Alien. No, I didn't pick it because of all the blood and guts. Rather, what attracted me to it was what I considered to be a relatively realistic portrayal of an alien world and alien life form, and a believable first contact situation.

Other movies that I enjoyed (even if I had to suspend my skepticism over some of the fallacies (see next section)) or else ignore world-view philosophies that I don't agree with) include 2001: A Space Odyssey, Deep Impact, The Core, and others too numerous to mention.

Television: At this point in my life, probably my favorite series has to be Babylon 5. The reason I enjoy it even more than Star Trek and all of its spin-offs is because the aliens are more believable. Among Star Trek and its successors, my favorite is Voyager. I guess it's because I enjoy the concept of a long voyage home from distant regions unknown.

The StarGate series provides an interesting alternative way to reach alien worlds, through wormhole devices created by ancient beings. Based upon a movie, the series has since spawned a sequel, Stargate: Atlantis, which takes place in another galaxy.

Write your own: Many people who enjoy these shows—and many, many others!—can now write their own fiction, based upon their favorite movie or program. Fan Fiction is a web site dedicated to this concept. Visit it and see if your favorite show is there, and if it is, see what the imaginations of other fans have come up with!

Books: Here, it is almost impossible to say what my favorites are, since there are so many that I have read during my life. Among books written from a Christian perspective, I constantly find myself comparing modern writings with the works of C S. Lewis (the space trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength), and constantly deciding in favor of Lewis. Maybe that is because Lewis was an accomplished, well educated writer who knew how to spin a yarn even before he became a believer. At any rate, in the area of Sci-Fi from the Christian perspective, Lewis remains my favorite.

In the purely secular realm, I really liked the older works of Isaac Asimov. The Foundation Trilogy is a classic, as are the robot novels. Unfortunately, Asimov seemed to have "lost his touch" in his later installments. His early characters were very human and believable, whereas his later ones were much more stiff and artificial.

Another fascinating book about alternate realities that explores possibilities in the realms of hard science (cosmology, particle physics, etc.) is Eon, by Greg Bear. I don't particularly care for his philosophy of life, but if I ignore that, the rest of the book is excellent.

Harry Harrison is an author who injects a lot of humor into some of his writings. I especially enjoyed his books about the Stainless Steel Rat.

And, of course, one can never forget Arthur C. Clarke. His classics, such as Against the Fall of Night, Rendezvous with Rama, A Fall of Moondust, and many others are always excellent reading. Again, unfortunately, like Asimov, when he has attempted to take an earlier novel and write sequels, the sequels have been less than successful, in my opinion.

Sci-Fi Fallacies

Probably the thing that bugs me most in many of the Sci-Fi shows on TV and at the movies is language. No, I don't mean the modern proliferation of the use of four-letter words, although I do find that objectionable. Rather, it is the fact that, however far away from Earth some intrepid explorer finds him/herself, the aliens that they encounter always speak colloquial American English! Even with the use of a universal translator, assuming such a thing really could exist, simple cultural differences would make communication far more difficult than is portrayed.

If our solar system (see The Cosmos) is typical of solar systems containing habitable planets (assuming that any other such worlds actually exist, a hypothesis as of yet unproven), then such worlds are rare. Moons are generally airless rocks. Uninhabited planets have unbreathable atmospheres. Related things that need to be taken into account (and rarely are!) include not only atmospheric composition, but temperature and pressure as well. Let's face it: in our solar system there is not a single planet aside from Earth where a person could walk around unprotected, even with a breathing mask.

Another thing creators of space fiction tend to forget is the immensity of space. In so much fiction, you have two spaceships out in the interstellar void actually meeting one another as a common occurrence! In reality, the chances of any one vessel encountering another out there are so slim as to be practically nonexistent. And when ships do encounter one another, what are the chances that they will both be vertically oriented in the same direction? If they were sailing on the ocean it would be expected. But out in space, ships could approach from any angle and be flipped at just about any angle. There is no absolute up and down in space!

Finally, how about all of those "half-this, half-that" crossbreeds? "His mother was a human and his father was a methane breathing Gark with green teeth." Come on! How many species here on Earth are cross-fertile? Ever see a half-man, half-gorilla? And you never will! So how do you expect humans to possibly be able to interbreed with some life form from halfway across the galaxy?

Other Christian Science Fiction sites

Amazon.com – Christian Science Fiction

Selections from the top on-line bookseller in the world.

Arjay Christian Books

Welcome. Rick Sutcliffe's Arjay Books is divided into several gateways and resource sets for writing, eBooks, Christianity, Irish/Celtic culture, ethics, and Modula-2

Christian Fiction by J. Brandon Barnes

If you like authors like Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Douglas Adams, and C. S. Lewis, you'll probably enjoy these stories. I think they will also be appreciated by fans of shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Babylon 5, and Star Trek

Christian Science Fiction

Christian science fiction novels, short stories, and anything fantastic. This site is also a gateway to many other related sites.

Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Central

One truth. One way. One goal. Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Central. Books, reviews, forums, games and more…

Reader's Eden

The on-line bookstore for Writers Exchange E-Publishing, which publishes a wide variety of books in both electronic and print format, including Christian and Science Fiction.

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