Religion in Sci-Fi and Fantasy

by Dr. A. R. Davis
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6 books
One of the things I look for when reading science fiction and fantasy is depth of ideas. Superheroes and action movies may be fun on the big screen, but when I let an author’s words into my mind, I expect them to start a firestorm of thoughts. The books in the following list should do that for you. The first one, especially, explodes like a supernova. Other worlds can contain angels as well as aliens. The collective unconscious of the universe lies beyond the Reality Field. Step through and see where these books take you.
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The Exegesis of Philip K Dick

Philip K. Dick, 2011
A trip through the mind of one of my favorite Sci-Fi authors. These nine hundred pages were a mere tenth of the written material Dick created after 1974 to explore his mental breakdown/religious experience; it took me a year to read every page and footnote and glossary explanation. Every line was fascinating to me since I, too, am an author of science fiction dealing with the nature of reality. In the sections where he writes about developing his stories or considers their meaning, I can see similarities in our process. The inclusion of his drawings and sketches of his ideas could come right out of my own piles of scrap paper. Unfortunately, the technical secrets to his literary genius are not included. Too bad we can’t correspond with each other ... or maybe we can ... maybe we are? Note: The five stars are MY rating. If you think reading all of this is a little nuts, try The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich.

American Gods

Neil Gaiman, 2002
Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is fantasy not sci-fi, but if you follow physics far enough you’ll stumble into metaphysics and that’s where the gods live. So maybe Gaiman’s book was not just a distraction, it was a detour taking me on a journey the long way around to the place my own writings have sent me. Gaiman’s gods are down and out wanderers discarded by the more enlightened American descendants of the gods’ ancient believers. I got lost in the ectometaverse in my first series when I contemplated how a time traveler could meet himself; there had to be a place where those two consciousnesses were connected. In my series, which begins with Perturbations of the Reality Field, the gods have punished any species that dares to think about traveling faster than the speed of light. Thou shalt not go supraluminal! I try to use physics and mathematics as the ladder to an expanded reality, Gaiman just walks right in.

The Sparrow

M. D. Russell, 2010
The Sparrow is an exploration of first contact between humans and aliens from a religious point of view. Jesuit explorers travel to a civilization a few light years distant, whose culture has recognizable elements of good and evil. This is a character-driven story with a fundamental spiritual perspective from a Jesuit Catholic point of view. It deals with inner space more than outer space. The main character thinks of these aliens as “God’s other children”, at least at first. However, no alien Jesus Christ is mentioned. The aliens seem to be heathens requiring salvation. The internal religious struggle of the main character is riveting and full of complex concepts, but don’t let the pace lull you into forgetting that something traumatic happened. When the truth is revealed, it is a spectacularly powerful ending.

Hyperion

Dan Simmons, 2011
This seemingly trite space opera plunges into an amazingly gripping series of stories, obviously related to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Woven throughout, of course, is the poetry of John Keats and even the resurrected cyber copy of his soul. Simmons’ imaginary universe is chock full of every possible sci-fi gadget, technology, and concepts you can remember. But, it was either the worst ending ever, as if he was done with the book and had moved on to something else, OR I missed something important. But I’m a careful reader and I like subtlety and symbolism, so I am confused. This cliffhanger had an ugly cliff. The Fall of Hyperion is a jam-packed, fast-paced sequel, although sequel is just a marketing term in this case. The Fall of Hyperion is really the end of the story. It’s just that there is so much to wrap up and explain that Simmons put it all into the second book.

The Fall of Hyperion

Dan Simmons, 2011
This seemingly trite space opera plunges into an amazingly gripping series of stories, obviously related to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Woven throughout, of course, is the poetry of John Keats and even the resurrected cyber copy of his soul. Simmons’ imaginary universe is chock full of every possible sci-fi gadget, technology, and concepts you can remember. But, it was either the worst ending ever, as if he was done with the book and had moved on to something else, OR I missed something important. But I’m a careful reader and I like subtlety and symbolism, so I am confused. This cliffhanger had an ugly cliff. The Fall of Hyperion is a jam-packed, fast-paced sequel, although sequel is just a marketing term in this case. The Fall of Hyperion is really the end of the story. It’s just that there is so much to wrap up and explain that Simmons put it all into the second book.

The Master and Margarita

Mikhail Bulgakov, 2004
Wow! I was not expecting this in a Russian novel! It was a masterpiece of fantasy and allegory, although the more political satire was out of my reach, not knowing enough Russian history. It is easy to imagine how this would affect readers who personally recognize the details. My Russian barber told me about reading it years ago when it was passed secretly from person to person. It is full of unforgettable images. One is of Margarita, the witch, flying naked over Moscow on a broom. Another is of Pontius Pilate interviewing Christ. And then there is Behemoth the cat, one of Satan’s companions. The translation in this 50th-anniversary edition is also excellent.