Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour Highlights Nascent Genre

by Juli Cragg Hilliard, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 6/20/2007

Four Christian speculative fiction authors from four different publishers are teaming up for the Fantastic 4 Fantasy Fiction Tour. After a kickoff July 9 in Atlanta at the International Christian Retail Show, the writers will visit churches, bookstores, libraries and homeschool groups in a dozen cities July 10-18.

While mainstream fantasy and science fiction fill shelves in general-interest bookstores, the genre has yet to really take off in the Christian market industry insiders told RBL. Suspicion of the books as too dark or occult, combined with a primary demographic that isn't drawn to the edgy—white, evangelical American women of childbearing-to-empty-nest ages—make the books less than attractive to many Christian publishers and booksellers said freelance editor Jeff Gerke. According to the authors, the goal of the Fantastic 4 tour is to raise the profile of the genre and demonstrate the inspirational qualities of the novels.

Bryan Davis, author of the Dragons in our Midst and Oracles of Fire youth series for AMG Publishers, will drive the family van to transport fellow writers Wayne Thomas Batson (Door Within Trilogy, Thomas Nelson), Christopher Hopper (White Lion Chronicles, Tsaba House) and Sharon Hinck (Sword of Lyric series, NavPress). Despite the fact that Christian fantasy fiction has yet to prove itself viable to many publishers, "I think there's a huge audience out there," Davis said. Tour details are posted at www.fantasyfictiontour.com.

In March at the Florida Christian Writers Conference in Bradenton, Fla., Davis taught the teen track. Of about 15 young writers, 12 wanted to write fantasy. "Many, many kids want to read fantasy," he noted.

Not surprisingly given that young demographic, fans of Christian speculative fiction and aspiring novelists are busy on the Web, on sites like Wherethemapends.com, run by Jeff Gerke; and Speculative Faith, and A Christian Worldview of Fiction, run by Rebecca LuElla Miller.

For more on Christian fantasy/speculative fiction, see the May 21 issue of Publishers Weekly.