Saturday Christian Fiction Carnival!

My Friend Amy, who brought us Book Blogger Appreciation Week has a new carnival in the works, the Saturday Carnival of Christian Fiction.

Each week she will post a blogging prompt, which participating bloggers will answer on their own blogs. Then they head back to the original post and sign Mister Linky! This way we can all come to know each other more closely.

Whether or not you celebrate Halloween, there's something about the shorter days and chilly air that makes one want to curl up with a scary book. The horror market for Christian fiction is growing in creativity and testing all sorts of boundaries. The suspense market is also very rich with many talented authors. So my question(s) for you is...what's the best Christian fiction horror or suspense novel that you've read? What book would you recommend to someone who wanted to try out these genres? What's a book in these genres you want to read but haven't yet?

Oh man, the suspense genre in Christian fiction has evolved (yeah I know a word that Christians don't like using but it fits here! lol) in the past few years. Before it was tame, predictable, and very cookie cutter characters, perhaps the reason why the general public turned a blind eye to it. It used to be only women writing in that genre and it was more on the lines of romantic suspense. And I'm going to be brutally honest right now. I love Dee Henderson and Terri Blackstock's books, don't get me wrong. But they're rather tame. I'm not too much on romance all the time and while I loved these books it was more romance than suspense. For the average woman who is used to reading Sandra Brown, Catherine Coulter, or Nora Roberts these are good alternatives. But I much prefer something grittier and edge of your seat. The best one I've read recently has been Steven James Patrick Bowers series, The Pawn and The Rook. Wow, talk about edgy, scared out of your wits, wow this is totally awesome suspense. My recent review of the book tells all.

For someone who hasn't read this genre yet, it would have to depend on what other types of books they read. If it's mostly romance I would try to ease them in with the Henderson, Blackstock, Gilbert Morris' Dani Ross series, etc. If they're ready for the harder stuff, the authors I'm about to mention are all great.

There's a lot of I haven't in the genre, but only because they're sitting in my TBR list and I haven't gotten to them yet. Brandilyn Collins, Ted Dekker, Robert Liparulo, James Scott Bell, Brandt Dodson, TL Hines, John Aubrey Anderson. You will notice most of these are male writers. And I can almost guarantee you, the typical Christian fiction reader (which is normally a middle age woman) will have not heard of these, nor is going to pick these up. These authors can appeal to men which is great because they're not girly, they're gritty. Try anyone of these authors and be prepared to stay up all night with the lights on.

Comments

  1. Love those stay up all night with the light on books! Going to check out The Pawn and The Rook.

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  2. I know what you mean about those being "tame" - I wouldn't really classify Dee Henderson's books as thrillers, lol. They are very good, though!

    I'm going to go check out your review on The Pawn and The Rook, they sound great!

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  3. I didn't realize Brandilyn Collins was in the genre - I've got her newest on my tbr pile. I've heard the Pawn and the Rook was great!

    ~ Wendi
    http://wendisbookcorner.blogspot.com/2008/10/saturday-christian-fiction-carnival.html

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  4. I've seen The Pawn and The Rook, but didn't know if they were any good. I'm off to read your review...

    http://ramblings-n-writings.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-choice-of-suspense-fiction.html

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  5. Thanks! I'll have to check those out. I've waded into the milder "suspense" and have been ready for something harder.

    I read Forsaken thinking it would be, but it wasnt.

    I have The Pawn and The Rook on my list already!

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  6. Very good recommendations!

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  7. Liked your suggestions and agree with what you said about women not picking them up. I've read Dekker's "Color" books (all 3), House (holy crud!) and Blessed Child. I've read Liparulo's 2 YA fiction and know there is NO way I'd read his adult books. That's to his credit as a writer. Personally, I enjoy sleeping. :) I just don't do horror. It seriously works its way into my subconscious! I enjoyed The Rook and could read James' books with no fear of being up all night. :)

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  8. Okay, I'm seriously going to have to check out The Pawn and The Rook now - many of the others you talked about I have already read and enjoyed!

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  9. Well, since my book was mentioned in a couple of blogs associated with Saturday Christian Fiction Carnival! I thought I'd comment here as well.

    I hope that's okay. :)

    My book has horror elements, a vampire and a werewolf and I'm a Christian. However, neither of my publishers are affiliated with CBA or ECPA so I'm not bound to the writing conventions put in place to protect their demographic.

    Oddly enough, because of the Faith elements in my book, I've drawn an unusually large number of CBA and ECPA readers.

    Never Ceese was short-listed for a Bram Stoker Award to speak for it's "untameness" though. So be forewarned if you're a CBA/ECPA core market reader.

    There are so many Horror authors who are Christian but don't call their work Christian horror so as not to confuse readers.

    I'm one as is Kim Paffenroth who writes about Zombies but is a professor of theology. Then there's Dean Koontz, and sooooo many others.

    Do keep in mind though, it is quite another demographic than the one mentioned here. For the most part CBA nor ECPA, the two affiliations that guard what goes into affiliated Christian bookstores don't allow horror. Their demographic doesn't buy it and they're their to protect that demographic.

    The sequel to Never Ceese, Forever Richard, comes out very soon! The British Fantasy Society has already provided their book cover blurb: Insightful and thought provoking. Well worth the wait.

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  10. My Friend Amy's idea is so cool! Now everyone has the chance to share their fave books and their thoughts about it.

    I'm not actually into romance-suspense but I admit that I've read a lot before(doesn't makes sense, does it?Hehe). It's just that I got curious about the story and I end up reading it till the last page. I do prefer the pure suspense/thriller/horror books with a lot of twists. I don't know, it's just that reading those type of books really thrills me. I'm even into slightly gory films recently (Saw series, Texas Chainsaw Massacre etc). I enjoyed Henderson's too and I'm kinda curious about Brandilyn Collin's forensic books.

    Some of my old time favorite are Dekker's, Peretti's and Stephen King's books. I'm very much excited about the House, both by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker which will be in theaters this November 7! For those of you who are fan alike to both authors, you might want to check the House' official website.

    Thanks for the suggestions Deborah, I might check out some of the books you've mentioned if my time allows me. Kinda busy this past few weeks, haven't even read the House. :(

    Enjoyed reading your post.:)

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