I just finished reading S. D. Smith’s The Green Ember. Smith’s hashtag for the series is rightfully #rabbitswithswords. It is a middle grade fantasy novel about two rabbits who are thrown into an epic medieval tale of a broken kingdom that has hope in the coming of a new king.
I read the book because I’m setting out to write fiction for the first time this year. I feel naturally drawn towards science fiction and fantasy because that is the genre I read most growing up and still read today.
Early in the book there was a scene that really touched me. It was so subtle, but it made a bit impact.
The father of the two main characters blessed the children as they went to bed.
Now, I’ve done this occasionally as a Christian father but the book reminded me how important this is to do with my children.
God is not mentioned explicitly in the story. Smith takes the approach of Tolkien rather than Lewis in his story.
While C. S. Lewis explicitly links Aslan to Christ in his Narnia books, J. R. R. Tolkien’s characters are not symbols for someone or something else. They do, however, live in a world with a Christian worldview. They do very occasionally recognize the presence of God.
I like the model that Smith uses in his story and it is something I would like to emulate.
When writing a fantasy novel, you can be inspired by Chrisitan ideals without making your imaginary characters Christians in another world. Smith does this very well.
