CSFF Tour - Outcasts Day 2

Hey-o boys and femmes!

It's day 2 of our featured book, Outcasts by Jill Williamson, the second in the Safe Lands series. Yesterday I recapped book 1, Captives.

What about Outcasts? Does it avoid the sophomore slump? Is it another Empire Strikes Back?

The story follows the remnant of Glenrock, a village that survived the thin plague but stayed out of the walled, totalitarian Safe Lands nearby. In Captives, they were forcibly taken into the Safe Lands.

Levi, the oldest brother who had to take over eldership of the Glenrock remnant, is hiding out in the underground with his group. He's working with Rebel leaders, but he doesn't know if he can trust them with his people. They have their own agendas, and it may not be what Levi thinks.

Mason, the middle brother, continues to work and act as an undercover spy for his people. He's trying to get information out of Ciddah, the head medic he works for. His heart is betraying him, but what if she betrays him first.

Omar is the youngest brother who opened the door for the Safe Lands enforcers to come to Glenrock. He regrets his actions and tries in his own way to atone for them, but his addictions developed from the Safe Lands hinder his progress.

Together they need to free the Glenrock children from the boarding house before they can find a way out of the Safe Lands. But with powerful enemies and questionable allies, will they survive or will they be caught and prematurely liberated from this life?

Jill Williamson is a dynamo of a woman. She is full of energy and imagination in real life, and it shows in Outcasts. There are tons of fun touches in the futuristic world that make the Safe Lands come alive. There are many futuristic novels out there to compete, but Jill puts a unique spin on many things. The reader will enjoy making connections with some of our real life items and how they develop in the future.

As Becky Miller pointed out in her first post, Outcasts deals with real life issues head on, from drug addiction to sexual desires, but it is all handled in a realistic and honest fashion without glamorizing any of it. The negative consequences of vices are clear, but not in a preachy manner. This book has ideas that give it a heft that some other books miss in dealing with teens and twenty-somethings. The characters anchor these ideas, as they wrestle in different ways with the issues. Omar gave himself over to pleasures that he realizes is damaging, but he has a hard time getting past them. Some of the consequences come out at very inconvenient times, which keeps the plot twisting. Meanwhile Mason, the reasonable brother, still deals with some real temptation.

Overall the book is a very enjoyable read. There are a few sequences where a lot of characters are doing things and it gets confusing for a little while. The book is the second in a series, so there are things that a person would be confused about if they started with Outcasts. The solution is simple - get Captives and read it first!

Becky Miller has all of the posts from the tour updated on her blog. Be sure to check them out, and I'll be talking a little deeper about the book tomorrow.
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CSFF Tour - Captives, Day 2

You've come back? Brave...or foolish. Time will tell.

Then let this speculative tour continue:

This book Captives tells the story of the Safe Lands, whose majestic walls were built to protect from the plague that decimated the land that used to be America. Not everyone came into the walls, and they built small villages in the surrounding countryside.

How they survived is an enigma.

The Safe Lands deals with the thin plague through modern advances like skin creams and the latest cosmetics. Since there is no cure, people may at least  be made comfortable. The one consequence that can't be bypassed is sterility. No babies can be brought to term by the infected.

If one is creative, then any situation can be circumvented. What if those outside the walls were invited in, if they were willing to contribute samples for conception?

And if they didn't want to come voluntarily, how best to convince them otherwise?

There are whispers of three village brothers: Levi, the eventual town elder, Mason the healer, and Omar. Omar, the victim of bullying and ridicule from his father and Levi. Omar, the vehicle for getting his people into the Safe Lands.

She is wanted for questioning.

Once inside, the simple village folk should appreciate the amazing comforts of Wyndos to view any program or retrieve information, tattoos that can be changed and customized, and vapes that can deliver any sort of stimulant. As long as their women, uninfected, acted as surrogates. As long as the men did their part, the partnership should work.

However, many of the outsiders are willing to accept their place in the Safe Lands. Rumors of an underground resistance movement pass like fleeting shadows. If they were true, and if Levi and Mason could connect with these quixotic malcontents, then something truly amazing could happen.

Again, how the author Jill Williamson was able to come up with these details is an issue for much speculation. This will be discussed further tomorrow. And if you are willing to search for more about Captives, then the would be another place to start.
post of Rebecca Luella Miller

Like I said yesterday, don't stay in one place too long. The Enforcers might be watching. If they are, then as they say in the Safe Lands:

Find pleasure in life.
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CSFF Tour - Outcasts Day 1

Hey-o boys and femmes. Welcome back to the Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy blog tour, where the best in Christian speculative fiction is highlighted.

This month we're featuring the book Outcasts by Jill Williamson. It is the second book in the Safe Lands series. 

In the first book, Captives, we learn about a post-pandemic America. The Safe Lands is a walled city that has survived and has developed its own culture and lives by the philosophy of "find pleasure in life." The problem is that they can only control the thin plague - they can't cure it. And it is making their women sterile.

Glenrock is a village that exists outside the Safe Lands and lives in a much more rural existence. The villagers have a patriarchal society, continue to fellowship with God, and do things on a natural level.

When leaders from the Safe Lands decide to ask Glenrock to join them to help with their fertility issue, they assumed the villagers would want to join for the benefits of technology. But the plan goes awry and many villagers are killed.

Three brothers, sons of Papa Eli, must make their way in the Safe Lands. Eldest Levi has the mantle of village elder and wants to rescue his people from their clutches.

Mason was trained as a healer in the village, and now is placed in the medical system of the Safe Lands and looks for a way to not only save his people, but stop the thin plague as well.

Omar, the youngest, delivered his people to the Safe Lands in exchange for power and prestige, things he couldn't accomplish on his own in the village. However, his acceptance of Safe Land life will come with a cost.

Captives starts an intriguing young adult trilogy with adventure and thought-provoking commentary on our modern life. I'll talk about Outcasts in a later post.

For more information, you can check out my prior posts on Captives. The folks below will be discussing Outcasts during the tour as well, and Becky Miller is our tour master and will update with all the latest. 

Red Bissell
Thomas Fletcher Booher
Beckie Burnham
Pauline Creeden
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
 Julie Bihn
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
Jalynn Patterson
Writer Rani
Chawna Schroeder
Jacque Stengl
Jojo Sutis
Steve Trower
Phyllis Wheeler
Deborah Wilson
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Legal mumbo-jumbo:  In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. 
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CSFF Tour - Captives Day 3

If you've been following along the past two days, you are brave. Now I can reveal my secrets.

I've been posting updates on the controversial book Captives by Jill Williamson. As you can see by the warning above, it is a dangerous book. According to Safe Lands Enforcers, it should be reported.

I'm here to tell you I've read it.

If you get caught and point back to me, I'll deny it. But it isn't what the warning says. It is something far different.

How Jill Williamson came by her knowledge is hidden, but she has told the story of the villagers taken into the Safe Lands in an engaging manner. You may only pick it up to flip through a couple of pages to see what the fuss is about. If you do, you'll be hooked. Questions will form in your mind: Why does the Safe Lands need help with reproduction? Why was Omar willing to betray his people to the Safe Lands? What does Mason and Levi expect to accomplish by playing along with the authorities?

These two brothers, forced into leadership by the death of their village elders, are the lynchpin of the tale. Levi takes action and tries to break his family and friends out. Mason investigates, looking for a deeper truth that can shake the Safe Lands to its core.

A reader may be willing to shoot the traitor Omar themselves half-way through the book, but is everything as it seems on first glance?

Jill compares the simple life and faith of the outsiders with the flashy but empty diversions of the Safe Lands, offering a stark contrast between the two lives. Now that I have read this, I do not believe everything shown on the Wyndos, or every proclamation from the Enforcers.

I have questions, but the problem is this book is incomplete. It ends before all is revealed. Rumors of another tome, Outcasts, have been whispered from lips hidden in darkness. Is there more to the story of the Safe Lands and the outsiders, or has Jill been captured and liberated into Bliss early?

Now that I have seen this, I can't stay quiet and pretend nothing has happened. Share this post. Tell people, no matter the risk to me. And more information can be found. Rebecca Luella Miller has been active in collecting all the myths and legends regarding Captives and the tale Jill Williamson exposes, so visit her site for the latest.

May you find what you're looking for, searcher.
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CSFF Blog Tour - Captives Day 1

I need to know something. Where are you when you are reading this?

If you're in a village like Glenrock or Jack's Peak, you should be fine (although I'm wondering how you're getting internet access).

You didn't see this here...

However, if you're in the Safe Lands, then read at your own risk. I can't guarantee safety from the Enforcers. No one wants a mark against them. Not unless you want early liberation.

I warn you because there is a new book called Captives. It is written by a woman named Jill Williamson, who knows too much. How she learned these details will be the subject of much speculation. That is what this tour is about. The CSFF Tour likes the speculative. Together we must deduce why she is writing this tale and exposing things about the Safe Lands that may not be all that safe.

For now, keep yourself clean. You don't want to end up with the plague. If someone offers you a vape, turn them down. You don't want to get hooked.

To avoid detection, I'll have to post over three days to explain. If you spend too much time at one place, you might get caught. So I advise you to check out the posts below for more information and to see if you can piece the puzzle together. If you're truly brave, go to Jill Williamson's website directly.

Now go! Stay safe.

Julie Bihn
Thomas Fletcher Booher
Keanan Brand
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Jeff Chapman
Pauline Creeden
Emma or Audrey Engel
Victor Gentile
Timothy Hicks
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Asha Marie Pena
Nathan Reimer
Chawna Schroeder
Jojo Sutis
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Phyllis Wheeler
Rachel Wyant
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Freedom Sunday

There is a movement rising.

Over the last several years there has been a huge increase in awareness about the problem of human trafficking around the globe. Many groups have sprung up to take direct part in the fight to end the scourge of modern slavery. I have listed several of these on my sidebar.

One such group, Not For Sale, is organizing Freedom Sunday for another year. This started in 2010, and it has been growing among churches since.

This year Freedom Sunday is being held globally on February 26, 2012. It is not necessary to join or participate on that specific weekend, but it is a great time to come together as one voice in the body of Christ to bring freedom to the captives, and light to the oppressed.

They provide many resources that churches can use, from videos that can be shown for a quick overview, to sermon or Bible study notes, to songs that speak of justice, plus many more.

I encourage you to bring this to the attention of your church leaders. I know they have many pressing things on their plates, but remember Jesus's words, "If you do this for the least of these, you have done them to me."

CSFF Tour - A Cast Of Stones

It's two for one month.

The Christian Sci-fi/Fantasy Tour is doing two August features. We just finished with Captives by Jill Williamson, a young adult dystopian novel. Now we're featuring the fantasy series The Staff And The Sword by Patrick W. Carr. The first two books in the series are A Cast Of Stones and The Hero's Lot. 

The bad news is that I didn't have time to read both books, so I didn't read A Cast Of Stones. The good news that if you go this week, A Cast Of Stones is free on Kindle and Nook, so you can check out the beginning of this series and see if it is worth your while. If you like it, you can pick up A Hero's Lot and wait for the final book A Draw Of Kings in January.

Praise for “A Cast of Stones” –

“VERDICT This fast-paced fantasy debut set in a medieval world is a winner. Both main and secondary characters are fully drawn and endearing, and Errol’s transformation from drunkard to hero is well plotted.” ~Library Journal

“Carr’s debut, the first in a series, is assured and up-tempo, with much to enjoy in characterization and description.”~Publisher’s Weekly

My fellow tour members below will have more on these books, and Becky Miller collects all of the posts on her page here. So what are you waiting for? There's a free book out there for you!

Julie Bihn Jennifer Bogart Keanan Brand Beckie Burnham Jeff Chapman Laure Covert Pauline Creeden Emma or Audrey Engel April Erwin Nikole Hahn Jason Joyner Carol Keen Krystine Kercher Shannon McDermott Meagan @ Blooming with Books Rebecca LuElla Miller Writer Rani Nathan Reimer Chawna Schroeder Jojo Sutis Steve Trower Phyllis Wheeler Rachel Wyant

Muslim Prayer Focus

This week marks the beginning of Ramadan, the month of fasting for Islam. It is one of their holiest times of the year. As such, they fast from sun-up to sunset, spending time seeking Allah during the day and breaking fast at dusk with feasting.

The last 15 years has seen a coordinated effort by Christians to pray strategically for Muslims around the world during this time. This is the 16th edition of the effort, which has a worldwide reach.

We know that the conflict between the world of Islam and the West is a huge issue with lots of complexity and challenges. I encourage everyone to look into this material and participate with the prayers of thousands of Christians during this time. It has always been an insightful time of learning and blessing for my wife and I as we treat the prayer booklet as a nightly devotion.

You can get involved in a couple of ways. World Christian Books publishes a handy prayer booklet that gives you information on Islam and daily topics to pray through. You can still get one in time to start if you order right away! They even have a kids version of the booklet to do as a family. I've ordered this for the first time to do with my boys.

If you don't want a booklet or have time to order, then there is an online reference you can use as well. It looks to have deeper information than what was put in the booklet.

Finally, in the materials I received with our booklets (our church participates in it), it had an advertisement for The Crescent Project, a ministry that strives to educate the North American church about Islam and equips us to reach our Muslim neighbors. There is a $35 online seminar that can be done through this group. I haven't done this yet, but I think I will. I will report back on this if I do. This looks like a good resource for anyone with a heart regarding this matter.

As the church, we all have an opportunity to do something for the gospel to shine in such dark times and regions. We may not be called to go (although be honest, when was the last time we asked?) but we can intercede for Jesus' light to be revealed and freedom proclaimed to the captives. Please take a look at this material further over the next month.

CSFF Tour - Outcasts Day 3

Hey-o boys and femmes.

I've talked about Jill Williamson and her cool series The Safe Lands, and our feature book Outcasts, book 2 in the series. My recap of the first book Captives is here, and my review of Outcasts is here.

The series is geared for Young Adult audiences. It also falls under the category of dystopian fiction, which is all the rage right now. Think The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Steelheart as recent stories that fit the genre.

So what is dystopian fiction?

If utopia is the term for a perfect place, then dystopia is the opposite. Dystopian stories take place in a setting where something has gone wrong. Either society has broken down and there is chaos, or there is a controlling factor which rules society in a dysfunctional way.

Even though it has become popular lately, it has been around for a while. Classic books like 1984 or Brave New World are dystopian. It's the opposite of the idea behind Star Trek, where humanity progresses to higher standards and behavior. Instead, things get worse. It relates to fears that humanity is going to mess things up. Maybe we ruin the planet, or a yet undiscovered virus will wipe out a majority of the population, or we turn to dictatorships for control. Somehow, things are going to go bad.

Some may ask, "Why is this a genre for Christians to write about? Don't we have a future hope? Aren't things going to get better?"

Valid questions, but I would argue that it is precisely the Christian who needs to be speaking into this genre. A lot of writers in this have a pessimistic view of the future. Christians can provide the hope and light needed to balance things out. With the caveat that it can't be preachy.

Consider the Garden of Eden. This could be considered the first dystopian story. Adam and Eve lose fellowship with their Creator over their sin, and now they live in a harsh world. Noah is very much in this vein as well.

How about some of the stories in Judges?

Would the Israelites raised on stories of King David think that exile and being ruled by Persia, Greece, and Rome would qualify as dystopian?

Christians have survived the fall of the Roman Empire. Our faith has survived centuries of conflict in Europe and around the world.

Finally, what about the Apocalypse? No matter your interpretation of the Book of Revelation, it is clear that the story reflects a dystopian time that is overcome by the Prince of Peace at the last.

Christians can truthfully write about a future where things have broken down in some way because we recognize that we live in that now. The world is not as it should be, and a ragamuffin group of rebels against the status quo is running around claiming a man rose from the dead and can bring living water.

A series like the Safe Lands just amplifies it for dramatic effect. The cool thing is that Jill does it without the preachy aspect. It will make teens think, seeing examples of good and bad, without pointing to a character and saying, "See that? That is what is bad for you. So stay away from the bad."

It's what I love about speculative fiction. The "what if" questions that you can ask when you suspend reality, whether through fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, cyberpunk, time travel, or plain old dystopian. So for Jill and other writers venturing into such places, go for it. It's awesome.

If you want to see some more feedback about Outcasts, then Becky Miller has a list of all of the participants and their posts.

What do you think? Is there something about the dystopian genre that we should be wary of as Christians, or are there ways to work redemptively through it? Share below.

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The Just Church

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.  

The words of the prophet Micah are spoken in churches all over the world. Believers love this simple declarations of what Jesus asks of His people.  

Christians try hard to walk humbly with the Lord. We strive to show mercy to people. However, we often ignore or struggle with the clause of "acting justly." Especially for Western Christians, the command for justice is flat-out missed or simply misunderstood.  

There is a new move of the Spirit, awakening His people to the need to provide justice for those who cannot speak up for themselves, to proclaim freedom to the captives, to minister to the widow and orphan. It is a slow burn, but it is exciting to see the embers leaping into flame in various places of the body.

 A new spark is being provided by the new book The Just Church by Jim Martin of the organization International Justice Mission (IJM).

IJM has been fighting for justice for many years now and is one of the leading organizations battling injustices like forced labor, human trafficking, sexual exploitation of women and children, and modern-day slavery in all its forms.  

Jim Martin has been working with them after transitioning out of the pastoral role in his church, becoming a church liason with IJM. This experience made him especially qualified to write The Just Church.  

This book is a challenge to the body of Christ to reclaim the lost aspect of Micah 6:8 and to actively act justly in the world. There are other books that try to awaken Christians to the need of justice and to expose the problems of modern slavery and other forms of bondage towards vulnerable peoples that is easy to overlook in our daily lives. The Just Church is a book that takes the church on journey to forming a viable justice ministry to compliment evangelism and mercy ministry.  

The book is laid out in three sections. The first section establishes a theory that faith doesn't really grow without significant risk and suggests that justice ministry is a needed part of the church and can help develop a healthier discipleship in His people. The second section takes the reader through a practical journey on establishing a justice ministry in the local church. It isn't a step by step approach, allowing for the individual characteristics of any body guide the process. The last part of the book is a series of appendices with Scriptures on justice, resources for following through, and study materials. Each chapter ends with a QR code that can be scanned by a smart phone or tablet, leading to a video with Jim summarizing each chapter's main point.  

It is well-written with an easy conversational style. Jim lays out the challenges inherit in this type of ministry and doesn't sugar-coat it. It won't be easy. But he recognizes the hope that is out there for people if Christians will rise up and stand in this gap, so the book is infused with this balance of challenge and hope.  

Any critiques are minor. The videos are a very nice multimedia touch in this day and age - but I'm a fast reader so I'd rather not slow down and watch a movie. Those who like this feature will be pleased. Also, sometimes the book seems too much like a selling tool for IJM. I realize Jim works with them and is most familiar with their work, but there are other fine organizations out there doing similar work as well. This isn't a big issue, and I support IJM financially myself.  

Overall I am thrilled to have had a chance to read this book and see the new horizons coming in the fight against injustice. The need is starting to become known in the western Church. The Just Church takes the movement to the next step and provides a practical tool to those churches looking into how they can join in the justice ministry sphere. It isn't for special groups like IJM or others listed on my links on my blog. The Bible speaks very clearly about God's love of justice and it is every Christian's responsibility to see the threefold thrust of Micah 6:8 walked out in the world today.  

I'm thankful to Jim Martin and IJM for their work. I did receive a preview copy for promotional purposes, without any expectation of a positive review. My endorsement is heartfelt. The Just Church is a powerful tool in the battle against modern injustice. I highly recommend it.
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