Tag Archives: C. S. Lewis

If space isn’t empty

I’m reading Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky and hit a great connection with Perelandra.

Both of them build a great sense that space isn’t empty.

It flips my defaults in a way I love.

Reading Perelandra left me with a profound sense of the rich fullness of the cosmos, the space between the worlds swamped in life-giving energy, Earth tucked away in a quiet little pocket cut off (or shielded?) from the blinding overflow.

Shards of Earth takes the idea of the void that stares back and pretty brilliantly literalizes it. When you travel through un-space (which allows interstellar travel), you find yourself completely, utterly, chillingly alone.

And then, even worse, you find you’re not alone.

It’s cthonic and eerie, shades of Cthulhu, gigantic unknowable presence(s?) in the deep.

As I’ve soaked in the two effects together, it all feels very Genesis 1.

The chaotic deep, far older than time and space.

The ancient Spirit of God hovering.

The “and there was light.”

C. S. Lewis on Friendship at First Sight

I consistently enjoy Spiritual Friendship, but this one struck a special chord with me. One of the deep themes of The Unaccountable Death of Derelict Frobisher is the sense of isolation that comes from thinking there’s nobody else in the world who really gets you or likes what you like.

These glimpses of another person who understands—these moments of friendship at first sight—cut through that isolation. I suspect introverts may experience this particularly strongly. When it’s hard to connect in general, a deep and instant connection is a precious gift, especially when it proves to have staying power over the years. I love this reminder to honor the depth and reality of those friendships.

Plus I’m a sucker for C. S. Lewis and Narnia. But who isn’t?

Double-Digit Legit! First 10 Amazon Reviews

It’s official! The Stone and the Song has reviews in the double digits! Not only that, but my work has now been compared to Narnia and Patrick Rothfuss. That’s two separate chronicles! Heady stuff.The Stone and the Song, coming Feb 21, 2015 (!)

No, but seriously, thank you so much to everyone who has bought, shared, read, and/or reviewed the story. You guys are amazing and you thrill me.

In celebration, I present this lovely word cloud crafted from the reviews themselves. Let them be thus immortalized as visual ephemera, as art made out of words discussing different art made from different words.

Ok, I’ll stop. Sorry. It’s been a kind of long week. If you want to get in on the fun, you can get your copy now or sign up for my email list to get a note when the paperback and audiobook forms come out.

Cheers!

—Ben

If You Could Request One Favor From Your Favorite Author…

Ok, everyone, pick one of your favorite authors. I know, it’s impossible to pick just one. You can do this a few times if you really have to. But one author at a time. Ready with your first one?

Now imagine that author is willing to create, reveal, write, or do something special for you and your fellow readers and you get to pick what it is. What would you ask for? (And, out of curiosity, who’s the author?)

Personally, I’d ask P. G. Wodehouse to develop a board or card game that captures the fun and hijinks of Jeeves & Wooster. I’d ask Terry Pratchett for a sort of travel guide to Ankh-Morpork, complete with descriptions of notable shops and guilds and what you would find there. And, while it’s technically not scalable and would do my fellow readers no good, I’d ask C. S. Lewis for a long chat in a pub with a few good friends.

What about you? Leave me a comment below.

Cheers!

—Ben