Hi! My name is C. S. (Chris) Wachter and I’d like to talk to you about Christian Fantasy and my four-book series The Seven Words.
The Seven Words takes place in a far-off future, in a world system that includes seven worlds (planets) joined by wormholes called skipping lines. With a natural system of magic and a few human-like Ancient races, it is, in fact, a blending of Fantasy and Science Fiction. And it is Epic because the scope is vast: seven worlds vast.
Though the setting is imaginary, the struggles mirror real-life challenges. We all must face fear in all its various facets, deal with circumstances we have no control over, and learn that even the small and powerless can achieve great things. This is the strength of fantasy. By placing true-to-life difficulties in an imaginary world, we can look at them more objectively allowing us to find strength to face our own circumstances. Yet, even more, Christian Fantasy can help us learn to trust that God is in control even in the worst of circumstances. For Rayne, the hero in The Seven Words, that meant spending ten years of his life enslaved to a demonic sorcerer whose desire for vengeance propelled him to kidnap the young prince, turn him into a master assassin, and have him kill his own parents, the king and queen of Ochen.
Of course, enslaving this particular prince also serves Sigmund by thwarting the ancient prophecies. Prophecies that foretold the coming of a Light Bringer who would defeat Sigmund and his colleagues. Prophecies that would now come to fruition through Rayne.
Christianity is the bedrock of my life. It would be impossible for me to write in a way that didn’t reflect that fact. It’s so much a part of me, that its truths naturally flow out in the words I write.
Words have power; the power to lift up or tear down. This is a major theme in The Seven Words. Rayne as the One’s chosen Light Bringer is called to bring the light of the One to the worlds of Ochen by sharing the Words of the One. Through all four books he is called to trust and be courageous, and to know he is never alone. These are truths I cling to every day, and the need to share them drives me to write.
An excerpt from The Sorcerer’s Bane:
The queen stood just beyond Wren now. He ground his teeth when she raised her hand to hold back the approaching guards. Why? Don’t stop them. Let them kill me. Now, while I’m defenseless, before Sigmund forces me to move again.
But there was strength in him still, power to withstand Sigmund, power to defeat the ravening darkness. It whispered through him, trust me.
Wren hesitated. Talons pierced his right shoulder where Sigmund had marked him. The darkness covered him like wings, threatening to engulf him in its desire for blood and carnage. Sigmund’s raven invaded his mind, strengthening the image of Wren as a helpless bird clutched in the grasp of a beast of prey.
“I can’t,” he whispered. “Without you I can’t. Please help me.”
Let go. The voice spoke into his spirit. Release your hold; release your protection to me. Trust me. This fight is mine. Remember the truth is in your heart. I have placed it there. You are mine. Trust me.
Wren did the most terrifying thing imaginable. He lowered his shields and laid open the deepest part of himself holding nothing back, trusting the One in complete submission.
In most of the speculative fiction offered in the general market today (whether it’s books, TV, or movies) God is shoved aside. We humans will solve our problems without him, even if they are supernatural. We don’t need him. Oh, there is a strong demon we must defeat? We’ll call in a stronger demon to help us. We count on help from things like holy water and crosses (without considering why they might be effective). Vampires, werewolves, any number of otherworldly beings are acceptable, yet we tiptoe around the idea of God presented as something more than a far-off, impersonal force. He is personal and active. And so, I wanted—no needed—to write books where his presence, love, and power were a natural part of the action in a story that was engaging and exciting. I didn’t want to be preachy and just slap my Christianity onto the story; I wanted the reality of God (the One, the Creator-Father) to be woven into the very fabric of the story itself.
Website: https://cswachter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cswachter/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17719497.C_S_Wachter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ch.ris8443
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/C.-S.-Wachter/e/B079Y2R2PJ/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1545059479&sr=1-2-ent
Check out my young adult fantasy fiction novels HERE for something optimistic and fun.
If you like this article, consider subscribing to my quarterly newsletter.
Leave a reply to Christine Wachter Cancel reply