Category: Science Fiction Publisher: Twilight Times Books
ISBN-10: 1933353627
Type: Fiction
Pages: 288
Copyright: Aug 15, 2007
ISBN-13: 9781933353623
Fifteen stories about how the future Catholic Church and its members meet the challenges of the future, from time travel to transporter technology, genetic engineering to alien abduction, interstellar colonization and uncontrolled inter-city violence. Captivating SF that makes you think.
Interstellar exploration. Genetic engineering. Time travel. Alien abduction. The Vatican. Explore the possibilities with Infinite Space, Infinite God, an anthology of fifteen stories about the future Catholic Church. Experience the Church's struggle to evangelize aliens and lost human colonies and to determine the soul-status for genetically modified humans, genetically-designed chimeras, and clones made from the Martian sand. Discover religious orders devoted to protecting interstellar travelers or inner-city priests. Experience technical advances that allow monks to live in solitude on the Moon and help one criminal learn the true meaning of Confession. Learn about the present and future advances that will affect Catholic doctrine in introductions by the editors. Is there religion in your SF or SF in your religion? Either way you look at it, Infinite Space, Infinite God is fast-paced, absorbing fiction that makes you think. If you're tired of science fiction that ignores human faith or religious fiction where the technical elements are sacrificed for "the message," then ISIG is the book for you.
Excerpt
To read the introduction and teaser, go to http://www.twilighttimesbooks.com/InfiniteSpace_ss1.html.
What others are saying about Infinite Space, Infinite God:
"Catholic in more ways than just religious (what could be more "catholic" than the whole universe?), the theme of this collection lets the writers explore visions too dangerous for most anthologies. But the best part is, it's fun to read: good old-fashioned page-turning science fiction stories!" ~ Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ, astronomer at the Vatican Observatory (and author of God's Mechanics.)
The best thing about all the stories in this anthology is that while religion is in all of them, the works are never preachy and the writers focusing more on fashioning a good tale then trying to convert anyone. I heartily recommend Infinite Space, Infinite God to any science fiction fan: you will find this an absorbing collection of stories that will explore the boundaries of our universe and just a bit beyond.
--SFRevu, Jan 2008
Infinite Space, Infinite God is a wonderful selection of very imaginative and colorful stories that capture the reader’s interest and attention, while also presenting a thought-provoking look at the Catholic faith in the future. These stories provide a refreshing look at Catholicism from a positive and uplifting point of view.
I highly recommend this anthology not only to science-fiction fans, but also to those who are new to this genre.
--St Anthony Messenger, Jan 2008
Professional Reviews
St. Anthony Messenger, Jan 2008
Jan 2008
INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD, edited by Karina and Robert Fabian. Twilight Times Books. 288 pp. $18.95.
Reviewed by JEAN M. HEIMANN, a freelance writer from Wichita, Kansas.
OVER THE YEARS, many of the great Christian science-fiction writers have been Catholics, such as Walter M. Miller, J.R.R. Tolkien, R.A. Lafferty and, more recently, Gene Wolfe and Tim Powers. Few, however, have written about the Catholic Church itself and the future role of the Church. The stories included in Infinite Space, Infinite God not only project Catholics living and working in the future, but depict the Church as very much alive, highly influential and a vital part of its members’ lives.
Infinite Space, Infinite God is an anthology of 15 Catholic science-fiction short stories, which won an EPIC (Electronically Published Internet Connection) Award in 2007. Edited and compiled by Catholic science-fiction writers Karina and Robert Fabian, Infinite Space, Infinite God depicts Catholics and the Catholic Church of the future, with some of its members living in a world of clones and genetically altered humanoids.
Other characters are involved in time travel, interplanetary and deep-space exploration. Various science-fiction themes challenge the characters’ practice of Catholic morals and beliefs and pose interesting questions for the reader, the kind that keep catechists dreaming and theologians debating.
As with any anthology, the quality of the writing varies from story to story. It also reflects the writer’s experience. Although these variations exist in Infinite Space, Infinite God, I enjoyed all these stories and found each of them to be well-crafted, unique and entertaining. The characters in all of the stories are very imaginative and come alive in vivid detail.
Different themes and writing styles added variety and heightened my interest, as I anticipated what challenge each new story would bring. Among my favorites were “These Three” (Karina and Robert Fabian), “Understanding” (J. Sherer) and “A Cruel and Unusual Punishment” (Maya Kathryn Bohnhoff).
“These Three” introduces us to the Order of Our Lady of the Rescue, a group of religious women dedicated to rescuing others in space. It is the captivating and suspense-filled story of Peter, a goal-oriented and idealistic young man with limited skills who wants to become a spacer. During his flight, he becomes seriously injured and scrambles to stop his spaceship from colliding with a space station. In the process, Peter not only faces the challenge of a physical injury, but also struggles with an interior conflict that must be overcome if he is to save himself and others from a potential disaster.
This is where his Catholic faith enters in as he receives encouragement and spiritual advice from an unexpected source. Will he heed the advice of the mysterious stranger? Will he trust in God or in his own resources?
“Understanding” combines mystery and intrigue with science fiction in the tale of two men living in a genetically altered world–-one, Errius, a serial killer who believes he is acting in a just manner by cleansing the Catholic Church of its “misfits” when he murders four Catholic priests, and the other, Tack, a detective assigned to his case, who has lost his faith in the Church.
Both men base their actions on misperceptions and consequently suffer in many ways. How they deal with these life-and-death spiritual trials determines their fate. What is Errius’s hidden motive in murdering these priests? Will he be discovered and caught? Will either of these men repent and return to their faith?
“A Cruel and Unusual Punishment” is my favorite short story in the anthology. It is an intriguing crime story which challenges each of us in our faith. Liam Connor is an Irish-Catholic terrorist and convicted murderer. He rationalizes all his violent actions and lacks remorse, but now is presented with the option of death or a secret “psychological treatment” that turns fellow inmates into madmen. Which will he choose?
Infinite Space, Infinite God is a wonderful selection of very imaginative and colorful stories that capture the reader’s interest and attention, while also presenting a thought-provoking look at the Catholic faith in the future. These stories provide a refreshing look at Catholicism from a positive and uplifting point of view.
I highly recommend this anthology not only to science-fiction fans, but also to those who are new to this genre.
You can order INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD from St. Francis Bookshop.
Infinite Space, Infinite God by Karina L. Fabian & Robert A. Fabian (Editors)
Review by Colleen Cahill
Twilight Times Books Paperback: ISBN/ITEM#: 9781933353623
Date: 15 August 2007 List Price $18.95 Amazon US / Amazon UK / Show Official Info
Religion has not been a stranger to science fiction. From Arthur C. Clarke's The Nine Billion Names of God to Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun, the nature of God and humanities' relationship to the Almighty has been explored in this genre. But there is always room for more, especially for an anthology like Infinite Space, Infinite God, which focuses on Catholic science fiction. The twenty-two stories in this work bring together some very interesting fiction from several talented authors, ones you might not be familiar with but whose work you certainly will enjoy.
There are those who would consider stories with an element of Catholicism, never mind religion, to be very limiting. This anthology proves that idea very wrong, as there as so many avenues to explore. The book is set out in themes, such as "The Catholic Church and Evangelism" or "The Catholic Church and Our Souls", giving a hint to the stories, but only a hint. While "The Harvest", by Lori Z. Scott, is not the first science fiction story I have read that deals with human-created life, it does provide a new and thought provoking examination. Adrienne Ray's ghostly "Hopkin's Well" deals with the effects of teleportation, as soliders sent to wipe out a small Catholic settlement on Mars discover they might not have gotten the whole story on several issues. In Ken Pick and C. Alan Loewen's "The Mask of the Ferret", humans and aliens on a space ship are being picked off one by one in a story that combines elements of a Father Brown murder mystery along with its science fiction. It would be strange not to have aliens as the focus of some of the stories, and Karina L. Fabian's "Interstellar Calling" deals with a teenage girl who questions life and God when she learns her parents are divorcing. She discovers she might not be as clueless as she thought when aliens come to her with their questions.
There are stories where religion is the center of the piece, as in "Brother Jubal in the Womb of Silence", by Tim Myers, which shows the life of a hermit monk on the Moon, an interesting idea when such an existence would require lots of outside support. Rose Dimond's "Stabat Mater" gives us the surprisingly normal life of a woman who, as a child, was visited by the Virgin Mary, but as Armageddon comes, finds herself driving the Pope in a van across a bombed out America. The future is not always bright and sunny in these stories: "Little Madeline", by Simon Morden, tells of a 15-year-old-girl struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Only when Madeline runs into a Joan, a martial nun, does there seem to be a glimmer of hope. One of the warmest stories is closer to fantasy, as "Canticle of the Wolf", by C. Alan Loewen, revolves around a legend of Francis of Assisi and a man-eating wolf that threatens a village. The twist at the end adds to the magical feel of this wonderful story.
The best thing about all the stories in this anthology is that while religion is in all of them, the works are never preachy and the writers focusing more on fashioning a good tale then trying to convert anyone. I heartily recommend Infinite Space, Infinite God to any science fiction fan: you will find this an absorbing collection of stories that will explore the boundaries of our universe and just a bit beyond.
BookConnection.com
To travel where no one else has gone before might be the appeal to regular readers of science-fiction. I'm not one of those. I prefer to focus on all the drama that resides right here on earth. So, when I decided to purchase a copy of Infinite Space, Infinite God, the 2007 EPPIE award-winning Catholic science-fiction anthology edited by Karina and Robert Fabian, it had more to do with my curiosity over how they would mesh the Catholic Church into science fiction than with my burning desire to read it. And I have to admit, I approached the task of reading it with a hint of trepidation. What if I got to page 3 and couldn't go any further? Could a book of this nature appeal to a reader whose only experience with science-fiction is the television shows Star Trek and Star Trek the Next Generation?
The answer is a resounding, YES!
Never before have I regretted the end of a story as much as I did after I finished each of the fifteen stories included in Infinite Space, Infinite God. Each story drew me in with the depth of its characters, uniqueness of its plot, and its powerful endings. I never knew what to except in the next story, but I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.
Infinite Space, Infinite God opens up with The Harvest by Lori Z. Scott. A smart choice since it is one of the most thought-provoking stories. Dr. Barry Martinez joins the Moon Project Base, living amongst a mix of humans and HuNomes--genetically altered people stemming from the Human Genome project. While HuNome #17 longs to be free of her oppressors, the Catholic Church debates whether the HuNomes have souls--making the harvesting of their organs and birthing of new HuNomes unethical. Dr. Martinez's exposure to the HuNomes he does his best to avoid leave him with some questions too. It it those questions that put him in danger and the answers which allow him to find his true calling.
Our Daily Bread by Robert and Karina Fabian finds Deacon Ray McHenry struggling to decide if he will continue his work at the Blair Mining Station or return to earth and his wife, Connie. When the supply of eucharistic hosts is lost, Deacon Ray must do everything in is power to help his congregation accept the loss of the most important symbol of the Last Supper. Attempts to secure a new supply are unsuccessful, but suddenly new hosts keep appearing. Is it a miracle? Is it the work of a good samaritan? And will Deacon Ray ever be able to leave the Blair Mining Station after the curiosity over the duplicating hosts increases the size of the congregation?
Ken Pick and Alan Loewen collaborate on an intriguing tale filled with mystery and suspense. Mask of the Ferret brings together a variety of humans and lifeforms on the Free Trader Coventry--a freight runner bound for Alorya. Its passengers include Father Eric Heidler, a human woman and her daughter, a Selkie, and a construct named Jill Noir. Unbeknownest to the Captain and her crew, someone has snuck an ancient artifact onboard Coventry and he/she/it is being tracked by an agent of the Order of St. Dismas, who is posing as a passenger. As the artifact slowly destroys the minds of the Coventry's crew and passengers, it is up to Father Eric to find a way to help all of them, including the one passenger who has put them all at risk.
In August, when I interviewed Karina during the Infinite Space, Infinite God Virtual Book Tour, I asked her why such diverse stories worked in this anthology. She sited the talented writers, their different approaches to science-fiction, and their varied science-fiction styles.
While I have to agree, I would also say that another reason Infinite Space, Infinite God is winning awards and garnering fabulous reviews, is that all the stories are about more than the Catholic Church and outer space. When broken down to their barest bones, these stories are all about people--their relationships with one another, how their beliefs affect their personal and professional relationships, and the impact that faith has on believers and non-believers alike.
I highly recommend Infinite Space, Infinite God to all my readers. You don't have to be a Catholic or a lover of science-fiction to enjoy these stories; you just have to be a living, breathing person who struggles and appreciates their place in the world.
To read my interview with author and editor Karina about Infinite Space, Infinite God go to http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2007/08/infinite-space-infinite-god-tour.html
Infinite Space, Infinite God
Published by Twilight Times Books
ISBN 13-978-1-933353-62-3
ISBN 10-1-933353-62-7
U.S. Price $18.95
