| Title | : | Strange Religion: Speculative Fiction of Spirituality, Belief, \u0026 Practice (Strange Concepts: Big Ideas Explored Through Speculative Fiction) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 414 |
| Publication | : | Published April 23, 2022 |
Find out if a Filipina-Catholic witch can overcome the allure of blood magic to save her coven and her family. Delve into a history of the world according to Jewish mysticism. Watch the war on terrorism unfold in Time's Square—in a world where the United States is a Muslim-majority country. Follow a Hindu teen in Bangladesh as she tries to escape the corporate tycoon seeking to reincarnate into the body of her unborn son.
Accompanying discussion questions by religious studies experts probe deeper into the stories and encourage further reflection. Experts who contributed through consultation and discussion questions include Douglas E. Cowan, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Waterloo; Rory Lindsay, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto; Shoshana Razel Gordon-Guedalia, PhD candidate in comparative theology at Harvard University; Som Pourfarzaneh, Assistant Professor of Islamic and Digital Media Studies at Starr King School for the Ministry; James H. Thrall, Knight Distinguished Professor for the Study of Religion and Culture at Knox College; and Laura Ammon, Associate Professor of Religion at Appalachian State University.
the initial release of this book contained a production error in the discussion questions following The Fireflies of Todaji by Russell Hemmell. This error has since been corrected.
Strange Religion: Speculative Fiction of Spirituality, Belief, \u0026 Practice (Strange Concepts: Big Ideas Explored Through Speculative Fiction) Reviews
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I haven’t finished reading this book yet, but the first few stories and the introductory essay are so compelling that I had to go ahead and write a review. In the intro, editor Andy Dibble suggests that speculative fiction is uniquely qualified to examine religion because it deals in emotions as well as facts—rather than merely describing someone’s lifestyle, it tells us how a person feels about their life. When you’re trying to understand a belief system, sentiment cannot be removed from the equation.
With that in mind, the stories in this anthology have been chosen not only for their excellent writing and layered characters, but for the windows they provide into real-world belief systems. Even when those religions are placed forward in history by several hundred years, or combined with advanced technology, the people in the stories act as people always have: with prejudice, faith, anger, hope, bitterness, isolation, belonging, compassion.
And by using speculative fiction to distance us from events that are all-too familiar in our world, we gain perspective. A bird’s-eye view into our own souls, in a way.
Strange Religion is well-worth a read. -
An excellent collection of short stories exploring religion through speculative fiction. I was disappointed that there were no Mormon stories in this collection, but it does cover a variety of real-world religions including eastern ones that can sometimes be less represented. Editor Andy Dibble's introductory essay makes a good case for SF in exploring religious ideas; I'll most likely end up citing it in some of my own scholarship eventually. I particularly loved this quote: "On one level, it isn't helpful to distinguish between wonder in scripture and in speculative fiction because scripture is speculative fiction when read by religious outsiders."
I didn't particularly like the inclusion of discussion questions at the end of each story, which sometimes seemed obvious and reductive and sometimes completely unrelated to the story, but it seems to be part of the format of the anthology series so I can forgive. However, I definitely think this book could be used as the basis for a future course on religion in speculative fiction (one that I absolutely dream about teaching).
My favorites from the collection include:
"Al-Muftiyah" by Jibril Stevenson - This story derives so organically from Islamic concerns and projects them forward two or three steps to create a believable sci-fi premise. Especially creepy to read in the age of AI art and ChatGPT. I may steal this central conceit to apply to an LDS story.
"Samsara" by JA Legg - Putting an SF spin on the Hindu concept of reincarnation, I love how the protagonist's eventual course of action proceeds from her evolving understanding (and belief in) her faith.
"The Rebbetzin Speaks" by Daniel M Kimmel - This "Dear Abby"-type column for a sci-fi Jewish setting reminded me so much of things I've read in the Mormon Lit Blitz. Interesting evolution of the particularities of religious laws without devolving into generic progressive non-specificity.
"The Devil is a Shape in the Brain" by Joachin Glage - This story is a faux-academic report complete with footnotes and citations, so obviously I'm going to love it. The story follows the descendants of some sort of demonic being and how the spirit interacts with the physical. A fascinating concept from an LDS perspective of "no immaterial matter."
"Deep Play" by Andy Dibble - A college student driven mad by a drug that shows him the possible truth of all religions. Interesting cold-logic take on the immediacy of the search for "which of all the churches is right."
"Fate and Other Variables" by Alex Shvartsman - I'm a sucker for a mechanistic universe but this Kabbalistic story kicks it up a notch. -
I loved this varied, atmospheric collection of stories about spirituality and belief. Particular mention to Dying Rivers and Broken Hearts by Gabriella Buba - the yearning, nostalgic dynamic between Maria-Lucia and Ada-Caylao gave me shivers. There are discussion questions at the end of each submission which really enriched the stories and the way I thought about them. I highly recommend this anthology!
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interesting concepts
Many stories that present religion in a way I had not considered it before. Enjoyed the magic and inclusive representation in Gabriella’s story
