Novel Concepts

by Denise Roberts

Learning about quality authors and their books is always a treat to a lover of reading. We wanted to introduce you to some of the authors who write both adult and young adult fiction.

One of the newer genres is Dystopian Fiction, defined as a type of writing that typically focuses on social and political structures in ‘a dark, nightmare world.’ Dystopian literature most often describes a world or society characterized by poverty, misery or oppression. This theme is used most often in science fiction or speculative fiction genres.

Rachelle Dekker, the daughter of Ted Dekker, has a trilogy that fits the dystopian definition. She is a relatively new author with her first book having the flavor of her father throughout, but as she progressed, her writing became her own. Her Seer Trilogy is set in a world where choices are always a way of life, and the results are not always favorable.

The Mind War Trilogy and Nightmare City by Andrew Klavan are on-the-edge-of-your-seat good reads. Andrew is a frequent writer for Prager U who can hold the reader’s attention and create compelling stories that require one to engage in the story. While these books have a more youthful protagonist, the content would rival any adult suspense fiction.

Similarly, the Anomaly trilogy by Krista McGee offers an excellent example of dystopian writing. Christian authors tend to factor in more hope than the usual nonChristian dystopian writers, making this fascinating and captivating while minimizing the dark and depressing.

Another genre that has great appeal for both adult and young adult is medieval fairy tales. These stories carry hints of famous characters found in the classic fairy tales. Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, to mention a few, are cleverly written into the plot with an added twist of imagination. Melanie Dickerson has written many books in this genre. If you are a fan of fantasy and appreciate a good fairy tale, then you will want to check out The Captive Maiden, The Fairest Beauty, and The Princess Spy, with more in the series still coming.

Of course, most avid readers in the sci-fi/fantasy genre know Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. These two men have a common thread for bizarre and mind-boggling plots. Readers young and old who like suspense or spiritual warfare will not be disappointed in even their older titles. Frank Peretti wrote a series of kids’ books that hold attention and are geared for ages 13 and up. Th author of this article read them aloud with her older kids to help them see that read aloud times do not have to end when one grows older. They were all on the edge of our seats with The Cooper Family Adventure series. The series starts with The Door in the Dragon’s Throat/Escape from the Island of Aquarius/The Tombs of Anak/Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea.

For adults, Perretti wrote This Present Darkness, and Piercing the Darkness giving us a creative understanding of how spiritual warfare is all around us and the importance of prayer in the believer’s life.

Ted Dekker has written over thirty novels which fall into three main categories: Thriller/Suspense, Fantasy/Speculative and Historical. His passion and mission is to “write truth through story. ”One series of books that challenges thought is the Circle series. With titles like Black, White, and Red, one wonders how Dekker can create the kind of suspense that puts you on the edge of your seat while thinking deeply about your faith, but he does. He has recently added The 49th Mystic to the Circle series.

Ted Dekker went through a time of severe speculation himself and wrote a very small book titled Waking Up: To Who You Really Are (If You Dare). This is a free ebook on Amazon; however, it gives a glimpse into the heart and mind of this popular and sometimes confusing author. In this vulnerable and personal discussion, Ted lets you see a chapter of his life story where he finds answers to some of the hardest questions we all have in our walk with God. As a result of his spiritual discovery, he turned his attention to two excellent reads.. Ted Dekker’s A.D. 30 and A.D. 33 will not disappoint.