R.L. Copple, Infinite Realities (Double-Edged Publishing, 2007)
On the surface, Infinite Realities is the tale of Sisko, a 14-year-old boy who has the good (or possibly bad) fortune to find out his mission in life. Over the next few years he fulfills it, mostly well, until one tragic mistake puts his whole identity in mortal jeopardy.
Dig a little deeper, and you have a neat allegory of humans' relationship with God and what happens when that relationship gets clouded. You don't have to dig much deeper, either, as the allegorical nature of the story is not hidden at all. Note that this is not a criticism, just a statement of fact. If you like your allegories more allegorical, this isn't the book for you.
So what we have here is a short (under 100 pages in quite readable type), fairly sweet little story about doing the will of God no matter what. Copple has written widely for the devotional and secular markets. He can certainly write -- his style is clear, simple and direct, and he normally can handle a subject and a predicate competently. There are no fancy stylistic flourishes here, just plain writing, accessible, I would think, to anyone over about eight years old. It isn't remarkable in any way, just a nice little story.
What is remarkable is the author's essay, "Fantasy and Christianity," included as a sort of Afterword. In it, Copple says some very important things that I, a Christian who enjoys fantasy, feel have been absent from the dialog on literature and culture in the last few decades, especially in North America.
The situation as I see it, looking out in horror from my little corner of northeastern North America, is that a far too vocal minority has hijacked religion (not just Christianity, but all the rest, too) to squash any deviation from its world-view. If X (fill in your favourite book, music, movie, etc.) isn't in total and exact conformity with the Good Book (whichever one they subscribe to), it is a LIE, and therefore a SIN. This pretty much cuts out any sort of fantasy, doesn't it?
Now historically, this confusion between fiction and lie is a very modern thing indeed. Even 50 years ago, no one had any questions about C.S. Lewis' and J.R.R. Tolkien's religious views, nor about their skill with fantasy. Today, J.K. Rowling's work is very controversial because she, who identifies herself as a Christian, dares to write fantasy, especially fantasy that large numbers of people want to read. I'm not saying that Lewis, Tolkien and Rowling are equals in skill or anything else, but I am saying that Lewis and Tolkien weren't subjected to the same sort of attack as she is, for no better reason.
How does Copple deal with this problem? Allow me to quote: "However, in the truly Christian worldview, there is no such thing as a purely secular reality. Every breath, every ability, every accomplishment is ultimately derived from God's great bounty." He continues on the following page: "Our failure to recognize from whom the power comes is the sin, not the fact that it is done. Since all comes from God, for the Christian, there is no magic that is evil. Only evil people who attempt to control God's power for their own purposes, whether that is a witch or a name-it-claim-it preacher/healer."
Far be it from me to attempt to influence anyone to agree with Copple, but I sincerely believe that his opinion is a refreshing one and needs to be heard and discussed more widely.
You can find R.L. Copple on the Web thisaway. Double-Edged Publishing's Web home is here.
