So we come to the second day of our CSFF blog tour for D. Berkley Briggs and his YA fantasy novel, The Book of Names .

Today I’d like to call your attention to a wonderful interview of Briggs. I found it over at Window to My World (by way of this post from A Christian Worldview of Fiction).

Kim asked Briggs some really great questions, such as the following:

You do a masterful job of capturing the struggle taking place in today’s society. It seems many are like the nameless, “beckoned to the numbing lure of forgetfulness.” (p, 226) You describe what many long to wipe from their world with drugs, alcohol, entertainment, etc… “As the hues of a living world fell into gloom, gladly would they surrender the emotional burden of hope (and with hope responsibility) for the numbing comfort of insignificance.” (p231)

Go read the interview if you want to see his answers.

It’s so encouraging that we have Christian men (and women) fantasy lovers, wanting to give great truths in the form of story. I think this is a wonderful thing and I applaud NavPress for what they’re aiming at with their fiction line. They are aiming at, if I’m interpreting them correctly, moral stories, Christian worldview stories, but not gospel tracts.

I’m seeing a pattern in the NavPress books I’ve started though.

The truth is that I’ve started several of their novels and only managed to read one all the way through (Sharon Hinck’s The Restorer). The Book of Names will be my second. Most of them I put down by the halfway point. If you’ve not grabbed me by then, I move on to another book. Every single one I’ve started with excitement because the quality of the prose is very good. I open their books thrilled at the thought of getting a gem, with fine writing and deep themes. I put them down because I don’t care about the characters. NavPress is this close to doing it right. But they miss by a hair every time, I think. (At least with the ones I’ve tried. I’ve not started all their novels, by any means, so it may be that they are succeeding with many novels, and I’ve just picked up the ones that are falling a tad short.)

So are they still missing, or is The Book of Names their breakout novel? I’ll give you my opinion tomorrow.

In the meantime, check out what others are saying:

• First of all Becky, our fearless leader, has, as usual, a great discussion going on her site. This time it’s on how dark is too dark. It starts here and continues here. Go join in.
• Then we have Brandon Barr talking about motivations.
• Keanan Brand has a interview with his niece who read the book, in parts one and two.
• Melissa reports that a quarter of the way into the book, she’s completely swept up in the story.
• Valerie Comer speaks of the author’s motivations here and here.
• Amy has fallen in love with the characters
• Shane, I think, wanted a clearer understanding of what the characters wanted.
• Jason I. has a great interview.
• Jason J. loved the scene setting
• Timothy remarks on the view of religious extremes in the world and in the novel.
• Carol loved the story world
• John found a rich world with fun characters here, and discusses mixing Christianity with myth here.
• Chawna had some reservations
• Rachel looks at motivation.
• Fred gives a balanced review telling us what he likes and what he doesn’t.
• Phyllis gives a review in part one and in part two.

:::::edited to add:::::

I have read another NavPress book all the way through. I read Demon: A Memoir. I reviewed it here. Another great effort–wonderful writing, but with a light plot and poor character motivations.

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