Another year, another pile of books. This year I tried to read a mix of quality fiction and relevant nonfiction but spent much of the year in a reading slog, so if you have book recommendations, please leave them in the comments below and I’ll add them to my 2024 TBR. These are the best books I read in 2023, in no particular order.
Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons
This four book series took me more than a year to finish, but I read the majority of it in 2023. It’d be impossible to provide a coherent breakdown to this sci-fi epic in such a short summary. The first book has been called The Canterbury Tales set in space, if that helps. It centers around seven individuals on a pilgrimage to the planet Hyperion where a creature called the Shrike awaits them. Expect religion vs. science, church vs. technology, man vs. machine. This is one I definitely would not recommend to new believers as it takes a high level of discernment to sift through the themes. (Read more about the importance of active discernment when consuming entertainment here.) And a quick content warning: don’t listen to this one in the car with your children. There’s a fair amount of profanity, from one character in particular, and a few scenes you might want to skim past.
Memorable Quote: “The whole planet reeks of mysticism without revelation.”
Paradise Lost by John Milton
No doubt you’ve heard of this one, and unless you were an English major, you’ve probably never read it. (This one had been on my TBR for more years than I care to admit.) Milton tells the story of the Fall of Man through this epic poem. I’d read it alone for the beautifully written verse, but I also appreciate the conversations it’s sparked with people in my church: in particular, was Milton portraying Satan as a sympathetic character? If so, what are the negative ramifications of such a portrayal? I think this is one all Christians should read and discuss. If you can get your hands on the Dover Thrift Editions’ version of this classic, all the better. The footnote commentary from Editor John A. Himes is exceptional.
Memorable Quote:
"Servant of God, well done! Well hast though fought
The better fight, who single hast maintained
Against revolted multitudes the cause
Of truth, in word mightier than they in arms,
And for the testimony of truth hast borne
Universal reproach, far worse to bear
Than violence; for this was all thy care--
To stand approved in sight of God, though worlds
Judged thee perverse..."
The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton
My brother (J.D. Wolfwrath over at The Sibilant Sword) stumbled across this one in the used book section of a library we stopped in on our way to San Diego this past summer, and what a happy find it was! At face value, this may seem a strange book recommendation, but De Botton’s short essay-style book on architecture is chock full of insightful commentary on the nature of truth, beauty, and goodness. While clearly not a Christian, the author hits on some very relevant truths. When he falls short and dips into secular psychology, there’s still more than enough material to challenge the Christian reader on how we should think about our physical surroundings. There’s also quite a bit of discussion of how place impacts worship in places of worship. Still not interested? I’d read this one for the prose alone, which is beautiful in its own right.
Memorable Quote: “Architecture may well possess moral messages; it simply has no power to enforce them. It offers suggestions instead of making laws. It invites, rather than orders, us to emulate its spirit and cannot prevent its own abuse.”
The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
Within the fantasy genre, Brandon Sanderson may have dubbed 2023, the “Year of Sanderson,” but it was Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy that stole the show for me this year. I’m not sure if Hobb is a Christian, but these novels are so rife with Christian themes that I wouldn’t be surprised. The series follows Fitz, the illegitimate son of Prince Chivalry. I’ll try not to spoil anything, but one of the primary hallmarks of the story is that Fitz is a King’s man to his very core. It’s nearly impossible to read this series (and all the ways Fitz sacrifices his own interests to serve the King) without seeing it as an allegory of sorts in the way we should be wholeheartedly devoted to Christ. It’s also refreshing to read a fantasy series that throws off the common trope of rebellion and often recognizes and respects authority. Sure, Hobb has feminist leanings in the series (think female guards and soldiers) and there’s a fair bit of Gnosticism, but, in much of its basic moral framework, the Farseer Trilogy feels more in line with a Christian worldview than anything I’ve read in Fantasy in recent memory.
Memorable Quote: “‘Sometimes,’ Chade observed, ‘it would be much easier to die for one’s king than to give one’s life to him.'”
The Toxic War on Masculinity by Nancy R. Pearcey
We’ve all heard about toxic masculinity, but what about the toxic war on masculinity? Pearcey deftly deals a blow to all those who would come against traditional masculinity as something to be despised and disposed of. Throughout this work of nonfiction, she argues for faithful Christian men in the church and home, citing research that proves Christian men are the most loving and caring husbands and fathers, and thus traditional masculinity is a boon for women and children. Of note, Pearcey addresses what it means to be a “real man” versus a “good man” and how the Industrial Revolution crippled men in their role as fathers. Both Christian men and women should pick this one up.
Memorable Quote: “The best answer to the failures of men is to become more faithful Christians.”
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
East of Eden is a Cain and Abel retelling set primarily in the Salinas Valley in California. Much has been made of the novel’s ultimate theme of “timshel,” an erroneous Hebrew word from the Genesis narrative that Steinbeck mistranslates as “thou mayest.” The actual word, more accurately transliterated as “timshol” means “to overcome, conquer, have dominion over.” Butchered Bible reading aside, Steinbeck’s point is that every man has in himself the capacity for good and for evil and he can and must choose between the two. From a Christian viewpoint, we can certainly affirm that each day the Christian much choose to obey, having been empowered by the Holy Spirit to put the flesh to death and live righteously. On the other hand, the unregenerate man can do nothing pleasing to God and can only be at enmity with Him (Romans 8:5-10). So if the theology is faulty, why recommend this work? Not only was this one of the most unputdownable classics I’ve read, it had me poring over Genesis to refresh my understanding of the Biblical story. I appreciate any work of fiction that gets me excited about spending time in Scripture and East of Eden certainly did that. As an aside, this novel features my all time most-hated villain (you’ll know who if you’ve read it) and one of my most favorite characters in Lee.
Memorable Quote: “An unbelieved truth can hurt a man much more than a lie. It takes great courage to back truth unacceptable to our times. There’s a punishment for it, and it’s usually crucifixion.”
Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West by Andrew Wilson
In this fascinating work of nonfiction, Wilson sets about explaining how the modern world became WEIRDER: Western, Educated, Industrialized, Richer, Democratic, Ex-Christian, and Romantic. From Cook to Casanova, Hume to Hamann, Wilson looks at the figures and events that have shaped our assumptions about the world in which we live. Of particular interest was his discussion of what he calls Protestant Paganism, a blending of the immanent spirituality of paganism with the skepticism and resultant religious division that arose out of the Reformation. Under this new umbrella one will find a broad range of beliefs combined with a “narrow range of dogmatic commitments.” Think spirituality over religion–religious pluralism meets a societally derived moral certitude. Going into this book, I was relatively familiar with the ways in which Enlightenment thinking has infiltrated our modern thinking and yet I was still challenged to confront the origins of many of my daily assumptions. Highly recommend.
Memorable Quote: “1776, more than any other year in the last millennium, is the year that made us who we are.”
Phantastes by George MacDonald
The main character of this short novel is Anodos, who takes a journey to Fairy Land through an old wooden secretary in his bedroom. The novel follows his dream-like endeavors, focusing particularly on his quest for the lady in marble. MacDonald calls it a faerie romance for men and women, and indeed, much of the story deals with the spiritual and physical compatibility of the sexes. In his allegorical dealing with sexual ethics, MacDonald’s work frequently reminded me of the Book of Proverbs. I don’t want to give too much away here so I’ll leave you with this: Phantastes was an inspiration for both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis even said this book led him away from his atheism and “baptized his imagination.”
Memorable Quote: “The very fact that anything can die, implies the existence of something that cannot die; which must either take to itself another form, as when the seed that is sown dies, and arises again; or, in conscious existence, may, perhaps, continue to lead a purely spiritual life.”
Bone of Bones 