Catholic Fiction

editors of Infinite Space, Infinite God, an anthology of thought-provoking science fiction with a Catholic twist.

Karina and Robert Fabian are life-long sci-fi fans and Catholics who combined these interests into the award-winning anthology, Infinite Space, Infinite God. (See review) Rob is an officer in the Air Force who recently took command of the 91^st Maintenance Operations Squadron in Minot, ND. Karina is a stay-home mom as well as a full-time writer of fiction with brief forays into interviews and religious articles. Today, Karina talks to us about the book and its impact.

Q: You call Infinite Space, Infinite God “Thought-provoking sci-fi with a Catholic twist. Can you explain what that means and why you use it?

A: I originally called Infinite Space, Infinite God “Catholic science fiction,” but Rob and Ken Pick (one of the contributors) quickly broke me of that habit. They reminded me—and rightly so—that ISIG is science fiction first with a Catholic worldview, characters and themes. That’s our “twist” to the genre. “Thought-provoking” reflects what we think is one of the strengths of the book: rather than just entertaining, it examines current and future issues. Also, while the book features Catholic themes, it’s not meant exclusively for Catholics. Anyone can read this book, enjoy it and come away with something from it.

Q: What’s so Catholic about the science fiction in Infinite Space, Infinite God?

A: A friend asked me if it was “Catholic Star Trek,” and in one sense, it is. Several of the stories do what Star Trek hoped to accomplish: examine current moral issues in a futuristic setting. And we do have a transporter story–but it’s the worst of Dr. McCoy’s nightmares come true! ISIG contains more than space travel, though: we have time travel, a futuristic murder mystery, mind-altering machines, and a good old-fashioned alien abduction.

Alongside these well-known sci-fi tropes are equally well-known Catholic traditions: an isolated asteroid mining station receives the miracle of multiplying Hosts; the lone survivor of a damaged space freighter gets help from the Blessed St. Gillian of L5; a man turns to Confession to escape insanity caused by a machine that strips the mind of its excuses. In some, the Church as an institution is a character, in that the decisions it makes–or fails to make–drive the story. What happens when the Church does not act to determine the soul-status of artificially created persons? What if each diocese decides to make its own decision about whether genetically altered humans can receive the sacraments?

Q: Very Catholic, then–yet, you say people of other faiths enjoy it, too?

A: Absolutely. First of all, the stories are simply entertaining, with strong characters, sound plots and lot of excitement and surprises. One comment we get again and again is that people love the variety of stories and approaches. For example, Colleen Drippe’ writes great action/adventure, while J Sherer’s SF mystery is very character driven while Ken Pick and Alan Loewen create such vivid settings you will believe you are on the Coventry and Tim Myers’s work is stunningly poetic.

Beyond that, however, is the fact that the issues and situations aren’t so much Catholic as catholic, universal. One critic said “Interstellar Calling” gave her the chills when she read the part where the alien holds out a Bible and declares, “You have directions.” Others have said they believe we will someday face the same dilemma that Lori Scott writes about in “The Harvest.” In fact, we’ve had one reader tell us that she believes every teen should read this book before reaching voting age.

Q: Do you see Infinite Space, Infinite God as a tool for Catholic evangelism?

A: No, Infinite Space, Infinite God is fun reading first and foremost. We really did it because it was something new and interesting, and because we always felt there was no reason that stories of the future shouldn’t also include religious issues. We’ve been pleased (and a little surprised) at how it’s touched people’s souls as well as their minds. One teenage reader said that some of the stories even answered some questions she had about her faith.

We’re hoping that we can get ISIG on the reading list at university programs–especially in literature, ethics and religion. However, we want folks to pick it up because it’s a cool concept and pass it on because the stories are fantastic.