Book-Bat

Book-Bat
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Husband and wife duo explore the worlds of fantasy, Christian and otherwise, from a Christian perspective! Author Karlissa J. (To Narnia and Beyond) and her husband Jason (voice acting fan and comic book reader) discuss books both old and new, as well as media trends and their favourite tales. Tune in for playful banter – and occasional thoughtful thoughts – on all things fantasy!

  1. 2d ago

    Episode 60 - Let's Talk L'Engle

    ‍ Karlissa has been promising an episode about Madeleine L’Engle, and here it is! We introduce the author, her famous fantasy novel A Wrinkle in Time, and explore the Cold War and Genesis themes in her novel A Swiftly Tilting Planet. Madeleine L’Engle quote from Walking on Water: “That’s probably the chief difference between the Christian and the secular artist—the purpose of the work, be it story or music or painting, is to further the coming of the kingdom, to make us aware of our status as children of God, and to turn our feet toward home.” Are you a fan of Madeleine L’Engle’s books? Let us know! You can leave a comment on our website at Book-Bat.com or email us at connect@book-bat.com. Curious about Madeleine L’Engle and other classic fantasy authors who wrote from a Christian perspective? Check out Karlissa J.’s book To Narnia and Beyond - book-bat.com/nonfiction

  2. Jul 16

    Episode 59 - Lessons Learned from Four Legendary Authors

    ‍ For her latest book, To Narnia and Beyond, Karlissa has been getting to know four incredible Christian authors who wrote fantasy: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, and Madeleine L’Engle. Over the course of reading their fantasy novels and learning about their lives, she and Jason have both learned life lessons, interesting facts, and writing wisdom. (00:38) Getting to know dead people (2:26) The Unexpected C.S. Lewis (5:35) The Influential George MacDonald (7:46) The Thoughtful J.R.R. Tolkien (10:24) The Creative Madeleine L’Engle (15:18) Overview: being shaped as a writer (19:12) Our favourite authors (23:14) A lesson from each author (27:27) News from Book-Bat Out of these four authors, how many have you read? And who is your favourite? Comment on our website at book-bat.com or email us at connect@book-bat.com to let us know! If you like this episode, you may enjoy: Episode 57 - "To Narnia and Beyond" Preview! Episode 50 - To Narnia and Beyond Episode 45 - War of the Rohirrim Review

  3. Jun 18

    Episode 58 - Our Top Nine A.I. Characters

    ‍ Since before the times when artificial intelligence took over our online experiences and philosophical discussions, writers have been using the concept of A.I. to craft characters that speak to who we are as humans, and to explore how we interact with beings that are not quite like us. Today, we are going to talk about some of our favourite A.I. characters: from robots to intelligences imbued into swords. Who are they, how do they interact with their world, and what draws us to them? These characters come to us from comic books, a video game, tv shows, a movie, and a novel – and no, absolutely none of these are from live-action movies, dystopian worlds, or more cynical what-if fare. These are from fun, positive, hero-filled fantasies and soft sci-fi tales that treat their A.I. characters less like real-life A.I. and more like an opportunity to explore aspects of human nature and even animal nature. So, without further ado: nine A.I. characters whom we enjoy! (1:49) Becoming Embodied: Nicole from the Sonic comics Archie run (5:46) Children of a Difficult Dad: Belle, Sage, and Metal Sonic from the IDW Sonic comics (12:21) The Spirit Inside a Sword: Fi from the video game Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (20:56) The A.I. Who Hated Feeling Emotions: Aya from Green Lanterns: The Animated Series (24:47) The Robot Who Studied Nature: Roz, from The Wild Robot novel by Peter Brown, and the Dreamworks movie adaptation (29:10) She’s Combat-Ready: Penny from RWBY (32:07) The Robot with Cat-Ititude: Chopper from the animated show Star Wars Rebels (33:00) A.I. as characterization shortcut Thank you for listening to us talk about some of our favourite A.I. characters. Who are some of your favourite A.I. characters? Comment on our website at book-bat.com or email us at connect@book-bat.com to let us know!

  4. May 21

    Episode 57 - "To Narnia and Beyond" Preview!

    A peek inside To Narnia and Beyond! What if fantasy stories hold spiritual insights that can be your pathway to a deeper faith? This brief, approachable guide invites readers into the major fantasy works of four writers of great fantasy:  C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, and Madeleine L’Engle.  They all share in the distinction of being outspoken about their Christian faith, as well as having written stories of fantasy that have endured and inspired generations. Whether you are discovering these authors and their works for the first time or are a fan seeking fresh insight, To Narnia and Beyond presents spiritual themes, historical background, and scholarly analysis in an accessible manner. Learn more about the book: https://www.book-bat.com/nonfiction Sign up for the Book-Bat newsletter: https://www.book-bat.com/connect

  5. May 4

    Episode 56 - May The Fourth Be With You; Lessons from Star Wars

    Do the ends justify the means? Jason walks us through three episodes from the animated Star Wars shows - one from The Clone Wars and two from Rebels - and the lessons they have taught him about how to approach podcasting better. If you enjoy Star Wars, you may want to listen to two of our previous episodes: Perelandra and Star Wars: https://www.book-bat.com/podcast/2024/6/13/episode-31-perelandra-and-star-wars Exploring The Bad Batch: https://www.book-bat.com/podcast/2024/7/25/episode-34-exploring-the-bad-batch Learn more about Book-Bat and what we do: https://www.book-bat.com/about Learn more about To Narnia and Beyond: https://www.book-bat.com/nonfiction

  6. Apr 16

    Episode 55 - Exploring Davy Jones' Aquarium

    Karlissa J’s most recent fantasy novel is Davy Jones’ Aquarium. Jason has described it as the perfection of the way she wants to write. And it is a xenofiction story, where the main character is a quirky teenage merman. What inspired Karlissa to write a tale about a merman, and what did she enjoy about creating the world he would inhabit? You can learn more about Davy Jones’ Aquarium and my other books by visiting book-bat.com/books. If you have read and enjoyed Davy Jones’ Aquarium, be sure to post a review, we’d greatly appreciate it.

  7. Mar 20

    Episode 54 - Sonic Meets The Enneagram

    It’s Sonic the Hedgehog meets the Enneagram! Jason has made personality matches for a swath of Sonic-universe characters, and Sonic himself got the title of Peacemaker. Why did Jason decide this was a fitting label for the speedster? Jason Recommends… Sonic the Hedgehog Presents: The Chaotix Casefiles Blog about IDW Sonic characters: https://www.book-bat.com/blog/2026/3/4/sonic-the-hedgehog-new-characters-from-the-comics Last year’s Month of Sonic episode and blog post: http://www.book-bat.com/podcast/2025/3/18/episode-42-the-first-month-of-sonic-the-hedgehog http://www.book-bat.com/blog/2025/3/8/sonic-the-hedgehog-on-the-small-screen-ranked

  8. Feb 19

    Episode 53 - What Is Xenofiction?

    Xenofiction - stories told from a nonhuman perspective - is all around us! In this episode, Karlissa and Jason explore the appeal of xenofiction from a writer’s perspective and dive into a few examples of xenofiction. They discuss… Does it matter that Superman is an alien? Are hobbits truly distinct from humans? And what’s up with the animosity between the human Dr. Eggman and animal-people like Sonic the hedgehog? And of course, Karlissa sneaks in a quote from C.S. Lewis!

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About

Husband and wife duo explore the worlds of fantasy, Christian and otherwise, from a Christian perspective! Author Karlissa J. (To Narnia and Beyond) and her husband Jason (voice acting fan and comic book reader) discuss books both old and new, as well as media trends and their favourite tales. Tune in for playful banter – and occasional thoughtful thoughts – on all things fantasy!

Information

  • Creator
    Book-Bat
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    60
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Book-Bat