And, on the podcast this Saturday, we’ll interview Nadine Brandes about her learning experiences while writing Fawkes.On Friday, Maddie Morrow will demonstrate that a misguided protagonist like Thomas Fawkes can deepen a story.On Wednesday, Brandon Miller will explain how Fawkes exemplifies honest storytelling.Today I’ll outline the lessons Fawkes teaches about portraying Christianity in fiction.We’re going to examine its strengths through four installments: That’s why we’re releasing an article series to explore Fawkes as an exceptional example of Christian storytelling. It follows the story of Thomas Fawkes, who must join his father’s plot against the king of England to keep himself from turning into stone.Īt Story Embers, we believe that-true to saying-instruction is more effective when a principle is shown instead of told. Though these taboos (and others) may not be universally applicable, books that include the above tropes tend to seem trite and unrealistic.įawkes by Nadine Brandes, however, broke the pattern-in a surprisingly enjoyable way.įawkes is a mainstream novel, but it’s one of the best disguised works of Christian fiction I’ve read in a while.

Don’t steer characters’ actions and decisions with the audible voice of God.

Don’t treat prayer as a magic spell that grants characters their every wish.

Don’t center the story’s thematic arc around a conversion.

Don’t depict Christian characters as perfect.

Over the years, I’ve repeatedly encountered certain mistakes in Christian fiction, and since I hope to eventually break into the genre, I don’t want to commit the same errors.

Fawkes by Nadine Brandes