A Book Review and How to Properly Write Christian Characters

So remember I was complaining about the lack of good characters in the Christian fiction I've read?Well, I've found a book that breaks the mold, and I'd like to try to convince you all to read it too.

I ordered The Follower by C. F. Barrows a few days ago and had it shipped to my house. It arrived yesterday and I began reading it that afternoon, because I've heard good things about it in a writing group I'm part of (the author happens to be a part of the same group) and I was procrastinating homework. I finished it last night and was raving about it to my family for a good half hour afterward, then went online and wrote a review and posted it to amazon and goodreads just so I could talk about it some more.
This is that review:

THANK YOU C. F. BARROWS FOR A GOOD CHRISTIAN FANTASY.I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I don't read a lot of Christian genre fiction, and have been largely disappointed by the ones I have read. This book was the complete opposite! I loved reading it and found the characters thoroughly engaging (my usual problem with Christian fiction is the characters). Right off the bat reading this, I could tell it may be a challenge to remember all the characters. There are quite a few and a lot of the names sound extremely similar - a list of the characters and who they were would have been very useful, along with a map labeled with the different nations. However it is so worth putting in the effort to remember the names! Barrows managed to capture two common struggles that exist in Christianity perfectly: the struggle of a believer to unconditionally trust God, and the turning away from God some believers experience when faced with a tragedy ("why would a loving God do this?"). I feel like this book was a perfect representation of those and I really enjoyed watching the characters overcome their indivdual struggles.Spiritual aspect aside this is still a fantastic book. All the characters had unique struggles along with unique ways of dealing with them, and I loved trying to piece together the different backstories. The plot was complex and well thought out, with a good mix of mystery, drama, action, and romance. I especially enjoyed the climax, which was so not what I had expected but was at the same time a perfect way to conclude the plot. If you haven't read this but enjoy fantasy, READ IT. I am now off to track down the second book. A salute to Barrows for a novel well written.

My main complaint about Christian fiction is the characters, as I have now probably said too many times. As I stated in the post about honoring God in writing fiction, they tend to be perfect Christians with no troubles trusting God or keeping faith. They exemplify all the good traits we want to develop as Christians and none of the flaws every human being has. If they do mess up, they are gently chastised by another perfect Christian character, take the message to heart, and immediately change their ways (thereby going back to being perfect). As a result they seem like cardboard cutouts with a knack for getting under readers' skin with their perfection.
I would like to point to Barrows's book as an example of how NOT to end up with that problem.
Her characters are REAL. At the start of the book we have a large cast of characters, only one of which is what translates into a Christian. Another used to be a Christian (Barrows calls them Yawveh-Followers) but fell away from faith when faced with a tragedy and doesn't understand why anyone would trust God. Yet another feels like God betrayed her, and yet another is the equivalent of Jewish. The rest don't seem to have much of an opinion on the matter but certainly aren't Christians. All of these characters have diverse backgrounds which caused unique struggles and fears and all that other good stuff.
The Christian wasn't bland, either. True, at first he seemed to have an extremely strong faith and even tries to evangelize several times to other characters. However, he has a hatred for one particular character, complains, and engages in other normal human behaviors. Towards the end of the book he even struggles with his faith. THESE ARE THE KINDS OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTERS I WANT. The kind that is relatable, real, flawed.
I felt like The Follower was a truly accurate representation of Christians and following God, not the glorified versions I've read before. And for that, I am so incredibly grateful, because I think that the world does really need good Christian books and good Christian authors who are willing to show that being a Christian isn't a cakewalk. It's hard just like anyone else's life; the only difference is that we have a God we can turn to and put our hope in. Not hope that one day life on earth will be perfect, but hope that He will bring us through life's struggles, make us stronger, and eventually take us to heaven to live in His presence.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21:3-4 (ESV)

So. Read The Follower if you like a fantasy with dragons and good characters and drama and fights and angst and a true representation of Christianity. If you do read it, or already have, comment below and let me know what you thought. 

Building Blocks of Character: Antagonists Link-up

I thought this was too good to pass up, even though I know I have done a LOT of character stuff lately along with a LOT of link-ups and award-type things. I'm probably going to try posting twice a week now so that there's a little more variety going on. Can't make that a promise though. Along that line of thought, what kinds of things do you want to see on this blog? Anything else on Myers-Briggs, or maybe short stories or flash fiction inspired from Pinterest? Please tell me in the comments!
Now on with the actual post. This is a linkup centered around antagonists, started by Rachel Day of Stained Glass Windows and Adrianna Gabrielle of The Librarian Files. I've decided to use the questions for Taken's antagonist, Keir Durjaya.

Rules:

1. Take linkup theme pic and post on your blog.
2. Show us one (or maybe two) pictures of your antagonist.
3. Answer the questions.
4. When you're done, link back to either one of our blogs.

The Questions:

1. Is the antagonist a person or a concept?

A man and the concept of war.

2. Now give us your villain's description. What do they look like? What do they wear? Scars, tattoos, birthmarks, etc.

Keir is over six feet tall with a thin, lanky build. He's exceedingly pale but has pure black hair - a perfect example of the coloring of his race. He has black eyes, is only ever seen wearing his general's uniform, and has two scars. One on his shoulder from a more recent wound, and another long one down his lower leg from a accident when he was fresh into the army.

3. Does your antagonist have a special trademark item? (ex. President Snow's white rose). 

Well not really. I guess his High General's badge could count since it would be recognized pretty widely around Kampen, but it's not his personally.

4. What is a theme song you have for your antagonist? Does it tell their story? Or is it just some epic song?

He doesn't have a theme song. There is a song I like to think of in relation to the story's climax, which obviously Keir plays a huge role in. It's called "Heroes May Cry" by Stefano Mocini. Come to think of it, that song is pretty villainous. . . :D Though Keir wasn't out to kill the protagonist specifically. They just had conflicting agendas.

5. Is there a tragedy that has stuck with your antagonist through their life? What is it?

Yes, as a matter of fact. Keir's wife, Alona, died some seventeen years before the beginning of Taken. Her death prompted Keir to decide that emotions were vulnerabilities to be eradicated, so he now tries not to feel anything and certainly not show anyone else anything he could be feeling. He's become quite good at it. 

6. What is it that is deceptive about your antagonist? What tricks people into believing that they are good?

The only thing deceptive about Keir is how he hides his emotions. It's practically a superhuman ability at this point, because even though he feels just as much as anyone else he literally does not show a thing. 

Also, just like anyone who is real Keir is not entirely bad nor entirely good. Hey, he's not even mostly bad! He actually has several extremely heroic traits, like loyalty, patriotism, honesty, bravery, etc. So he doesn't need to trick anyone into thinking he's good, because he mostly is. 

7. What is the main motivation for your antagonist's actions? Are their morals just mixed up? For the protection of someone? Revenge? etc.

The aforementioned patriotism, with a dash of revenge. The patriotism motivates him to score a victory for his country and punish the invaders for daring to launch such an unjust invasion in the first place. That's the revenge bit. As an explanation, this conflicts with Tyv (the protagonist) because Tyv wants to end the war without further bloodshed - and certainly not the death of his entire nation's army! (Such as it is . . .ehem. Details.)

8. Does your antagonist see himself as a hero or do they know that they are a villain/antagonist? Do they want to be "the bad guy"?

Keir is definitely a hero in his own mind, and a hero to his entire country along with it. I think the expression, "history is written by the winners" applies here. It depends which perspective you look at the conflict from. From Tyv's side, Keir is a villain. From Keir and the Kampene's side, Keir is the hero and Tyv is a meddling interference with some silly ideas in his head. 

9. Has your antagonist got a criminal record? Or had s/he broken any laws?

Actually I can see how he may have done some sort of prank back in military school which could probably count as criminality. Trying to trick a fellow student by forging an instructor's handwriting, perhaps. Some sort of deceptive prank.

10. Now last but not least (because we love to embarrass our characters), what is your character's deepest secret that (if found out) would embarrass them greatly?  

Keir has been through battles aplenty and participated in all that implies, but his chief fear is humiliation. Probably because his pride hasn't had much damage through his life - he's always been able to do anything and he's gained a very powerful position. Plus, he sings when he's a alone. He has a nice baritone and likes theater music. 

Character Interview: Ace Harrod

Nearly two weeks ago I opened up Ace Harrod for questions, which he promised to answer in an interview. And now, I deliver to you the results of your relentless questioning. (Thanks for all the questions, by the way - there are a lot of good ones and this thing is way longer than I expected it to be.)
So now, here he is! *whispers* I apologize for his arrogance. He's knocked down a few pegs later on in the book, but don't tell him that.

Quotes belong to A. Smith, from Shadows & Light. Images found on Pinterest. 

Hey Ace, let's get started. Do you ignore your twin because of a personality clash? Or is there something deeper?
I don't think it's so much a personality clash as it is a Destiny clash. My life is going to go in one direction, in which I will be awesome, and hers is going in another direction . . . in which she will not be awesome. Heroes and villains can't really get along, can they? It's like a law of nature.

Do you hold the fact that you're the elder twin over Mara?
I haven't really thought about it before. I mean, I'm only older by a few minutes. But I feel older because I'm obviously a lot more mature than she is, and I'm dealing with more responsibility than she could probably handle. So yeah, I take pride in that. I don't really talk to her much, though, so I don't think I hold it over her. Why are we talking about Mara anyway? I thought this interview was about me?

Alright, alright. Different kind of question. Do you enjoy your popularity?
Well who wouldn't? Of course I do! I can hang out with whoever I want, date whoever I want . . . ehem, not that I'm not happy with Victoire of course. If you're reading this, baby, I love you!

Ugh. Do you think you'd have the same friends if your Destiny was different?
*shrugs* Probably. I know that a lot of my friends hang out with me because I'm awesome, and I'm awesome because of my Destiny of being a life-saver. Who wouldn't want to be friends with me? That said, my really good friends aren't just cronies. I don't know if they would have started hanging out with me if it wasn't for my Destiny, though. I would have just been another face in the crowd to them.

How did you meet your French girlfriend? What is she like?
Oh, Victoire . . .she and I were accepted as Mage League cadets at the same time and went to training together. We first started talking when we were partnered up for a unarmed combat class. I'm pretty sure I still have a bruise from where she kicked me . . . but yeah, Victoire is great. She knows what's what, you know what I mean? She's got convictions. And she's smart and witty and kind and beautiful and. . .and perfect.

You're such a romantic. How important is your family to you?
It depends which family member you're talking about. *laughs* Yeah, I'm close to Mom and to a few of my cousins, but I hardly ever see dad and Mara . . . well, she's Mara. But I make breakfast in bed for Mom sometimes, and I hang out with my cousins whenever they're around. And I like Dad. He's sort of quiet but he gives good advice, even if I don't ask for it. So yeah. Pretty important, I guess.

What kind of piano music do you play?
How did they know about that?! *looks at author accusingly* You told them? Why?
Just answer the question. We can argue later.
I'm not happy about this. But since you must know, I play classical. Beethoven is my favorite.

What's your favorite thing to do? 
Hang out with my friends, use magic, play piano (*glare*), draw, take Victoire out to dinner . . . that's a big one. Do I have to choose one?

Nope, I get it. You're a indecisive kind of person. Morally, are you a black and white guy or a shades of gray guy?
Pretty black and white, I guess. I mean, you either follow the law or you don't. If you don't, you're a criminal, and if you do, you're fine. It's pretty simple, isn't it?

And what's your view on mercy versus justice?
Mercy is good I guess, as long as by being merciful you aren't being stupid. Like, don't let a murderer go just to be merciful! He'll hurt other people. Most of the time I think justice is better. It exists for a reason, you know?

What is it you're being trained for?
Mage League, you mean? Well right now I'm an Apprentice, which means I've been approved to study to become a Mage. Mages are magicians that lead teams of non-magicals on missions to arrest Sorcerers. Or Sorceresses, I suppose.
Maybe you can explain the difference between Mages and Sorcerers?
Mages are government trained and approved magicians. We use magic legally to deal with illegal magicians, sorcerers or sorceresses, depending on the gender. Sorcerers are not cleared to learn and use magic by the government, and they're often criminals for other reasons too - magical assault and murder are often on their crime list. Essentially the Mage League is like an elite police force that deals exclusively with magical criminals.

Do you kill people, and are you trained to kill?
I have never had to kill anyone, no. Because I'm in the Mage League though I do know how to kill . . . but I really don't ever want to have that on my conscience. On missions, killing is always a last resort and it will only ever be ordered in order to save the lives of the good guys. I hope I never get into that kind of situation.

Yeah, let's hope. Does your girlfriend know what you do?
Of course, she's right behind me in training! I even help her with her homework, since I went through cadet training a little faster and got ahead.

What's your favorite weapon?
Magic. I'm training with a handgun too, but it doesn't have nearly the same range of effects that magic does. And it isn't nearly as cool.

Who is your role model? And it can't be yourself.
Aw, you're serious? No, I'm kidding. It's my Mage mentor, Paul. He's awesome. Never failed a mission and has the lowest casualty rate of any Mage team in the county. Plus he runs his team well. I also look up to the director of my local Mage League Outpost, Director Delaney. He knows how to get things done, and done right. (He also happens to be Victoire's dad, so I kinda have to like him. But that has nothing to do with it. At all.)

You'd better hope you stay in his good graces. What's your view on life? 
What does that even mean?
I don't know. Your motto, or life's purpose, or what is most important or something.
Who asked this question? I'd like clarification.
*shrugs* A philosopher? Question-askers' identities are classified, I'm afraid.
*sigh* Alright, well I guess my view on life's purpose is to do something meaningful with it. Save lives or make a scientific breakthrough or something. Don't waste the time you've got because there's that saying thingy . . .life is short. That answer the question?

I think so, but here's another philosophical question: What's your view on power?
Good in the hands of the good guys, bad in the hands of the bad guys.
That's sort of a no-brainer, isn't it? Maybe want to expand a bit? 
Well it should be given to people who will use it right.
May I say that you should be president? You're so profound.
Yeah. Very funny. I would try to come up with a comeback, but that's Victoire's thing and I don't want to be embarrassed any further. Can we move on?

Well I guess you're not going to come up with anything better, so sure. Here's one you'll like. What are your special abilities and talents?
I nearly broke the record for completing Cadet training to get into Apprentice training, so I'm a sort of prodigy when it comes to magic. My mentor says I'm going through my Apprenticeship at double-time, too! So yeah. There's that small thing. I get good grades, too, though that isn't as impressive.

And now on the opposite side of the spectrum, what are your strengths and weaknesses?
As I said I'm a talented magician. And I'm pretty good with people. Weaknesses? Ummm . . .
You've got to be able to think of something.
I stink at strategy games?
I think this means a serious weaknesses. Because I know what they are . . .whether you do is another question.
Well I only barely passed science and strategy. All those lost games of Risk didn't really fulfill the expectation of "practice makes perfect."

I guess that will have to do. I can't very well tell you (sorry people). Next one. Do you have a secret?
Well my piano playing was a secret. Now, obviously, it isn't, thanks to my author. *glares*
Any others?
No. I have this tendency of blurting things out that I've been thinking about too much. I reach my internal thought limit, you know? So anything I try to keep secret usually doesn't stay a secret for very long. My piano playing was the one thing I'd managed. Thanks for ruining that.

I'm not sorry. Anyway, that's the last of the submitted questions. However, I have a bonus question for you. *rubs hands together gleefully*
*nervous* Yeah?
Yeah. Here it is: what would you do with yourself if your Destiny changed?
But Destinies don't change. That's sort of the point.
Just say it did. What would you do?
I . . .I don't know. And it doesn't matter anyway, because Destinies don't change. No danger of that. *smirks* So is that it?

Yes, that's the end. I think your answer was sufficient for my purposes.
*gulps* I'll see you all later. I'm going to leave now before she thinks of something cruel.
I can do that whether you're around or not. But go ahead. I'm sure everyone got to know you pretty well.
Good. I'm sure it was the highlight of everyone's week! *grins* Bye!

He really meant that seriously, didn't he? I'm glad he's gone, I was reaching my Ace limit. His arrogance is so irritating. I like him so much better at the end of the book. *sigh* He's a good person, under the over-confidence and the bigotry. He's got a long way to go . . .
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed that. I know Ace did. *rolls eyes* Anyone else have irritating characters?