I am tentatively prepared to declare Jeffrey Overstreet, author of Auralia’s Colors and its sequels, the best Christian fantasist working today (Walter Wangerin is doing other things). Possibly even better than me (!). What are the things that irritate me about contemporary fantasy generally, and Christian fantasy in particular? First of all, contemporary fantasists tend to use words badly. They strive for the same effects as Tolkien or Lewis, but lack the rich erudition of those scholars. Their prose is stilted and artificial, their word choices poor. Overstreet does not suffer from this problem. He uses words deftly, as Rembrandt used brushes and paint. Every description is vivid, every image apt. It’s a delight to read his prose. I was reminded of Tolkien’s use of Old English names to evoke unconscious meanings in the reader. Overstreet doesn’t use that technique, but the whimsical names he gives to humans and beasts had a similar effect on me. Contemporary fantasists tend to be derivative. When you read their work, you can easily detect a) which favorite writers they are trying to ape, and b) their political and social beliefs and prejudices. Overstreet’s work is as original as a new baby. He goes
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