Consuming entertainment today is not like it used to be. If we are living in a post Christian society and pleasure is the name of the game, then entertainment is going to follow the trend. It is hard to find something without a "mature" rating these days. Folks want candy, and that is exactly what they are given.
The Science Fiction / Fantasy genre allows an exploration of concepts without the close association of times and people. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series, centered around the burden of The One Ring (or sin,) was a subtle yet clearly Catholic work of literature. Readers may not make the leap to Catholic thought-process in Tolkien's works, but they will clearly find the goodness in it. However, for those that read the Sci-fi / Fantasy genre today it has become littered with candy, most of which is pure junk and still others who have seen their sugar laced with an agenda.
Watching the Sci-Fi genre rot from the inside out I can understand M.R. Leonard's lack of subtlety in his book "Pilgrims." He is a man with a mission and his intentions are clear as the book is described as a "retelling of Augustine's Confessions" - Sci-fi style. And...... in a lot of ways it works. It is well written, it is gripping, and very easy to read. The message is spot on, and who knows -- with many people wondering who that "baby" is in the barn, in front of that church now-a-days, maybe a Catholic Sci-fi book is what folks need. I enjoyed it, probably for teen boys and up and a good beach read for those that need to keep an eye on the kids running down the beach.
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