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Top Ten Catholic Fiction Books


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rhetoricfemme

I've only read two Catholic fiction books, both by Anne Rice.

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt
Christ the Lord: Road to Cana (in the middle of this one)

Has anyone else read these books? What do you think of them? I think they are beautifully written and wonderful. I've gotten so very little Catholic feedback on these books, and I would recommend them to anyone, religious or otherwise.

It makes me a little sad that when I recommend them to friends who I know enjoy old Anne Rice, I mostly seem to get responses about how, "She got all religious and stuff." It breaks my heart to hear people say this in a negative way, but I also know people who aren't Christians who want to read these books, and I can only pray that they could help to bring them closer to the Lord.

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AccountDeleted

Anne Rice's two about Jesus are good

also Michael D O'Brien has done some fantastic books
...
Father Elijah (about a Carmelite priest near the end times - loved it!)
A Cry of Stone
Strangers and Sojourners
Plague Journal
Eclipse of the Sun
Sophia House



and Louis de Wohl is a good read too
...
Set All Afire (about St francis Xavier)
The Quiet Light (about St Thomas Aquinas)
Lay Siege to Heaven (about St Catherine of Sienna)
The Restless Flame (about St Augustine)


and Robert Hugh Benson
...
Lord of the World (about the Anti-Christ)

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goldenchild17

Haven't read a lot but read all of Michael O'brien and he's really good. Read a lot of Louis de Wohl's stuff and its pretty good too. But my favorite right now that I'm reading is Poul Anderson's "High Crusade." It's definitely fictional, but based on a completely Catholic mindset in its characters. Very good.

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[quote name='rhetoricfemme' post='1545672' date='May 27 2008, 09:55 PM']Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt
Christ the Lord: Road to Cana (in the middle of this one)

Has anyone else read these books? What do you think of them? I think they are beautifully written and wonderful. I've gotten so very little Catholic feedback on these books, and I would recommend them to anyone, religious or otherwise.[/quote]
I'm also in the middle of the second book after reading the first one.

I love them. The second one is really good so far--the first book was good too, but a little too long and drawn out.

They actually help me feel closer to God by kinda putting me in Jesus' environment back then. I know it's fictional, but it makes you think about what Jesus' life might have been like and it's interesting to read Anne Rice's take on it. Have you noticed how she seems to be staying faithful to church teaching--explaining how Jesus' brothers weren't from Mary, etc? Pretty cool.

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CatherineM

The Exorcist might be someone's introduction to the faith. Kind of scary when you think about it.

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All of Bud Macfarlane's books:

House of Gold (FREE if you go here: [url="http://www.catholicity.com/novels/gold.html)"]http://www.catholicity.com/novels/gold.html)[/url]
Conceived without sin
Pierced by a Sword

The only problem is that they can be preachy a bit, and I think they are too much for non-Catholics. But they were good, I thought.

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rhetoricfemme

[quote name='dust (the ultra-handsome' post='1546202' date='May 28 2008, 09:41 AM']I'm also in the middle of the second book after reading the first one.

I love them. The second one is really good so far--the first book was good too, but a little too long and drawn out.

They actually help me feel closer to God by kinda putting me in Jesus' environment back then. I know it's fictional, but it makes you think about what Jesus' life might have been like and it's interesting to read Anne Rice's take on it. Have you noticed how she seems to be staying faithful to church teaching--explaining how Jesus' brothers weren't from Mary, etc? Pretty cool.[/quote]

I have noticed how she is staying faithful to church teaching.
I adore Anne Rice very much. I've been a reader to her for years, and have always felt that even the older work was a journey of faith. I'm so happy she's dedicated her life to Christ and she makes it very clear what her intentions are with her life and work.

She has said that she's also hoping to begin a new supernatural series that is completely Christian.

I definitely recommend checking out [url="http://www.youtube.com/AnneRiceDotCom"]her Youtube site[/url]. It's how she keeps in touch with fans, and she speaks very candidly about her faith and new works. In particular, she has a [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJfN05lY1TY"]message to her fans[/url] that is very endearing to hear.

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[quote name='prose' post='1546780' date='May 28 2008, 03:22 PM']All of Bud Macfarlane's books:

House of Gold (FREE if you go here: [url="http://www.catholicity.com/novels/gold.html%29"]http://www.catholicity.com/novels/gold.html)[/url]
Conceived without sin
Pierced by a Sword

The only problem is that they can be preachy a bit, and I think they are too much for non-Catholics. But they were good, I thought.[/quote]

I disagree. Pierced by a Sword was so dissatisfying I couldn't bring myself to even open the other two. The stereotypes bothered me. They were all donated to Goodwill.

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dustthouart

Erm, how do you delete a post? I accidentally posted this one twice. :unsure:

Edited by dustthouart
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dustthouart

[i]Brideshead Revisited.[/i] I'm surprised I'm the first one to say it! All the Catholic guys I know OBSESS over this book.
Also, how in the world did C. S. Lewis, not even a Catholic, get namechecked before my main man G. K. CHESTERTON? Dudes. Seriously.
All his Father Brown mysteries. [i]The Man Who Was Thursday[/i] is one of my favorite books of all time.
Also, Hilaire Belloc's [i]Matilda, Who Told Lies and Was Burnt to Death[/i]. ;)

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