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Faith & Fandom: Finding God In Sci-Fi, Superheroes, & Video Games
Faith & Fandom is a collection of 22 essays that show the intersection of pop culture and faith. From Sci-fi, gaming, thrilling heroics, and more. The book aims to offer fresh perspective, hope, and entertainment. Whether you are a geek curious believer, or a faith curious fanboy, there is something for you here.
- GenresNonfiction
90 pages, Paperback
First published January 13, 2014
About the author
Hector Miray
37 books9 followersHector Miray is the author of the Faith & Fandom series as well as several other books. He is a former camp director, college minister, & youth pastor. He currently pastors in North Carolina and tours comic cons with his books. He loves a good story, hopes he is living one, and wants to help others do the same. He is a former screenwriter for Clevver Movies/Screen Junkies.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 6, 2018
My supply of e-books was partially replenished when Hector Miray--that's Reverend Hector Miray--announced to a closed group of people in what is being called "Geek Ministry" that for one week ends tomorrow he was giving away his full five-book set of Faith & Fandom books. It took me a couple tries to figure out how to get them (and sorry, that was tomorrow a week ago) and I started reading.
It is billed as a collection of essays, and having published a couple of those myself I am aware that they are inherently uneven. These read like web log posts, or possibly sermonettes, each based on another aspect of geek interests beginning with comic book characters, moving through science fiction and Doctor Who, and ending in video games.
I'm not quite the right audience for him. Oh, it's not that I'm not a geek--it's that I'm a generation ahead (behind?). I stopped reading comics before he started buying them. I am well acquainted with the first eight doctors, but his connection begins with, I think, the ninth, where my knowledge becomes spotty at best. The first video game console he wanted as a kid was the first one I bought for my kids, the first one in which I invested very little time or interest. The overlap between is proves to be rather minimal. I'm kind of used to that--I'm the geek that doesn't follow what all the current geeks follow, and this was illustrative of that.
On the other hand, a lot of it was very good even without the requisite knowledgebase. The chapter that stood out in my mind, that I thought the best when I read it and continued to think the best when I'd finished reading all, was the one on Shepherd Book (I read the Serenity novelization, then saw the end of the movie once, then saw the movie, then saw the Firefly series, which I know is really a backward way to do it, but I enjoyed them all and might just watch the movie again now that it's on Netflix). There are a lot of good pieces in the book, and it was worth reading. On the other hand, I was out of my area quite a bit, wishing I had some clue what he was referencing.
I suspect a lot of people who follow me ought to be following him as well. He knows his stuff, and he presents it well.
It's good enough that I'm not hesitating to continue with the second volume, The Obligatory Sequel.
It is billed as a collection of essays, and having published a couple of those myself I am aware that they are inherently uneven. These read like web log posts, or possibly sermonettes, each based on another aspect of geek interests beginning with comic book characters, moving through science fiction and Doctor Who, and ending in video games.
I'm not quite the right audience for him. Oh, it's not that I'm not a geek--it's that I'm a generation ahead (behind?). I stopped reading comics before he started buying them. I am well acquainted with the first eight doctors, but his connection begins with, I think, the ninth, where my knowledge becomes spotty at best. The first video game console he wanted as a kid was the first one I bought for my kids, the first one in which I invested very little time or interest. The overlap between is proves to be rather minimal. I'm kind of used to that--I'm the geek that doesn't follow what all the current geeks follow, and this was illustrative of that.
On the other hand, a lot of it was very good even without the requisite knowledgebase. The chapter that stood out in my mind, that I thought the best when I read it and continued to think the best when I'd finished reading all, was the one on Shepherd Book (I read the Serenity novelization, then saw the end of the movie once, then saw the movie, then saw the Firefly series, which I know is really a backward way to do it, but I enjoyed them all and might just watch the movie again now that it's on Netflix). There are a lot of good pieces in the book, and it was worth reading. On the other hand, I was out of my area quite a bit, wishing I had some clue what he was referencing.
I suspect a lot of people who follow me ought to be following him as well. He knows his stuff, and he presents it well.
It's good enough that I'm not hesitating to continue with the second volume, The Obligatory Sequel.
May 24, 2015
The content of this book deserves 5 stars, but I had to give it 4 because of the number of typos and punctuation and formatting errors. Not enough to make the book hard to read, but definitely enough for a wanna-be editor like myself to notice. But those are issues that could easily be fixed for a second edition.
The content of the book is excellent. The author draws parallels between modern sci-fi stories and Biblical truths - not to point to fantasy as equal to the Bible, but to make the point that the truths in the Bible can be found in every part of life, including fantasy fiction.
Sometimes there is a strong dividing line between Christianity and the realm of sci-fi and fantasy entertainment, as if the two cannot coexist. This book illustrates how Biblical truths and moral lessons abound in fantasy fiction, and that the influence of fandom on one's life is ultimately determined by where one places one's faith and worship.
Whether you are a religious person, a geek, or both, I encourage you to read this thought-provoking book!
The content of the book is excellent. The author draws parallels between modern sci-fi stories and Biblical truths - not to point to fantasy as equal to the Bible, but to make the point that the truths in the Bible can be found in every part of life, including fantasy fiction.
Sometimes there is a strong dividing line between Christianity and the realm of sci-fi and fantasy entertainment, as if the two cannot coexist. This book illustrates how Biblical truths and moral lessons abound in fantasy fiction, and that the influence of fandom on one's life is ultimately determined by where one places one's faith and worship.
Whether you are a religious person, a geek, or both, I encourage you to read this thought-provoking book!
December 4, 2017
I'll get the negative or of the way first: this book should have made a few more passes through the hands and eyes of an editor our two. there were more typos, missing words and lost punctuation for me to be charitable toward.
That said, this is one of the better "Geek Devotionals" out there today, in terms of thoughtfulness and content. Often, a writer will compile a devotional and stretch the metaphor a little too far in order to make the point that this superhero should remind us of Jesus and so on. this one takes the analogies and comparisons and let's them breathe. The author can, and often does, take bad examples and used them to teach valuable lessons. I would never have thought to use the video game "Grand Theft Auto" in a devotional, but he does, and finds something redeeming in it to use to teach Christians. That takes some guts, to be sure, but also some very sensitive discernment. I am losing up my reader with volume 2 when I finish this review. I believe this one's a keeper. Bad spelling, layout, punctuation and all.
That said, this is one of the better "Geek Devotionals" out there today, in terms of thoughtfulness and content. Often, a writer will compile a devotional and stretch the metaphor a little too far in order to make the point that this superhero should remind us of Jesus and so on. this one takes the analogies and comparisons and let's them breathe. The author can, and often does, take bad examples and used them to teach valuable lessons. I would never have thought to use the video game "Grand Theft Auto" in a devotional, but he does, and finds something redeeming in it to use to teach Christians. That takes some guts, to be sure, but also some very sensitive discernment. I am losing up my reader with volume 2 when I finish this review. I believe this one's a keeper. Bad spelling, layout, punctuation and all.
September 4, 2017
This book interested me as it deals with faith and I was interested in what he would think in two of the three areas. The author being from southeastern North Carolina was the tipping point as I also like supporting local (or once local) authors.
I enjoyed the sections on science fiction and superheroes the most; I don't play video games, but could understand the basic points. The author made interesting points and gave me much to reflect on.
The only down side is that the book needed better editing. It sounded as though he were talking to young people (his intended audience), but a good editor could have smoothed out some of the choppiness and made sure that ampersands were turned into "and" in the text.
I'll continue reading the series of four books.
I enjoyed the sections on science fiction and superheroes the most; I don't play video games, but could understand the basic points. The author made interesting points and gave me much to reflect on.
The only down side is that the book needed better editing. It sounded as though he were talking to young people (his intended audience), but a good editor could have smoothed out some of the choppiness and made sure that ampersands were turned into "and" in the text.
I'll continue reading the series of four books.
April 17, 2024
Really great set of geek-oriented devotionals. Elephant in the room: there is zero editing of this book. Misspellings, grammatical errors, missing words, all kinds of font issues, the list goes on and on and on. If that kind of thing bothers you then you *have* to know that going into reading this book. That being said, the actual messages are fantastic. I'm going to definitely keep reading this series, and I pray in Jesus' name that a copy-editor got wind of this series and was willing to help.
January 18, 2021
I felt like I had been searching for 38 years for this very book. A couple chapters really hit home but all were relevant. As indicated, this was intended to be a religious tract circulating at comic conventions but was about as dead on in wisdom as one could possibly hope to find. Miray also does a fantastic job of making Christ the focal point of each chapter and using various pop culture references to demonstrate the Gospel at work.
January 22, 2019
Really enjoyed reading this . . . although I could have likely read it all in one sitting I chose to read a chapter a day as part of my daily readings. Hector made even the fandoms I had only heard of but knew nothing about relevant and easy to relate to. Great job!! I can't wait to start the next books in the series.
October 29, 2018
Overall, this was an enjoyable look at how we can see faith in a number of pieces of pop-culture. It doesn't get extremely deep, but it does provide a brief reflection on a lot of different aspects of "geek culture."
March 9, 2020
As echoed by many here, 5 star material, but severe grammatical issues.
Great insights though! I’m a Christian and I hope to use some of these analogies to reach my fellow gamers/nerds with the Good News of Jesus.
Great insights though! I’m a Christian and I hope to use some of these analogies to reach my fellow gamers/nerds with the Good News of Jesus.
September 18, 2017
Great ideas. Needs an editor.
Really wonderful analogies. I stuck with it even through the gaming chapters, which isn't my thing. Desperately needed to be proofread and edited.
Really wonderful analogies. I stuck with it even through the gaming chapters, which isn't my thing. Desperately needed to be proofread and edited.
May 8, 2018
So many metaphors. So many analogies. So many tangents.
Such a good read.
(also ... spoilers ... River is indeed the best Doctor character).
Such a good read.
(also ... spoilers ... River is indeed the best Doctor character).
February 5, 2020
Thought provoking and faith building
Great idea! To relate faith to modern culture really made me think. Looking forward to working through all of his books 😀
Great idea! To relate faith to modern culture really made me think. Looking forward to working through all of his books 😀
November 1, 2015
Pop Culture Spirituality
This book uses movies,television,comics and video games to bring Christian values to readers. My favorite example is the Mario Brothers games. As Mario is forever seeking Princess Peach we must seek out God daily.
This book uses movies,television,comics and video games to bring Christian values to readers. My favorite example is the Mario Brothers games. As Mario is forever seeking Princess Peach we must seek out God daily.
February 12, 2014
Good illustrations with Biblical foundations. A great devotional book that covers many aspects of life.
October 3, 2019
I love this book! The similarities between the Christian walk and my favorite sci-fi things/games/superheroes are really interesting.
May 21, 2015
Great book can't wait to pick up second one in June
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews