The Book of Feasts & Seasons

by John C. Wright

THE BOOK OF FEASTS & SEASONS is a beautifully mind-bending stroll with a grandmaster of science fiction through the annual Catholic calendar. Over the course of the year, from January to December, the author takes his inspiration from ten different holidays and explores their meanings in a series of stories of marvelous imagination. The book begins with New Year's Day and "The Meaning of Life as Told Me by an Inebriated Science Fiction Writer in New Jersey." The Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin is represented by "A Random World of Delta Capricorni Aa, Called Scheddi", while "The Parliament of Beasts and Birds" is the story for the Feast of Pentecost. The calendar, and the anthology, culminate on Christmas Eve with "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus". John C. Wright is not only a deeply religious man, he is a devout Catholic philosopher who regards reason as an intrinsic aspect of his faith. THE BOOK OF FEASTS & SEASONS is an imaginative embodiment of that faith taking many different shapes and forms throughout the vast expanse of God's Creation.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Christmas, Science Fiction Fantasy, Christianity, Short Stories

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 29, 2014

About the author

John C. Wright (John Charles Justin Wright, born 1961) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy novels. A Nebula award finalist (for the fantasy novel Orphans of Chaos), he was called "this fledgling century's most important new SF talent" by Publishers Weekly (after publication of his debut novel, The Golden Age).

Reviews

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

John C. Wright's latest SF short story collection is called "The Book of Feasts & Seasons." Stories are arranged from the Liturgical Calendar starting with "The Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God." This provides a thematic presentation of the stories although many of the stories would only generally fit into specific feasts and seasons. All of them are SF stories and include time traveling, contacts with aliens, and even a ghost story. The first story "The Meaning of Life as Told Me by an Inebriated Science Fiction Writer in New Jersey" is really rather fun.

While I enjoyed all the stories, some of them were exceptionally good. Short stories are not my favorite medium, yet I found several stories I want to revisit later. Two of the stories I had read before. "The Ideal Machine" was one I read in volume 1 of the "Sci Phy Journal" not that long ago. Still I enjoyed it even more on the second time around as a unique alien visitation story that takes place in a parish with a priest and two military men. The other one I had read before was "Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus" which was posted on his blog. A very powerful story perfect for Christmas or really the Feast of St. Nicholas". A story that brought tears to my eyes again as did another story in the collection.

The rather unique ghost story "Pale Realms of Shade" was one of these and one that fit with the theme of the book. One of other themes of this book was marriage and sacrifice and surprisingly by the title "Queen of the Tyrant Lizards" fit in there. His explorations of the consequences of time travel as in his other short story collection are really fresh and unique as in this specific story. The one titled "Nativity" is another time travel story going into a territory explored before regarding going back into the time of Christ. In "Nativity" we a presented with a husband's grief over the death of his wife and his travel into the past seeking answers to his questions. The question of evil and whether anything ultimately matters. I hadn't found time traveling stories into the time of Christ very worthwhile in the past. Some were much better than others such as Brandon Sanderson's novella "Legion", but none of them really made contact with me; much less contact with the premise. "Nativiy" presented in the Advent section of the book is great Advent reading which contains both the wonder of good SF along with the wonder of Christ and was the other story that brought tears to my eyes.

As the theme of this collection suggests these are stories that have a philosophical and theological dimension. Yet this is not pious SF that sacrifices storytelling for piety. These are excellent stories that happen to have a deeper dimension. His description of crucifixion in "Nativiy" was especially vivid to me and strangely I would love a set of reflections on the Rosary from his hands. There was a realism in the movie "The Passion of the Christ" that I liked, yet some sentences in this story brought the horror of crucifixion fuller to my understanding, especially some very unglamorous aspects. Well done Mr. Wright.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories. Fantasy, SF, genre-blenders. Connected more or less loosely to holy days. Interesting ideas -- the stories are heavily philosophical.

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd already read several of these stories online, exactly where escapes me but probably on the author's blog. However, seeing how many pieces from this collection were nominated for Hugos made me finally pick up the book.

Stories range from noir style mystery to dinosaurs to time travel to mad scientists in the best tradition of solid science fiction. Wright also weaves in Christian themes, often specifically Catholic ones, which is only to be expected since the book's description points out that the author is following the Catholic liturgical calendar.

What is a mystery is how Wright manages write stories so centered in science fiction while also staying so centered in Catholicism. In a sense these could be compared to the Narnia books or C.S. Lewis's space trilogy. Except, of course, they are so obviously the creation of John C. Wright that they are entirely new and fresh.

As in any collection I liked some more than others but all are good. My absolute favorite is Nativity which caught me by surprise and left me off balance. Wright so absolutely captured the mystery, the uncertainty, the doubt, and gift of faith in that story. I felt the reality of the Passion and crucifixion, I felt the wonder and freshness of the nativity, I felt the marvel of Creation. I was in tears at the end and thankful for the goodness of God.

I do wonder whether non-Christians can enjoy these stories but obviously the answer is yes since so many of them were nominated for the Hugos by science fiction fans.

[Vladimir Ivanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Брался за этот сборник с большой осторожностью — христианская тематика все-таки не совсем мое, но с точкой зрения фантаста-католика интересно ознакомиться.

Вот и ознакомился...

Ну что, сначала о хорошем.

«Сумеречные царства теней» и «Парламент зверей и птиц» прям вот отличные. Недаром оба номинировались на Хьюго. «Царства» рассказывает про скитания неупокоенного духа частного сыщика из 1950-ых, который после своей гибели остался прикован к плотскому миру и всеми силами пытается его покинуть, но не может, и никак не понимает почему не может. Очень интересно, психологично, напряженно, с неожиданной развязкой.

«Парламент» скорее можно описать как библейскую притчу про то, как звери после исхода людей делят между собой земные царства, решают, кому из них быть царем царей, как жить, каким богам поклоняться, и т.д. Мысль, что ангелы смотрят на людей примерно как люди на собак — с любовью, но отчетливо сверху вниз — показалась интересной, хотя и чрезмерно вольнодумной для христианского канона.

В общем, эти два рассказа очень понравились, смело рекомендую всем интересующимся.

А теперь о плохом. Весь остальной сборник очень плох. Неожиданно плох, я бы сказал. Это как прийти в гости к эксцентричному, но очень умному дедушке, в расчете на интересную беседу — а вместо беседы из деда начинает изливаться поток бессвязного брюзжания и жалоб, что земля просела, леваки и черномазые повсюду, не дают честному человеку жить, а скоро вообще один сплошной цифровой концлагерь настанет, арабы (или китайцы, или негры, но чаще почему-то именно китайцы) обратят нас всех в рабство, выдадут нам цифровые паспорта, снесут наши церкви, а нас самих замучают ужасными пытками, а наших женщин изнасилуют прямо на чорных алтарях сатаны, и в школе нынче уже толком ничему не учат, и работать никто не желает, повсюду одни чортовы атеисты и наркоманы и прочие унтерменши, и еще геи целуются прямо на улицах, потеряли страх перед господом нашим Иисусом, ааааааа вот в наше время...

Короче, старческая альт-райт (альт-Райт, хе хе) шиза самого нездорового пошиба, которую нам подсовывают под видом литературы. В очередной раз убедился, что позднего Райта можно читать только очень выборочно, возраст не щадит даже самых умных и талантливых.

Но два вышепомянутых рассказа все же хороши, поэтому оценку сборнику ставлю не 4/10 по медиане, а 7/10, по верхней планке.

[Daniel Bensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a series of short stories based on the important dates of the Catholic Liturgical Year. The one that stands out is "Pale Realms of Shade," the Easter Sunday story, about a ghost of a detective who is forced to see through himself. The whole thing is on Kindle Unlimited, and I'd say it's worth checking out for that story alone.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a few books by John C. Wright on my kindle, and several that look great. I had just not got around to reading anything by him, except 2 contributions to anthologies. He has come highly recommended by a number of authors I greatly appreciate: Finn, Paolinelli, LaPoint, … And he has appeared as a characters in books by more than one author I know. It is my loss that I have not started reading them his works earlier. This collection was an amazing read. I could hardly put it down, and stayed up way, way too late to finish it. I just could not put it down.

The description of this volume is:

“The Book of Feasts & Seasons is a beautifully mind-bending stroll with a grandmaster of science fiction through the annual Catholic calendar. Over the course of the year, from January to December, the author takes his inspiration from 10 different holidays and explores their meanings in a series of stories of marvelous imagination. The book begins with New Year's Day and "The Meaning of Life as Told Me by an Inebriated Science Fiction Writer in New Jersey".

The Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin is represented by "A Random World of Delta Capricorni Aa, Called Scheddi", while "The Parliament of Beasts and Birds" is the story for the Feast of Pentecost. The calendar and the anthology culminate on Christmas Eve with "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus".

John C. Wright is not only a deeply religious man, he is also a devout Catholic philosopher who regards reason as an intrinsic aspect of his faith. The Book of Feasts & Seasons is an imaginative embodiment of that faith, taking many different shapes and forms throughout the vast expanse of God's creation.

Grab it now!”

The stories in this collection are:

Dedication
New Year's Day: The Meaning of Life as Told Me by an Inebriated Science Fiction Writer in New Jersey
Epiphany: Queen of the Tyrant Lizards
Annunciation: A Random World of Delta Capricorni Aa, called Scheddi
Good Friday: Sheathed Paw of the Lion
Easter Sunday: Pale Realms of Shade
Ascension: The Ideal Machine
Pentecost: The Parliament of Beasts and Birds
Halloween: Eve of All Saints' Day
Advent: Nativity
Christmas Eve: Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

These stories took me completely by surprise. From the first to the last there is not a weak story in the collection. And as I was reading three different times I said to myself, just one more story then to bed. But I did not hit the pillow until the collection was finished.

The stories in this collection span a wide range of genres and styles. And it appears Wright is a master of them all. From the power of the Ideal Machine, to time travel, to an encounter with Nicholas of Myrna this collection has it all.

I normally love anthologies because they introduce me to new authors. Then there are anthologies like this were all the stories are from one contributor. In this case they introduce me to a number of genres John C. Wright writes in, and it makes it hard to choose what of his to read next. I believe there are just shy of 50 volumes available from Wright’s masterful pen, including a few marked as ‘forthcoming’. Even if I were to read one a week it would take me almost a year to get through his canon.

The only hard decision I have is what to read next? This is an excellent collection of stories, I can easily recommend it!

This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!

[A.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for the 2015 Hugos

The Parliament of Beasts and Birds

I'm not sure what I thought of this one. I have a good religious (but not Catholic) background, so the biblical language wasn't an issue. I think Wright went overboard with the language a few times, but that's understandable. I think I just missed the point of the story and how it really ties to the Catholic Feasts (as the stories in this book apparently do). I suspect that someone with a better Catholic understanding would have appreciated it more than I did. Instead, it came across as a weird, religious version of Animal Farm. - 3 stars


Pale Realms of Shade

Finally something from John C. Wright that I actually liked. It's the story of a ghost who is stuck and can't move on for some reason. He's not trying to figure out who killed him (he knows that even if he doesn't say until the middle of the story). He's trying to figure out how to move on and go to Heaven. The story starts out feeling like a knock-off of The Dresden Files. Imagine Harry Dresden as a somewhat Catholic ghost. The ending is much more religiously-based than you might expect from Dresden, though. On the other hand, this was written for a book about Catholic holidays, so the connection to Easter isn't really out of left field. - 4 stars

[Joanne G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read only the novella, "Pale Realms of Shade," and the short story, "The Parliament of Beasts and Birds," as part of reading for the Hugo awards.

4/5 stars for "Pale Realms of Shade"
I don't know what I expected from a book that promises to take the reader through the Catholic calendar, but it wasn't a supernatural monster-killing, hard-boiled detective of yesteryear struggling in the afterlife with feelings of anger, hatred, and revenge toward his partner who betrayed him and his wife who killed him. This paranormal fiction deals with universal truths of human nature.

3/5 stars for "The Parliament of Beasts and Birds"
Domesticated animals faithful to Man are invited to the Feast.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read "Pale Realms of Shade" and a couple of the other stories to give me context as part of my Hugo reading. Another stylized noir short story in a collection that features SF/Fantasy parables reflecting points on the Catholic liturgical calendar. As usual, I enjoyed Wright's quality of writing. I have read many pieces of overtly Christian writing in my lifetime and have not been comfortable with the majority of them as a non-Christian. This just wasn't the sort of anthology that I could connect with on a personal level, but I imagine that Christians, and Catholics in particular, might find these stories very resonant.

[Morgon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read, several excellent short stories, but it became a 5 star after the last two ("Nativity" and "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus") made me weep while reading them. I hardly ever cry while reading a book, and as one may notice, I don't often leave text reviews, but this one was worth noting. A lovely blend of Catholicism and sci-fi.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing collection of short stories and novellas that follow the seasons of the Christian calendar. All very good, some very moving (seriously, you'll get something in your eye reading, "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus"). Not preachy, but solidly fitted into the worldview of the Christian faith. Well done.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true feast

JCW packs a punch in his short stories. I would even say he is a better writer than CS Lewis. He writes from a Catholic perspective, which may not appeal to all. Despite deep philosophical differences, I find his SF robust, his fantasy moving, and his writing eminently enjoyable.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant set of short stories; especially for the Christmas season.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the novella "Pale Realms of Shade" and the short story "The Parliament of Beasts and Birds" from this book as a part of my 2015 Hugo reading.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for The Parliament of Beasts and Birds. Interesting fable based on Judeo-Christian mythology. Those animals have a long memory.

[Stephanie]

Read as part of the 2015 Hugo packet (novella, "Pale Realms of Shade". DNF.