I first heard about Karina Fabian and Robert Fabian a couple of years ago when they introduced
Infinite Space, Infinite
God, an anthology of Christian science fiction. I was intrigued by the concept of dealing with
religion and science in a positive way. But as life would have it, I never got around to getting a copy
of that book. It wasn't until a couple of months ago when Karina Fabian sent me a copy of Leaps of
Faith for review that I really got a chance to dig deep into what has become a new fiction genre.
And I can only thank Ms Fabian and Divine Providence for placing this book into my hands.
Like Infinite Space, Infinite God, Leaps of Faith was first an ebook. But the foresight
of The Writers Cafe Press saw that there was a need to print this book and widen the circulation of these
stories. Leaps of Faith contains fourteen stories by twelve authors—Greg Beatty and Karina
Fabian both have two each. The stories delve into different aspects of space exploration, time travel,
hard science, evangelism in space, robot rights, and contact with extraterrestrial lifeforms. Though much
of the work deals with Christian (and often Catholic) concepts, belief and general faith also drive many
of the stories.
Some of the stories are pure adventure. Others are deep, philosophical works that struggle with science
and belief. And, still others are humorous looks at our human selves. My favorite was "Relics of Venice" by
Leslie Brown. Many of you who know me will be surprised that I would pick one of the two romances of the lot,
however the author deals not only with relationships of all kinds but also a deep spiritual belief. The
other romantic tale was "The Convert" by Suzanne Marie Knight and examines how far Christianity can be
extended to alien species.
I also found "Moses Disposes" by Frank C. Gunderloy, Jr. to be a hoot as time travelers sought to
experience the moment that Moses received the Law on Mt. Sinai, only to find that some very unusual Bible
writers had been behind the scenes. And I thoroughly enjoyed Karina and Robert Fabian's "Leap of Faith"
about the newest member of the Order of Our Lady of the Rescue, a group of space-faring nuns who brave
the cold of space to save people stranded by accidents.
There are so many more great stories in this book. None of them were fluffy. They are all the kind of
science fiction that explores more than the latest gadget idea or witty plot. This is science
fiction that explores ethics and humanity, the stories that were the basis of early Star Trek and
Outer Limits television shows. Leaps of Faith gives readers not just a pleasant pastime,
but something to ponder and discuss long after the last page has been read. Very Well Done! And when is
the next anthology coming, hmmmm?