The Edge of Over There

The Edge of Over There by Shawn Smucker is categorized as Christian fiction. I'm not sure I agree with that. It is well written and I did enjoy the story and wanted to know what happened to the characters, but there were no clearly defined religious thoughts. It was just vaguely spiritual. Sort of.

The story reminded me a great deal of some of C.S. Lewis's writings...the more "imaginative" ones. I found it rather dark and confusing. Much of the time I really wasn't sure who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. There was no mention of God or Jesus, just angels who didn't really like to be called angels.

The Tree of Life played a prominent roll, but it we find that it wasn't the only one. There have been many throughout time and they apparently don't live forever. They can be killed with a certain sword and are by those I'm assuming are the "good" guys. It's apparently not a good thing for a Tree of Life to exist?

There is talk of some of the "angels" falling, souls passing to "Over There," but that's where anything close to Christianity ends. In the story there are 7 gateways around the world for souls to pass through to "Over There," but living people can sometimes pass through and exist in a strange sort of limbo known as "The Edge of Over There." Supernatural beings can and do die. The shining city of "Over There" is just one such place in the universe and reality apparently exists in many dimensions.

I guess, for me, the bottom line is that it was an enjoyable fantasy, but not as a Christian work.