I first stumbled across one of Kathy Tyers’ books while shelving books at the library. The title Firebird and rather outer space themed cover made me stop to look at the book more carefully. After all, according to its call number it belonged in the Inspirational Fiction section, and it had been published by Bethany House*, but it sure looked like a book that belonged over in the science fiction. I had, naturally, read George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien, so the idea of Christian themed fantasy wasn’t completely foreign. But all the modern science fiction and fantasy I’d read up until that point had been secular, and the idea of contemporary Christian science fiction – really good contemporary Christian science fiction – was new. Then I read Firebird.
It radically changed my thinking on writing, fantasy, Christianity, and the combination of all three. It had violence and sin portrayed alongside the story of salvation, but there was never a point I found it gratuitous. Conversely, there was never a moment that I found the Christian elements obnoxious and preachy. The Firebird books remain the only science fiction books I would compare with C.S. Lewis’ space trilogy. Instead of superimposing the Biblical salvation story on an alien world and culture, Mrs. Tyers followed the idea that if there are other worlds, God, while remaining the God of the Bible, would reveal himself differently there than He did in our world.
Setting aside the issue of fantasy and faith, Firebird also demonstrated that it was possible to have a strong heroine who could fly spaceship and pack a gun without coming across masculine. I have come to consider her heroines, along with her brilliant tendency to use music to plot the structure of her books, as Mrs. Tyers signature. Whether or not her main character is a scientist, like in Shivering World, or a soldier, like in Firebird, all of her women are intrinsically feminine even as they assume the mantle of Self-Rescuing Princess.
Maybe that’s why Mrs. Tyers was invited to try her hand at expanding the character of the original self-rescuing princess, Leia Organa Solo. Her first Star Wars novel,Truce at Bakura, takes place almost directly after Return of the Jedi and featured the Big Three heavily as the newly victorious Rebellion learns that the Empire might not have been the worst thing in the galaxy after all. A particularly good subplot featured Leia coming to terms with the fact that Vader had been her father. In the movies, we get to see Luke wrestle with this, but it was nice to see Leia’s point of view. And her Jacen Solo centered Balance Point remains one of the bright spots in the New Jedi Order series.
Kathy Tyers main series, the Firebird quintet, recently came to an immensely satisfying conclusion in Daystar. Last year, Marcher Lord Press issued an annotated omnibus version of the three previously published Firebird books which was quickly followed by the last two unpublished volumes Wind and Shadow and Daystar. I have read very few series that concluded so well and look forward to the many rereads necessary to full catch all the little details which wove together so spectacularly at the end.
I will say that you need to be a science fiction fan to enjoy these books. While I wouldn’t categorize any of Mrs. Tyers books at hard science fiction, they are very close to falling into that category. But if you like science fiction, or even fantasy, I highly recommend these books. But be warned: you’ll get hooked.
* Firebird and its immediate sequel, Fusion Fire, were actually published by Bantam before they were reprinted by Bethany House.