I finished Obsidian Butterfly — not sure what number that is in the Anita Blake series, they all seem to blend together. I have been borrowing the book from a friend since before the move, but I finally had time to read it. I still can’t decide if I like the Anita series or not (I do know I like the secondary characters much more than the main one). This time, religion seemed to be a big aspect of Anita’s rant in this book — well, religion and her self-chosen celibacy. Anyway, the bad guy may be an Aztec god, so of course every time someone said “bad guy” and “Aztec god” in the same sentence, Anita had to say something along the lines of how she’s monotheistic, and it could be a god with a small G, but not god with the big G. I’m surprised at how gung-ho she is about it all, I’d expect someone whose seen and done everything she’s seen and done to be more open-minded.

When discussing this with the person who let me borrow the book, he pointed out that religion is a conflict. I said, “Sure, but does it always have to be religion? I’ve been reading about people conflicting with their religion in one way or another since middle school. Isn’t there other major conflicts?” His answer was basically “No, not in today’s society.” Maybe I’m just weird because I don’t have religious conflicts about whether my beliefs are the right ones or not. They either are or their not. I think religion is much more a personal choice, but that’s neither here nor there.

I began thinking about my own stories. What are the conflicts my stories contain? I, of course, thought of “Morgan” since I’m working on that one right now. I listed a few: morality, love, and responsibility. You know, the big ones. But religion wasn’t there. While I had debated another story, if I decide to make “Morgan” into a series, that may touch on the subject, it wasn’t something I generally wrote about. My characters have had existential crisis, but that’s about the closest I’ve come.

So, now I’m wondering, am I missing something? Are my books lacking if religion is so important? Is religion that important to build a complex character?

11:36 pm | Category: Books, Writing | |

2 Responses to “Obsidian Butterfly” 

ID: 63 June 27th, 2007 at 11:55 am Eliza says: Is religion important in a complex character? I tend to think no, but then again I’m an atheist. There are plenty of other things a character can be conflicted about–especially in a sci-fi or fantasy world where you, the author, make the rules.

ID: 64 June 27th, 2007 at 3:00 pm Allison says: I think it’s important to keep in mind where one’s characters are coming from, and if religion has played a major part in their lives, then certainly their own viewpoints would shape who they are. As for whether or not it should always be a theme in your stories: no. Your stories should feature the themes that are important to…well…the story. It doesn’t always have to involve religion. If that’s not a theme you choose to deal with, then you shouldn’t feel pushed into it. And, no offense to your friend or anything, but hasn’t he ever read a newspaper? There’s a hell of a lot more going on in the world besides just religious beliefs. I side with you on that. It’s a personal, private choice, and not really anyone’s business.

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