First, a disclaimer: I don’t make these questions up each week. I collaborate with Australasian Christian Writers on these questions, and we finalised the 2022 questions in December 2021. So the fact I’m posting this just as Russian invades the Ukraine is pure coincidence.
I definitely enjoy novels with military characters. I can think of several series I’ve enjoyed:
- Don Brown’s series about US Navy lawyers – I enjoyed the TV show, JAG, and this series was a Christian equivalent.
- Dee Henderson’s True series, set against the backdrop of 9/11 and the war in the Middle East.
- Sarah Sundin’s Sunrise at Normandy series, which shows the story of the Prodigal Son from different points of view.
But those are the characters. What about the themes?
Novels with military characters and themes tend to show the best of the military (unlike, say, novels about law enforcement officers. Too many novels show police officers are corrupt, stupid, or both).
Military fiction, especially Christian ones, tend to show the characters as strong and noble, people who are prepared to sacrifice and put others before themselves.
Perhaps it comes back to John 15:13: stories with military themes remind us that the greatest love is to lay down our lives for our friends.
In that respect, novels with military themes reflect Christian values. Perhaps that’s why I like military fiction—it shows humanity at our best, not our worst.
