Types of Catholic fiction?

Print anything with Printful



Catholic books have a general theme of belief in God, human frailty, and redemption. They cover various genres from science fiction to romance. Catholic detective novels aim to instill hope through faith while horror novels revolve around the struggle between good and evil. The Church encourages exploring themes like apocalypse and mythology. Catholic romance novels focus on family, marriage, morality, and lust with characters possessing a high level of faith.

While Catholic books are difficult to define and market, they all have a similar theme, focusing on a general belief in God, human frailty, and character redemption. Not all books in this group have themes based solely on the Catholic Church and religion, but they all reveal some aspect of the Church’s teachings. There are nearly as many genres of Catholic fiction as there are genres appearing in other forms of literature. Suggested reading lists can be found in a number of places, including websites, Catholic newspapers, and through this or his pastor. Catholic books can include categories from science fiction to horror and romance to mysteries.

The main goal of Catholic detective and mystery novels is to instill the ideas of hope with the help of faith to solve a problem. The mysteries of non-Catholic fiction exclude these elements and the characters try to solve the situation based solely on their own talents. Some novels feature a member of the clergy as the protagonist, while others do not. In any case, the main characters possess virtuous qualities which are in direct contrast to the sins committed by the authors.

One might consider science fiction a questionable category for Catholic readers due to the themes presented. The opposite is true and the Catholic Church encourages the faithful to explore themes such as the apocalypse, prophecy and mythology. These can include novels about future situations or some mythological place. A common theme suggests the struggles of the human race in dealing with the problems of science versus morality. One of the most prolific authors in this category is Gene Wolfe, who wrote the series “The Litany of the Long Sun”.

The horror category of Catholic fiction centers on supernatural beings such as vampires, people afflicted with some supernatural power or possession. Like other categories, the themes revolve around the character’s struggle between his evil nature and the inherent goodness of those who could be harmed. Situations are usually resolved through the character’s faith in Christ and God. Some authors in this category include Dean Koontz, Phil Rickman, and Krisi Keley.

Catholic fiction romance novels feature themes of family, marriage, morality, and lust. Some novels focus solely on traditional ideas of marriage and the roles husbands and wives play within that relationship. The characters answer questions about choosing the right mate or controlling inappropriate desires. The main theme of this category is that all characters possess a high level of faith in solving problems related to sin.




Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN


Skip to content