Fiction books about biblical times/characters that aren’t Christian lit
I’m thinking reimaginings, feminist retellings, fantasy, historical fiction etc but without any religious agenda. I haven’t found much, thanks in advance for any suggestions.
– **The Book of V** by Anna Solomon. A retelling of the story of Esther as cycled through different times in history.
– **Naamah** by Sarah Blake. Focuses on the wife of Noah and his infamous ark.
– **Comfort Me With Apples** by Catherynne Valente. This one is kind of cheating since it’s not from the Bible. But it’s such an absorbing modern-day parable that very obviously is based on Adam/Eve. It explores really interesting questions around forbidden knowledge and perfection, and society’s double standards for men and women. One of my favs.
The science fiction book [The Sparrow](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334176.The_Sparrow) is about the Catholic church launching a space expedition. I didn’t feel like it had a religious agenda, but I am an atheist and could feel large amounts of references and jokes fly straight over my head. My Catholic and ex-Christian friends liked this book a lot. The author was raised Catholic, then became an atheist, and later converted to Judaism. My Catholic friend says this book’s worldview is very Catholic, but not in a way that would entice people to convert. It’s very much about how we are all insignificant before God, and God can and will destroy you if it fits in with his larger plan.
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– **The Book of V** by Anna Solomon. A retelling of the story of Esther as cycled through different times in history.
– **Naamah** by Sarah Blake. Focuses on the wife of Noah and his infamous ark.
– **Comfort Me With Apples** by Catherynne Valente. This one is kind of cheating since it’s not from the Bible. But it’s such an absorbing modern-day parable that very obviously is based on Adam/Eve. It explores really interesting questions around forbidden knowledge and perfection, and society’s double standards for men and women. One of my favs.
The author Ted Chiang has written a few stories like this, but he only writes short fiction, not books. One of them is available free, legally: [Hell is the Absence of God](https://podcastle.org/2009/02/06/pc040-hell-is-the-absence-of-god-podcastle-giant/). You can find more in his collection [Stories of Your Life and Others](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others), which was later republished with the title “Arrival” around the time the movie Arrival came out.
The science fiction book [The Sparrow](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334176.The_Sparrow) is about the Catholic church launching a space expedition. I didn’t feel like it had a religious agenda, but I am an atheist and could feel large amounts of references and jokes fly straight over my head. My Catholic and ex-Christian friends liked this book a lot. The author was raised Catholic, then became an atheist, and later converted to Judaism. My Catholic friend says this book’s worldview is very Catholic, but not in a way that would entice people to convert. It’s very much about how we are all insignificant before God, and God can and will destroy you if it fits in with his larger plan.
There’s also [Good Omens](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12067.Good_Omens) by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, which was recently adapted into an amazon prime TV show. This is a comedy.