The best books that will dazzle you with their science and allegorical magic—and stoke the science/religion debate

The novella that gave birth to science fiction and introduced the world (and a very young me) to the magical concept of time travel. After hosting a dinner party, and via his “time machine” (a term coined by the author), the Time Traveller embarks on a journey to the year 802,701 when our Earth has evolved into a lush paradise seemingly void of industry. Humans have become fragile, docile, and childlike (the Eloi), lacking curiosity about their world or the discipline to maintain it or build upon it. They fear the night, but remain silent about their reason. The Time Traveller finally discovers the truth about their fears as fearsome subterranean creatures (the Morlocks) capture the Time Machine and set a trap to ensnare the Traveller. How did humanity evolve into such beings, he wonders, and will he ever be able to return home to tell his fantastic tale? Wells used this classic as a commentary on wealth and poverty, science and industry, and the future of humanity, and his views are just as relevant, poignant, and haunting today as they were in his day—the hallmark of any classic.

The Christmas ghost story that popularized the expressions “Merry Christmas!” and “Bah! Humbug!", inspired festive family gatherings around a Christmas tree and holiday food & drink, and landed Scrooge in the Oxford Dictionary as a synonym for Miser (go ahead, look it up). “Squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!” Ebenezer Scrooge must endure three hauntings from three distinctly different ghosts on Christmas Eve—and change his miserly ways—if he wants to escape a hellish afterlife that his former business partner, Jacob Marley, has been condemned to. Written in part as a commentary on child poverty of the time, with main themes of redemption and benevolence, and religious hints of angels, demons, condemnation and the afterlife, the novella remains a must-read gold standard of holiday stories to this day, and will certainly fill you with the magic of Christmas. (If you can find a copy with the original John Leech illustrations—even better).

The first book of the religious allegorical series The Chronicles of Narnia. For their safety, four English children are evacuated to a country house during WWII. Via the portal of a magic wardrobe, Lucy and her three siblings enter Narnia, a magical world filled with mythical creatures and talking animals. Here, the siblings first learn of, then attempt to fulfill, a prophecy about the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve to save, with the help of Aslan the lion, the kingdom from the White Witch Jadis, who keeps Narnia in the grips of winter. The allegorical highlight of the book is Aslan’s story as it is clearly symbolic of Christ’s crucifixion, as he sacrifices himself—then rises from the dead—to battle the evil Witch. A classic tale that combines science and religion that avoids the pitfalls of preaching.

The first book of the epic fantasy trilogy that created the modern fantasy genre, and my favorite of the three as it establishes the myths and legends from which the trilogy springs. Via the magical Rings of Power and his army of Orcs, the Dark Lord Sauron embarks on a campaign to conquer all of ancient Middle-earth. But the ring that controls them all—the lost One Ring—is by happenstance in the possession of the Hobbit Frodo Baggins. With the help of the wizard Gandalf, Leolas the Elf, the dwarf Gimli, and others of the Fellowship, Frodo embarks on a perilous journey through dark and dazzling magical kingdoms rife with danger and mythical creatures where he must ultimately destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. With the main themes of death and immortality, and its cast of devilish and angelic creatures, The Fellowship is a masterwork of Christian allegory.

Pullman’s imaginative, controversial, and award-winning best-selling novel introduced an international audience to the concept of parallel universes. Set in a parallel universe of its own, the story revolves around the tomboyish main character Lyra and her companion daemon (a creature that reflects her spirit) who are swept up in a nefarious plot by her mysterious and brilliant uncle Asrial involving an elementary particle (“Dust”), and by the oppressive ruling Church leaders to separate children from their daemons to eliminate Dust, which they consider the elements of original sin. During her battle to thwart the plot, Lyra encounters all sorts of magical creatures—including English-speaking armored bears—while obtaining a golden compass that can answer any question, which she uses deftly to avoid danger and to solve many great mysteries. Lyra eventually discovers the truth about Dust (which she considers a magical gift), her uncle, and his attempt to destroy Dust, and she follows him to the North Pole and into another parallel world to stop him.  I was intrigued by Pullman’s attempt at combining science and religion in a sci-fi novel from a “non-believer’s” point of view—a task always fraught with danger, but he succeeds without being offensive or preachy.