Two recommended series of novels:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. Susan Howatch's Church of England novels: Susan Howatch started as a writer of sprawling family sagas but underwent a religious conversion and began writing a sprawling (9 books) multi-family saga about the Church of England in the 20th century.

In the first book, Glittering Images, it's 1937, and the Archbishop of Canterbury sends a priest named Charles Ashworth to the (fictional) city of Starbridge to investigate rumors that the bishop there is having an affair with his wife's paid companion. As we get a lot of "is he or isn't he?" clues, Charles finds himself in love with the companion. The situation becomes increasingly messy and triggers a severe spiritual and emotional crisis, for which Charles receives spiritual direction from a monk named Jon Darrow. Darrow traces the crisis to unresolved issues from Charles' earlier life.

In the second book, Glamorous Powers, Jon Darrow has problems of his own. He is psychically sensitive, which is part of what makes him such a good spiritual director, and he receives an intense vision that prompts him to leave the monastery. His whole life changes in every possible way, but he becomes tempted to use his psychic abilities for mere show and finds himself out of control.

As you can see from the summaries of these first two books, there are no saints in Susan Howatch's world. Every major character has strengths that allow them to help other characters, and every major character has serious, dangerous flaws. Each book follows a pattern: Major character thinks life is just fine, major character gets into a huge mess, major character is straightened out by another major character. But within that pattern, Howatch, who has a talent for drawing the reader in, keeps you interested in the situations as well as the theological and psychological discussions. At times, you can definitely see the pop novelist in her shining through.

The rest of the "first generation" books are Ultimate Prizes, Scandalous Risks, Mystical Paths, and Absolute Truths. The "second generation" books, which take place mostly in London, are The Wonder Worker, The High Flyer, and The Heartbreaker.

2.Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins mysteries: This series takes place in the Welsh Border Country near Hereford, England, and I read the first in the series, The Wine of Angels, before taking a group tour with members of my church to the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford. Merrily is a young Anglican priest, widowed with a teenage daughter. She is assigned to a village church outside of Hereford and all seems routine and quiet until some mysterious deaths occur in connection with an ancient rite surrounding the making of apple cider (a famous local product) and a proposal to put on a historical play about a local witch trial. Meanwhile, she meets a mysterious old woman and traumatized former rock star. By the end of the book, Merrily is the diocesan exorcist.

These are not really fantasy novels. Merrily has psychic abilities in the form of a strong sensitivity to "vibes." But most of the cases have mostly rational explanations.

I especially enjoy these novels because they take place in areas that I visited, but they have interesting plots and recurring characters. The conflicts between Merrily and her difficult daughter Jane, who dabbles in atheism, paganism, and anything but Christianity, are well portrayed, and it's clear that whatever their difference, they care for each other a great deal.

Both these series are somewhat well known among Episcopalians in the U.S., but I thought people from other denominations might enjoy them, too.