Ahira's Hangar

Tonight I started reading a genre bending book called The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. It is detective noir set on an alternate Earth where part of the Alaskan pan-handle was set aside for Jewish refugees following WW2 and the fall of Israel in that world's 1948. So millions of Jewish people end up living in Sitka, where the novel is set.

Made me start to wonder why Jewish cultures and religion are not more often used in science fiction and fantasy, given their historical importance and cultural richness in our world?

There is Mary Doria Russell in her wonderful science fiction novels. There is good solid fantasy set in an alternate Earth by Jackie Carey. I read a fairly mediocre science fiction trilogy with Jewish characters, whose author I cannot even remember now, through I think it was called The Firebird Trilogy. And there are important Jewish characters in Robert Silverberg's Roma Eterna and in David Gemmell's wonderful Troy novels.

Is there more good stuff out there that I have just not run into?

(And on a side note, I suppose the same questions could be asked about the Muslim religion and its underrepresentation in science fiction and fantasy. I can think of some science fiction/fantasy books that deal with Hinduism, but none with the Muslim religion other than Silverberg's Roma Eterna. Heck, I can even think of three that deal with the Aztec religion right off the top of my head. )

To be honest, I can't think of anything off the top of my head. The enders game series had planets that had been colonised by various racial/religious/ethnic groups, including muslims.

Robert Adams post-apocalyptic Horseclans series had Islam as one of the major religions in it...

If I had to guess, people are probably worried about being construed as ignorant/whatever if they write about other religions...gods know Adams didn't seem to know much about Islam. Will see if I can remember anything else...oh...one of the Gibson novels had Rastafarians as characters...not significant to plot though.

--A

There were Jewish and Muslim planets in Dan Simmon's Hyperion series. While the Muslim world never really comes into important play, Hebron (the Jewish world) is homeworld for some important characters, and Saul and his daughter Rachel are quite essential to the story.

*eyes wide*

I had no idea such even existed...

I had temporarily forgoteen about Briar Rose. Man, that is a good little book, if heart wrenching for its subject matter. Jane Yolen retells the classic fairy tale and sets it in the Nazi death camps in Poland.

Don't know...

I've never gotten into Dune...

*donning flame suit*

It's OK, Menolly.

Fist, I do not remember Judaism becoming important until right near the end? Was that Heretics, Chapterhouse, or Hunters? Or was there something in the earlier books I am not remembering?

After all of those thousands and thousands of years, Judaism was still around.

[spoiler]I really liked that Jewish RM. I did not like her storyline in Hunters.[/spoiler]

This is most likely OFF TOPIC. Farnham's Freehold by Heinlein, IIRC one of the post Apocalyptic alternatives in that was somewhat based on Arabic society not sure if there was a religious aspect.

Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series, has an ethnic minority described that's a passing semblance to Jewish.