Pantheons and demons are popular topics in science fiction and fantasy. Throw a dart at the SFF bookshelf in your nearest indie bookstore or library, and you’ll likely hit a book that features angels, gods, demons, or a mixture of all the above. This is not a bad thing! Indeed, this is a beautiful part of genre fiction’s power—the ability to dissect and explore how humans look at the world (or other worlds) and other humans and species through the lens of divine and otherworldly powers.
Science fiction and fantasy, and all the lovely subgenre beneath their wide umbrella, can explore gods and demons in a multitude of ways, from the point of view of religious fanatics, the offspring of gods or demons, or even the gods or demons themselves. The “what ifs” utilized in these stories are endless and important, and lead to other questions. How do characters worship, love, hate, rebel against, or abide by the gods or demons in these stories? How do characters keep or lose their humanity or morals in a world where they exist?
Particularly, in our world, we see a lot of these questions regarding religion and spirituality put forth. They’re often dissected, debated, and used as tools or weapons in society. It makes sen...
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