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Popular Culture Review
having taken over the traditional church authority because the traditional
Judeo-Christian church has failed to address the ways in which magic
influences reality. This series’ success shows the interest readers hold in
an alternative to Christian truths. Yet, even in this dystopic world, the
church Kane portrays still works to ensure—^through the use of magic—
that the souls of mankind are guided to eternal bliss or hell. This interest
in magic is further shown in Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series, where
wizards are called in to mediate the evil that humans caimot explain.
Rather than eliminating the power of the church, the world according to
the Dresden Files includes beings who have taken on a mission to save
mortal men and women from evils that are not recognized by traditional
Judeo-Christian faiths. In this way, these novels work within the same
social and religious structures, but operate on a level that traditional
churches do not recognize as valid.
A revival of interest in the fey is clearly reflected in Karen Marie
Moning’s Fever series, where the fate of the earth rests on the
protagonist Mackayla Lane’s ability to navigate the mysterious world of
the evil Sidhe who are attempting to take over the earth. This search for
answers beyond those provided by scientists and religious scholars is
clear in these kinds of novels.
In an age where self-help and self actualization, through inward
introspective analysis, have become popularized through television
programs such as the Dr. Phil show, paranormal creatures are no longer
viewed as mere beasts to prey on humans. Instead, these characters, too,
agonize over their own fate, their own weaknesses and strengths, and
how to be solid, good citizens worthy of love, despite their differences to
humans. As Adam Barrows states, “Stoker’s greatest innovation ... was
his use of the vampire story to explore deeper metaphysical questions
about the true nature of humanity. Far from representing the vampire as a
coldly grotesque monster. Stoker explored the pathos and psychological
terror of a human being, with a core of goodness, becoming trapped
inside a godless and eternally Undead body” (107-108). In the same way,
modern-day paranormal characters struggle over their “unhuman”
natures through discipline, choosing to improve their psyches so they no
longer have to isolate themselves from humans. In many series,
paranormal characters who break away from others do so to become
more humanlike, or at least more humane. This search for humanity, or
the quest for good in a world where evil exists, is one that humans have
been struggling with, making it a trait with which readers can empathize.
In observing these parallels to the values that Western society