As long as there has been
Science Fiction and Fantasy, there has been Jewish Speculative Fiction. Jewish
Magidim (storytellers) would spin fantastic parables to keep their students
intrigued or to prove a political point without directly attacking their opponents.
Such concealed political poetry was the best freedom of expression one could
hope for while being a member of a people who were constantly at the hands
of belligerent monarchs.
The one major difference
between Modern JSF and other Jewish Fiction is the sporadic nature of the
publication of JSF. It seems that on average once every three or four years
a true JSF book is released. (True SF must have either another technological
or magic level than Earth, or if non magical, it should be set in an unusual
setting or foreign planet. Whereas most Jewish stories that are close to Fantasy
are really only historical fiction pieces.) On occasion a true Fantasy or
SF story slips through and becomes a book. But this is done usually by a different
publisher than the last such novel. Thus, at least in our opinion, the lack
of a consistent publishing source for Jewish Speculative Fiction has been
its major impediment from becoming a bull market category within Judaic fiction
sales.
There are many religious
Jews who do not read any fiction that is not either Torah-based or Torah-sensitive.
Thus there are hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world for whom
Science Fiction and Fantasy is a closed topic. (Talk about a horror story!)
So that they too might enjoy the same magic that the rest of us have come
to know and love, Avodah Publishing was formed.
