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One of the first novels, and one of the greatest books, in the English language is The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. In this exciting story, Bunyan uses the incidents of his hero’s long pilgrimage from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City as a deep allegory to teach Biblical truth. Tales of the Neverending, by Mark Littleton, is like Bunyan’s great work because the short stories in Littleton’s book use allegory to teach Biblical truth. It is an amazing book, published by Moody Press in 1990.
The stories are themselves well-written and enjoyable to read. However, what really gives the stories depth is the allegory contained in them, which is in turn pointed and satirical and very tender and moving. Littleton is not content to look at easy topics, either! Through his clear imaginative stories, the problems of sin, God’s sovereignty, the problem of evil, the fairness of God’s judgement, God’s love, and the immense capacity for self-deception of the human heart are all explored in short narratives. A number of stories are told with a heavenly viewpoint, involving angels and demons, and a number are light-hearted in tone.
I would suggest a high school reading level, for although a middle school student could read the stories easily, he or she might not always get the allegory and there are some difficult topics addressed (respectfully and none in graphic detail). Some of the stories would be eminently suitable for a family read-aloud, especially to spark conversations about spiritual matters.
Mark Littleton was born in New Jersey in 1950 and had been a pastor before becoming a full-time writer.