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By: Betsy Weber, NCHS Class of 2025 President of the Nolan Literary Society
Most people know Mr. John McNichol as one of Nolan Catholic’s English teachers. Students say he has a beautiful passion for teaching the faith through literature and analytical thinking, but McNichol takes this mission to a whole new level, for not only is he an accomplished teacher, but is also a successful author!
As of Oct. 26, 2024, the third book in his trilogy, The Young Chesterton Chronicles, titled Where the Red Sands Fly, has been published. This book picks up after Gilbert, the main character, finds himself in a predicament where he must travel to a colony on Mars in order to save both Mars and Earth from imminent tyranny.
Along the way, he makes choices that ultimately will determine the kind of person he wants to be, which is someone very different from where readers first met him in the first book, The Tripods Attack!
In that book, Gilbert, naive and unsure of his potential, works in a grimy shop in England. In Where the Red Sands Fly, readers will find a resolution to the surprising and often fantastical adventures and questions that have plagued Gilbert’s life.
McNichol’s original inspiration for the idea of this story was H.G. Wells’ book The War of the Worlds. McNichol notes he always has appreciated the unique way in which Wells was able to communicate deeper meaning through fantasy and sci-fi retellings. McNichol, however, aimed to challenge Wells’ atheistic views in a way that affirmed the human dignity and the capacity of the human free will to form moral and upstanding people. In fact, Gilbert reflects this idea by being modeled after the famous theologian G. K. Chesterton. McNichol attempted to imagine the sort of character a teenage Chesterton would have been, and incorporated characteristics and aspects of the “real” Gilbert Chesterton into his writing. For instance, Gilbert, like Chesterton, is able to form relationships with people of different perspectives, which becomes a key proponent in Gilbert’s ultimate search for truth. McNichol desires to lead his readers back to the legendary theologian, particularly due to Chesterton’s recent removal by society from the modern literary canon. In this small way, McNichol strived to bring back the values and influence of Chesterton into the hands of young minds.
When asked why he writes specifically for younger generations, he recalls his time reading book reports as a middle school teacher. He noted many modern-day authors publish teen books that either lack morals, or are manipulatively centered around a particular political agenda. McNichol feels that the younger generation was missing out on literature that added meaning to what was important in life, while also having a little creative fun. In fact, most of McNichol’s books are a mixture between realistic fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy, yet they never fail to hold incredible lessons that reflect his Catholic morals.
McNichol quoted C.S. Lewis, who famously reasoned, “You can change a heart much better with a story than with a sermon.” Although McNichol never intended to write a “Catholic story,” he believes his morals and faith shine through his writing in the decisions that his characters make and lessons they learn.
McNichol remembers when he first started writing The Tripods Attack! for his sons. One of the reasons he decided to publish was to touch the life of even just one reader, because he knew that even if only one life was changed, influenced, or given new questions to ask, the world would be a better place.
Chesterton Chronicles readers will notice the character development that Gilbert experiences from Book I to his recent journey to Mars – one that illustrates the life-altering effect of seeking what is true, good, and beautiful in the world.
McNichol also stresses that anyone has the capacity to bring positive influence into the world through storytelling. One of his favorite ways to encourage young writers is to tell them, “There is no such thing as an unsuccessful writer. If you are writing, you are then successful at writing. It’s as simple as that.”
He also offers: “Whatever story you have in mind, someone else will like it. Write the story that’s in your heart and then tweak it so others will enjoy it too.”