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148. Why Do Some Christians Revile ‘The Chosen’? | with Josiah DeGraaf and Jenneth Dyck
Fantastical Truth Podcast, Feb 7, 2023

Into the Darkness
Reviews, Feb 3, 2023

The Chosen Succeeds Where ‘Woke’ Stories Fail
Jenneth Dyck in Articles, Feb 2, 2023

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The Wayward, Tabitha Caplinger
Fortified, V. Romas Burton
Canaan Sleeps, Daniel Camomile
Silver Bounty, Victoria McCombs
A Sword for the Immerland King, F. W. Faller
Calor, J. J. Fisher
Once Upon A Ren Faire, A. C. Castillo
The Genesis 6 Project, Michael Ferguson
Exile, Loren G. Warnemuende
Aberration, Cathy McCrumb
The Truth Beyond the Lies, Kathleen Bird
Frost, Winter's Lonely Guardian, E. E. Rawls
Dream of Kings, Sharon Hinck
The Change, Bradley Caffee
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148. Why Do Some Christians Revile ‘The Chosen’? | with Josiah DeGraaf and Jenneth Dyck
Fantastical Truth, Feb 7, 2023

147. Why Can Christians Celebrate Stories about Merlin and King Arthur? | with Robert Treskillard
Fantastical Truth, Jan 31, 2023

146. How Did Animators Adapt The Wingfeather Saga For Streaming TV? | with Keith Lango
Fantastical Truth, Jan 24, 2023

145. How Did Edmund Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene’ Shape Christian Fantasy? | with Rebecca K. Reynolds
Fantastical Truth, Jan 17, 2023

144. Which Top Six Fantasy Franchises Gave Fans Grief in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 10, 2023

143. Which Top Ten Lorehaven Stories Proved Most Popular in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 6, 2023

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Into the Darkness
“Charles Hack’s Into the Darkness summons a close-range science fiction story, focusing on the personal challenges of space warfare among alien cultures with a steady pace and serious tone.”
—Lorehaven on Feb 3, 2023

A Crown of Chains
“A Crown of Chains creatively retells a biblical tale to explore themes of providence, racism, faith, and fidelity.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 27, 2023

Lander’s Legacy
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—Lorehaven on Jan 20, 2023

Prince Caspian
“Pacing starts slow but creature lore grows in C. S. Lewis’s sequel, introducing practical tyrants and talking-beast politics into a Narnian resistance.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 13, 2023

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Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
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/ Library
Author:
Angela Castillo
Ages:
Genres:
BookTags:
allegorical apocalyptic science fiction The Toby the Trilby series
Publisher:
Indie published
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The Amazing Adventures Of Toby The Trilby

Created by six scientists who accidentally gave him cat ears (and a tail), 12-year-old Toby decides to leave the safety of his cavern world to seek answers. Book 1 of the Toby the Trilby series for all ages.
Angela Castillo · for readers · November 2013

Adventure Seekers, Young and Old, Join Toby, Small, but Bold …

He was born underground, at the edge of the world’s destruction. Twelve years old, Toby has never seen the sun. Created by six scientists who accidentally gave him cat ears (and a tail), Toby decides to leave the safety of his cavern world to seek answers. Did anyone survive the Great Destruction? Why has he been hearing a mysterious Voice? And, most important of all, does he have a soul?

Book 1 of the Toby the Trilby series for all ages.

Lorehaven may use referral links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
  1. dmdutcher says:
    May 26, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    This is an unusual book, to say the least.

    Toby is a catboy created by a group of scientists who survived an apocalypse by living far underground. One day Toby decides to leave his home to explore the world and seek out the mysterious Voice who speaks to him. However, the world above is filled with danger, both human and nonhuman.

    It’s a darker premise than you’d think. The world has suffered a total apocalypse, and some of the scenes are intense. It’s not particularly violent, but it’s a grim world Toby is exploring. It’s also unusual to have a hero that has been genetically engineered, and worries whether or not he has a soul.

    This contrasts with a general, upbeat tone of the book. I don’t want to say it’s a jarring contrast, but more of an unusual one. It’s episodic, with Toby running into various survivors and saving or fleeing from them.

    There’s a few negatives though. The main one is that the book is very short. My guess would be at about 10-15k words, more of a novella or novelette than a full book. I don’t really mind that, but the short form leads into some other issues. One is that Toby really doesn’t have much of a background or personality. He’s a great character, and he really needs more space to develop.

    The last negative is that the Christian aspects are too deus ex machina. God speaks directly to Toby, and most of the spiritual things are God telling him stuff. There is one parable about evolution that works well in it, and you wish the book went more that way instead. I think though this is more due to the book’s short length. The idea of a bioengineered human worrying if he has a soul is good, but again, needs more room to grow in.

    So it’s not really a bad book, more of an unusual one. I think this one probably will be better when you can read the series in one go. This volume feels more like whetting your appetite than sating it.

    Reply

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Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
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