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Into the Darkness
Reviews, Feb 3, 2023

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

Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, Feb 1, 2023

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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
Quest of Fire: Desperation, Brett Armstrong
Wishtress, Nadine Brandes
Flight, Kristen Young
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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

142. What Christmas Gift ‘Tools, Not Toys’ Helped You Grow As a Person?
Fantastical Truth, Dec 20, 2022

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Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, February 2023

Prince Caspian
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Dream of Kings
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On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
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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
“Lander’s Legacy stacks modern thrills and complex characters on a foundation of biblical what-ifs.”
—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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/ Magazines / Spring 2020

Captain’s Log

God may still use “foolish” stories to help our imaginations grow.
E. Stephen Burnett | 3 comments

Your “how I discovered fantasy” story is probably cooler than mine.

You: “Oh yes, there I was in the movie theater, in May 1977, for a space-opera film called Star Wars. Why, I had never seen its like! I returned to see it seventeen times!”

Me: “Um, well, in the late 1980s, I watched a Bible anime series called Superbook …”

Actually, several fans have also told Lorehaven their “uncool” fantasy origin stories. They shared these anecdotes in response to “How Did You First Discover Fantastical Stories?”, the sixth episode of Lorehaven’s new Fantastical Truth podcast.

One fan said of his first fantasy book, “Don’t judge based on the horrendous cover.”

Another said of his fifth-grade discovery, “I have no idea why I loved this as a kid.”

Nostalgia does not always fulfill its own promise.

Some stories that we discovered as kids, like Star Wars, turn into classics.

Others prove to be more like copies-of-copies-of-copies of better stories.

Still, unless we actively sinned when we discovered fantasy genres with “uncool” or even bad stories, why should we feel any shame about this?

Many believers converted to Jesus thanks in part to cheesy Christian-made tracts or movies. Does this overthrow their cheesiness or false ideas? No. It only proves that God still operates as the apostle Paul wrote about our callings: “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

God may still prefer to use such “foolish” things to help us mature in our faith.

With that maturity may come greater appreciation even for subpar fantasy stories.

For my part, Superbook holds up for what it meant to do. It is likely responsible for helping me view Scripture more “fantastically.” Other books I enjoyed in my teen years, such as the Left Behind series, may catch a lot of Christian’s criticism today. Yet I still thank God for how he used this series to develop my love for biblical truth.

You can probably view any “uncool” fantasy story the same way, even as you still discern the story’s content and practice wisdom to evaluate real creative excellence.

Own those stories that God used in your life. Turn that squirm into a grateful laugh.

E. Stephen Burnett creates sci-fi and fantasy novels as well as nonfiction, exploring fantastical stories for God’s glory as publisher of Lorehaven.com and cohost of the Fantastical Truth podcast. As the oldest of six, he enjoys connecting with his homeschool roots by speaking at conferences for Christian families and creators. Stephen is coauthor of The Pop Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ from New Growth Press (2020, with Ted Turnau and Dr. Jared Moore). Stephen and his wife, Lacy, live in the Austin area, where they help with foster parenting and serve as members of Southern Hills Baptist Church.
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E. Stephen Burnett
E. Stephen Burnett creates sci-fi and fantasy novels as well as nonfiction, exploring fantastical stories for God’s glory as publisher of Lorehaven.com and cohost of the Fantastical Truth podcast. As the oldest of six, he enjoys connecting with his homeschool roots by speaking at conferences for Christian families and creators. Stephen is coauthor of The Pop Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ from New Growth Press (2020, with Ted Turnau and Dr. Jared Moore). Stephen and his wife, Lacy, live in the Austin area, where they help with foster parenting and serve as members of Southern Hills Baptist Church.
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  1. Ticia says:
    March 26, 2020 at 8:53 am

    I remember watching Superbook after school every day. It was AWESOME!

    Reply
  2. Nelson F. Gonzalez says:
    June 20, 2020 at 8:40 pm

    Now that I think about it, I guess my earliest exposure to fantasy was through cartoons such as Voltron, The Transformers and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

    Reply
    • E. Stephen Burnett says:
      June 23, 2020 at 1:48 pm

      (Eighties-kid high-five, or special sitcom laugh-track-garnering handshake, or what have you)

      Reply

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Lorehaven magazine, spring 2020

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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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