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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
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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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124. How Should Christian Novels Help Secular Readers?

Christian-made novels best serve non-Christian readers by showing realistic worlds instead of sentimental heroes or morality.
Fantastical Truth on Aug 9, 2022 · 2 comments

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We’re finding many Christian-made fantastical novels that want to appeal to Christian and secular readers. Many aspiring authors want to conjure a literary elixir that has evaded all but the most elite creators. They call this “crossing over,” not just reaching readers in evangelical markets, but finding a bigger fanbase in general markets. Should these stories try to help secular readers, such as by presenting nonbelievers with better views of Christians or churches? And if so, what’s the best way to do this, not just according to results, but according to the Bible?

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Concession stand

  • Yes, we might be thinking of particular authors. No, we won’t name them.
  • This is kinda about evangelism, but broader than that. Mainly it’s about rep.
  • And this also does relate to rhetoric we see from some aspiring authors.
  • We may see in fantastical stories a way to make things right in the real world.
  • But if we come from sheltered worlds, well, sometimes we don’t see right.

1. How have Christian novels tried to “cross over” and help secular readers?

2. How do some aspiring Christian authors want to help secular readers?

3. How should Christian novels help secular readers by being more realistic?

  • Be realistic about the world, including the evils of trendy sins.
  • Be realistic about the church, including its great blessings from God.
  • Be realistic about tragic backstories, including mixed motives for “fearing.”
  • And be realistic about eternal destiny, including God’s righteous wrath and rewards.

Com station

Nina Slone on YouTube replied to our older episode 7:

This gives one much to think about. I enjoyed it. I’m a little surprised that only 20 people watched it and no one left a comment. I just found it. Thank you.

Meanwhile at Lorehaven

  • Join our Lorehaven Guild book quest for N. D. Wilson’s 100 Cupboards, ongoing in August.
  • We also reviewed 100 Cupboards (2007) and we’re making more reviews.
  • Elijah David releases a great article: Shasta’s Meeting with Aslan in ‘The Horse and His Boy’ Helped Me Embrace God’s Sovereignty.
  • Look for our next article with a back to school book list for families!

Next on Fantastical Truth

Okay, we admit, in recent episodes we have sounded more negative about popular culture. That’s justified. At the same time, why have some pundits go even more negative about fine pop-culture traditions? For example, just a few years ago, some critics spoke like movie theaters and the whole cinematic experience were finished, passé, the end! Instead we’d all be sitting at home in lockdown with our streaming services, watching made-for-TV-movies and shows! Now that theater movies are roaring back, and some studio CEOs are taking hard looks at the flaws of streaming, how can Christians evaluate that strange impulse to spy trends ahead of time and predict our culture’s future?

Fantastical Truth
Fantastical Truth
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    In the Fantastical Truth podcast from Lorehaven, hosts E. Stephen Burnett and Zackary Russell explore fantastical stories for God's glory and apply their wonders to the real world Jesus calls us to serve.
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    1. L.A. Smith says:
      August 10, 2022 at 6:57 pm

      Thank you for this! I’m doing a lot of thinking about this and you articulated some points that will help me as I tackle my next book.

      Reply
    2. Autumn Grayson says:
      August 12, 2022 at 12:14 am

      Whether or not Christian authors intend to write for a Christian audience, it might be good for them to remember that secular readers will probably discover and read their books anyway. Secular readers could have the book recommended by a Christian friend, or even accidentally stumble across it on Amazon. It’s important for Christian authors to be aware of that — not necessarily for the sake of conforming to secular expectations, but for the sake of thinking ahead and figuring out the most constructive way of handling any issues that can come up.

      Some of this has to do with being a good witness, but some of this is also about the fact that some people are going to be antagonistic to the author. It is important for the author to anticipate at least some of those issues ahead of time so they aren’t caught by surprise. Being caught by surprise can be one of the worst things because it can make it harder to react in a calm and reasonable manner (or decide whether its necessary to react publicly in the first place).

      Also, authors need to be able to listen to feedback but not to the degree that they let themselves be pushed around by others. A lot of people don’t have a good balance between the two.

      Reply

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