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113. What If You Learned Bible Lessons from Singing Veggies and Dead Sea Squirrels? | with Mike Nawrocki
Fantastical Truth Podcast, May 24, 2022

When The English Fall
Reviews, May 20, 2022

Realm Makers Bookstore Returns to Orlando for FPEA Conference, May 26–28
News, May 19, 2022

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Vivid, Ashley Bustamante
My Soul to Take, Bryan Davis
Into Shadow's Fire, Mark Castleberry
Deceived, Madisyn Carlin
Arena (2022 edition), Karen Hancock
Kurt Nickle-Dickle of Whiskers, N. J. McLagan
"In a city where debts are paid in blood, one young man will learn that everyone needs help sometimes if they want to survive." New in the Lorehaven library: A Matter of Blood, Lauren H Salisbury
Son of the Shield, Mary Schlegel
Maxine Justice, Galactic Attorney, Daniel Schwabauer
Mordizan, Alyssa Roat
Prentice Ash, Matt Barron
Etania's Calling, M. H. Elrich
The Choice, Bradley Caffee
The Obsidian Butterfly, Lani Forbes
Reviews

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When The English Fall
“When The English Fall tells a bittersweet tale of community and commitment that plunges fearlessly into hard questions about the end of the world.”
—Lorehaven on May 20, 2022

Clawing Free
“Clawing Free is an absorbing tale that seamlessly joins modernity and myth.”
—Lorehaven on May 13, 2022

Vivid
“Ashley Bustamante’s Vivid paints a world built on secrets and carefully controlled color palettes.”
—Lorehaven on May 6, 2022

Prophet
“If great fiction dares explore culture wars, it must show more than perfect people smiling before a flat backdrop. Frank E. Peretti’s 1992 novel Prophet reflects this reality.”
—Lorehaven on May 4, 2022

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Maxine Justice: Galactic Attorney
Book Quests, May 2022

The Green Ember
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Power On
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113. What If You Learned Bible Lessons from Singing Veggies and Dead Sea Squirrels? | with Mike Nawrocki
Fantastical Truth, May 24, 2022

112. How Does Fiction Help Us Love Our Enemies Even If We Must Defeat Them?
Fantastical Truth, May 17, 2022

111. Why Do Your Kids Need Fantastical Stories for God’s Glory?
Fantastical Truth, May 10, 2022

110. Could We Enter a ‘Golden Age’ of Christian-Made Fantastical Fiction?
Fantastical Truth, May 3, 2022

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The original SpecFaith: est. 2006

site archives | statement of faith
Articles Questions? Writers

Yes, Speculative Faith Is Closed, At Least For Now
E. Stephen Burnett, Dec 30

Last Stands, Custer, General Gordon, and Being a Christian Warrior
Travis Perry, Jul 2

How Christian Must Christian Fiction Be?
Rebecca LuElla Miller, May 24

Gender In Fiction: The Implication Of Failure
Rebecca LuElla Miller, May 10

Making a Story Visual UPDATE: Behind the Scenes of the Animal Eye Comic
Travis Perry, May 9

What Does “Woke” Culture Have To Do With Christian Fiction?
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Apr 26

About
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SpecFaith
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.
Subscribe free to Lorehaven
/ fall 2019 / Reviews
Author:
Travis Perry
Ages:
adult
Genres:
fantasy science fiction supernatural and beyond
BookTags:
anthology short stories
Publisher:
Bear Publications

Sponsored Review: Beatitudes and Woes

Beatitudes & Woes is a bold experiment . . . the showstopper entries by themselves are enough to justify the price of admission.
Lorehaven Review Team · fall 2019 · No comments

Are the poor in spirit still blessed when they’ve been hijacked by space pirates? Do mourners still receive divine favor if they lament the devastation wrought by their own tears? And what if the people subjected to persecution for righteousness’ sake face the eradication of their nation? Can they possibly treat their tormentors with love?

Christ’s parables are often cited as justification or even inspiration for Christian fiction, but how often does one encounter a systematically fantastical treatment of one of our Lord’s sermons? Beatitudes & Woes, a Christian speculative fiction anthology edited by Travis Perry, is a bold experiment. This collection takes as its framework the blessings and curses pronounced by Jesus in Matthew 5:3–11 (and Luke 6:24–26). Then this work explores each beatitude and woe, respectively, through a short story in a separate subgenre—from classic fantasy and sci-fi to superhero, dystopian, and even horror.

The result, much like Christian fiction itself, is a mixed bag. While some of these tales enthrall the reader from the very first word, others fall prey to sentimentality, pontification, or clichéd narrative templates. Fortunately, the showstopper entries by themselves are enough to justify the price of admission. Some of the best include:

  • “The Meek Shall Inherit” by J. L. Ender is an uproarious romp through superhero stereotypes seasoned with savviness and off-the-beaten-path powers. Thomas—aka Switch Master, aka Flipper—is a wannabe hero stuck on the mercenary circuit. He can cause objects to instantly trade places, but can he exchange his flippancy for courage? Genuine belly laughs soften the reader for a gut-punch as Ender deftly swaps hilarity for pathos.
  • “Blessed Are the Merciful” by Lelia Rose Foreman is a tale from the Talifar universe, which plunges the reader into an immersive milieu of alien husbandry. When young Sunrise’s family suffers a devastating loss, he yearns to call down vengeance on the guilty. His father’s wisdom urges restraint—but to what end? Foreman’s spare lyricism evokes wistfully pastoral vistas and surprisingly strong emotions.
  • “Wondermind and the Almost King” by Gen Gavel is an intricate and luminous fable worthy of Arabian Nights. Greedy Cadmus has conquered the land of Siwa, but it withers under his hand. Young Khaled has died and seen the eternal Wonder, but now must live again in longing. Can his unseasonal insight save the king from djinn who would enslave him?
  • “Something in the Water” by Randy Streu is a sci-fi horror of disturbingly clinical detachment. When an expedition to the rings of Saturn discovers microscopic life in space, celebratory wine flows freely. But station personnel soon regret not sticking with the bottle. The ensuing carnage, narrated in retrospect by the mission’s biologist, uncorks the consequences of hubris.
  • “As the Prophecy Foretold” by C. W. Briar is a slow-burning dark fairytale that pits the heir of a legendary dragon-slayer against the slain beast’s offspring. Robert may be a lowly pig farmer, but when the wizard Harabor arrives with a quest just for him, Robert’s humble dreams grow grand. But nothing is as it seems, and the dead hand of the past may yet reach out to aid or strangle the ignorant adventurer.

Ultimately Beatitudes & Woes succeeds not only as thought-provoking entertainment but as a proof-of-concept. Christian speculative fiction is capable of walking the line between scriptural sobriety and fantastical imagination. More like this, please.

Best for: Older teens and adults seeking intentionally thematic Christian speculative fiction.

Discern: Widely varied content between individual stories, that is, some are squeaky clean, while others spray gore or touch on sexually suggestive imagery.

Lorehaven Review Team
Lorehaven finds the best of Christian fantasy by reviewing Christian-made, fantastical, published novels. Learn more about Lorehaven Review Team readers at our Crew Manifest. (Authors and publishers can request reviews here.)
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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.