Speculative Faith was the volunteer-led website that preceded Lorehaven. From 2006 to 2021, hundreds of Christian fantastical writers added their voices to this team blog. Many of those creatives now continue this work at Lorehaven. This archive preserves all the original SpecFaith articles and reviews. You may find, however, some outdated bios and missing images as well as occasional formatting glitches! Please note that some reviews have been updated and republished to Lorehaven.

Operation Grendel Cover Reveal

, Sep 22, 2020

First the very cool cover, another of the great artistic works by Kirk DuoPonce.

2020 Spec Faith Fall Writing Challenge

, Sep 21, 2020

As we have done in the past, Spec Faith will offer a prize for the winner of the 2020 Fall Writing Challenge.

Let’s Talk About Race and Racism. Part 5: Scientific Racism

, Sep 17, 2020

Scientific theories of the Enlightenment, increasingly discriminatory through Darwinism, created racism as we know it.

An Acquittal

, Sep 16, 2020

One of the curious facts about art is that even the worst ideas are, very occasionally, right.

Two ‘Adventures in Odyssey’ Stories Secretly Inspired My Book ‘The Pop Culture Parent’

, Sep 15, 2020

Two cassette stories, “You Gotta Be Wise” and “Isaac the Pure,” helped start my lifelong quest about parenting and popular culture.

From The Writers’ Toolbox: Flawed Characters Can Be Too Flawed

, Sep 14, 2020

The point is simple: to be believable, characters need flaws, but if their flaws overshadow their higher nature, readers may not care enough to continue on the reading journey with them.

Let’s Talk About Race and Racism. Part 4: Racism and White Identity at the Founding of the U.S.A.

, Sep 10, 2020

At the founding of the United States, how was race defined? What did it mean to be “white?”

How Fantastical Stories Explore Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Beyond

, Sep 8, 2020

Read “deleted scenes” from an early manuscript for The Pop Culture Parent, which had more to say about specifically fantasy fiction!

Let’s Talk About Race and Racism. Part 3: How Slavery Created Early Racism

, Sep 3, 2020

Indentured servanthood of Africans yielded to slavery, slavery was protected by various laws. Laws were justified by racism–that’s the core of the argument of this post.

Speculative Fiction And Contemporary Culture, Part 2

, Aug 31, 2020

How can writers speak into today’s troubled culture, whether dealing with the political divide, racial unrest, dealing with a pandemic, economic concerns, or what have you?

Let’s Talk About Race and Racism. Part 2: Antiquity and Medieval Times

, Aug 27, 2020

So if racism wasn’t around in BIble times, when did it arise in Western cuture? Greece? Rome? Medieval Europe? This post answers these questions.

Past the High Point

, Aug 26, 2020

Why can’t a villain finish his redemption arc without finishing himself?

Speculative Fiction And Contemporary Culture

, Aug 24, 2020

Should writers change and speak into the culture through our writing, through our stories?

Do the ‘Little House’ Books and Other Frontier Fictions Now Count as Fantastic Tales?

, Aug 21, 2020

Like any fantastical story, the classic Little House series has its ancient tomes, “incantations,” and sacred spaces.

Let’s Talk About Race and Racism. Part 1: The Bible

, Aug 20, 2020

Racism in all forms, including in speculative fiction, will be the topic of this series. But let’s start with what the Bible says.

Does the World Really Need Another Amish Vampires in Space? ¡Parece que sí!

, Aug 13, 2020

Amish Vampires in Space in Spanish? Sounds crazy and maybe it is–but just as Kerry had reasons for writing this novel, I’ve got reasons for getting it translated into Spanish…

A Critic’s Phrase

, Aug 12, 2020

A word kept recurring in the discussion: nostalgic.

Love Transforms the Beloved in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Stories

, Aug 11, 2020

This fairy tale famously shows true beauty conquering a beastly form, but the original story worked a little differently.

Don’t Forget The Reviews

, Aug 10, 2020

Good books generally have a LOT of reviews, and the best books have a lot of positive reviews and a high rating.

Fiction Friday: Daniel And The Serpent’s Abyss

, Aug 7, 2020

Daniel and the Sun Sword, Daniel and the Triune Quest, and Daniel and the Serpent’s Abyss are young adult, Christian fantasy novels exploring forgiveness, faith, spiritual warfare, and the reality of divine sonship.

Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone Newest Season Executes like Modern Day Parables

, Aug 6, 2020

Season Two of Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone executes well the tradition of multi-layered storytelling. Still, these modern-day stories lack the solution-oriented parables of Christ.

From The Writers’ Toolbox: MICE In Your Story

, Aug 3, 2020

I tend to think that the best stories skillfully weave all the elements together so that the dominant one isn’t overpowering, and the subservient ones aren’t invisible.

Why Can a Book’s Movie Be So Bad? When an Adaptation Goes Astray

, Jul 30, 2020

Why do adaptations of books to movies and other media sometimes fail? It isn’t always because they didn’t follow the book closely enough.

Happiness is an Aesthetic

, Jul 29, 2020

Happiness also is an aesthetic.

From The Writers’ Toolbox: Developing Fresh Story Concepts

, Jul 27, 2020

Take romance for example. Everyone knows that the traditional plot form of a romance is boy meets girl and they fall in love, but Things happen to keep them apart. In the end, however, they conquer, or their love conquers, and they get together.

Step by Step Into Dystopia

, Jul 23, 2020

Recent personal events remind me that dystopia doesn’t have to come via dictatorship. It can come gradually, step by step…

First-Year Members Praise the 2020 Realm Makers: Pandemic Edition Conference

, Jul 21, 2020

Hosting a Christian fantasy writers’ conference in virtual space drew in many new members who loved the event.

Introducing The Author: Nathan Lumbatis

, Jul 20, 2020

By occupation, Nathan works with young people. No surprise then that his books are written for that audience.

There and Beowulf Again: Providence and Plot in Tolkien’s Hobbit

, Jul 18, 2020

Beowulf is known as a pagan myth, but it was penned by a Christian writer. The Hobbit borrows from Beowulf and shows how Tolkien used mythology to show forth Christian truths.

Realm Makers Announces 2020 Realm Award Winners, Sets Peretti as 2021 Keynote Speaker

, Jul 17, 2020

NEWS: Learn who won at tonight’s virtual Realm Awards dinner, which recognizes excellence in Christian-made fantastical fiction and cover design.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. ...
  10. 85

Lorehaven epilogue sponsors