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Nomad
Reviews | Lorehaven Review Team on Mar 5, 2021

Legend of the Storm Sneezer
Reviews | Lorehaven Review Team on Mar 5, 2021

53. How Can Christian Fans React When Fantasy Creators Get Cancelled? Part 1
Podcast | Fantastical Truth on Mar 2, 2021

My Novel ‘The Mermaid’s Sister’ Arose from True Depths of Mourning
Articles | Carrie Anne Noble on Mar 1, 2021

The Icarus Aftermath
Reviews | Lorehaven Review Team on Feb 26, 2021

My Screenwriter Mom Introduced Me to Fantastic Sci-Fi in the 1960s
Articles | Jason William Karpf on Feb 25, 2021

52. Do Christians Really Need Science Fiction? | Fiction’s Chief End, part 3
Podcast | Lorehaven on Feb 23, 2021

Join Our March 11 Livestream Exploring Christian Reactions to Fandom Cancel Culture
News | Lorehaven on Feb 22, 2021

The Hourglass and the Darkness
Reviews | Lorehaven Review Team on Feb 19, 2021

Venus is More Than Just a Love Goddess
Articles | Shannon Stewart on Feb 18, 2021

Introducing Fantasy Enthusiast and New Lorehaven Writer Shannon Stewart
News | Lorehaven on Feb 17, 2021

Stories with Bad Ideas Can Still Help Us Grow
Articles | L.G. McCary on Feb 15, 2021

Gretchen and the Bear
Reviews | Lorehaven Review Team on Feb 12, 2021

The Mandalorian is a Religious Fundamentalist, and Here’s Why That’s Awesome
Articles | Josiah DeGraaf on Feb 11, 2021

Introducing Fantasy Creator and New Lorehaven Writer Josiah DeGraaf
News | Lorehaven on Feb 10, 2021

51. Do Christians Really Need Fantasy? | Fiction’s Chief End, part 2
Podcast | Fantastical Truth on Feb 9, 2021

The Death and Rebirth of Magic in Children’s Fantasy
Articles | R. J. Anderson on Feb 8, 2021

Torch
Reviews | Lorehaven Review Team on Feb 5, 2021

Fictional Magic Systems Can Go Beyond Rules and Reveal Deeper Characters
Articles | Elijah David on Feb 4, 2021

How God Uses Story Villains for Our Good
Articles | Zackary Russell on Feb 3, 2021

Introducing Sci-Fi Creator and New Lorehaven Writer Zackary Russell
News | Lorehaven on Feb 2, 2021

50. Do Christians Really Need Fiction? | Fiction’s Chief End, part 1
Podcast | Fantastical Truth on Feb 2, 2021

Frank E. Peretti to Give Keynote Address at Realm Makers Writers Conference This July
News | E. Stephen Burnett on Feb 1, 2021

Fugue for the Sacred Songbook: In Eb Minor
Reviews | Lorehaven Review Team on Jan 29, 2021

How A Year Without Superhero Films Rebooted Our Universe
Articles | Jason Joyner on Jan 28, 2021

New Book ‘Reading Evangelicals’ Will Focus on Famous Christian Fiction
News | E. Stephen Burnett on Jan 27, 2021

Introducing Superhero Novelist and New Lorehaven Writer Jason C. Joyner
News | Lorehaven on Jan 27, 2021

49. How Can We ‘Terraform’ the Church to Enjoy Fantastic Fiction?
Podcast | Fantastical Truth on Jan 26, 2021

Militant Secularism Could Force Christians to Create New Subcultures
Articles | Mike Duran on Jan 25, 2021

Flight of the Raven
Reviews | Lorehaven Review Team on Jan 22, 2021

Library

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The Mermaid's Sister, Carrie Anne Noble
Etania's Worth, M. H. Elrich
Cinderella Spell, Laurie Lee
When Desperate Measures Are All You Have Left, J. C. Morrows
Fractures, James C. Joyner
Torch, R. J. Anderson
The Terran Summit, Anna Zogg
The Xerxes Factor, Anna Zogg
The Paradise Protocol, Anna Zogg
The Awakened, Richard Spillman
The Ascension, Richard Spillman
Love's Sacrifice, Kelsey Norman
Unbroken Spirit, Kelsey Norman
Seed: Judgment, Joshua David
Reviews

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Nomad
“R. J. Anderson’s fantasy Nomad is a rollicking read with fascinating conflicts and plot twists.”
—Lorehaven on Mar 5, 2021

Legend of the Storm Sneezer
“Teen readers fond of lengthy, lighthearted ghost-and-zombie tales will enjoy Legend of the Storm Sneezer by Kristiana Sfirlea.”
—Lorehaven on Mar 5, 2021

The Icarus Aftermath
“Arielle M. Bailey’s The Icarus Aftermath spins a golden yarn of vivid characters and gripping emotion, set in a world ripe for exploration.”
—Lorehaven on Feb 26, 2021

The Hourglass and the Darkness
“Kyle L. Elliott’s novel The Hourglass and the Darkness posits a world before the great Flood, starting a promising series.”
—Lorehaven on Feb 19, 2021

Podcast

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53. How Can Christian Fans React When Fantasy Creators Get Cancelled? Part 1
Fantastical Truth, Mar 2, 2021

52. Do Christians Really Need Science Fiction? | Fiction’s Chief End, part 3
Fantastical Truth, Feb 23, 2021

51. Do Christians Really Need Fantasy? | Fiction’s Chief End, part 2
Fantastical Truth, Feb 9, 2021

50. Do Christians Really Need Fiction? | Fiction’s Chief End, part 1
Fantastical Truth, Feb 2, 2021

Webzine

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SpecFaith

The original SpecFaith: est. 2006

site archives | statement of faith
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The Fantastical Elements of Romantic Fiction, part 2
Parker J. Cole, Mar 4

Settling the Solar System in Science Fiction, part 3: the Moon
Travis Perry, Feb 24

The Fantastical Elements of Romantic Fiction, part 1
Parker J. Cole, Feb 17

Settling the Solar System in Science Fiction, part 2: Venus
Travis Perry, Feb 11

Beyond

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Explore the book The Pop Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ

Does ‘Engaging Popular Culture’ Include Right-Wing Talk Radio?
E. Stephen Burnett, Oct 9

Join My Livestream This Thursday: Seven Ways to Find Truth in Fantastic Stories
E. Stephen Burnett, Oct 6

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Fantastical Truth Asks: How Did You First Discover Fantastical Stories?

On our upcoming podcast episode, we will explore how fans first discover fantastical fiction. Share your story and join us!
E. Stephen Burnett on Jan 31, 2020 | 5 comments

Since last week, our new Fantastical Truth podcast has achieved perfect liftoff.

Spoiler alert: this Tuesday, Lacy Rhiannon (my wife!) joins us to explore the magic of dance in Sharon Hinck’s new novel Hidden Current.

Meanwhile, my cohost Zackary Russell and I are already planning episode 6 and beyond. In this episode, we want to feature listeners even more.

Our topic: fan origin stories.

We’re asking: how did you first discover fantastical fiction?

We’d love to hear your origin story, which could include elements like:

  • How old were you?
  • How did you find the story?
  • What did you love about it?
  • What ideas really spoke to you?
  • Which characters draw you in?
  • What did you love about the world?
  • How do you feel about that story now?

You can use this page’s comment section. Or use the form here to send your note straight to the Fantastical Truth mailbag.

Either way, we’d love to hear your story! And of course we may share your story in next month’s Fantastical Truth episode, for hundreds (so far!) of other fantastical story fans.

Godspeed!

Stephen

E. Stephen Burnett, signature

E. Stephen Burnett

E. Stephen Burnett creates sci-fi and fantasy as well as nonfiction, such as The Pop Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ (coauthored with Ted Turnau and Jared Moore, from New Growth Press). Stephen explores biblical truth and fantastic stories as publisher of Lorehaven.com and cohost of the Fantastical Truth podcast. He and his wife, Lacy, live in the Austin area, help with foster parenting, and serve as members of Southern Hills Baptist Church.

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  1. Autumn Grayson says:
    January 31, 2020 at 10:56 pm

    I don’t remember what my first fantastical story was. My mom always encouraged my sister and I to like reading and creativity, so stories have always been important to me. One of the first things I got attached to were animal centric stories, so movies like Balto and Lion King were faves. Shows like Quest For Camelot and Swan Princess got me into medieval fantasy. During first grade I was obsessed with the Peter Pan Broadway play, and during third grade my fave books were The Swiss Family Robinson and The Girl Who Owned A City by O. T. Nelson.

    There were tons and tons of other things I watched and read that impacted me. Most of them had to do with animals, nature, fantasy or interpersonal conflict/combat.

    A lot of what spoke to me was characters struggling against themselves or society in some way. I tended to gravitate toward the serious chars, especially if they were cool and competent in some way, though they weren’t the ONLY ones I liked. Part of why those factors appealed to me because from a young age I knew from observation that life was kind of cruddy and I wanted to be able to handle whatever happened, no matter how hard it was. So when I saw characters that were serious, cool and competent, I watched and learned from how they dealt with harsh situations.

    They couldn’t always figure out solutions to their problems, so another thing I learned from them was how to cope when things went bad. Or to analyze exactly what caused their problems in the first place so I could prevent them from happening in my own life.

    More recently, some of my favorite characters have been Kiritsugu from Fate Zero, Itachi from Naruto Shippuden, and Swiftkill from Kay Fedewa’s Blackblood Alliance. Kiritsugu’s interesting because he helped me articulate some of my beliefs a little more. Mainly in the sense that I don’t believe that one person can/should try to force the entire world to change, because that could easily lead to tyranny, abuse and bloodshed. Improving one piece of the world at a time is better, or at least more realistic. Kiritsugu illustrated that by chasing the Holy Grail’s power to grant his wish for world peace, only to realize the Grail could only fulfill that in a very horrific way. Kiritsugu only found a semblance of peace after he stopped chasing a perfect world and instead just helped the people that were still in his life.

    Itachi’s compelling because he’s a good, caring person, but had a very short and tragic life because circumstances forced him to make a hard choice. His story arc is very intricate, and any little part of it can be examined and questioned. ‘What if Itachi refused to go through with the Massacre?’ ‘What if he told his little brother that their family was going to betray the village?’ etc. And then there’s an arc of forgiveness and redemption between him and his brother that’s very well done.

    Swiftkill is interesting because she’s a cool and serious character with lots of room for growth. The Blackblood Alliance was rebooted recently, and has so many great hints of where its plot will go. Swiftkill’s always been an outsider, so she’ll probably have to struggle a lot with resentment and forgiveness in many many areas, like her half sister Bloodspill, the Inarian wolves, or… heck, even society itself.

    For all three of those shows, I liked the way their worlds were presented. Naruto’s story world feels very three dimensional, like it’s very broad and detailed beyond what the main chars are doing. That’s probably partly because the world’s premise includes several large nations in rivalry with each other. We don’t get to see all of that, but the ninja villages that protect each nation are certainly at odds with each other, and the series has gone on long enough to show many hints of the politics spanning multiple generations of nations and ninja clans.

    Fate Zero and The Blackblood Alliance don’t show as much world building, but the settings still feel immersive and realistic. Like, Fate Zero doesn’t invent a bunch of new countries with new customs. But it does give complexity to the chars’ situations, and we’re shown many tidbits of mage society that way. It’s story world is much like ours, but has a dark underbelly filled with mages. The story scratches the surface of the abilities, history and politics of those mages, but does so in a way that indicates there’s far more than what the chars encountered during the show.

    Reply
    • E. Stephen Burnett says:
      February 10, 2020 at 6:51 pm

      Thanks much, Autumn! Lots of great details there!

      Reply
  2. Katie Hart says:
    February 5, 2020 at 8:31 pm

    The first fantastical story I remember was my mom reading me Jeri Massi’s Bracken series (The Bridge, Crown and Jewel, and The Two Collars, by BJU Press). I was 6. I fell in love with the princesses, the danger, and the intrigue, but especially with the “wise woman” who tied all of the books together with her bravery and healing. I’ve reread the books many times, shared them with younger siblings, and still have them on my shelf.

    Reply
  3. Jason Vasche says:
    February 11, 2020 at 11:59 am

    My introduction to fantastical stories came around age 3, I guess. I say “I guess” because the details come more from hearing my parents share their memories of it than my own hazy, fleeting memory-fragments of early childhood.

    In my bedroom, my parents provided a little cassette player and some of those Disney “read-along” book and cassette tape sets. Little me was very fond of these, and spent hours listening to the stories, looking at the colorful little books (many of which were filled with stills from said company’s animated films), and dutifully turning the pages “when you hear the chime ring like this: *chime.*” The book and tape that I loved above all others was The Hobbit, which was adapted from the 1977 Rankin-Bass animated film (which I still vastly prefer to Peter Jackson’s bloated cash-grab). I don’t know if it was the exciting sound effects, voices, story, or combination of whatever elements, but it was so captivating that I memorized the whole thing and would recite it (with voices, sound effects, and all) at family gatherings.

    It would be a few years before I could read The Hobbit myself, but that’s probably the single tale that fired and nurtured my love of the fantastic. Quests. Mysterious wizards. Dangerous monsters and narrow escapes. Secret passages. Evil to be vanquished and wrongs to be righted. Even if my three-year-old brain couldn’t really comprehend it all, it was seared into my brain at a very formative age. How could I not end up being hooked by stuff like this?

    With my preschooler brain thus fully primed, my parents then took five-year-old me to see Star Wars in the theater (a 1980 rerun before Empire Strikes Back came out.) Predictably, my mind was utterly blown, and before the opening scene finished I was a F&SF convert.

    Reply
  4. Speculative Faith | On Our New Podcast Episode: We Didn't Watch 'The Witcher' So We Hired a Friend Who Did says:
    February 18, 2020 at 7:10 am

    […] After a break next week, we’ll explore the question: How did you first discover fantastical stories? […]

    Reply

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