New!
articles • book quests • news • library
reviews • podcast • gifts • archives
Crew manifest Faith statement FAQs
All author resources Lorehaven Guild Subscribe for free

A Crown of Chains
Reviews, Jan 27, 2023

The Magician’s Nephew Taught Me Christ’s Compassion in the Midst of Grief
Elijah David in Articles, Jan 26, 2023

Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, Jan 25, 2023

Library

Find fantastical Christian novels

fantasy · sci-fi · and beyond
middle grade · young adult · grown-ups
All novels Search Add a novel
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
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
The Deliverer, Jason William Karpf
Podcast

Get the Fantastical Truth podcast

Podcast sponsors | Subscribe links
Archives Feedback

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

141. Ten Years After ‘An Unexpected Journey,’ Must We Really Hate The Hobbit Films? | with Rilian of NarniaWeb
Fantastical Truth, Dec 13, 2022

Quests

Join our monthly digital book quests.

Lorehaven Guild Faith statement FAQs

Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, January 2023

Prince Caspian
Book Quests, January 2023

Dream of Kings
Book Quests, December 2022

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
Book Quests, November 2022

Reviews

Find fantastical Christian reviews

All reviews Request review

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

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
“New and returning readers of all ages would do well to seek deeper magic within C. S. Lewis’s faithful classic.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 13, 2023

Gifts

Find new gifts for Christian fans

Archives

The original SpecFaith: est. 2006

Speculative Faith | archives

Lorehaven issues (2018–2020)

Order back issues online!
About
Library
Reviews
Podcast
Gifts
Guild
Archives
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
/ SpecFaith /

Let It Shine

The power of light can turn a walking nightmare into a CGI curiosity.
Mark Carver on Sep 6, 2017
2 comments

I recently watched Alien: Covenant, the sequel to Prometheus and the prequel to the original Alien movies. I’ve always been a big fan of cold, grim sci-fi, and while sci-fi/horror isn’t my preference, the Alien movies (at least the first two) are near masterpieces of high technology and primal terror.

Like most people, I was a bit disappointed with Prometheus as an Alien prequel but it was an interesting film in its own right. Naturally, I was very excited to see Covenant be the bridge between Prometheus and Alien (though there are still gaps with room for at least one more movie). And like most people, I was more than a bit disappointed in Covenant for a variety of reasons. Rather than listing them here, just watch this hilarious spoof trailer from the comic geniuses at Screen Junkies (I have yet to see an Honest Trailer that I didn’t agree with).

One of my biggest complaints with Covenant (which some of my friends have also mentioned, as does the Honest Trailer) is that the alien xenomorph is overexposed. We hardly got a good glimpse of it in the first film, and even in the second film where there are multiple aliens, the camera rarely gives us more than its freaky drooling grin and elongated cranium. Every horror director knows that the most terrifying thing you can do to an audience is make them use their imaginations. You can frighten yourself more than any writer or director can, and the more information you have, the less terrifying the horror becomes.

Image copyright 20th Century Fox

Fear comes from a lack of power. We do not fear things over which we have control. And since knowledge is power, the more you know, the less you fear. What is the simplest way to gain knowledge of something? Turn on the light.

You hear a bump in the night. It could be anything…but when you turn on the light, you see that it’s just a book that fell off the shelf. (But wait, how did that book fall off the….? *cue creepy violin music*). Seeing what something is gives us more information, and more power. This was a major flaw in Covenant, in my opinion. We see the xenomorph jumping around in broad daylight. It’s still pretty freaky but far less so than when it skulks through the narrow corridors of a spaceship. I was really more interested in figuring out if it was a man in a rubber suit or motion capture. B.B. King said it best: “The thrill is gone away.” I’ve seen the xenomorph in full view before but after so many movies, and in such well-lit surroundings, what should have been a scary scene was very underwhelming.

The same principles can be applied to sin and even the devil himself. As believers in Christ, we have literally nothing to fear, for He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Of course, we are still weak, fragile human beings and fear comes as naturally to us as breathing. Yet we do not have to fear the mysteries of sin and evil. This world is full of darkness and insidious forces, but the more we know about the power of the Holy Spirit through us, the stronger our light becomes and the smaller and less scary sin and evil become.

Imagine hunting for a spider in a dark room using only a candle. Spine-tingling, right? You’d probably be terrified that it might jump into your hair at any moment. Now imagine that room has giant fluorescent lights and with the flick of a switch, you could illuminate the entire room. The spider is still there, still creepy-crawly, but you know exactly where it it, how big it is, and how to catch it. You now have the power (you always did, even with the candle. It’s just a spider, for crying out loud). The important thing is to realize the light we have and how powerful it is. John 1:4-5 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (NASB). The power of light can turn a walking nightmare into a CGI curiosity.

Mark Carver
Mark Carver writes dark, edgy books that tackle tough spiritual issues. He is currently working on his ninth novel. Besides writing, Mark is passionate about art, tattoos, bluegrass music, and medieval architecture. After spending more than eight years in China, he now lives with his wife and three children in Atlanta, GA. You can find Mark online at MarkCarverBooks.com and at Markcarverbooks on Facebook.
Website · Facebook · Twitter
  1. notleia says:
    September 6, 2017 at 6:58 pm

    Rando off-topic question: You’ve been in China, where are the good places I should put on my bucket list? Is the Wall overrated? Can you go anywhere outside Shanghai or Beijing without having to know 2 dialects and kanji (can’t even remember the Chinese word for kanji)?

    Reply
    • Mark Carver says:
      September 7, 2017 at 1:39 pm

      Never actually made it to the Wall on almost 9 years there. Everywhere speaks Mandarin and many people speak English in the big cities. Every place has grand temples and palaces and modern architectural wonders, so the whole country is like a bucket list 🙂

      Reply

What do you think? Cancel reply

Lorehaven magazine, spring 2020

Wear the wonder:
Get exclusive shirts and beyond

Listen to Lorehaven’s podcast

Authors and publishers:
Reach new fans with Lorehaven

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.
Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter