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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

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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
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
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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
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144. Which Top Six Fantasy Franchises Gave Fans Grief in 2022?
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142. What Christmas Gift ‘Tools, Not Toys’ Helped You Grow As a Person?
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141. Ten Years After ‘An Unexpected Journey,’ Must We Really Hate The Hobbit Films? | with Rilian of NarniaWeb
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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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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

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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.
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The Unbeliever

The Unbeliever Finally, I’m back! Many thanks to Shannon for picking up the slack. Stealing  from Stuart’s title, I’ve gotta warning of my own. I have nothing deep and meaningful to say. There is enough intellectual blogging on Spec Faith […]
Beth Goddard on Aug 31, 2006
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The Unbeliever

Finally, I’m back! Many thanks to Shannon for picking up the slack. Stealing  from Stuart’s title, I’ve gotta warning of my own. I have nothing deep and meaningful to say. There is enough intellectual blogging on Spec Faith to make up for me.

It just so happens that the week I’m able to return to Spec Faith is also my week at Favorite Pastimes. That means I’m not getting much of anything done in the way of preparing for the upcoming ACFW conference or writing my novel. While I’m writing this post, the family is watching Sleepy Hollow. Have you ever seen that? It creeps me out. (Do people still say that?)

Okay, on to something you’re interested in. Maybe. Someone posted a question on one of the many loops I browse that caught my attention. The question pertained to The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever—does anyone still read those? I’m not sure if it was worded exactly that way. Hey, was that you, Mir?

On my first and only post for Spec Faith, I mentioned an editor writing out a list of books for me to read of secular fantasy. One of the books, or I should say six of those books, was/were the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. From now on, I’ll refer to it as Covenant. I’m on book number five now, one to go. It’s really titled the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Book Two, but it’s actually book five. Okay, starting from THIS point, I’ll refer to it as Covenant.

As a “newby” to the secular fantasy market there are things that I questioned from the beginning about these books. First, the editor told me that he waited until all six books were out, then he read them one after the other. Immediately that brings to mind the question of how did he know there would be six books. Does anyone know the history here? Did Stephen Donaldson sign a six-book contract with the publisher? Really, I want to know.

Second, I’m always one to look for spiritual meaning in EVERTHING and sometimes this may be a problem because perhaps the author never intended there to be any meaning whatsoever—especially one on a spiritual plane. Nevertheless, I look for meaning. Of course the title itself contains a wealth of meaning for one reading from a Christian worldview. The stories contain mention of the creator and how the despiser came to be in control of “the land.” Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

Yet I’ve been told that Stephen Donaldson is NOT a Christian. His father was a missionary to India, a doctor caring for the lepers. I’m left to ponder the author’s intensions and abundant symbolism within his novels. This is a conundrum, to be sure, because my thinking is that a blog post should be informative, yet I’ve provided you with nothing but questions. Still, these are questions that I’d love to hear answered if anyone has a clue. And I’d love to discuss further your take on these novels.

Blessings!
Beth.

Beth Goddard
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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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