A Time for Everything: A Speculative Fiction Anthology Inspired by Ecclesiastes 3

by Ben Avery, Kathleen Bird, Branson Boykin

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens…”

With these words, the writer of Ecclesiastes launches into his famous list of twenty-eight “times,” a poem that explores the breadth of humanity’s relationship with life, death, and God.

This collection explores these statements of the times of life through a speculative fiction lens, using science fiction and fantasy to do what these genres do ask “what if?” and “why?” And in keeping with the ancient writer’s use of the phrase “a time to...”, each story explores these times of life with an imaginative manipulation of time.

In this collection, you’ll find:

- Time machines and magical portals,
- Alien beings and mythological creatures,
- Alternate histories and far-off worlds,
- Moral conundrums and spiritual warfare, and
- Futuristic technology and fantastic phenomenon.

From the current day to the far future to the distant past, from high fantasy to domestic drama to star-faring sci-fi, these stories, like the ancient writer’s poem, explore the idea that there truly is...

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

529 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 2023

About the author

A believer in the need for positive, all-ages entertainment, Ben Avery created and wrote Zondervan’s graphic novel series TimeFlyz and the comic book miniseries ArmorQuest to entertain readers with an exciting story, but also inspire and encourage readers to stand up and make a difference in their world. Avery’s comic book career began when he was selected by George R.R. Martin to work as the script adaptor of the comic book fantasy mini-series The Hedge Knight, based on novellas by the New York Times bestselling author. After that, Avery went on to co-write/co-create the critically acclaimed Lullaby and The Imaginaries for Image Comics, co-create and write the children’s literature inspired fantasy The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles, develop and write the historical epic Kingdoms for Zondervan, and the sequel mini-series The Hedge Knight II, published by Marvel Comics. In addition to writing, he has been an English teacher, a college resident director, and a youth treatment specialist for sexually abused children. Avery lives in Indiana with his wife and four children.

Reviews

[Sarah Frantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1 of the 28 stories, Joshua Reid takes us into a world of time travel deftly moving from one spacial plane to another.

Will our protagonists' value The Way or work toward their own self interests?

Only time will tell.

[Marti Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

A time to read and speculate

Inspired by some challenging versus from the Bible, from the wisdom of the teacher, king in Jerusalem, this anthology lifts the various “time” phrases into short stories that give us new insights, show us intriguing time travel twists, or transport these aphorisms from millennia past decades, centuries or millennia into the future.

There is a time to read such speculative fiction… and this may be it!

[Kaylena Radcliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic anthology that I was honored to be a part of. Each story is rich and compelling, and it's so worth reading each author's imaginative take on time travel and the biblical phrase, "a time for..."

If you're looking for thoughtful new worlds, great new characters, and eucatastrophe, look no further!