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My name is Jacob and i really enjoy the creativity that Christians express when they unleash themselves in a way that God wants them to. Fantasy and sci-fi are underexplored genres that more honestly allow Christians to worship God as he wants us to.

I have made this group in hopes that we can work together to explore and promote this specific type of honest worship.

I'm Kev. I like sci-fi and fantasy, and action/adventure, technothrillers, some suspense, and Christian fiction in those genres.

Alton Gansky is a good representative of a Christian SpecFic author I like.

I sometimes review books at SporadicReviews.com

Hi, I'm Jennifer, and I like any book as long as it has a good storyline. Although my favorites would have to be fantasy and sci-fi. As for christian, fantasy books I wish there was more of them that weren't so cliched.

Hi! I have loved Christian fantasy, allegory and speculative fiction for a long time. I studied Edmund Spenser's the Faerie Queene in college and discovered it was the basis for Bunyan, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and others. I had actually never heard of it before then.

I am interested in creating a graphic novel/choose your own adventure kind of work and I am looking for input. Could you answer these questions and give any other suggestions you think are appropriate?

1. Would such a work be best written in poetry or prose?

2. Should it be published in relatively short episodes, without a definite ending, or should each segment be a coherent whole, books in a series,for example?

3. Should episodes "star" different characters or should all revolve around one main character?

4. Do you believe including the idea that the "Sons of God" who intermarried with the daughters of men were fallen Angels is a valid story element, or would Christians be opposed to such content?

5. Would including the concept that many creatures considered mythical could exist in "reality" through genetic, bionic, or robotic manipulation be a valid story element?

6. Is the concept of an ordinary modern person thrown into an alternate reality overused?

7. What if an alternate "world" was created at the time of the overthrow of Nimrod's Tower of Babel? It is ruled over by a Mother-Son dynasty posing as ever-living gods, Semiramis and Nimrod.

8. Is it credible to depict these rulers using the widely varying possible powers of the descendants of the "Sons of God" to create this society, and to search through time and geography for the "Cradle of the Stargate," seeking entrance to the abode of the gods and equality with them?

9. Is it a good idea to depict believers in this world, known by each other as Martyrions, as being persecuted, trying to gather the complete Word of God, acquired in bits and pieces from captives brought in from the outside world, and pass it on to others?

10. Is it a good idea to depict "Guilds," based on the foundational skills outlined in Genesis (agriculture, metallurgy, music, etc.), that help preserve, transport and communicate the Scriptures in ingenious ways while earning their living and interacting with others.

That's enough for now. Would so much appreciate your input!

1: prose
2: personally, I'd say a series.
3: I'd say one main character, but maybe not. The OT is about a bunch of different people (or, the Israelites as a people...)
4: absolutely include this.
5: definitely a valid story element.
6: DEFINITELY overused.
7: Hmmm, what would be the cause of this alternate world being created and how does that fit into a Biblical worldview?
8: Sure. Sounds like something "bad guys" would do.
9: Not sure about the name Martyrions, but the rest sounds doable.
10: That sounds like an interesting concept to explore.

Sporadic Reviews wrote: "1: prose
2: personally, I'd say a series.
3: I'd say one main character, but maybe not. The OT is about a bunch of different people (or, the Israelites as a people...)
4: absolutely include this.
..."
Thanks so much for your comments! In answer to #7, the alternate world was created partly for the reason Josephus stated about the Tower of Babel, that they wanted to escape another flood or any form of God's judgment. Man always thinks he can hide from God. Also this "world" is mobile, allowing them to search the world for what they seek while attacking and kidnapping believers because they understand that they do have "power" but misunderstand its real source and try to abuse it for their own ends.

Good Evening! My name is Michael Duncan and I am the author of: Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part One which just came out on October 1st.


The second book of the series (Revelation) will be out this summer. I love Christian Allegorical fantasy (which is what I write).

And, Mary, I'll respond to your questions as soon as I read through all of them. :)

God bless, and Merry Christmas.

Michael wrote: "Good Evening! My name is Michael Duncan and I am the author of: Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part One which just came out on October 1st.
[bookcover:Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part One|1..."

Welcome Michael. Good to have you around. And congrats on the book deal. Look forward to hearing about the series.

Michael wrote: "Good Evening! My name is Michael Duncan and I am the author of: Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part One which just came out on October 1st.
[bookcover:Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part One|1..."

Thanks, Michael, for your interest! Looking forward to your input!

Michael wrote: "Good Evening! My name is Michael Duncan and I am the author of: Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part One which just came out on October 1st.
[bookcover:Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part One|1..."

Michael, who is the publisher of your book?

Jacob wrote: "Michael wrote: "Good Evening! My name is Michael Duncan and I am the author of: Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part One which just came out on October 1st.
[bookcover:Shadows: Book of A..."

It is published with Harbourlight books - an imprint of Pelican Ventures, LLC. Thanks for the interest. :)

Hi Ya'll My name is Pauline - and found you guys because I'm "friends" with Michael Duncan. I love Christian Spec Fic, and am finishing the 3rd draft of my Sci/Fi Spiritual Warfare Space Opera. I have also read several GREAT Christian Spec fic and reviewed them on Amazon. If you'd like some suggestions, I can list them here!

Has anyone in the group thought about starting a book club - we could all read the same book and discuss?

Thanks! :)

Hello!
I have just recently joined GoodReads, and I am thrilled to find other people with similar interests and reading habits. I enjoy several genres of literature, a few would be Christian Spec Fiction/Fantasy(of course!), History/Historical fiction, Art, Classics, Children's Classics, Biographies, and Music.

Pauline wrote: "Hi Ya'll My name is Pauline - and found you guys because I'm "friends" with Michael Duncan. I love Christian Spec Fic, and am finishing the 3rd draft of my Sci/Fi Spiritual Warfare Space Opera. I..."

Pauline, Hi and welcome. If you want to start a book club that would be great. What would be your first suggestion?

Rebekah wrote: "Hello!
I have just recently joined GoodReads, and I am thrilled to find other people with similar interests and reading habits. I enjoy several genres of literature, a few would be Christian Spec..."

Rebekah, welcome. I hope you find this group a valuable resource. I am just as relieved as you are with being able to connect to others who have a niche interest in literature.

Hi everyone! My name's Melanie and I love reading Christian fiction! Even though I haven't read that many books in the speculative fiction genre, the few books I have read - I've really enjoyed!



I also have a blog - here is the link if you'd like to stop by: http://christianbookshelfreviews.blog...

If you know of any great books in this genre, please recommend them to me!

Thanks,

Melanie

Melanie wrote: "Hi everyone! My name's Melanie and I love reading Christian fiction! Even though I haven't read that many books in the speculative fiction genre, the few books I have read - I've really enjoyed!

[..."

Welcome Melanie. Thanks for dropping by. I am reading the 3rd book of Kerry Nietz's Dark Trench Saga. It is published by Marcher Lord Press. It is definately unique. It is not too sciency either so it may be a good fit for you.

anyone else have any recommendations for her?

I'm Cliff. I'm a Christian,a Baptist, have written 6 novels, my newest one being a Christian themed fiction thriller set about 30 years in the future. I write a lot of speculative fiction, some sci-fi, and political thrillers.

Check out my website http://www.cliffball.net for more info.

Cliff wrote: "I'm Cliff. I'm a Christian,a Baptist, have written 6 novels, my newest one being a Christian themed fiction thriller set about 30 years in the future. I write a lot of speculative fiction, some sci..."

Welcome Cliff. Good to hear from you.

Howdy! I'm Kaleb, and I'm in high school. I love science-fiction that focuses more on the fiction than the science, especially space opera. I am a writer, but I'm focusing on short stories at the moment to master the technical skills before I return to working on novels, even though I have two that are begging to be written at the moment.
I blog occasionally at www.windybluffs.blogspot.com and I'm frequently at the forums at www.holyworlds.org (Especially the Science-fiction one).

Mary, I'll try to weigh in on your questions later.

Gregory! Nice to see you here as well.

Hi folks, I've been commenting with this group for a few weeks and just realized I never introduced myself!

My name is Ben Coles and I've been a Christian for most of my adult life. One of the benefits of having stumbled in the darkness for years was that I feel I have a decent understanding for the perspective of non-believers. Not that I think non-belief is valid, but I find it's easier to talk to a non-believer when I have experience "in their shoes". But mainly I'm just a happy guy who gives thanks to the Lord every day!

I've been a writer for some years. My first published novel can be seen here on Goodreads, Virtues of War. And I'm also a regular contributor to the fun and eclectic online magazine Life as a Human: www.lifeasahuman.com

I look forward to many good discussions about speculative fiction and faith.

Hello! My name is J. S. Bailey, and I write what could be loosely classified as Christian speculative fiction. My suspense novel The Land Beyond the Portal contains some elements of science fiction, as does my short story Vapors. My work-in-process Rage's Echo is more of a supernatural Christian suspense/horror novel. I'm finished with the first few drafts and have a few beta readers looking it over before I start seeking out an agent.

Anyway, I live in the eastern suburbs of Cincinnati with my husband and I'm addicted to burritos and good books. And Facebook. And Goodreads.

I can be found at www.jsbaileywrites.com and www.facebook.com/jsbaileywrites. Feel free to drop on by for a visit!

Welcome!

Gregory wrote: "Hi everybody. I'm Greg and I'm an incoming college student. I love spec-fic of pretty much any kind, though I tend to lean more towards fantasy and steampunk. I've been Christian and Catholic my wh..."
Hi, Gregory, I've read some Wayne Thomas Batson, I found out about him through the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour http://csffblogtour.com/
I am a Catholic and am currently writing a novel about zombies.

Hi. I'm Stephen. I'm a Christian. I write. So far nothing I've published (outside of one of my blogs) is overtly Christian, but I'm working on that.

I've read some Christian speculative fiction. Some of which is good and some is... well... sorry... kind of lame.

I hope for some good discussion...

Hi, everyone! I am and always have been an avid reader. I normally carry two books in case I finish one and find myself with five minutes and nothing to read! Perhaps I should get a Kindle, eh?

I live in Missoula, MT with my husband and my dog. My first book is called Toxic. It's a Christian YA fantasy, and I'm feverishly working on the sequel.

Nice to meet you and I agree with Stephen as he said above....I hope for some good discussion!

Hello everyone! I love to read Christian fiction, especially mystery/thriller/suspense. Have ventured into spec fiction and enjoyed the ones that I have read.

Recently read Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore and loved it. Also have read Winter by Keven Newsome and thought it was great. Hoping to find others to try also.

Hello Everyone!

I just joined the group and wanted to introduce myself.

I'm a reader, blogger, and aspiring novelist. I read Christian Fiction, Christian Speculative Fiction, and Literary Fiction.

I've enjoyed the works of Athol Dickson, Mike Duran, and George Bryan Polivka.

I also do book reviews on my blog. Here are a couple of my reviews:

http://kammbia1.wordpress.com/2011/06...

http://kammbia1.wordpress.com/2011/02...

I look forward to discussing good books with this group.

Enjoy,
Marion

Hello, everyone, I'm Alexandra!

I write in a variety of genres, though Sci-Fi and Fantasy are my favorite, and I love to read just about anything that I find interesting, though Sci-Fi and Historical are my favorites.

Looking forward to discussing with you!

Hi my name is Dan. Wow! I never knew that there were all of these categories for fiction. But I find that I seem to fall into spec-christian, and Christian fantasy.
I must admit that I am a bit intimidated. Most of you seem to be wtiters. Me? Just a reader. Always looking for books in these genres that inspire my faith...and hopefully stir the Holy Spirit inside me. And there have been those books that have done that.
Very much so looking forward to what every one is discussing.

Hello everyone,
When I heard that there was such a thing such as "speculative Christian fiction", I was immediately intrigued. As far as I knew, Christian fiction were Amish romances and family dramas - but sci/fi fantasy with a Christian bent? Well, this I have to see!

I'm a writer, and I write mostly non-fiction now but am branching out into fiction. I've always loved reading thrillers, science-fiction, fantasy and I enjoy a healthy diet of non-fiction books as well.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone - especially those who write Christian novels with a speculative bent

Elizabeth
http://www.elizabethtai.com

Hi, everyone!
I'm new to the group (and relatively new to Goodreads as a whole), but looking forward to good discussions about good books! Ironically, while I don't read a lot of speculative fiction myself, it is what I write. My most recent books, The Hidden Kings Trilogy from OakTara fiction, are an action-adventure fantasy epic and have received great reviews so far. You can check them out a little more on my author page if you like. But I'm not here to plug my own stuff primarily--since this is the genre I write in, it's good for me to have an ear on the discussions of folks who really enjoy reading them, and to keep up with the trends. Look forward to getting to know you.
-Matthew Burden

Hi everyone,

I'm Calvin from Australia. I like books on theology, sci-fi & fantasy, and business/self development. However, I have read wider, including many classics from authors like Shakespeare, Dickens and Orwell.

With all the attacks against Christian beliefs, I became inspired to write a fantasy novel for young adults with Christian themes. I recently published my novel on Amazon and will continue producing such works.

I look forward to engaging with you in discussions.

My name is Josiah. I am an avid reader, especially of Christian fiction and fantasy. I am also a writer. Currently I am working on a novel. Hopefully it will be finished before the end of the year. One of my favorite activities is reviewing Christian Fantasy. If you need a review I am your man. At the moment I am reading Scott Stabler's Knights of the Dawn King. So far very good.

My name is Alisa Hope Wagner. I'm a Christian blogger, www.faithimagined.com and Christian writer. My debut novel, Eve of Awakening, is Christian spec-fic with a little action and a lot of truth! I would like to offer 3 free ebook downloads for this amazing Goodreads' group of spec-fic lovers! All I ask is for an honest review on Goodreads, and if you wouldn't mind, on Amazon and Barnes & Noble too. Many blessings! Eve of AwakeningAlisa Hope Wagner

Wow, what a great group! I see a few familiar names here also....*waving to J.S. and Melanie*
I've been on goodreads for a few years and I had no idea this group was here, how cool! I have a blog where I review books, been an avid reader for most of my life, Christian fiction and young adult (also love fantasy) are my fave genres, and now I'm writing my own stories as well :) Looking forward to the discussions here!
Here's my blog, called A BookLover's Heart:
http://karathewriter.blogspot.com/

Hi from Central Texas. I've recently been working on my social networks and, while I've been on Goodreads for a few years, I just found their groups to join. I'm excited to see a group that seems to fit me perfectly.
Like the last few posters, I am a Christian blogger (http://tabletsofhumanhearts.wordpress...) and am also working on my own fantasy series.
I look forward to the discussions, input, and insight.

Greetings from Michigan. I am trying to work on my social media contacts. Pretty hard for a stick in the mud sixty year old. I have been blogging for a few years and enjoy it. I have a book coming out this spring, A Mother's Heart Moved the Hand of God. I am currently working on the second in a fantasy series. I am excited to join this group and keep up with the news. My blog can be found by link in my website www.teddgalloway.com or http://aservantsheartministry.blogspo... many blesssings

Hi

I'm Kurt Springs from New Hampshire.

I have just published a science fiction novel entitled Price of Vengeance, whose official release date is April 22. Though, prerelease copies are available through the publisher. https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookst...



It is the first book of the Dreamscape Warrior Novels and is intended as a morality play, though it has hard hitting science fiction action in it.

Hello,
I'm Eric.

I read, I write, and hopefully I honor the Lord with my life. I look forward to learning about other novels in the Christian fantasy genre. As for my own books, I have two novels currently published:
Fallen King
Road of Leaves

Hello. I'm new and look forward to mingling with everyone in this group. I haven't always liked or wrote fantasy, but things always change. Currently I'm writing a fantasy novella. I can't help but instert Christian themes into it..ha...that would be my spirit and subconscious doing that. I love to see how others do this.

Victoria

Welcome, Victoria.

Thank You! :)

Hi, I am a new self published author.
Currently I have submitted my first book.
Mantis Force: Marium Kahnet

the book is part of a vast new Christian fiction
universe which you could review at my website
http://www.mantisforce.com

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Hello RJ! Welcome and congrats on your book.

Hi everyone...
I'll start with a confession: I don't make nearly the use of Goodreads that I should. I'm hoping to amend that by getting more involved, and well, I'm starting here. :)

I am an emerging author (well, I hope emerging, and not just lingering in relative obscurity) of two series: The Windrider Saga (3 books) and The Risen Age archive (1 book published, 1 in progress.) My writing has to elbow for room in my free time, however, because I also direct a conference called Realm Makers, which is geared specifically toward people of faith who write speculative fiction. I'm up to my eyeballs in Realm Makers stuff right now, actually, because registration is open for the 2014 conference.

I look forward to listening in a bit on what matters to all of you, and hopefully I'll be able to lend useful input here and there.

May your endeavors be prosperous!

Becky
(Rebecca P Minor)

I've been a member of Goodreads for years, but I've only recently started updating it again. I didn't even realize this group existed until I saw Rebecca's post. I look forward to seeing more in the future.

Hi, everyone. I'm Fred Himebaugh, from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

I'm a writer of sci-fi (see my flash fiction story "Dear Son" at Every Day Fiction) and an editor of a pulp fiction podcast.

My WIP is The Devil's Dictum, an alt-history novel where the U.S. is founded by Satan-worshiping pirates. I will be looking for beta readers (and happy to return the favor) in the fall of 2014.

I aspire to write fiction with a Christian message there for those with eyes to see, but which satisfies readers looking only for a good yarn. I'd going to start a discussion thread shortly to learn how others balance those two goals.

I'm eager to get to know all of you in this group.