Lorehaven: Christian Fantastic Fiction Webzine to Launch in Autumn 2017

Fans who love Jesus and fantastic fiction will have a new and free guide when Lorehaven releases its first free magazine later this year.

Publisher Ben Wolf, of Splickety Publishing Group, and editor-in-chief E. Stephen Burnett, of SpeculativeFaith.com, announced Lorehaven at the fifth annual Realm Makers conference for Christian fantasy novelists in Reno, Nevada. More than 260 guests welcomed the news.

Lorehaven will build on this audience, and those of Splickety and Speculative Faith, to reach thousands of new readers, sparking interest in book clubs for Christian fantastic novels.

“Nothing like this has ever been done before, but we all know dozens of churchgoing people who go watch Marvel, DC, and other related movies,” Wolf said. “Most Christians don’t realize the wealth of fantastic speculative fiction written by Christians that is out there. Lorehaven seeks to find those people and to provide them with easy access to those stories.”

Many people may associate Christian fiction with historical, romantic, or Amish genres. But as this traditional readership dwindles and Christian bookstores close, Lorehaven’s founders join creative professionals in anticipating Christian readers’ higher demand for fantastic fiction.

Younger Christian readers want both biblical truth and fantastic imagination, Burnett said.

“Our native language is the fantastic: crossing between natural and supernatural realities,” Burnett said. “The Bible shines with the epic gospel narrative of Jesus Christ, who defeats the dragon of sin and saves his enemies to become heroes under him. That’s why Christians love fantasy wherever they find it, such as in superhero films and television series.”

“Still, Christians as a unique interest group can worship God and connect with other believers by enjoying and sharing our own fantastic stories—not just the classics from C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, but newer novels from talented Christian creators,” Burnett said.

Lorehaven will help fantasy fans of all ages find these new authors through the magazine’s flash novel reviews, interviews, and news. Wolf said authors and fiction pros will share their stories, write about how to grow as a Christian “fanservant,” and support Lorehaven with paid ads.

“Our long-term goal for Lorehaven is to use it as a vehicle to get Christian people interested and talking about this growing genre of speculative fiction,” Wolf said. “In time, we’d like to be able to send print copies to churches and develop a network of book clubs nationwide that are dedicated to reading and discussing speculative fiction written by and for Christian readers.”

About Lorehaven: Lorehaven helps Christian fans find biblical truth in fantastic stories. Book clubs, free webzines, and a web-based community offer flash reviews, articles, and news about Christian fantasy, science fiction, and other speculative novels. Lorehaven launches autumn 2017. Visit Lorehaven.com.

About Splickety: Splickety Publishing Group publishes three quarterly flash fiction magazines: Havok, for speculative flash fiction, Spark, for romance flash fiction, and Splickety Magazine, for young adult flash fiction. They routinely feature stories from bestselling and award-winning authors. Visit Splickety.com.

About Speculative Faith: Since 2006, this community of fans and writers have raised awareness of Christian-made speculative novels, with reviews, a library of available titles, and articles from regular writers and guest voices from across the Christian fantastic-story community. Visit SpeculativeFaith.com.