Christian speculative fiction. I first came across this term years ago when I met Jeff Gerke in a chat put on by the yahoo group, ChristianSecularFictionWriters. Jeff, an author and editor well acquainted with the Christian publishing business, even then bemoaned the fact that traditional Christian publishers shied away from anything “weird”. I think that is about the time he created the website, Where the Map Ends, a place to bring together readers and authors of “Christian speculative fiction”.

          There is a lot of information on that site, much of which I’m still discovering. The one thing I keep returning to, though, is his booklist. I have found many books I never would have known existed if not for his list. Here you can find a vast number of titles and genres, all written from a distinctly Christian worldview. If you are looking for Christian speculative fiction, stories that explore the fantastic, time travel, science fiction, alternate universes and more, while remaining harmonious with the values and mores important to a person of faith, this booklist will become treasured resource.

          I don’t know if or how often he updates this particular list, but he continues to do his part (and more) to connect readers and authors. A little less than a year ago he opened his own publishing company, Marcher Lord Press, dedicated to producing the best possible Christian speculative fiction. Now there’s no excuse. Jeff Gerke, through Where the Map Ends and Marcher Lord Press, has made it possible to find quality stories that stir the imagination while encouraging and strengthening your faith.

          Read on!

          In case you haven’t caught on yet, I love fantasy. I love reading it. I love dreaming it. And I love writing it. I can think of little that is more enjoyable than being transported into a radically different world and getting a glimpse of what life is like for those characters. The experience is even more enjoyable when I see many of my core beliefs mirrored in positive ways throughout the story.

         Finding those worldview affirming stories can be difficult. (Exactly why I started this site.) Much of genre fiction rejects, ridicules or downplays those values I consider most important. Or they give a positive spin to actions and opinions I consider negative. Even if there is nothing objectionable in plot, theme or character, sometimes neither is there any depth to the story or character journey. Discovering books of depth and spiritual insight is a thrill.

         That’s why I’m so excited to learn about Marcher Lord Press, a new start-up publisher whose stated mission is to get Christian speculative fiction directly into the hands of the fans who devour it. Founder and owner of Marcher Lord Press, Jeff Gerke is acquiring and publishing stories of alternate worlds and fantastical characters that are firmly rooted in a core Christian worldview. (I’ll be reviewing one of them in a few weeks.)

         Like Marcher Lord Press, I believe Christians need to be champions and guardians of Truth and Light in entertainment. We need to monitor and evaluate everything we read and watch through Scripture even as we expand past the borders of the status quo. We are part of this world. We are not meant to separate ourselves and create a sub-culture of our own, excluding and alienating those our Lord came to rescue (just as He rescued us). We are to be part of this world, living in its culture, revealing the new character our Lord gave us. We are to be a clear, brilliant reflection of Him and His message. In doing so, in life and in fiction, we show the world what we already know . . . That there is much rest, much life, much joy in a well-told fantasy tale which shines with Light and Truth.