Fantastical Truth

This year’s Realm Makers event came up fast . Zack and Stephen had a blast at the annual event just two weeks ago in St. Louis, Missouri. Whether you got to join us there, or would like to catch up later, let’s survey the successes of this three-day conference and expo. And as more Christian fans (and creators!) find their place in these challenging yet fantastical worlds, we will explore how Real...

Gatekeepers everywhere. If they’re not “Big Hollywood” trying to fence out Christian creators, they’re natural barriers like lack of resources. Then along comes the siren call of generative AI. It is said these tools can boost creators’ art powers and help them dodge burly guards at the gates! Of course, these programs also generate quite a ruckus. But apart from disputes over job changes and envi...

One of the sillier myths in our culture claims, “Most men don’t read.” Sometimes this is a real trend. Other times it’s wishful thinking because some folks don’t want to share stories that boys and men want to read. Still, we can join to equip Christian fathers and other mentors for their unique God-given responsibility—to train kids to fight dragons. And for that mission, author James R. Hannibal...

This week we wanted to explore 1980s fantasy. But sometimes it’s hard to recover nostalgia when present-day villains keep killing our favorite heroes. Last week, the BBC announced Doctor Who is dead. For now. Rest in peace, Time Lord. Also these days, Stargate fans are rallying to hold Amazon to its original promises of restoring that universe with original creators, and stop the ‘Zon from s...

What if the wicked villains did conquer the elves? And what if a young elf-maiden was forced to carry the offspring of one of the invaders? That’s the new novel The Rending Cauldron , just brewed by fantasy author and Realm Makers president Rebecca P. Minor. Today, Becky joins us in the studio to explore tough topics, dark drama, and the expanding worlds of Christian-made fantastical fiction. Epis...

So much sci-fi likes to imagine that humans survive for centuries with some knowledge of classic literature, music, and cultural memory—everything except our religious beliefs. But today we explore a new sci-fi subgenre that dares to suggest the opposite. Faithful priests and other religious heroes of the future may not be wicked villains. In fact, they may be kind of awesome—and potentially fight...

Summer has returned. That often brings seasonal vacations that give you downtime in a car or airplane, maybe on a nice beach somewhere. You already know that’s a great opportunity to catch up on reading. So what are some tips and tricks to refocus on reading, finding the best fantastical novels and gaining the most from these worlds? Episode sponsors All that Glows by Lauren Smyth Realm Makers 202...

On May 14, we’ve had one Ascension Day, yes.[1. Photo by Chase Kennedy on Unsplash .] What about second Ascension Day (May 21)? In either case, Ascension Day marks the lesser-known sequel to Easter Sunday, honoring the time when Jesus Christ returned to Heaven. His disciples recorded His famous last words, including His command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in th...

This week marks Ascension Day, May 14![1. Photo by Timo Volz on Unsplash .] So let’s rise to that occasion and survey at least seven notions about that place to which Jesus ascended—Heaven. Is it true that Heaven is only “spiritual”? Or that we can’t know about Heaven is like, so it’s best we not think much about that unchanging, un-earthly or very-earthly dimension where “time shall be no more” a...

Pragmata released to gaming consoles April 17. The new Capcom title promptly sold 1 million copies by its first weekend and provoked much discourse from fans and some haters. Why the hate? Because players everywhere, especially men, loved the key concept of an outer space soldier teaming up with a little android girl to fight robo-monsters. Gamers declared they would do anything to protect Diana....

You’ve likely met some Christians who emphasize safety for children rather than preparing them for spiritual conflict. That’s why some more genteel-churchy responses to pop culture have said “it’s useless” or else “stay away” from stories like Harry Potter, Doom , or Dungeons and Dragons . So is it any wonder that a top-selling subgenre among young male readers is LitRPG, often with totally epic a...

“We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you. “‘In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth. And the Earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God said, “Let there be light.” And there was lig...

In spring 2026, social media platform X field-tested a new feature. Thanks to AI advances, with little fanfare, we now have universal translators. And suddenly the “curse of Babel” was temporarily lifted. Americans, Japanese, and Koreans began sharing their love of foods, patriotism, and fantastical stories. But for decades already, people around the world have found the wonder of creativity from...

Doctor Who is dead and not regenerating any time soon.[1. Photo by Krists Luhaers on Unsplash .] Star Wars is suspended in the bacta tank. Star Trek is redirecting all power to life support. Meanwhile, Netflix struggles to sing life into Narnia, bad philosophers stone Harry Potter , and goblins threaten to overrun all that was good in Middle-earth. But there were some who resisted. When studios ke...

This month’s Project Hail Mary film is being praised as a fresh, thrilling sci-fi take that is wholesome and sincere. As expected, we’re seeing more fantastical fans cry out for stories that celebrate the human spirit. Why do we love these stories? And how do different fan trends, even across whole generations, keep swerving between positive portrayals and other stories that may be called “cynical...

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” That’s what the Lord Jesus promised His disciples. How does His word, with support from fanta...

Adaptations. Sometimes we act like we don’t like them. But sometimes we do. And sometimes each new version of a story—book to film or TV show—changes the original but adds something new and amazing. Today we explore the pros and cons of adaptations. Episode sponsors Firebreak by Kathy Tyers Realm Makers 2026 Conference & Expo The Hole-Man by Dan Daetz The Lorehaven Authorship Mission update Ne...

Kaizoku ou ni ore wa naru! Today around the world, millions of fans who love Japan’s hit manga/anime series, One Piece , are rejoicing for many reasons, including today’s release of the live-action series season 2 on Netflix. Why do so many fans love these comical, earnest adventures of Captain Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates? Episode sponsors Firebreak by Kathy Tyers Realm Makers 2026 C...

Space is a dangerous place. Even recently we learned that the entire Artemis program has been rebooted, adding more rockets and risks! In other worlds and other galaxies, “space” is full of human life, music, adventure, romance, and fantastical new worlds. Just in time for Firebreak , book 1 of the Firebird Interlude Trilogy, we’re joined by longtime science fiction novelist Kathy Tyers to explore...

People want transparency! Or do we? If nothing else, public calls for revealing government secrets raise a lot of ruckus, especially when the secrets in question seem to be covering up aliens. Zack is our UAP/UFO expert. Stephen is intrigued yet skeptical. We’re both all over last week’s headlines. One former president claimed he knows aliens are real. Then the current U.S. president said he would...

For most of their lives, Stephen and Zack have kept their eyes to the stars and wondering if NASA or anybody else will ever again get serious about launching ships up there.[1. Image credit: SpaceX on X.com .] Now it seems that moment is upon us. Lord willing, next month’s launch of Artemis II will drive new great leaps back to the Moon, not only to orbit or put down boots, but to put down roots....

Last week your solo host, Stephen, shared a hot take: that some authors’ sudden hot takes on political topics add more heat than light. These cringe political posts distract from the author’s job and confuse fans, and some go further into sinful slanders. Now that Zack is back, let’s re-engage this topic as fans and explore hope for biblical unity. Without telling anyone to “stop with politi...

Happy Groundhog Day.[1. Photo by Marino Linic on Unsplash .] Maybe in these last weeks you’ve seen this same story repeat: Your favorite Christian author usually posts about whimsical life updates, pet photos, or upcoming release dates. But now she or he is suddenly and very fervently posting about politics. Words get heated. Light dims. And unwise statements share disastrous brushfires instead of...

Allegories. Christians love allegories! That’s a story element of having a person, place, or thing meant a a direct picture of something else, like Jesus or moral virtues. Some people think Jesus did this in parables, or C.S. Lewis did this with Narnia. Others point to Pilgrim’s Progress as a prime example. Even if they’re right about that, might some readers and authors focus so much on pos...

This podcast and other resources from Lorehaven focus on readers. That’s why, when aspiring writers post questions like, Where can I find an agent? or Will you look at my unpublished manuscript? , we don’t have much to share in that department. Until now. We’re journeying into new lands. This month we’re launching the Lorehaven Authorship within the Lorehaven Guild on Discord. Let’s explore how th...