🧛🏻‍♂️ You’ve heard of AViS, but have you read it?

Stephen here! I publish Lorehaven and host the podcast. Just today I marked five months until the launch of my first sci-fi novel in spring 2025.

But this fall, you get a fantastic chance to join Lorehaven Guild heroes on a not-so-plain journey …

Ticia Messing invites you to come aboard into our October book quest, which creature-features Kerry Nietz’s earnest sci-fi novel with the eye-catching title: Amish Vampires in Space.

Yes, this story can be a bit scary. That’s partly why we recommend this for readers 14 and older. Occasionally it’s self-aware. But mostly it’s a serious exploration of how this famously pacifist people can reckon with an outbreak of monstrous evil en route to their new colony.

Lorehaven subscribers get access to the Guild, our castle in the cloud:

Learn more about Lorehaven Guild

By the way, at this castle, we keep many mirrors—and never lock people inside.

Speaking of reflection on famous villains …

📺 Five Answers from ‘The Rings of Power’ Showrunners

Everyone has a hot take on this controversial show. And frankly, that’s one reason why we haven’t so far spoken much about The Rings of Power. But one way or another, this second season seems different, and some say it’s better.

That’s why Lorehaven ally, culture/religion journalist and previous podcast guest Josh Shepherd, recently interviewed both of the Rings of Power showrunners.

Whatever you think about the show itself, this marks quite an opportunity to chat with Patrick McKay and J. D. Payne about Sauron’s unique evil, orc sympathies, and even (briefly) The Screwtape Letters.

Rings of Power‘s J.D. Payne says:

“We’re not the first people to make the bad guy, the protagonist. This has a long, glorious tradition going back to (John) Milton and probably earlier on, where Milton’s Satan (in Paradise Lost) is this compelling character you can’t take your eyes off of. Milton did it to show his readers their own fallenness by showing how interested they were in the devil and in evil. As you find yourself interested in Sauron, you’ve got to be careful because he’s a bad guy and he sees everyone, maybe even the audience.”

Read the whole article, with video, today at Lorehaven Onscreen

And don’t miss many other Onscreen articles from talented creators, including solid hot takes on the new incoming Dallas Jenkins “Bibleverse,” Alien: Romulus‘s ignorance of AI “personhood,” and my own rhapsody to the biblical and based Dreamworks animated beauty The Wild Robot. (Truly, it’s a terrific film.)

Speaking of “misunderstood” villains who aren’t really …

🎃 Fantastical Truth marks the start of spooky season

It seems every year Zackary Russell and I save the most evil-related topics for October. But last month we couldn’t wait to delve into episode topics, such as:

• 230: Why Do Modern Stories Keep Reversing Heroes and Villains?
• 231: Should Readers Look for ‘Clean’ or ‘Wholesome’ Stories?
• 232: What If You Fought a Forest that Cursed Your Family? | The Burning Tree with Helen Dent

For this upcoming month, we’re planning new episodes like:

• 233: Should Christian Fans Really ‘Avoid the Appearance of Evil’?
• Who Are the Future Voices of Christian Fantastical Storytelling? (of course, this one doesn’t sound that scary, unless you fear the future …)
• Do Some Fiction Fans Truly Identify with Demons?

Listen at Lorehaven.com or on any podcasting platform. And for the stories and themes you love best, let us know—and send those podcast links to a friend.

Finally, speaking of sharing the good news …

📱 Lorehaven.com just got a website upgrade

Recently my own website, EStephenBurnett.com, gave me a welcome chance to test some new design concepts for Lorehaven.com. (Yes, along with being the publisher, that’s also me building code for the platform.) At first I planned to launch the update with the new year. But then I wondered … why wait?

So this morning, I threw the switch for the 2025 update, three months early.

Looking for that perfect Christian-made fantastical novel? Search through nearly 1,400 titles listed at the Lorehaven Library.

On mobile devices, you may notice a few small differences. But pull up the site on tablets or desktops and you’ll see many more improvements:

• Various fixes to pages on mobile and tablet orientations
• A new Interact menu that showcases trending content and engagement
• The super Library search that helps you find Christian-made fantastical novels that fit your exact specifications. Try it! You can look for any fairy-tale fantasy retellings for teen boy+YA readers (as of now: just one!) or for any fairy-tale fantasy retellings for teen girl+YA readers (as of now: many).
• Opportunities for you to share your review of a favorite novel. For instance, you can share your own thoughts on Amish Vampires in Space. Or you can catch up with the latest Library addition, Curse of Silence, and share your question, comment, or review. And guest what—if the review is really good, we might publish this (with permission) as a guest review.
• Amazon purchase links for all available Library books going forward, plus many applied to older listed books and reviews. And when other purchase options become available, we’ll be sure to add those referral links

With that, I’m heading back into my own fiction promotion projects, plus any lingering website fixes and even more edits of forthcoming articles.

Godspeed and #GoTherefore!

Stephen