Should Christian men read Nobledark fantasy?

Possibly- if they enjoy stories about flawed heroes mired in a world of incredible darkness, overcoming crushing odds and battling to reach the light.

Particularly- if the author happens to be a Christian.

Positively- if that Christian author weaves the gospel message throughout.

For the Christian reader, aside from the grim world and an often violent story, the problem with most secular Nobledark fantasy is how the hero achieves the goal. Often, these stories feature heroes who overcome and achieve admittedly worthy goals — but strictly by their own strength. This is true even where that strength is supernatural. Magical. It’s still a power of them, not of God.

Worse, what it means to do good is often based only upon what is good in their own eyes, but not in obedience to the one and only Higher Power of the universe. Oh, the story often does feature “gods” of some sort, but the hero will never find the ultimate Truth. Because the real God of Creation will not be found in those pages.

Therefore, though the hero may experience some sort of transformation, they will never experience the one transformation that matters.

In Darkness Cast, much like other Nobledark fantasies, is set in an incredibly dark world. It’s violent. Terrible things happen.

As Western Christians, comfortable in our own sheltered worlds, we often shrink from such. But to do so is to forget that many genuine heroes have braved that darkness, the violence. Have seen terrible things . . . many of those terrible things happened to them.

They’ve willingly done so that the innocent (you and me) might live in freedom- experiencing no such thing themselves. Never even imagining such.

So it will behoove us to acknowledge that the darkness exists. To realize that even if grittier, dark stories aren’t our preferred reading fodder, they serve a purpose for some Christian readers. These stories mirror real world experience, touch some at a soul level. Engage those readers with the Power of Story for God’s Glory- men whose inner being will never resonate with stories of romantic suspense or even the supernatural suspense and intrigue of my own story world.

So- again the question. Should Christian men read Nobledark fantasy? My answer is yes, if it’s Jonathan Shuerger’s In Darkness Cast -because in Jonathan’s story, the God of Creation plays a leading role. The Gospel and the redemption of the sinner, even the chief of sinners, is a central theme, shining light where “darkness has been cast,” illuminating that lost world. Revealing the path to an eternity worth fighting for.

The author has woven these eternal truths into his story in a way that’s not intrusive. Is natural. Inevitable. Not cheesy or forced.

So finally, after such a long and arduous journey, we can report the acquisition of the long-sought prize- a fantastical story I wholeheartedly recommend to adult male Christian readers!

May this be the first of many.