#Tales of Goldstone Wood

[rayless-reblogs]

Goldstone Wood and the Oddness of Christian Fantasy

Princess Varvare in a kingdom of roses

I want to share some illustrations inspired by the Tales of Goldstone Wood series by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. It's a Christian fantasy series that I really like. Give me a moment to talk about that – unless you absolutely love Christian fantasy, all Christian fantasies, in which case, maybe skip this.

I spent a chunk of the early 2000s defending fantasy as a genre to a variety of Christians I ran across – not the majority, but still a variety of them – both in my head and to their faces. The preacher who said, from the pulpit, that Harry Potter was Satanic. Writers explaining why JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis were (of course) okay, but all other fantasy novels were suspect. Websites that dissected the occult symbolism you never realized was buried in fantasy media. My friend who frowned at me in concern and said she wouldn't want to have to explain to God why she read “that kind of thing” when she met him after death.

This is Rosie (and her goat Beana, who talks.) I love Rosie utterly, she tries so hard and she feels things so much. The next image is a spoiler, showing her unveiled.

I think that's partially why I'm interested in the genre of Christian fantasy, this attempt to make these two things fit. For me, the fusion often doesn't work. Either writers mix theology and fantasy in a weird confusing way. (Wait, you just had your heroine marry an angel. Do you actually think that happens? Which parts of this actually reflect your belief system?) Or they play things extremely safe and traditional. (Oh boy, another story about a young farm boy who's going to go on a quest and fight the Satan figure and become a hero while his girlfriend does... something peaceful off-screen.) Or they try to be another Lewis in the belief that since Lewis and John Bunyan did it, allegory is an acceptable vehicle for fantasy, and let's be really obvious about the symbolism. (I bet this demon symbolizes evil.) I read Christian fantasy, but it's partially optimistic curiosity, it's partially pessimistic irony, and I haven't found many that I'd recommend.

Rosie unveiled.

But I do like Tales of Goldstone Wood, at least what I've read so far (still missing a few of the installments). I like it enough that I would recommend it to a Christian who wants to read fantasy, or a fantasy reader who doesn't mind Christian themes. Anne Elisabeth Stengl often approaches the Christian elements indirectly, from less obvious angles, so you don't have all the heavy-handed symbols you see in the Lewis and Tolkien knockoffs. She has many, many interesting female characters and a lot of humor. Her series also builds, adding complexity to the world and characters with each installment, many of the characters showing up in multiple books.

Varvare and the unicorn. This unnamed unicorn is one of my favorite elements of the third book – beautiful but dangerous and eldritch. Corrupted – but not exactly evil.

Stengl's also not afraid to get weird and fey with her fantasy elements, at times reminding me strongly of things like Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, and no end of Celtic and European folklore. Her magical characters are unpredictable, merry, fearsome, and unabashedly over the top. Her heroes have depth, flaws to go with their heroism, and never become morally perfect even after their conversions – unlike in so much Christian fiction. Much of Christian fantasy bears the thumbprint of CS Lewis; in Stengl's case, though her writing shows clear nods to Lewis (and not just his Narnia books), she isn't trying to replicate him. These aren't books that Lewis would have written.

Daylily and Lionheart. If the series has a protagonist, it's probably Lionheart there on the right. He seems to be doomed to keep showing up in different story arcs, and he's always interesting.

I recommend you begin with the first one, Heartless. Though Heartless is the least ambitious/unique entry – it's straightforward and, of all of the books, the most directly allegorical. (I bet this guy's the Jesus figure. Yep, yep he is.) But it lays the foundation for the world and establishes many of the central characters, including my favorite Eanrin, the blind cat-shapeshifting bard-knight with the heroism of a knight, the selfishness of a cat, and endless flair. Stengl does explore Christian themes, but at the same time she clearly wants to create beautiful language, memorable characters, and engrossing stories. The stories and characters don't feel secondary to the message.

Eanrin, I like him a lot. He also shows up in almost every book, at least the main books, sometimes pre-injury, sometimes post-.

My favorite book is Starflower, the fourth, because of its courageous heroine (who grows into the librarian-knight Imraldera we see in other books), its twisted echoes of “Beauty and the Beast” and Till We Have Faces, and its focus on, who else, Eanrin in his younger years, before he's really gotten that whole hero thing worked out.

Imraldera. (She's looking at Eanrin.) The series is allegedly over, but I feel like there are still some narrative threads hanging, including with Imraldera here. My hope is that the author returns to the series someday.

As with any recommendation, this isn't a blanket recommendation; you may find things in here you don't like. I don't sign off on every element as perfect. But Christian fantasy is a small genre, it's a weird genre, in my opinion it's often a clumsy genre. Goldstone Wood is proof that it can produce interesting, original material – stuff not merely “good for a Christian fantasy”, but just a good series, period.

[theribbajack]

"Know this, my husband, and know it well: The moment you set foot beyond the Circle of Faces will be your last. For I shall send the Black Dogs!"

In honor of spooky season now upon us, I decided to do a quickie from one of my favorite ever books, Starflower by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, depicting the fall of Amarok the Wolf Lord. If anyone is into high fantasy/Celtic mythology, I highly recommend her Tales of Goldstone Wood series. I first read it almost ten years ago and it still lives in my brain and writing style rent-free to this day.

[masterfuldoodler]

"In the tree opposite him sat a man in bright scarlet, tawny hair sticking out from under a jaunty cap. Both his eyes were covered with silken patches."

Moonblood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

This whole scene was probably one of my favorite parts of the book lol

[your-fave-is-christian]

Eanrin from Tales from The Goldstone Woods series

Eanrin from Tales of Goldstone Wood is Christian!

[lover-of-the-starkindler]

Imraldera, curious to see why the poet, even in his man's shape, bristled from head to toe, pressed up behind him and, standing on tiptoe, peered over his shoulder. She gasped at the sight that met her eyes. She had seen waterfalls in the Land before, places where the rivers met and rushed white over steep drops, and she had thought them beautiful. But nothing in the Land compared to this. A vision of absolute power. The beauty of it, the awfulness made her tremble. For a moment, she was thankful--she would change nothing from her previous life and risk losing the chance to gaze upon something as marvelous as Cozamaloti.

--Starflower by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

[taleweaver-ramblings]

For the seven characters ask: Eanrin and Dame Imraldera (Goldstone Wood); Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli (LotR); Artham (Wingfeather Saga); and The Golux (The 13 Clocks)

You do realize that I want to put about half of these for #7, right? You realize what you have done to me? Ok, let's go —

Go grocery shopping with: Legolas. I have no good explanation; I just feel like it would be fun and possibly amusing.

Have lunch with: Gimli; I am fueling a favorite theory of mine and introducing him to good barbecue.

Have coffee with: Eanrin. I am prying every story I can out of him, and I am also risking my own self-confidence by asking him to look at some of my own writing.

Go thrift shopping with: The Golux, because then something improbable and interesting will happen.

Explore a museum/art gallery/aquarium with: Imraldera. It's something different from her daily routine, but still on-brand for her.

Go the library/bookstore with: Artham; we're having a grand time making fun of the bad books (and bad poetry) and trading recommendations on the good stuff. I am also introducing him to the Tales of Goldstone Wood; I think some of it will resonate. (You'd think I would've said Imraldera, but let's be real; the woman spends ALL her time in the library. Let's let her do something else.)

Have as a plus-one at a wedding: Aragorn. (This came down to Aragorn vs. Eanrin, and in the end, Aragorn won because he can be counted upon to be Chivalrous.)

[theriu]

Hey this sounds fun! :D

Send me 10 characters and I will tell you who I would…

Marry

Drink tea with

Party with

Kiss

Go out on a date with

Push down the stairs

Slap

Invade the dreams of

Take a nap with

Rob

[fictionadventurer]

Top five time travel movies/books! :D

See, the trouble is that while I love time travel as a concept, I haven't actually explored the genre that much. I haven't watched/read most of the time travel stories out there, sometimes because I just haven't gotten to it, other times because I'm very picky about content, other times because most of the time travel stories I run across are either "we're a bureaucratic agency dedicated to policing time travel" or "oh, no, what if we change history?" or "I fell in love with a hunky Highlander", none of which are the parts of time travel stories that interest me.

The most accurate version of this list would be a list of Doctor Who episodes (and maybe some Star Trek ones), but you specified movies and books, which is going to make this a much more difficult list to create.

The Day of the Doctor: Haha, I cheated, because Day of the Doctor was released in theaters, which makes it a movie! (So I can use it as a stand-in for all the Doctor Who episodes that are my favorite time travel stories). Thankfully, it's a fantastic time travel story and one of my favorites. It's a genius blend of both "stable timeline" and "changeable timeline" mechanics. Three different interweaving timelines. References to A Christmas Carol. Changing major events in the show's past without changing the timeline that resulted from them at all. A rejection once and for all of the "ends justify the means" mindset that had lingered over the reboot for too long. A masterpiece.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: It's the classic Christmas story for a reason--and one of those reasons is the time travel. Going with Scrooge across decades of his own life and watching him undergo character development from that is a great use of time travel. (And there happens to be a great Doctor Who version, too!)

Star Trek: First Contact: It's fun when you get characters traveling from the future to a different time that's also in the future. Love all the worldbuilding details of these characters interacting with their past/our fictional future, and it's a pretty good story.

Shadowhand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl: The Tales of Goldstone Wood series has a structure unlike any I've ever seen in fantasy, and this book is the reason. The first three books in the series are in chronological order. The next two books are prequels that take place like a thousand years earlier. This book, the sixth, involves characters from the later time period time-traveling to meet characters from the earlier time period, and getting swept up in a legend that they've known since childhood. I remember very little about the book beyond that, but it's such a cool concept (with an unforgettable ending moment) that I have to put it on the list.

Love Strikes Twice: It's one of the very rare Hallmark movies that's actually a decent movie by normal movie standards, so I have to give it credit. Instead of the usual boring time travel plot of "oh no, what if we change history?", we get someone who's trying to change history, who does change history, and it's a good thing. The time travel mechanics surrounding that make no sense, but who cares? It's a fun story with an engaging cast, legitimately funny jokes, a sweet romance, and a solid plot.

[kyngsley01]

In a multiverse, somewhere far, far away...

1,804words

The Golden Scarab struggled to bob and weave away from the onslaught of pursuers. The purple-white gleam of his whip crackled as he lassoed it around a nearby light pole, using the electrified rope to drift around a particularly sharp corner into a somehow even tighter alleyway. Hopping over a set of crates, Scarab's shadow stretched thin under his feet as he ran away, but just before he was out of reach, a deadly sharp set of talons swiped at the cargo, causing the wood to splinter and collapse on themselves in a pile too treacherous for their pursuers to simply hurdle as the former did.

Scarab seized the opportunity, finally able to withdraw his weapon in order to summon his fabric scissors, swiping the open blades at a nearby wall until the resulting rip in the time-space continuum was just large enough for him to pass, ensuring that the hole would repair itself in time before anybody else would catch up. He barreled his way through, landing roughly on the other side.

He only relaxed once he heard the tell-tale zipper sound of the rip naturally closing itself up behind him, nearly collapsing under his own weight before a familiar force from within his carapace held him aloft, like a dark hand over his stomach. Scarab struggled to breathe, and he assumed that Nightmo would be too. Tonight was rough on the both of them.

"Momo… Are you all right?" Scarab barely managed to wheeze out, his heavy aching body refusing to cooperate even with speaking. "Yeah." Nightmo's deep voice resounded from within, although he sounded ragged as well, "I'm okay, you?"

This time, the nightmare allowed their body to sag as they both felt a wave of relief wash over the both of them, resting easy now that the looming threat of capture, torture, and forced separation has abated some.

"Yes- Yes… I'm okay too. We're both okay."

Prismo and Scarab had been frozen for days, watching the pair struggle to survive and evade capture. The walls of the time cube had dimmed considerably, since the aforementioned Golden Scarab and Nightmo the Wishmaster of their side of the multiverse both seemed to prefer the dark, making it so that most of their scenes were in their all-too temporary secluded havens or outside in the dead of night.

At first, when Prismo had mistakenly stumbled across Goldie, a name he coined to differentiate between his Scarab and the television Scarab, he couldn't help but grow fond over the bug oh-so-different from his own. What can he say? He was a sucker for switcharoo AUs. Scarab, on the other hand, scoffed at the sight of the bumbling, soft-hearted version of himself; it was clear as day that the fool was the worse-off worse-er alternative. But when they both saw the first glimpses of Goldie's own wishmaster, dark and terrifying running over the shell of his left arm, clad in a golden ring to match the right arm's black goldstone ring as the two intertwined fingers and held one another- the remote sat untouched, gathering dust as neither of the two projections moved to change the channel.

The tight feeling in Prismo's chest lightened at the sight of the Golden Scarab and Nightmo making it to safety, but the deep aching remained. He took the moment's respite to peer over at his own red, well, now blue Scarab, silently observing the other for his own reaction. Scarab seemed to relax as well, his usual ramrod-straight posture slouched as he concentrated his full attention on the screen, listening intently to Goldie's sweet, comforting chitterings to his nightmarish much-more-than-just-a-roomate. How do the words come so easily to him when his own throat was so tight when he tried to do the same?

"Wow, they barely made it through this time, huh Scrabby?"

"Yes," Scarab agreed pensively, irritated at the interruption of his own thoughts, "Barely. They got too comfortable in the last universe, the Golden Scarab should have been more vigilant, and now both he and Nightmo, by proxy, are injured because of his carelessness."

Leave it to Scarab to come up with those cutting observations bordering on insults and criticisms. It took every ounce of Prismo's own cosmic willpower to not roll his eye, "Well- they had a really good thing going back there, it's not hard to see why they didn't want to let that go…"

"Still." Scarab retorted, his tone biting, "If the Golden Scarab insists on housing the wishmaster in his body, instead of returning him back to his proper station, the least he can do is protect him properly." Looking pointedly at the scene unfolding in front of them, the two characters seemed to have taken refuge in a nearby inn, donning a poorly hashed-together disguise drenched in the heavy downpour that the two had rushed in from. Tch, the golden prat was tracking in blood, and the innkeeper was eyeing them suspiciously. He would've done a better job than this.

"Dude. They're clearly still figuring things out. Give Goldie a break man, they're doing their best."

Miraculously, after serving up quite a bit of coin, the innkeeper overlooked the odd tenant and showed the Golden Scarab to a shabby room. Locking the creaky door behind him securely, he all but collapsed on the dingy bed, his disguise melting back into his original form now that his already shot concentration was fully lost. His left arm gently egged at his side, summoning a pile of bandages and salve with a dark crackle of energy in the air. "Com'on," Nightmo's gruff voice urgently called, "Sit up, we need to wrap our wounds so we can heal."

With a momentous effort, Scarab sat himself up, his antennae twitching in slight irritation from the loudly painful protests his body made with each sluggish movement. Still, if he was in this much pain, then so was Momo, and he would not have that. The two bi-colored hands worked in tandem with one another, meticulously applying salve and wrapping bandages in well-practiced motions to every weeping wound they could find. When it came time to assess the damage done on his beloved left side, Nightmo's side, Scarab was dismayed at all of the deep cracks running along the midnight shell, and immediately moved to disinfect the wounds. There was a threatening hiss, an all-too-familiar warning as the arm pulled back on its own accord.

"I know it hurts, Nightlight… But please stay still, I'll be quick, I promise."

At that Nightmo was cowed, not wanting to eat his own words more than he needed to, and held out his arm for Scarab to dab at with that accursed salve, twitching throughout the whole process. Scarab's own arm was shaking as well, whether it was from pain, nerves, or both, neither of the two could tell. The rest of the damage now was internal, and thus would have to heal on their own with proper rest. The pair laid together in silence for a while after the necessary first aid was done, staring up at the ceiling as the world's moonlight flowed through the window at their side. It was quiet, for now.

"Well, I certainly hope that the Golden Scarab 'figures it out' soon. Now that they're injured, they're much more vulnerable to attack." Scarab the wishmaster assistant huffed, crossing his arms, "They will not be able to handle another ambush like this one at least for several days."

"They're literally married, or something. Anyway, Goldie's not alone in this, they're figuring it out together, that's the point of-"

A soft purr resounded from the television, effectively silencing the two onlookers. Scarab's cracked mask pulled back to reveal his tired, but peaceful expression. The inky black of Nightmo spread further down his designated left side of the body, ebbing and flowing on their carapace as if he was also stretching out as well, finally having a moment to breathe.

A singular lilac eye peeked over the white of Scarab's slightly mussed collar, peering out into the darkness of the room. Nightmo liked the crook under the chin the most, since it was always shaded away from the light, he felt the safest to pool here. The pair's comfortable quiet was brief, as the ex-wishmaster whispered out, barely audible enough even for Scarab's sensitive antennae to pick up on, "'M sorry I can't heal you. Or do more to help…"

"Nonsense, dear." Goldie gently chirped, gently running a hand over his left shoulder, minding the spikes that Nightmo had added to his side. He smiled softly, finding inexplicable joy in exploring how Nightmo was changing his side as he saw fit, appreciating his gift with not words but meaningful actions. "You distracted them long enough for us to escape, and now we're here, and whole. You've already done wonderfully."

"You're in so much pain, though," the nightmare grumbled, "and I'm just sitting here, on all 'dis magic, but all I can do is summon shit and trick people… Healing light would be so much more useful right now."

The half-scarab, half ex-wishmaster hummed thoughtfully, almost knowingly, "I don't suppose you would've flashed our pursuers with healing magic would you~? It would've made me so sad to see all of my hard-earned strikes done away with like that! And besides, you're feeling it too, maybe I'm the one who needs a healing buff for the both of us."

How can Nightmo respond to such a devious twist on his words? The shadow chuckled softly, proud of his vessel's cunning wit, they both have come so far. "Too bad you've already wasted your wish, then. I would've granted you many kinds of wondrous healing magics."

Goldie's own giggle, high and chiming like a bell, rang out alongside Nightmo's. "Nah," the former replied, resolute in his tone despite the moment's lightheartedness, "This wish is all I need."

The intimate scene was one of many he bore witness to, and Prismo couldn't help this sinking feeling that he may not be as different to Nightmo as he hoped he would be. This version of himself was undoubtedly loud about his misgivings, throwing slews of curses and wild black magic at any slight irritation. Jealousy sat heavily in the back of Prismo's throat as he watched the other's Scarab respond with the same aloof kindness every single time. Goldie was always patient, his knowing gaze piercing past the nightmare's barbed exterior straight into the soft, pink underside. Idly, Prismo wondered if Scarab was feeling the same cognitive dissonance he did, watching their alternate selves fall in love amongst the turbulence, while they could barely tolerate each other's presence here in the safety of the time cube.

Scarab sat in a tense silence, his own mouth dry of any sharp comments and observations.

[rayless-reblogs]

2023 (some of it) in Reading

A quick list of ten of my favorite books I read this year.

(As always, me recommending a book is not me endorsing everything in the book. I read a lot of older stuff, so please keep that in mind when it comes to problematic material.)

Good Girls Don't Die -- Christina Henry: (horror, multiple strands coming together at the end) Great hook, don't want to give too much away, but it's a woman-centric horror novel that plays on tired genre tropes while also analyzing them. Extremely suspenseful.

These Old Shades -- Georgette Heyer: (romance, Georgian period, fabulous clothes) This one is representing all of the Georgette Heyers I read this year. A daring, strong-willed heroine. A cold, heartless (?) hero. Much amusing banter. Also recommended Georgettes from this year are Cotillion and Frederica.

A House With Good Bones -- T Kingfisher: (horror) Equal parts funny and unnerving. Lots of good build up and an over the top and exciting climax. The horror is deeply tied to family drama. Lots of vultures.

The Cat Who Saved Books -- Sosuke Natsukawa: (fantasy) A teenage boy in present-day Japan meets a determined cat with a mission. Reminds me a bit of The Neverending Story and just an overall feeling of Ghibli-ness. Unexpected villain.

Barberry Bush -- Kathleen Norris: (1930s, romance) A young woman makes an unwise marriage; we get to live the aftermath with her. Psychological, introspective, and at times anger-inducing, but it's a romance novel, so there is a happy ending.

Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves -- Sarah B Pomeroy: (nonfiction, Greece and Rome, antiquity) This one is standing representative for a number of similar books I delved into for research. I'm not an academic, but the style felt accessible to me and interesting, and it covered a lot of ground without being intimidatingly long.

The Dark Queens -- Shelley Puhack: (nonfiction, the Franks) So much royal drama between Queens Brunhilda and Fredegonde. Backstabbing, murder, endless family squabbling on a military scale. A brief interlude where nuns undertake a revolt. Deeply messy and engrossing.

Phoebe and Her Unicorn -- Dana Simpson: (graphic novel, a girl and her unicorn, it's that simple and good, very funny) This, the first in the series, is standing in for the eight Phoebe books I read this year. Each one is delightful, and they're sufficiently self-contained that you can read them out of order. I recommend The Magic Storm. Flawless goblins.

Shadow Hand -- Anne Elisabeth Stengl: (part of a series, fantasy, Christian) Intricate, magical, dramatic, and funny. Part of the Tales of Goldstone Wood series, one of the few Christian fantasy series I would recommend just as fantasies, period. I need to do a post some time about how unique I think the series as a whole is. This is reportedly the last in the series, but I hope it isn't.

The Bones of St Peter -- John Evangelist Walsh: (nonfiction, the Vatican, early Christians) Are the bones of the Apostle Peter really buried under his namesake basilica? Features a determined female scholar. Secrets discovered beneath the Vatican. So much graffiti. Somehow creates way more narrative momentum than you'd think it would.

[taleweaver-ramblings]

(Oh look, my hand slipped —)

***

"So, this should be a quick stop — I just need to grab some apples and a few other things, and then we can go home and I'll make that apple pie I promised you." I keep my steps as quick as my speech, giving neither myself nor my companion enough time to second-guess the fact that I'm walking into Harris Teeter with a Parumvirian prince. What Path brought Prince Felix here, of all places, God (or possibly the Prince of Farthestshore) only knows, but here he is nonetheless.

Prince Felix hurries after me, staring up wide-eyed at the brick-columned storefront. "You said this whole place is a market? An ordinary market? I've seen castles smaller than this!"

"It's bigger than it looks — there's only one floor, really. But, yes." I grab a cart from the lines and turn to head inside.

Felix is already almost at the entrance, but he jumps back with a yell as the automatic doors slide smoothly open to admit him. "What was that?" Now that he's not in range, the doors slip closed again, and he stares. "They're moving on their own! How are they doing that?"

He approaches the doors again, more slowly, and the doors open once more. "Is this magic? I thought you said I was out of the Wood and that you didn't have magic here when I asked about the carriages, but they moved! On their own! Is it the same sort of thing? How does it know when to open?"

The whole time he's talking, he's backing up and walking forward again, watching in fascination as the doors open and shut, varying when he changes direction so that sometimes the doors only go partway before sliding the opposite way.

I have to laugh, watching him. "It's not magic. And it's not motors. Well, probably it's a motor moving, it but as far as knowing when to move . . ." I hesitate, trying to figure out how to explain technology I barely understand to a prince from a mostly-medieval kingdom. "It has to do with light, I think. It is pretty cool, though." I push my cart forward, waving my hand slowly as the doors open for me. "Sometimes, when I go through automatic doors like this, I still like to pretend I'm a Jedi."

Felix follows close behind me, watching as if making sure the doors won't close on us when we're halfway through. "What's a Jedi?"

Duh, he hasn't seen Star Wars. "It's character from an adventure story — a play, almost." I briefly consider the potential consequences of introducing Felix to this particular story before deciding the opportunity is too good to pass up. "Come on. Leave the doors for now, and let's get the groceries. Then, once the pie's in the oven, I'll introduce you to Star Wars. I think you'll like it."

"If you say so." We have to pass through another set of automatic doors to get from the entryway into the actual store, and Felix regards these with no less wonder than the first. Then his eye is caught by something in the produce section. "Is that a pineapple? A whole pile of pineapples?"

He dashes forward, and I hurry after him, holding back another laugh. One thing is certain. The rest of today is definitely going to be an adventure.

Seven characters ask: Bard Eanrin, Dame Imraldera, Lionheart, Prince Felix (Tales of Goldstone Wood), Howl Pendragon, Sophie Hatter (Howl's Moving Castle, book versions), Artham Wingfeather (Wingfeather Saga).

Thank you for the ask! (Augh, I didn't realize how hard it would be to decide between characters…)

Go grocery shopping with: Prince Felix. I think it would be entertaining to introduce him to Automatic Doors.

Have lunch with: Howl. I think this is going to be the most difficult scenario for him to slither out of. (Actually, I'm just hoping that we get to have lunch at the castle and then I can visit Calcifer at the same time. :D)

Have coffee with: Dame Imraldera, because I think that besides Sophie she'd be the easiest one for me to just hang out with. Plus, I can get her to tell me stories about Goldstone Wood!

Go thrift shopping with: Sophie, because I think she would enjoy the concept of buying things and then modifying them to suit your tastes.

Explore a museum/art gallery/aquarium with: Bard Eanrin. I think it has the potential to be entertaining, and it provides a near-endless source of conversation starters because I'm going to be way too intimidated to come up with good topics myself.

Go the library/bookstore with: Artham, and I'd give him a nice big stack of books that I like and think he'd like. (Yes, I'm going to steal your idea and recommend Goldstone Wood to him. :P)

Have as a plus-one at a wedding: Lionheart. He canonically knows how to dance, and he doesn't have so much of a Major Social Presence (I'm looking at you, Eanrin) that I'd feel overwhelmed trying to even slightly keep up.

[masterfuldoodler]

Bard Eanrin from Tales of Goldstone Wood! There's no illustrations so I gotta work out a design so I can draw him!

[incorrectpizza]

So, this isn't an assumption, sorry, but I have a question! I saw you love Tales of Goldstone Wood, and I was wondering: what other Christian fantasy have you read?

Hmmm...not nearly enough! I genuinely can’t think of another series I’ve read, at least in the last year or two. I grew up on The Chronicles of Narnia, but that’s about it. I’m a re-reader, and especially during stressful times (Covid, college, etc.) I turn to things I love. Hence the Goldstone obsession.

I’ve also read The Firebird Trilogy which is fun; it’s more sci-fi than fantasy but it’s neat.

If you have some suggestions I would love to get into the genre more! Probably over the summer, when I have more time/energy to devote to reading print books.  

[theriu]

Ohohoho...buckle up 8D In no particular order:

- The Tales of Goldstone Wood series by Elizabeth Stengl. Epic and intricate original-world fantasy where you can technically read the books in any order, although I like them in their release order. Amazing characters and really well-done alleghorical touches that feel like a natural part of the world.

- If you like urban fantasy and don't mind occasional bloody violence, check out WR Gingell's City Between series. (I usually dont like much violence but this author does a great job not scaring me off, although the first book does have a bit of graphic detail about a dead guy.) Shes also finished one 5-book spinoff set in the same world and is working on a SECOND 5-book spinoff with completely new characters. Her characters are loveable and quirky and the worldbuilding is unique and there are so many great comedic and emotional moments! A romance angle does come up but not until later in the series, which delighted me because it's hard to find any series this day that doesnt rely heavily on romance. No spice.

- I HIGHLY recommend pretty much anything by Kate Stradling, she does really creative and original spins on fairy tales and some original stories anf her writing is top tier. (The Heir and The Spare is the only one I didnt care for because it involved an insane sister with a torture room, but it ends well.) I have read many of her books multiple times, and my favorites are Goldmayne and The Beggar Prince.

- Christina Baehr's debut Secrets of Ormdale series has three out of five books out and I think the fourth is about to release if it hasnt already. It's set in the English countryside in kind of the Jane Austin era (but it's not a Jane Austin retelling) and involves secret dragons and a plucky heroine who is a writer.

- Tara Grayce's Elven Alliance series is a very sweet arranged-marriage elf/human romance with no spice. It also deals with some PTSD from the elf husband but very tastefully. Highly wholesome! Later books explore other romantic pairings, but they are always spice-free.

- Lost on a Page by David E. Sharp is a delightful fantasy set in the modern day where book characters start realizing they are sentient and the writers are scrambling to deal with the choices they make. The main character is a private eye who teams up with a fantasy trio of a dwarf, an elf, and a lady wizard. It gets very silly at times and the sheer number of characters by book 3 is a bit overwhelming, but its so fun and creative and wraps up the main characters' storylines nicely! One character is a heroine from a "bodice ripper," but nothing crude is focused on.

- If you want a fantastic original dragonrider epic, I insist you read Songs of Chaos by Michael Miller. This one has three books out with a fourth in progress, and I LOVE the characters and the magic mechanics. It also does a great job of establishing a mutually beneficial reason for riders and dragons to bond. The audiobooks of these are also excellent!

I could go on, but this is a lot of info already so I'll stop here XD I hope you'll let us know if you find one you like!

Anyone know of some very very very very low to no spice fantasy books?

[valiantarcher]

Sketchbook ask: wildcard

After some searching through my sketchbook, I believe I've found a sketch that you haven't seen before but might like to: fanart of Queen Bebo from Anne Elizabeth Stengl's Moonblood (August 2020).

Thank you! :)

[rayless-reblogs]

20 Book Challenge

I saw this challenge on a post by @theresebelivett. The idea is you pick 20 of your books to take with you to a desert island, but you can only pick one book per author and series. Here are two further guidelines I set myself: They have to be books I actually own, as if I really am gathering them up under my arms and heading to the island; and I'm defining "book" as a single volume -- so if I just so happen to have 100 novellas squashed between two covers, it still counts as one book.

We'll go alphabetically by author.

Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre. An old standby, a classic, I can jump into it at any point.

Daphne du Maurier: Rebecca. Have only read it once, but loved it and I suspect I'll get more from it each time.

Clare B Dunkle: The Hollow Kingdom. If I can only take one book from this excellent and unusual goblin series that captivated me in the mid-2000s, it'd better be the first one.

William Goldman: The Princess Bride. This book had an outsize influence on my own writing. I can quote a lot of it, but I wouldn't want to be without it.

Shannon Hale: Book of a Thousand Days. I love the warmth and humility of its heroine Dashti. Plus, Shannon Hale very kindly wrote a personal response to a fan letter I sent her years and years ago, so her work always has a special place in my heart.

Georgette Heyer: Cotillion. I don't actually own my favorite Georgette novel, but the funny, awkward, and ultimately romantic Cotillion is definitely not a pitiful second-stringer.

Eva Ibbotson: A Countess Below Stairs. Countess was my introduction to Eva's adult romances, and she is the past master of warm, hardworking heroines who should really be annoying because they're way too good to be true, but somehow you just end up falling in love with them.

Norton Juster: The Phantom Tollbooth. I first read this when I was like eight, and even for an adult, its quirky humor and zingy wordplay hold up, no problem.

Gaston Leroux: The Phantom of the Opera. Can't leave without Erik, nope, the French potboiler has got to come. Perhaps I will spend my time on the island writing the inevitable crossover fanfic, The Phantom of the Tollbooth.

CS Lewis: Till We Have Faces. Faces is my current answer for what my favorite book is, so I'm taking that, though it feels criminal to leave The Silver Chair behind.

LM Montgomery: The Blue Castle. As much as I love Anne and Emily, it came down to Blue Castle and A Tangled Web, and I'm a sucker for Valancy's romantic journey.

E Nesbit: Five Children and It. Probably the most classic Edwardian children's fantasy, though still a hard choice to make. Nesbit is another author who had a huge influence on me as a writer.

Robert C O'Brien: Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. A childhood book I'm really sentimental about. I should re-read it.

Meredith Ann Pierce: The Darkangel. The first in the archaic lunar vampire trilogy. This will always be frustrating, only having the first in the series, but if I can only read the first, maybe I'll forget about how angry the third novel left me.

Sherwood Smith: Crown Duel. At one time, this swords-and-manners fantasy duet was one of my absolute favorite fandoms, and clever me has both books in one volume, so I don't have to choose.

Anne Elisabeth Stengl: Starflower. My favorite of the Tales of Goldstone Wood series. We'll have to test whether I can actually get sick of Eanrin.

JRR Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings. I've never actually read it through as an adult and, look at that, I have a three-in-one volume. Cheating!

Vivian Vande Velde: Spellbound. I've read much of VVV's YA fantasy and liked a lot of it, but none more so than The Conjurer Princess and its fast-paced tale of revenge. The Spellbound edition includes the prequel and a bonus short story, so I'm good to go.

PG Wodehouse: The World of Mr Mulliner. There are some hilarious novels I'm leaving behind here, including all the Bertie Wooster stuff. But there are some absurdly fun Mulliner stories and this edition is like three hundred pages. That'll keep me happy for a long while on my island.

Jack Zipes (editor): Spells of Enchantment. This is an enormous compilation of western fairy tales. I've owned it since 2004 or so, and I've still never finished it. Now, on my island, I'll no longer have the excuse.

Tagging anyone else who feels like doing this!