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rayless-reblogs · 1 month

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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.

#tales of goldstone wood #anne elisabeth stengl #christian fantasy #imraldera #rosie (togw)#beana #eanrin #daylily (togw)#lionheart (togw)#christianity #meta #i honestly don't know what the goldstone wood or even christian fantasy fandom is like on tumblr (if it exists at all)#hopefully i'm not stepping into discourse #i want to recommend a series that i think is really inventive and has some great characters #mine #tales of goldstone wood spoilers

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taleweaver-ramblings · 8 months

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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.)

#taleweaver answers #cat-dragoness #seven characters ask #the lord of the rings #tales of goldstone wood #the thirteen clocks #the wingfeather saga

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kyngsley01 · 7 months

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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.

#prohibitedwish #prismo #nightmo #scarab #au #guys is it gay to obsessively watch your alternate self being super gay and being jealous of yourself for it

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cat-dragoness · 8 months

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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.

#ask game #behold i exist #asks

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miriel-therindes · 2 years

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Tagged by both @starsuncounted and @lesbianhaleth for this ages ago, sorry it took so long for me to remember! 😅

Rules: List ten different favourite characters from ten different pieces of media, and tag ten people! (except I feel awkward about tagging people so it’s six xD)

Boromir (The Lord of the Rings) Agnes Montague (The Magnus Archives) Nina Zenik (Six of Crows) Ellington Feint (All The Wrong Questions) Aravis (The Chronicles of Narnia) Elwing (The Silmarillion) Hera (Wolf 359) Jonathan Harker (Dracula) Starflower/Imraldera (Tales of Goldstone Wood) Robin Buckley (Stranger Things)

No-pressure tags for @mrmalcolmslist, @hopefullystillliving, @yellow-feathered-faerie, @aredhels, @wigilda, @tilions, and anyone else who wants to do it!

#tag game #lyndeth speaks

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masterfuldoodler · 8 months

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

#concept art #character design #fanart #goldstone wood #eanrin #bard eanrin #tales of the goldstone wood #anne elisabeth stengl #pen #ink #ball point pen #sketch #doodle #traditional #artists on tumblr #my art #august sketch #quick finish

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incorrectpizza · 2 years

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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.

#thanks for the ask!#tales of goldstone wood #real life

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valiantarcher · 3 years

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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! :)

#Thank you!#lover-of-the-starkindler #Queen Bebo #Anne Elisabeth Stengl #Moonboold #Tales of Goldstone Wood #Mine

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rayless-reblogs · 5 months

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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.

#reading list #book recommendations #georgette heyer #t kingfisher #the cat who saved books #kathleen norris #ancient greece #the franks #the dark ages #phoebe and her unicorn #tales of goldstone wood #st peter

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