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Fantasy Fiction

The "fantasy=escapism" equation is older than the genre as we know it. People in the old days boycotted the Theater, not just because it was a potential hotbed of wickedness, but because it was something other than Real Life and therefore odious to Sensible People. Some radical Christian sects have prohibited the reading of fiction on grounds that only the Bible has any literary value (....even though Jesus clearly told fictional stories).

In our day, fantasy as a fiction genre is more narrowly defined than simply "that which is not established fact." It encompasses stories of dragons, elves, dark and mysterious woods, magic (or majyck, or whatever the kids are calling it these days), unicorns, gnomes, etc. High fantasy usually takes place in a world or realm other than our own; low fantasy imports fantastic elements into the-world-as-we-know-it.

Certainly, there is plenty of fantasy fiction that can be defended on no grounds. The flood of worthless literary drivel with images of buxom maidens and swarthy sword-wielding savages with pointy ears on their paperback covers began sometime in the 1960s and has only increased as its putrid waters have swelled. But there's plenty of good fantasy, too, some of it among the best fiction ever written.

Because good fantasy, of course, has something to say about the human condition. Sometimes taking characters out of the humdrum of Earth-bound existence allows authors more artistic freedom to create the situations necessary to tell the narrative they have burning a hole in their imagination. Or sometimes they just make the story a bit more fun. Sometimes they make it darker, or scarier, or just plain more weird.

If you're J.R.R. Tolkien, the fantasy element plays a different role (mythmaking) than that of the story it frames (the sinfulness of sin and the cost of redemption). The point is, good fantasy isn't just about the fantastical. In most cases (Ursula K. LeGuin comes to mind), the unfamiliar is used to show how even it is ultimately familiar, and if we can see ourselves in the Edmund Pevensies and Gurney Hallecks we read about, the fantasy has done its job.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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Doug Wilson: Magic in Literature
Should Christians read books with "magic"?
141 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 10th grade (Ages 15-16), Trade Paperback
Airborn
Airborn Trilogy #1
by Kenneth Oppel
from HarperCollins
for 5th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.99
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
by Lewis Carroll
from Modern Library
for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$11.00
All My Holy Mountain
The Binding of the Blade Book 5
by L. B. Graham
from P&R Publishing
Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Between the Forest and the Hills
Bethlehem Books Adventure Library
by Ann Lawrence
from Bethlehem Books
Humorous Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.50
Beyond the Summerland
The Binding of the Blade Book 1
by L. B. Graham
from P&R Publishing
Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Blue Sword
by Robin McKinley
from Puffin Books
for 8th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 8th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.99
Bringer of Storms
The Binding of the Blade Book 2
by L. B. Graham
from P&R Publishing
Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Carver and the Queen
by Emma C. Fox
from Owl's Nest Publishers
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Children of Hurin
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.99
Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume II
by Diana Wynne Jones
from Greenwillow Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume III
by Diana Wynne Jones
from Greenwillow Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Complete Fairy Tales
Penguin Classics
by George MacDonald
from Penguin Classics
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 7th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$17.00
Complete Tolkien Companion
by J.R.R. Tolkien & J.E.A. Tyler
3rd edition from St. Martin's Griffin
Lord of the Rings Reference for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Complete Tolkien Companion
by J.R.R. Tolkien & J.E.A. Tyler
3rd edition from St. Martin's Griffin
Lord of the Rings Reference for 8th-Adult
in Lord of the Rings (Location: LIR-LOTR)
$27.00
Conference of the Birds
by Ransom Riggs
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Conspiracy of Kings
by Megan Whalen Turner
Reprint from Greenwillow Books
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
from William Morrow & Company
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$16.99
Cytonic
Skyward #3
by Brandon Sanderson
from Ember
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Desolations of Devil's Acre
by Ransom Riggs
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dragon King Trilogy
by Stephen R. Lawhead
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
Fantasy for 8th-12th Grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dragon's Apprentice
by James A. Owen
from Simon Pulse
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Dragons of Winter
by James A. Owen
from Simon Pulse
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Drowned Vault
Ashtown Burials #2
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Empire of Bones
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Enchantment
by Orson Scott Card
1st edition from Del Rey
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.00
Endless Knot
Song of Albion #3
by Stephen R. Lawhead
2nd edition from Thomas Nelson Publishers
Celtic Fantasy for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$12.00
Entwined
by Heather Dixon
from Greenwillow Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict
Mysterious Benedict Society #5
by Trenton Lee Stewart
from Little, Brown & Company
for 5th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Fantasy Stories of George Macdonald - 4 Book Set
by George MacDonald, illustrated by Craig Yoe
from Eerdmans
Fantasy for 3rd-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Farthest Shore
Earthsea #3
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Simon Pulse
Fantasy for 7th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.99
Father of Dragons
The Binding of the Blade Book 4
by L. B. Graham
from P&R Publishing
Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings Trilogy #1
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 8th-12th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.99
Ferdinandus Taurus
by Elizabeth Hadas, Munro Leaf
from David R. Godine
for 7th-12th grade
in Latin Resources & Reference (Location: FL-LATREF)
$17.95
Finale
by Calvin Miller
from InterVarsity Press
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
First Dragon
by James A. Owen
from Simon Pulse
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$13.99
Gammage Cup
by Carol Kendall, Erik Blevgad
from Harcourt
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
George MacDonald
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Devotional Material for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$13.99
George MacDonald
by C. S. Lewis
from Touchstone
Devotional Material for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
George MacDonald: 365 Readings
by C. S. Lewis, selections from George MacDonald
from Collier Books
Devotional Material for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Glittering Plain
by William Morris
from Newcastle Publishing Co
for 7th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Gray Wolf and Other Stories
by George MacDonald
2nd THUS from Eerdmans
for 7th-12th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$17.00
Gray Wolf and Other Stories
by George MacDonald
from Eerdmans
for 7th-12th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Harvey
by Mary Chase
from CreateSpace
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$7.99
Here, There Be Dragons
by James A. Owen
from Simon Pulse
for 7th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$13.99
Hero of Ages
Mistborn Trilogy #3
by Brandon Sanderson
from Tor Teen
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.00
Hero of Ages
Mistborn Trilogy #3
by Brandon Sanderson
from Tor Teen
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$21.99
Hero of Ages
Mistborn Trilogy #3
by Brandon Sanderson
from Tor Teen
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - Softbound Boxed Set
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 4th-12th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$72.00
Hollow City
Book 2
by Ransom Riggs
from Quirk Books
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Hollow City
by Ransom Riggs
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
If The South Had Won The Civil War
by MacKinlay Kantor
from Forge
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$15.99
In the Hall of the Dragon King
by Stephen R. Lawhead
from Crossway Books
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
In the Hall of the Dragon King
Dragon King #1
by Stephen R. Lawhead
Reprint from Thomas Nelson Publishers
Fantasy for 8th-12th Grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$15.99
Indigo King
by James A. Owen
from Simon Pulse
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$13.99
Invaders
by John A. Flanagan
from Philomel Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
by Susanna Clarke
from Bloomsbury Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$19.99
Journey of Souls
by C. D. Baker
from Preston Speed
for 7th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
King of Attolia
by Megan Whalen Turner
Reprint from Greenwillow Books
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Last Unicorn
by Peter S. Beagle
from ROC Science Fiction
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$17.00
Library of Souls
by Ransom Riggs
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Lilith
by George MacDonald
from Eerdmans
for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$16.99
Little Prince
by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
from Harvest House
Fantasy for 3rd-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$11.99 $7.50 (2 in stock)
Little Prince
by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
from Harvest House
Fantasy for 3rd-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Lord Foulgrin's Letters
by Randy Alcorn
Revised from Multnomah Books
for 8th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Lost in a Good Book
Thursday Next Book 2
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.00
Map of Days
by Ransom Riggs
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Mimus
by Lilli Thal, translated by John Brownjohn
from Annick Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Mistborn Trilogy
by Brandon Sanderson
from Tor Teen
for 7th-10th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$34.97
Mistborn Trilogy
by Brandon Sanderson
from Tor Teen
for 7th-10th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$65.97
Mistborn: The Final Empire
Mistborn Trilogy #1
by Brandon Sanderson
from Tor Teen
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$21.99
Mistborn: The Final Empire
Mistborn Trilogy #1
by Brandon Sanderson
from Tor Teen
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay
Reprint from Candlewick Press
for 5th-Adult
2012 Carnegie Medal
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$12.00
Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
from Candlewick Press
for 5th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums
Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart
from Little, Brown & Company
for 5th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Mysterious Benedict Society - Boxed Set
by Trenton Lee Stewart
from Little, Brown & Company
for 5th-10th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$50.00
Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
Mysterious Benedict Society #2
by Trenton Lee Stewart
from Little, Brown & Company
for 5th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma
Mysterious Benedict Society Book 3
by Trenton Lee Stewart
from Little, Brown & Company
for 5th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Norse Mythology
by Neil Gaiman
for 8th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$15.95
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
by T. S. Eliot
from Harcourt
for 7th-Adult
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
One of Our Thursdays Is Missing
Thursday Next Book 6
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.00
Out of the Silent Planet
Space Trilogy Book 1
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.00
Perelandra
Space Trilogy Book 2
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.99
Perilous Gard
by Elizabeth Marie Pope
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
1975 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Perilous Gard
by Elizabeth Marie Pope
from Puffin Books
Historical Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
1975 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Phantastes
by George MacDonald
from Eerdmans
for 8th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$16.99
Pilgrim's Progress in Modern English
by John Bunyan
from Bridge-Logos
Christian Prose Epic/Allegory for 9th-Adult
in 17th Century Literature (Location: LIT4-17)
$19.99
Pilgrim's Progress in Today's English
by John Bunyan
from Moody Press
Christian Prose Epic/Allegory for 9th-Adult
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Princess Bride
by William Goldman
from Harvest Books
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$18.00
Queen of Attolia
by Megan Whalen Turner
Reissue from Greenwillow Books
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.99
Queen's Thief Collection
by Megan Whalen Turner
from Greenwillow Books
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Return of the King
Lord of the Rings Trilogy #3
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 8th-12th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.99
Return of the King
Lord of the Rings Trilogy #3
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Return of the Temujai
by John A. Flanagan
from Philomel Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Return of the Thief
Queen's Thief #6
by Megan Whalen Turner
from Greenwich House
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Rithmatist
by Brandon Sanderson, illustrated by Ben McSweeney
from Tor Classic
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.99
Saga of Eric Brighteyes
by H. Rider Haggard
1st edition from Leaves of Gold Press
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$29.95
Saga of Eric Brighteyes
by H. Rider Haggard
1st edition from Newcastle Publishing Co
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Savvy
by Ingrid Law
10th Anniversary Edition from Puffin Books
for 9th-12th grade
2009 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Scorpion Mountain
Brotherband Chronicles #5
by John A. Flanagan
Dgs from Puffin Books
for 5th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
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