This anthology aims to collect the best available speculative fiction short stories written by Christian authors. That's whether the stories have openly Christian themes or characters or not, without requiring the stories to have any specific theme. (The anthology also limits itself to clean fiction--that is, no profanity, graphic sexuality or extreme violence.)
Over the past year, an online acquaintance questioned the purpose for the Mythic Orbits anthologies, stating that an anthology requires a unifying theme in order to succeed. To make sense and be marketable.
But there have been previous yearly anthologies based on the best science fiction and even fantasy from a given year (World's Best Science Fiction, edited by Donald A. Wollheim, Terry Carr's Best Science Fiction of the Year and Terry Carr's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year). So simply seeking the best available can be the goal of an anthology.
And anthologies can be organized around the writers as well, especially when there's something unusual about the category. For example, Ciencia Ficción Argentina: Antología de Cuentos (Argentine Science Fiction: Anthology of Stories) was an anthology known by its authors--the nationality of the writers important because Argentinians are not widely-known to write science fiction.
So, is it widely-known all over the world that Christians write speculative fiction?
Well, clearly Christians who themselves are speculative fiction writers know what they write. But does everybody else?
Especially when we're talking about theologically conservative Christians, Evangelicals of some sort, professed Bible-believing Christians, do people know about their works? Is it legitimate for people to wonder if writers with personal convictions along these lines produce speculative fiction, that is, science fiction and fantasy and related genres like LitRPG, paranormal, and horror?
This book provides an answer: Not only do Christian writers produce speculative fiction stories, they write some great ones.
Enjoy these examples!
Praise for Mythic Orbits 2016
"A collection of brief, delightful departures--and a few welcome chills. A truly enjoyable and impressive anthology."
--Tosca Lee, New York Times Bestselling author
"This collection presents a satisfying spectrum of storytellers, some familiar and others new on the scene. Some of the tales are unsettling and some are comforting; many are thought-provoking. Enjoy the ride."
--Kathy Tyers, author of the "Firebird" series, Crystal Witness, Shivering World, One Mind's Eye, and Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura
Praise for Mythic Orbits Volume 2
"A refreshingly unique and compelling collection. Raises the bar over the last Mythic Orbits, which I participated in. The stories both moved and delighted me. Truly mythic."
--Kerry Nietz, award-winning author of Frayed and Amish Vampires in Space.
