So years ago, Thomas Nelson authors were writing some awesome speculative fiction for middle grade and teen boys, then HarperCollins bought the publisher and basically killed that entire category. Now it just kinda publishes Amish fiction and Christian devotional books…
I’m trying to find something that fills the nostalgia void. I say it’s a long shot, because I feel like the spec fic series that I loved were kind of for a niche audience, even within the Christian demographic—things like middle grade horror, dystopia, and political thrillers. (Seriously, guys, Old Thomas Nelson pulled zero punches.) I’m assuming most people on Reddit probably aren’t familiar with the series, so I’ll try to briefly explain what I liked about them and see if anyone knows of something similar (doesn’t have to be Christian).
1. **The Dreamhouse Kings series by Robert Liparulo:** this was a middle grade horror endorsed by RL Stine about a creepy house with rooms that were doorways to other times. The kids could travel back in time, but things in the past could also come into the present, including the main villain who tried to take control of the house for himself. There were lots of cliffhanger moments, saving family, and a downright freaky villain who kept body parts of victims as prizes (yeah—not your typical Christian fiction)
2. **SWIPE series by Evan Angler:** this was a dystopia implied (but never explicitly stated) to be set post-Christian rapture. Think *Left Behind* without overt references to Christianity or the Bible. Everyone is Marked on their 13th birthday, but the main character manages to escape and join a group of Markless rebels. What was cool about this series was that the rebels actually looked like the bad guys for awhile because of the government propaganda. It got cancelled when Harper bought TN, and the author vanished off the face of the earth. 🙁
3. **The Homelanders series by Andrew Klavan:** this was a teenaged-version of *24* where the kid wakes up in a torture chair with no memory of the last year. When he escapes, he learns that the police want him for murder he doesn’t remember, and domestic terrorists are hunting him for a reason he doesn’t know. It was high action and read like a movie. I actually did find a similar series to this a few years later called *Conspiracy 365*, which was an Aussie series, but I love the genre so much that I want to find more.
Like I said, it’s probably a long shot, but I’d appreciate anything you suggest!
by JaedLDee