Glavlok: The Dragon who Behaved

The latest Harry Potter book and movie have given a higher media profile to the Christian fantasy fiction book market.

Parents are looking for a "safe" alternative to the secular fantasy worlds that often include gore and witchcraft, moral grey areas, depth of character development and thought-provoking themes. The Christian "speculative fiction" niche was developed to meet this need.

The new Christian fantasy tome Glavlok: The Dragon who Behaved is being pushed as the best alternative this season. Author Lance Wainwright, who writes under the pseudonym Jefferson Plotz (which itself is a nom de plume for his real identity as Bob Anderson, copywriter for a Lutheran ad agency in Minneapolis) says he's glad his stories are getting wider attention.

Glavlok, part of the "Naughty Dragon" series, begins when a boy discovers a musty journal written by Glavlok, a dragon-in-training. It mostly consists of Glavlok's inner struggles with the desire to toast innocent villagers with his super-heated breath, fight the human authorities sent to stop him, and accumulate stolen treasure in his cave lair. Several of the chapters are merely punishment assignments by his mentor/trainer-- for example, 500 repetitions of the sentence, "I will not wreak havoc."

"These stories help reinforce moral teachings while at the same time giving adolescent readers the adventure and action they crave," Wainwright said.

Wainwright's next book series, he said, will push the envelope somewhat. It's titled Lackula: The Vampire Who Didn't Suck.

That, um, remains to be seen.



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