There’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I’ve noticed that it’s very hard to find good war stories, especially any set in modern conflicts. Oh, I know there are PLENTY of WWII books out there – but most of them are romance, and those that aren’t are probably full of gore, language, and *ahem* other stuff that I don’t want to be filling my head with. This makes it really hard for Christian history nerds like me, who just want a good soldier story without the ugliness. (Yes, I know the ugliness was part of real life during war. But I don’t think that means we need to be reading about it.) It’s also hard for parents (or other relatives) who want to give their history-loving kids clean, exciting books that they’ll like.

I’m especially thinking of stories about soldiers (or any branch of service, I like all of ’em). You can only read so many books about the home front, and most boys won’t have as much interest in that. 😜

For older conflicts (before 1900), there are a few options. G.A. Henty is an obvious choice (though he likes to infodump), and Joseph Alexander Altsheler is another option (he does have a WWI series, though I haven’t read it yet). But I haven’t found much in the way of WWII fiction (that’s what this morning’s post on We Gave Our Tomorrows’ site is about) and practically nothing for wars after that. (Korea, anyone? Vietnam? Gulf War?)

My main beef with Henty (aside from his infodumping) is that, although he mentions Christianity, his characters really don’t portray a Christian life. They may be moral and have good values, but it’s hardly ever mentioned that they pray or go to church, or anything like that. 🤷‍♀️

What if we had war stories that were not only clean, but also an exciting story, AND were from an unashamedly Christian perspective?

I don’t know about you, but that prospect gets me excited!

Now, I have plenty of story ideas – from all different eras and genres – kicking around in my head, but lately I’ve been getting an unshakeable feeling. Someone needs to write that kind of story that I described, and I’m a someone that can do something about it. After all, I’m in a family of history nerds, and my brother has LOTS of books I can borrow (and he’s always quite happy to help me with writing about soldiers). Plus, I have some experience from writing WGOT (I know, I know, self-promotion). So, why not?

Yes, this is leading up to what you think it is. I don’t know where my brain (and God) is going to take me, but I do have a few ideas for future war stories. Who knows? Maybe I’ll end up becoming the next G.A. Henty, but for post-1900 wars. 😆

I’d also love to connect with other Christian authors who write those kinds of books. So if you’re that author, or you know a book or author like that, speak up!

Maybe my ideas are farfetched as usual. Maybe nothing will come of it in the end. But for now, I think it’s definitely worth a try, don’t you?