Lantern & Shadow: Stories from Lumenvale

Lumenvale is the world behind most of my short fiction: lamp-lit canals, artificer workshops, sky-cities, and ordinary people carrying quiet courage. These are cozy fantasy short stories with a Christian, noble dark heart: hopeful without being naive, and honest about the dark. Every story below is a free fantasy short story online, right here on the site, and each one stands alone, so start anywhere.

Here are some of the reader favorites, grouped by mood. Want them all in one place? The stories are collected in Lantern & Shadow: Stories from Lumenvale, Volumes 1–5, on Amazon.

Cozy & heartwarming

Warm hearths, small kindnesses, and quiet magic — cozy fantasy short stories for a slow evening.

• The Between-Season Table
• Painter of The Between Times
• The Name That Stuck
• What the Lanterns Remember
• The Last Hour of the Forge
• The Gravity of Hearts
• The Seasoning of Years

Wonder & adventure

Wind-riders, troubadours, and spells that go spectacularly wrong.

• The Heart Stone
• The Wind That Almost Took Him
• Whispers and Wanderlust
• The Elemental Binding Catastrophe
• The Shadow Mage’s Gift

Dark & haunting

Noble dark tales of hard choices, heavy costs, and the light that refuses to go out.

• The Unspoken Fire
• The Three Shadows
• The Blood-Soaked Scroll
• The Price of Dawn
• The Silk Street Dream

Faith, hope & courage

Stories about perseverance, purpose, and planting something good after the long winter.

• The Seeds of Ravenshollow
• The Farewell to Flames
• The Weight of Gold and Silence
• The Weaver’s Resolve
• The Words That Guide Us

Looking for more? Browse every Lumenvale tale →

The books: Lantern & Shadow, Volumes 1–5

Prefer to read on Kindle? Each volume collects a set of Lumenvale stories.