--- title: Kenneth Bliss Writes Christian Fantasy Books for the Dungeons and Dragons Generation description: The Michigan author maps tabletop RPG mechanics onto Christian theology across two books set in the same universe, targeting a niche that barely registers in... author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-05-25T16:36:52.246Z updated: 2026-06-29T08:43:59.363Z canonical: https://www.richmanmagazine.com/article/kenneth-bliss-christian-fantasy-books-gamers image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/kenneth-bliss-author.webp categories: Fiction content_type: Spotlight region: Michigan publication: Rich Books about: - type: Person name: Kenneth Bliss description: Kenneth Bliss is a Michigan-based author of Christian fantasy and science fiction. His published works include Canthany Rising, a Christian LitRPG novelette, and The Accident, a near-future sci-fi novella set in the same universe. A lifelong tabletop RPG and MMORPG player, Bliss draws on decades of gaming experience to build fiction that maps game mechanics onto Christian theology. url: https://www.kebauthor.com jobTitle: Author sameAs: - https://www.kebauthor.com - https://www.kennethblissauthor.com - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kenneth-Bliss/author/B0GZ598XPX --- Kenneth Bliss has spent decades playing Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, and EverQuest. Now the Michigan-based author is channeling that experience into christian fantasy books that use the language of tabletop and online role-playing games to tell stories about faith, [spiritual warfare](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/a-new-kind-of-fantasy-chance-fribbs-rise-of-vice-champions-hope-faith-and-friendship), and divine purpose. ### Book: Canthany Rising *A Christian LitRPG Adventure* By Kenneth Bliss Seven animals eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and are banished to a new world called Canthany, where they become humanoid beings with RPG-style classes, levels, and abilities. T'alla, a cat turned Psionicist, must master her powers and unite the seven founders against the fallen angel Ashtoreth and her army of demons called the Nameless. [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Canthany-Rising-Christian-LitRPG-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0GZ598XPX/) His two published works occupy an unusual position in the market. *Canthany Rising*, a novelette releasing on June 22, is a LitRPG set at the dawn of creation. *The Accident*, a novella already in print, is a near-future sci-fi thriller set in 2054. Both take place in the same universe. Both share the same angels, the same demons, and the same underlying power system. ## How Canthany Rising Maps Christian Theology to Tabletop RPG Mechanics *Canthany Rising* opens immediately after the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. Seven animals who also ate the forbidden fruit are banished by God to a new world called Canthany, where they are transformed into bipedal, humanoid beings. Each receives a character class, a set of abilities, and a medallion that projects a mental heads-up display showing HP, psi-points, stats, and cooldown timers. The protagonist, a cat named T'alla, is assigned the Psionicist class and bonds with a sentient staff called Kolonos. J'gral the bear becomes a Rager. Fillia the fox takes the Spy class. M'kar the dog becomes a Knight. K'rillis the hare is a Priest whose healing spells are petitions to God, granted twice daily as "boons," functionally identical to the Vancian spell slots that Dungeons and Dragons players will recognize. The system is mechanically detailed. There are five class orders (Warrior, Stealth, Psionicist, Mage, and Priest), a hard level cap of 23 derived from Biblical numerology, and active skills including psionic spike attacks, group shields, and area-of-effect sword dances. Where most LitRPG novels treat their game system as an amoral or unknowable cosmic force, Bliss frames it differently. The RPG mechanics in Canthany are structured gifts from God, designed to prepare creation for war against the Fallen. The central conflict arrives when Ashtoreth, a fallen angel, summons an army of bat-winged demons called the Nameless. T'alla and the other six founders fight using their new abilities, but the swarm is too large. T'alla ultimately drains her own hit points to zero to fuel a protective shield over the islands, a sacrifice that secures Canthany for 777 years and establishes her as Queen of the Felars. ### Related - [A New Kind of Fantasy: Chance Fribbs’ ‘Rise of Vice’ Champions Hope, Faith and Friendship](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/a-new-kind-of-fantasy-chance-fribbs-rise-of-vice-champions-hope-faith-and-friendship) - [Finding Light in Unexpected Stories: 'Whisper in the Light' and the New Face of Christian Fiction](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/finding-light-in-unexpected-stories-whisper-in-the-light-and-the-new-face-of-christian-fiction) ### Book: The Accident *A Story of Faith, Psionics and the Supernatural* By Kenneth Bliss In 2054, EMT Paul Miller discovers a five-year-old boy named Eric D'Tra'val at a crash site outside Las Vegas. Eric is a fourth-generation psi with abilities that include regeneration, telepathic broadcasting, and channeling divine power. When a shadowy operative tries to kidnap the child, Paul's prayer triggers an angelic intervention that changes everything. [Author Website](https://www.kebauthor.com) ## The Accident Brings the Same Universe Into Near-Future Science Fiction *The Accident* is set in 2054, just outside Las Vegas. EMT Paul Miller, a former Army Psi-Ops sergeant with low-level telepathy, responds to a collision on Interstate 15 and discovers a five-year-old survivor named Eric D'Tra'val. The child is a fourth-generation psi, meaning all eight of his great-grandparents carried psionic abilities. He can regenerate severed limbs, broadcast telepathic blasts that knock out everyone within 50 yards, and channel what the book calls "Holy Fire," a divine defensive power strong enough to permanently destroy an enhanced operative who tries to kidnap him. The novella reads as a sci-fi thriller, but it operates within the same theological framework as *Canthany Rising*. The same demons (the Nameless) appear here as invisible spiritual parasites that humans voluntarily host to boost their abilities. The same angel types, Hashomer (guardian) and Abir (warrior), protect Eric when Paul prays for intervention. Psionic abilities in 2054, which the military classifies and regulates, appear to be the same force that Canthany calls magic, expressed through a scientific rather than mythic lens. Eric's surname, D'Tra'val, follows the same apostrophe-heavy naming convention as Canthany's characters (T'alla, J'gral, M'kar). It appears to be a corrupted form of "The Traveller," a central figure in *Canthany Rising* who is from the world's distant future and mentions being born on Earth. ## What Christian Dungeons and Dragons Discussions Miss About Faith and Gaming For readers familiar with the longstanding debate over whether tabletop gaming can coexist with [Christian faith](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/faith-at-work-five-authors-with-real-world-lessons-for-men-seeking-purpose-and-power), Bliss's approach is structural rather than argumentative. He does not write essays defending D&D or Pathfinder. He writes fiction where the game mechanics are direct expressions of divine order: healing slots are answered prayers, character classes are callings, and the system itself is a gift rather than an accident. That framing may resonate with church youth groups where gaming culture is already part of the social fabric. Rather than asking young readers to choose between their faith and their interest in TTRPGs and MMORPGs, Bliss builds a world where the two are the same thing. ### Related - [Author James C. Clemens Jr on the Poems That Came From Listening to God](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/james-clemens-jr-echoes-of-strength-faith-poetry) - [Spiritual Books Using Biblical Wisdom and Modern Metaphors Resonate with Readers Seeking Practical Guidance](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/spiritual-books-using-biblical-wisdom-and-modern-metaphors-resonate-with-readers-seeking-prac) ## A Lifelong Tabletop and MMORPG Gamer Turns to Christian Fiction Writing Bliss describes himself as a lifelong nerd who spent years in the [corporate world before transitioning to fiction](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/the-staying-power-from-a-self-published-author-how-chris-bennett-finished-his-13-year-novel). His gaming history spans Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, and EverQuest, and that experience is visible in the precision of his world-building. The class system, level progression, and stat architecture in *Canthany Rising* are mechanically specific in ways that will be immediately legible to anyone who has rolled a character sheet or configured a talent tree. He lives near a small town in Michigan with two cats. His books are available at [kebauthor.com](https://www.kebauthor.com). *Canthany Rising* releases on June 22 and can be pre-ordered on [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Canthany-Rising-Christian-LitRPG-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0GZ598XPX/). **About Kenneth Bliss** Author Kenneth Bliss is a Michigan-based author of Christian fantasy and science fiction. His published works include Canthany Rising, a Christian LitRPG novelette, and The Accident, a near-future sci-fi novella set in the same universe. A lifelong tabletop RPG and MMORPG player, Bliss draws on decades of gaming experience to build fiction that maps game mechanics onto Christian theology. [Website](https://www.kebauthor.com) ## FAQ **Q: What Is LitRPG, and How Does It Connect to Faith-Based Fiction?** LitRPG (literary role-playing game) is a fiction genre where characters exist within game-like systems complete with levels, stats, health points, and skill trees. The genre has grown rapidly, with monthly search volume for "litrpg books" increasing from roughly 6,600 to over 74,000 in the past year. Bliss uses the format to explore Christian themes by treating game mechanics as expressions of divine purpose rather than arbitrary rules. **Q: Is It Okay for Christians to Enjoy Fantasy and Gaming?** The question has circulated in church communities for decades, particularly around Dungeons and Dragons and similar tabletop RPGs. Bliss's books take the position that game-like structures can serve as vehicles for faith-based storytelling. In *Canthany Rising*, the entire RPG system is a gift from God to help characters resist evil, and healing spells are literal prayers. **Q: What Does the Bible Say About Fantasy and Magic in Fiction?** Biblical passages on sorcery and divination are often cited in these discussions. Bliss draws a distinction in his fiction between dark spiritual power (the Nameless demons who offer abilities in exchange for allegiance) and divine gifts (the structured class system and prayer-based healing that God provides). His author's note states that his writing is "working for the Kingdom of God" and that the supernatural elements in his stories reflect a belief in the active presence of angels and spiritual forces. **Q: Are There RPG and Fantasy Books With Christian Themes?** The niche is small but growing. Kenneth Bliss's *Canthany Rising* is a Christian LitRPG novelette featuring D&D-style classes, leveling mechanics, and a faith-driven narrative. *The Accident*, his companion novella, applies the same theological framework to a near-future sci-fi setting with psionic abilities. Both are available at [kebauthor.com](https://www.kebauthor.com).