Young readers ages 8–14 will embark on a journey through time and space to the world of Glideon with the fantasy adventure series, Lightglider Origins, written by Derek Holser and Zach Fay. In Glideon, they will meet a group of teen Lightgliders who are tasked with saving a mysterious land filled with Gliddles, talking spiders, and diabolical Machines.
The series begins with Bryce and the Lost Pearl set in current day Victor Harbor, Australia. Life is full of responsibilities for fifteen-year-old Bryce Holland. Between working at his uncle’s horse stables, playing his newly earned spot on the varsity basketball team, and leading a Bible study, the juggling act of his life is on the verge of a crash. For starters, an injury ends his season prematurely, then the girl Bryce likes starts hanging out with the guy who caused his sprained ankle. All of the stress sends Bryce over the edge, and he thunders away on his uncle’s Clydesdale without permission. When the horse gets away from him, the search to find the missing animal sends Bryce wandering deep through the woods and into a strange new land.
Bryce suddenly finds himself in the alternate realm of Glideon where he meets other teens who have been tasked with rescuing the Gliddles from an army of Machines that threaten the land. Along the way, Bryce and his new friends discover the mysterious pearl that will guide them in their journey to resurrect Lightglider Academy, rescue the Gliddles, and restore the land.
In this interview with Lightgliders creator and coauthor Zach Fay, we learn more about the world of Glideon, the vision behind the virtual world, and what to expect in the book series.
Q: Your new Lightglider Origins series is based on the Lightgliders virtual world of Christian faith, games, and community for kids. Please introduce us to Lightgliders.
Lightgliders is the fulfillment of a vision to encourage family discipleship during the critical preteen years in a culturally relevant and globally distributed way. Because kids spend more than seven hours in front of a screen and less than 20 minutes in quality time with their parents each day, we decided to redeem digital games and screen time to encourage faith, values, and meaningful conversations in the home.
This has resulted in Lightgliders, a virtual world of Christian faith, games, community, and story-based adventures. Kids get to create a character, play games, explore, socialize, attend virtual events, and engage in a story strategically designed to encourage an understanding of the truth, beauty, and goodness of the gospel. Because Lightgliders is a digital children’s ministry with a biblical worldview curriculum embedded into it, parents and ministry leaders receive the weekly lessons and reflection questions to encourage discipleship conversations throughout the week.
You can take a look around at www.lightgliders.com.
Q: What was your inspiration for creating a series of books based on the Lightgliders and their stories?
The Lightgliders virtual world serves as an interactive parable where kids engage with unique characters and an overarching story designed to engage, inspire, and teach. This story is well-positioned for books and other forms of transmedia.
The Lightgliders brand universe includes seven leaders, who serve as role models in the virtual world. Each has a unique story, personality, and nation of origin. Through them, we seek to give kids a vision for world missions and for how they were uniquely made to shine. These seven leaders are the inspiration behind each book of the Lightglider Origins series, which we hope will capture the spiritual imagination of young readers and anchor it upon a biblical worldview.
Q: What is the target age for Lightgliders? Who will enjoy the series most?
The book series is middle grade fiction, so it was written for kids ages 8-14. Although, we believe anyone who enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia will appreciate the Lightglider Origins series.
Q: What is a Lightglider, and how do the characters get recruited to become one?
Lightgliders are young people, who leave their time and space on Earth to enter the mystical land of Glideon. They become students at Lightglider Academy, where they learn to respect, rescue, and restore. Respect each other, rescue the Gliddles (the mythical creatures that live in Glideon), and restore the land from the mysterious blight that is destroying the land’s beauty and purpose.
To do this, they will have to partner with each other and rescued Gliddles to travel on their gliders through the dangerous Yonders, battle an army of Machines, and shine light in the darkest of places. The architect of Lightglider Academy, Professor Christopher Watts, created a device called Scout 169 that surveys earth’s history and future looking for new Lightglider recruits. Once selected, a new Lightglider appears in Glideon.
Q: Tell us about the first Lightglider we meet in Bryce and the Lost Pearl. Can you share a little bit of his story?
Bryce Holland is a fifteen-year-old navigating life in Victor Harbor, Australia, in 2024. His life is a balancing act involving responsibilities at his uncle’s horse stables, a newly earned spot on the varsity basketball team, and leading the school Bible study. A season-ending ankle injury pushes him to make impulsive decisions that cause the stable’s prized horse to be lost. On his frantic search to find his uncle’s runaway Clydesdale, Bryce is whisked away to Glideon.
Q: Each of the Lightgliders is struggling with something back home. What has been going on with Bryce?
Though Bryce is driven, winsome, and courageous, his reckless nature gets him in trouble. He seeks to be great at the risk of his own integrity. After getting sidelined with a season-ending basketball injury and seeing the girl he likes with the opposing player who caused it, Bryce loses it. In a quest to show off, he takes his uncle’s horse on a forbidden ride and loses the prized Clydesdale.
Q: Do all the Lightgliders come from the same area of the world, or even the same time period?
Each Lightglider comes from a different part of the world and a different time in history—both past and future. This is a unique feature of the series. We hope that readers recognize that a biblical worldview is true, beautiful, and helpful in every time and place.
Q: How is the Lightglider Origins series different from most science fiction series?
The Lightglider Origins series is different from most science fiction in that it offers a hopeful vision for the future. In addition, it connects teenagers from different times and places to learn from each other and work together for a common purpose. Lastly, it offers kids a vision for how they were uniquely designed to make a difference in the world.
Q: What kind of adventures do the Lightgliders find themselves in, and who do they meet along the way?
The Lightgliders are in a battle for the soul of Glideon. It is being taken over by the toxic blight, an army of Machines, and the dark Shadows. The primary creatures of the land, the Gliddles, are being kidnapped and deprived of their dignity, freedom, and joy. Glideon’s animals are losing their voices and sense of purpose. The Lightgliders encounter lost Gliddles, sage spiders, vicious dogs, terrifying Machines, and pernicious blight among other things. They also encounter other Lightgliders. Together they unravel the mysteries of Glideon, resurrect Lightglider Academy, and work for the restoration of Glideon.
Q: How does a fantasy adventure series that includes time travel and mysterious creatures align with a biblical worldview?
Just like Jesus created the parable of the prodigal son to teach about the Father’s love, we created the Lightgliders story to teach a biblical worldview. As kids learn the goals of a Lightglider (respect, rescue, and restore), they will have the opportunity to learn where those goals come from. They will learn how the architect of Lightglider Academy, Professor Christopher Watts, was motivated by a biblical worldview anchored upon the embodiment of truth and love—Jesus.
Q: You have described Lightgliders as capturing the spiritual imagination. What do you mean by that?
Before people believe something, they often need to imagine it first. They need to be moved deeply. Stories and metaphor do this. They capture the imagination and open the heart. With the Lightglider Origins series, we hope to capture the imagination of young readers and anchor it upon the true story of God’s love. This is what we mean by spiritual imagination. It’s the opportunity to reframe how one sees the world—it’s beauty, its brokenness, its future hope, and one’s wonderful purpose within it.
Q: What is the main message you hope readers will gain from reading the Lightglider Origins series?
We really mean it when we say that we want kids to catch a vision for how they were uniquely “made to shine.” We want them to creatively and joyfully imagine how God would use them to respect everyone made in His image, rescue those needing truth and love, and restore the world around then. And, in doing so, they will serve as beautiful signposts of what is to come.
Q: What can readers expect as the series progresses? How many books will there be and when will the next installment release?
There will be seven books in the Lightglider Origins series. As the series progresses, readers can expect to learn more about the history of Glideon as well as its future potential. More will be revealed about the Gliddles, the noble intentions of Professor Watts, and the devious plans of Dr. Grapethorne. Each Lightglider leader’s story arc will interweave with the others until the series climaxes with the ultimate battle for the soul of Glideon.
In October 2025, readers will meet Tambika in Tambika and the Shield of Wisdom. She is from Tanganyika, Africa, in 1896. As long as she’s been alive, Tambika’s tribe, the Hehe, has lived in conflict. She longs to be a leader who stands up for her people, but her desire for vengeance endangers her destiny.
Bryce and the Lost pearl
Life is full of responsibilities for fifteen-year-old Bryce Holland. Between working at his uncle’s horse stables, playing his newly earned spot on the varsity basketball team, and leading a Bible study, the juggling act of his life is on the verge of a crash. The stress sends Bryce over the edge and he thunders away on his uncle’s Clydesdale without permission. When the horse gets away from him, the search to find the missing animal sends Bryce wandering deep through the woods and into a strange new land.
