Biblical Fiction: Good or Bad?

This week's Faith 'n Fiction question from My Friend Amy is:

One of area of Christian fiction that is thriving is Biblical Fiction. Biblical fiction, in case you don't know, is when an author takes a story from the Bible and imagines more of the details. Tosca Lee's Havah would be a recent example of Biblical fiction.

What I want to know today is how you feel about Biblical fiction. Have you ever read any Biblical fiction? Did you enjoy it? Do you think Biblical fiction helps us to understand people who lived during Biblical times better or do you think that it's unnecessary? Have you ever read any Biblical fiction that offended you?

In my opinion, biblical fiction is an acquired taste. I know some people love it, but others could live without it. I don't go out of my way to choose biblical fiction, but I don't mind reading it.

Perhaps the reason I don't go out of my way is because I feel like the story has to be absolutely true to scripture. I realize the story will be fictionalized, but the facts that we do know from the Bible must be accurate. And as I read, I find myself wondering what's true, what's accurate, etc.

However, one of my favorite series of all time is a biblical fiction series - The Lions of Judah by Gilbert Morris (I wrote about the series here.)

Besides the Lions of Judah series, the only other biblical fiction I've read that comes to mind is the first couple of books in Brock and Bodie Thoene's First Light series.

I don't recall reading any biblical fiction that's offended me. And after reading the Lions of Judah books, I definitely had a better understanding of the people in biblical times.