(I-Newswire) – La Crosse, WI.  Even though A.R. Horvath’s Fidelis has been available since 2006, positive reviews still are arriving.  These arrive in the midst of rumors that Fidelis is going to be released in hard cover for the Christmas season.

Though openly a Christian author, Horvath argues that he considers himself to be an author who is a Christian and not an author creating Christian literature.  That said, Ms. Heimann’s review makes it clear that Christians will approve of many of the themes percolating within his book.

For example, she writes: Put quite simply, Fidelis depicts the battle of good vs. evil. Similar in nature to the writings of C.S. Lewis and JRR Tolkien, Fidelis bears a Christian theme, includes Scripture passages, and is rich in Christian symbolism.  Other comparisons are invoked merely in the title of her review:An Alternative to Harry Potter.

Though the Christian symbolism is clear in many cases, Ms Heimann adds, Both Christians and non-Christians alike will find Fidelis enjoyable, as it focuses on man’s universal struggles of good vs. evil and truth vs. propaganda. Fidelis is an action- packed, imaginative fantasy that subtly instructs, entertains, and intellectually provokes the reader. It is fascinating reading.

This sentiment is echoed in another favorable review that is recorded on Horvath’s discussion forum posted by a secular humanist, Full of fascinating characters, replete with Tolkeinesque battle sequences and poetical songs, woven with biblical themes and tied up with some extremely fine writing Anthony Horvath’s ‘Fidelis’ is a must-read for fans of the genre which he has single-handedly created with his first novel. Quite an achievement.

Horvath says that this reaction is exactly what he wanted to generate. I wanted to produce a story that just about anyone would enjoy but would allow me to explore themes that are important to me from a perspective that is important to me.  As the later books are released, I think these themes will continue to be fleshed out, and if I am as successful with them as I seem to be with Fidelis people will enjoy the yarn, whether they agree with me or not.

Horvath is available for interviews, seminars, and lectures and can be reached best at his email address at author@ birthpangs.com. Heimann’s review can be found at her blog at http://catholicfire.blogspot.com/2007/10/book-review-harry-potter-alternative.html or by by visiting A.R. Horvath’s web page at http://www.birthpangs.com.  Horvath maintains a Christian ministry site at http://www.sntjohnny.com

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I might ask my atheist friend how it comes that there are universal values that humans can mutually relate to…

This is the second reviewer that I’ve noted compared Fidelis to Harry Potter. Obviously, that makes me happy, because that puts me in good company. At least in Fidelis (what later books might be like, I won’t say) it seems to me that there are more affinities to the Lord of the Rings series than the Harry Potter ones, but one can certainly see both (Jean does). The magic in Fidelis is of a different sort than that in Harry Potter, but certain themes certainly are shared: loyalty, courage, virtue, self-discipline, good is superior to evil- even if good ‘loses’ (which it never does!). It would be fair to say that Fidelis is not meant to be a knock off of Harry Potter, or the Lord of the Rings, or any other fantasy type series you might envision but that Fidelis is deeply inspired and influenced by such series is definitely true. In fact, the astute reader may see that the inspiration runs deeper then one might expect.

At any rate, for Christian readers out there who may have read my open letter to Christian Muggles, you can confident that when Ms. Heimann titles here review as an alternative to Harry Potter, she does so correctly. Feel free to buy my book instead of the Harry Potter books all you like.

In conclusion, Ms. Heimann makes this interesting comment: “There is a prophetic message presented in this first book of seven in the BirthPangs Series. …. Fidelis only hints at the possibilities, but it certainly poses a relevant concern for the future.”

Relevant, indeed. Boy, I can’t wait until I can talk freely about all of this!

The numerous nods to Christian themes in Rowling’s books are explored by many others so I won’t dig into them here beyond what I’ve already said, but I will take just one moment to respond to the charge that anything ‘magical’ is forbidden and of the devil. Certainly the Scriptures are not to be ignored on the point. In retort, it is often pointed out that there is ‘magical’ content to Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and in retort to that retort, it is given “But yes, those are Christian authors,” apparently ignorant that Rowling is herself a Christian. Intuitively, most of us recognize a difference between the ‘magic’ in these worlds and the sorcery rejected by the Scriptures.

The more serious charge, that enjoying the magic of Harry Potter (and perhaps Lewis’s and Tolkien’s, if one is going to be consistent) may tempt the young reader to dig into actual witchcraft and sorcery, needs a special mention. I have great difficulty thinking that the silly, made up, clever spells that are often no more than plays on words in Harry Potter could ever be understood as anything more, but this brings us to the edge of the purpose of this letter: for, I assume that when we have this concern, we are thinking of non-Christian youth; if we are worried about our Christian youth being tempted into paganism via Harry Potter, the problem is not Harry Potter, I assure you.

Oh no, it certainly is not. If there is any legitimate concern here at all, it only means that there is a failure within the Christian churches on a number of levels. Several of witch (sorry, couldn’t resist) I will address here.

In the Harry Potter series, a ‘muggle’ is a non-magical type that is more or less ignorant of magical world surrounding them. The wizarding community has long decided at this point that ‘muggles’ are better off not knowing. Muggles are often hostile and bewildered when confronted with the knowledge that there is more to reality than we perceive with our senses. Now, if one has a Christian worldview, it follows immediately that there is more then we perceive with our senses. Or it should, anyway. The conviction that there are ‘things unseen’ (Heb 11:1-2) is a fundamental aspect of Christian theology.

Objectors to the ’sorcery’ in Harry Potter object to ‘things unseen,’ that’s true. These Christians are right to fear the real life ‘Lord Voldemort’ but seem to forget that, like in Harry Potter, this enemy has been defeated. It is simply bad theology to imagine that the ‘things unseen’ that belong to God are inferior in strength and potency then the things that belong to the Enemy. Perhaps we ought to act like it. We ought to boldly claim what is ours, transforming the strongholds of the Enemy into retreats of wonder.

God has created a world that fill humans with awe left and right, using different means- the expansive night sky, the deep red canyons, the crimson sunset… the brave hero that sacrifices himself for another, the indescribable sense of love inside a parent’s heart for child… these things are not best expressed by doctrinal formulations but are no less real. In fact, to be pedantic, doctrines are themselves shadows of the realities they express. Dorothy Sayers, in her essay “The Dogma is the Drama” chides Christians for not being enchanted by the reality expressed by the doctrines. Imagine, really, a world under siege where God has personally assaulted to reclaim. In a Dumbledorish nod to human dignity, God then hands over tasks of reclamation to those of his Kingdom. That is the world we live in. That is what Christians say they believe.

God has intended to reclaim what is his yet the Christian arts receive precious little support. This part of God’s realm, though of great strategic importance, is nearly abandoned. Imagine it- millions and millions of people enthralled by a vision of the world portrayed in Harry Potter, and if we are to believe it, are drawn to explore witchcraft- and the Christian community has no message of its own to attract these millions? I don’t believe it! I do not believe the best we can do is to warn the non-Christian community away from the dangers of paganism. I believe the best we can do is show that their fired imagination is perfectly at home and even explained within the Christian worldview and not only that, they will find their imagination urged on continually the deeper they go.

I encourage ‘Christian muggles’ to remember that we are made in God’s image and therefore we can learn a bit from studying human nature. Namely, we love story telling and reveling in the story told. One can hardly remain a muggle when pondering the creativity of the Master Storyteller. Don’t misunderstand me: I am not suggesting that God is like a story teller and we are the specially created characters within the Divine Drama, playing out our part, big and small. It is that.

But I cannot limit myself only to those whom think that the Grand Romance consists merely in truisms about the lovers, as though any man every fell in love with a woman merely by hearing her described and never actually meeting her. There are some within the Christian ‘Ministry of Magic’ who do no better then the muggles.

In the Harry Potter series, there are not merely muggles who are ignorant to ‘magic’ and hostile once informed, there are also those who gravitate towards the ‘Ministry of Magic’ in the belief that anything of value first passed muster through a system, a bureaucracy, an organization. The ‘Ministry of Magic’ tends to gravitate towards the predictable, explicitly sanctioned, and homogenous. ‘Predictable’ and ‘homogenous’ are the last words we could use to describe the arts.

In words, most acknowledge the ‘priesthood of all believers’ (1 Peter 2:9) but in practice, the laity is feared. Those with spiritual inclinations, especially men, are directed into pastoral ministry- as though the only thing the church needs are pastors! Those with more unique gifts are unlikely to be supported by our institutions, and this includes our artists.

A search for Christian bands on Myspace.com reveals many talented, but struggling groups. These are forced to fend for themselves in the marketplace, as though God called us to be capitalists with fellow Christians! If the Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-15) means anything, it means that the tasks that Christians give their money are diametrically opposed to the principles of the world.

When you think about how wealthy the Christian church in America is, one can hardly imagine that within the Christian community at least, there wouldn’t be a single ’starving artist.’ “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

If the Harry Potter phenomena shows us anything, it shows that there are literally millions of people enthralled by themes such as bravery, loyalty, right and wrong, good and evil, redemption, faith, hope, love, and victory over death. These are themes that abound in the Christian Scriptures and permeate the Gospel message. It is high time that we invested time and resources in captivating these willing souls. If on reading such material they wish to find the source behind them, let us be prepared to point them to that Source, without insulting the sense of wonder that brought them to that point in the first place.

This will require raising up and supporting those poets among us, alongside the scholars and theologians. This will require being willing to act with courage as individuals rather than waiting for institutions to give their stamps of approval. This will require a change in the way we use our ‘treasure.’ This will require coming to grips that we truly are at war with an Enemy and the stakes are not bottom lines and failed or passed resolutions at church conferences, but the millions of thirty souls who we know are ready to drink from the Waters of Life, if only they knew where and how to receive it, and did not think that by drinking it they were consigning themselves to a sterile view of the world.

We long in our hearts to be part of something bigger, something vibrant, something alive. Christianity provides this, and it is the Christian poet best able to remind us all that The Dogma is the Drama.

http://www.holmencourier.com/articles/2007/04/19/features/01author.txt

Holmen author A.R. Horvath  Tony to his friends found inspiration for his debut novel on the road. by Adam Bissen

There is plenty of precedent for that in the American literary tradition, but Horvath didn’t look to racing speeds, madcap adventures or the freedom of the highway when he plotted out his story.

No, when Horvath conceived the trajectory of a planned seven-novel series, he was a professional truck driver, kept away from his family for 10 days at a time as he drove across the country.

After half a year as a truck driver Horvath came off the road, returned to Holmen and wrote Fidelis, book one in his Birth Pangs series, in just four months. Fittingly, it is about one man’s struggle to return to his family after being stranded halfway across the country with obstacles in his path.

When I sat down to write it, I already knew how it was going to go,Horvath said in an interview at a Holmen coffee shop. A lot of places that are described in the book, they are places that I saw with my own eyes.

But, as Horvath found out, writing a novel is only a small part of the battle when it comes to getting it read. It can be a lot more difficult getting it printed and on people’s bookshelves.

Even if an author is talented, lucky and has a well-connected agent, it can take years to break into a major publishing house. Those publishing companies have the clout and advertising budgets to make an author famous, but Horvath didn’t have the time to sit on a second book. He wanted to write, and most every author wants to be read, so Horvath mastered modern printing technology and threw himself into the business: He formed his own publishing company.

Today Fidelis, all 297 pages of it, sheathed in a glossy paperback binding  can be purchased on Horvath’s Web site, birthpangs.com. Internet retailer Amazon.com carries the book, and it can be ordered from any Barnes & Noble.

Coulee Region readers can also pick up a copy from Horvath in person when he gives a reading April 20 at Barnes & Noble in Valley View Mall.

I’ve already got seven reviews (on amazon.com) that are all good, that are all great. Who are these people? I don’t know, but it doesn’t necessarily matter, Horvath said. The thing is I’m generating the interest already through my own channels. If that big publisher wanted to offer me that multi-thousand dollar advance, that’s fine. I’d be their huckleberry. But in the meantime I am going to develop that fan base.

Horvath grew up in Detroit but moved to Holmen in 2001 with his wife, who is from the area. The pair met at Concordia University in Mequon, Wis., where Horvath earned degrees in pastoral ministry and theological languages.

He originally intended to be a minister but he decided he didn’t like that field. Horvath then worked as a teacher for a few years, decided he didn’t like that either, did the truck driving thing and now he stays home full-time to watch his three children.

With young kids around, Horvath said it can be difficult to find a few hours of solitude to work on his books, but he makes the time, writing four to five pages at a sitting. It’s a life that suits him well enough, but it’s a long way from the writing technique favored by one of Horvath’s friends, an author who is currently putting together a book in the mountains of Argentina.

That’s exactly the way I would expect a literary person to write a book,Horvath said. I would be more of the working class style of writing a book, where I just fit it in when I have the time. I don’t have the luxuries of anyone saying ˜Oh, wow, he’s a writer so we’ll give him a little bit of latitude.

The plot of Fidelis and the whole Birth Pangs series  follows one man’s struggle to cross a post-apocalyptic America and return to his family in the Midwest. The book is set in the future with the United States beset by disease, invading armies and small-scale nuclear warfare. The main character, Fides, lands in an airplane in Las Cruces, N.M., and must return to his family while crossing gangs and idealogues who stand in his way.

True to his background, Horvath hints at a lot of religious imagery in recalling the plot of Fidelis. For starters there’s the book’s title (Latin for faithfulness) and the city of Las Cruces (Spanish for the crosses). A major theme in the book is Fides learning what’s important in life and whom to trust as he makes his way through a society with no order. Like other seven-book series The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter Horvath expects Birth Pangs to climax in one final battle in which there can be only one winner.

In addition to writing, editing, publishing and distributing Fidelis, Horvath also is organizing his own promotional campaign. He said he sold 15 copies of the book last weekend at his first-ever book signing in Michigan. In addition to the Barnes & Noble reading, Horvath will lead a discussion May 17 at the Blue Cup Cafe in Holmen. He’s also booked a booth at a large Christian music festival in Illinois in June to get the word out.

But Horvath thinks the most effective vehicle for promoting his book is through Internet advertising. He bought ads on Yahoo.com with the hope that people who type in the search terms fantasy fiction,Harry Potter,Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia will be directed to his Web site.

Although he only picked up the published copies of Fidelis in December, Horvath thinks he is doing fairly well as an independent publisher, having already sold 200 copies in his 1,000-book run.

He’s also gotten a start on book two.

The Internet has really opened the way for small publishers and authors on their own, Horvath said, especially those who have been thrown up against the wall over and over and just can’t get in. They’ve come out, and now they’re getting through.