Jean Heimann has posted a review of Spero on her blog. She also had reviewed Fidelis. Check out her Spero review! (The link to her review of Fidelis is posted on that same page)
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"Spero is an imaginative fantasy that subtly instructs, entertains, and intellectually provokes the reader. It is fascinating reading. I'm definitely hooked on this series." Jean Heimann at Catholic Fire.
"...intelligent as well as inspiring..." Terry Barga at whattodoabout.com.
The first book in the Birth Pangs series, Fidelis, is Latin for faithfulness. The second book, Spero, is Latin for hope. Spero is an exploration, in fiction, of what hope is and why we need it. It is an exploration of what things are good to put our hope in and what things aren't. In the America of the future portrayed in the Birth Pangs series, all of the things that people have traditionally put their hope in have been brought low. There are no government agencies, no schools, and not even churches. In the face of daily perils, people have to figure out how where they are going to place their hope in dealing with them. In the end, there is one daily peril that surpasses them all: death. Spero is about people- even good people- putting their hope in lesser means to tackle lesser problems and being confronted with the consequences. Spero is a 'discussion' about our chief problems and what solutions, if any, are available to resolve them.(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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Press Release at 1888.
1888PressRelease) October 05, 2007 – 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
(PRLog.Org) “ Oct 04, 2007 “ La Crosse, WI. Even though A.R. Horvathâ’s Fidelis has been available since 2006, positive reviews still are arriving. These arrive in the midst of rumors that Fidelisis 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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“Fidelis” follows the path of a man waking up in a broken world that is pockmarked from nuclear strikes and still coping with the lingering effects of a terrible disease. He discovers the equally new landscape of his own soul. Filled with adventure and warfare, as equally compelling is its attempt to explore concepts of truth, valor, manhood, and destiny. The crutches of society have collapsed. The intangible characteristics that make the human race indomitable are now permitted expression. “Fidelis” is the first of the “Birth Pangs” series by author A.R. Horvath.
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I was pleased to learn today that Jean Heimann at the Catholic Fire blog had reviewed my book, Fidelis and posted it to her site. Jean writes and reviews from a distinctly Christian point of view so it is no surprise that she caught onto many of the Christian themes in the book, as well as some that I thought I had reasonably well buried. 
That I am a Christian becomes obvious to anyone who knows me and that Fidelis has Christian overtones and undertones is clear to anyone that knows to look for them. And yet it pleases me that it can be read and enjoyed by non-Christians as well. As Jean says on her review, “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.” And a long time atheist friend of mine reviewed and enjoyed my book showing that Jean is right (to read his review, click here, but NOTE: there are SPOILERS).
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!