Q. You’ve got a fiction series called Birth Pangs. What motivated you to write this series? What’s it about?

I guess you could say that the Birth Pangs series is my own excursion into ‘literary apologetics.’  It’s pretty unique.  A friend has described it as belonging to the didactic genre.  The series is set in the ‘not too distant future’ after America has been laid low by foreign armies and a biological and nuclear holocaust.  Now, they are rebuilding from scratch.  This setting allows me to discuss everything under the sun:  what is truth, what is real, how do you know?  What is the relationship between religion and government?  What does it mean to be human?  Or a man or a woman in particular?  So on and so forth, only in my series there is no government, church, or school to tell the characters what the real answers are.
The series actually came into my head, nearly fully formed, in the last few months of a stint as an over the road truck driver.  I was motivated to write it because I love writing stories but I think the germ of this particular story was my reflecting on all that we take for granted.  For example, as a truck driver I was criss crossing the country on nicely paved and administered roads.  I imagined what life would be like without that kind of infrastructure.  What if I had to walk to California from Arkansas?  What if I couldn’t just go to the grocery store to get food?  Then I started thinking about what life would be like without that other kind of infrastructure we take for granted- our educational systems, our political system, our churches, etc, in short, our intellectual infrastructure.  You could say that the setting of the series was engineered to provide an opportunity to imagine what that would be like.

There is some definite Christian perspective in the series but the whole point of the series is to give other perspectives a hearing, too.  I have a good friend who is an atheist and liberal who has enjoyed both books in the series and some of my more conservative friends enjoy it, too.  I like that I can appeal to both groups, but the series is not for everyone, either.  There can be some meaty philosophy and theology in the midst of the fantastic battles and subtle diplomacy. 

Political systems really represent individual beliefs, in particular how one’s beliefs impact how one should behave in the wider world and how you believe others ought to behave.  Ultimately, one cannot separate one’s politics from their worldview.  Since the Birth Pangs series is an exploration of worldviews, it follows that political musings will come, too.  A person who derives no political implications from their world view probably doesn’t even understand their world view or doesn’t really believe their world view.

Part of the problem in today’s culture is that many people have a worldview but then political beliefs that are inconsistent with planks in their worldview.  The latent idea is that one’s beliefs are private matters whereas how one feels about the government or governance is in a separate category.  Of course, one’s feelings about politics is in fact a belief, so even the attempt to compartmentalize fails in the end.  Somewhere, somehow, people’s politics relate back to a belief or two that they have.  Much of the heated discourse today arises because people from different political bents cannot trace their political ideas back to their core beliefs and then they present their political assertions as matters of self-evidently true, which of course they are not if you come from a different starting point.

Birth Pangs is very concerned about determining the best starting point.  It is not concerned because it has the goal of erecting a political system.  There certainly are deeper motivations than that!  But it does not pretend that there won’t be political implications.

Now, in the Birth Pangs series, set in the not so distant future in our own country, the various political systems that strive to fill the void have their historic roots in our own past and present.  Socialism and Communism get a special treatment rather than say, a Monarchy, because America has not had anyone advocating for a monarchy for a long time but socialism is constantly advanced under different guises.  There is also a long history with capitalism and a form of democracy, so it is natural that people will rise up who represent shades of that view.

In the Birth Pangs series, though, there is a ‘deeper reflection’ that permeates it all, and that is an analysis of the nature of humanity itself.  In a word, what the theologians call ‘original sin.’  Even those advocating for democracy in the Birth Pangs series tend to forget why there is a need for checks and balances.  Political systems reflect our views about the human race itself.  Do we believe that people are by nature ‘good’?  Do we think that people are in the main ignorant and untrustworthy, not fit for self-governance?  As an exploration of the facts about humanity, a discussion of the political consequences of one’s view on humanity is unavoidable.

Personally, I wouldn’t chalk any aspect of the Birth Pangs series as being merely incidental or superficial.  I wrote it with the idea that the series would be like an ocean… one can dive deep and explore the ocean and it is then filled with excitement and adventure, crushing sometimes, or one can stay in the shallows and have fun frolicing.  I wanted the series to be accessible and enjoyable in the shallows but open to those who wanted to dive deeper at just about any point.  Fidelis is a start to that and it will take the rest of the books to bring to completion.

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 CONTACT: A.R. (Anthony) Horvath (author)
PHONE: 608-385-2629
EMAIL: author@birthpangs.com

Christian Author Challenges Readers’ Perceptions, Explores True Nature of Humanity in Book, Fidelis La Crosse, WI Few fiction authors seek to challenge their readers with their literature these days. That’s a trend Anthony Horvath would like to see changed. His new novel, Fidelis, is the first of a seven-book story arc that grapples with humanity’s struggle through pain and suffering, and Horvath is not afraid to explore deep issues and topics with his readers.

Fidelis takes place in a not-too-distant or unlikely future, and tells the story of a man crossing the new landscape of an America that has been crippled by disease and ravaged by nuclear strikes, struggling to find his way home. As his journey reveals the horrors and wonders of the altered world, he awakens to realizations about his own soul.

Horvath, a church worker who became a trucker for a short time, said the series sprang into his mind during his last month on the road when he, like the main character, was separated from his family for long periods of time.

The intangible characteristics that make the human race indomitable are expressed as the book wrestles with truth and propaganda, manhood and bravery, fact and religion in an adventure story packed with action and suspense, as well as a deep examination of our own existence.

Christians might identify some parallel of Horvath’s novel with the Epistles of Paul, particularly 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 and 2 Corinthians 6:3-10, but Horvath points out that his writing is not geared exclusively, or even targeted, for Christian readers.

It is an exploration of what it means to be human, and an inquiry into what worldview best explains both man’s goodness as well as man’s badness, says Horvath. You would think after this last century, we would not need to be reminded of man’s badness, but it seems we do. In the Birth Pangs series, no reminder is necessary, just as after the holocaust no reminder was necessary.

An excerpt from the first chapter is available for free online at http://www.birthpangs.com/download-part-of-chapter-1/. The website hosts a spin-off role-playing game and a discussion board frequented by the author.

Fidelis (ISBN 0979127610) is the first book in the seven-book Birth Pangs series. It is available for purchase from http://www.birthpangs.com, as well as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

“Fidelis” is fluent, gripping and written as though the author had actually been there. I saw not a word out of place or any word that may have qualified as filler. That’s why I simply couldn’t put the book down. Neither could my 13-year-old son.

But more importantly, I felt as though I were in a gold mine with nuggets of wisdom popping up everywhere… READ THE WHOLE REVIEW.

From Jean Heimann at the Catholic Fire blog:

In his clear, easy to read writing style, Horvath presents us with a story that grabs our attention from the first page and holds it until the very end. He introduces us to an interesting array of characters, which he describes in picturesque terms, [who] speak for themselves… READ THE WHOLE REVIEW

From Josh M, on Amazon.com: Left Behind meets The Dark Tower, July 30, 2007

Fidelis is the first book in the Birthpangs series by A.R. Hovath. If you have ever read the Left Behind series or Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series you will fall in love with this book. I could hardly stop reading it and have been reccomending it to everyone I know. I plan to give this for birthdays and Christmas until the next book comes out.

You follow the journey of Fides through the post-apocalyptic areas of the Americas. If you liked the premise of Left Behind but didn’t like how it was so in-your-face about Christianity, then you will really enjoy this book. It gives you ideas of Christianity without telling you how to think and act. It gives you a foundation on which to build your own opinions.

This book makes for great discussions and arguments on what humanity is and what it should be. It makes you think about your life and actions. This would be great for book clubs or discussion groups.

From Nick, on Amazon.com: Awesome Read…, April 13, 2007

I have seen this book compared to Harry Potter and other literary classics, but AR (Tony) Horvath’s book FIDELIS, is in a class by itself. From the very begining to the end, this book makes you think, and also keeps you guessing. There are some bits of flashback to set up the story, and as you delve deeper into the story, you realize why an event took place… and again it makes you think!Twists and turns on every page, filled with an interesting array of characters, each with their own story and tale. I can only look forward with anticipation on the next installment. This is the kind of wait as when JR had been shot on Dallas, in the 1980’s and kept America talking for an entire summer about “Who Shot JR”. Well I know I will be talking with my friends over the summer to ask some of those same type of questions! I will not divulge anything here, as I do not want to spoil it for you… But it will definately keep you guessing!

I would not be surprised if Hollywood came knocking in the next few months, and unlike Harry Potter, this story takes place right here at home… most likely in the not too distant future.

From an anonymous reviewer on BarnesandNoble.com:

Lord of the Rings, meet Mad Max!‘Fidelis’ is an expertly-crafted adventure of human drama set in a chaotic post-nuclear America. The main character is Fides, a blue-collar ‘everyman’ from the Midwest, who unwillingly becomes a man on a mission, the importance of which is hidden from him. That is , until it’s too late to turn back… From the initial, terrifying plot twist, to places of quiet solitude, to desperate battles involving massed armies, Fides finds both conflict and comfort in the most unlikely places and people, and ultimately, from an unlikely source, the inner strength which had always eluded him. Anthony Horvath has delivered a first-class adventure , a spellbinding saga which I found to poignant, thought-provoking and magical. Packed with surprises and edge-of-your-seat action, ‘Fidelis’ captivates from start to finish.

Brett M, a US soldier in Iraq says, The plot continues to thicken and there is never really a dull moment! Masterfully written and well researched

From Elijah, on Amazon.com,

“There are precious few authors these days trying to use fantastical settings to grapple with deep, personal issues. In fact, “Fidelis”, Horvath’s first fictional work, will probably be the only novel you’ll come across these days that explores topics like truth and propaganda, manhood and bravery, and fact and religion as the deep, perplexing ideas they are–ideas that we can’t understand except in the context of real struggle. Horvath presents this struggle in an equally intriguing post-nuclear America where humanity is exposed and purified in the flames of civil-war and anarchy.As a first attempt to explore such vast topics in an equally vast setting, Horvath sets a high precedence that will make future additions to this series a real challenge. I wait in eager anticipation for the many secrets and mysteries of the Birthpangs world to be unraveled in his future books.”

From Tammy, on Amazon.com, “Great story! I had a hard time putting this book down. I was very intrigued with the “future” portrayed by the author.”

From Rareairpug, on the Birth Pangs Discussion Forum,

“From the opening chapter, Fidelis is full of action packed chases and dangerous encounters with startling twists around every corner. Fides meets a wide array of characters on his travels, and most of them are more than what they seem. From the strange necklace around Fides neck, to the book he receives from Corrie, to the enigmatic words of his fellow traveler Fermion, Fides is surrounded by mystery. Will he find the answers he seeks?

Fidelis takes the reader on an edge of his seat thrill ride from start to finish. Nothing is certain in the world of Fides, and caution is a must for survival. The climatic conclusion of the novel will have readers anxious for the next installment of Birthpangs.”

From Scott, in an email to the author,

“Your descriptive style put me front and centre during the battles, which were very well-concieved and realistic from a tactical point of view,(no invincible “Rambo’s”) and therefore quite realistic. I think I found myself on the edge of my seat more than once!”