Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chelsea Woodward, Associate Publicist
cwoodward@penguinrandomhouse.com
(719) 268-1915
Travis Thrasher’s New Novel Envisions a Dark Future for American Christianity, Feels Closer to Reality than Fiction
“In American Omens
, Travis Thrasher is at the top of his game, imagining the future with the eyes of a seasoned novelist penning the story he was destined to write. As fresh and relevant as Left Behind
was more than twenty years ago, American Omens
may be the first of many more novels about the persecuted church from this writer. We can only hope so.” —Jerry B. Jenkins, New York Times best-selling author of the Left Behind novels With news stories emerging everyday about our culture and technology censoring Christian and conservative speech, how far are we from American Christianity becoming an actual “hate crime”? In Travis Thrasher’s explosive new thriller,
AMERICAN OMENS: The Coming Fight for Faith (2/12/19, Multnomah), he explores this possibility and compels readers to consider the future of Christianity.
The year is 2038, and one-by-one, outspoken Christian leaders have begun to disappear without a trace. The government has systematically rooted out Christianity, shuttering churches, closing down bookstores for selling prohibited books and forcing believers into hiding. Cheyenne Burne, a brilliant and young algorithm architect working for the world’s top technology firm, fears for the worst when her father vanishes after converting to Christianity.
When Cheyenne receives a mysterious note from her father, she finds herself thrust into a dangerous mission with a group of underground believers. Operating in the shadows and living off the grid, they follow a modern-day prophet known as the Reckoner who plans to bring back true faith in Christ and expose the powers behind the disappearances of many renowned Christians. With an FBI agent—who is out for the Reckoner’s blood—hot on their trail, will Cheyenne and the others be able to complete their mission before it’s too late?
For fans of Joel Rosenberg, readers who enjoy fast-paced dystopian thrillers, and those who share concerns about Christian persecution,
American Omens is a must-read. Kicking off with a bang, readers will be kept turning pages, eager to discover the fate of this near-future America and Thrasher’s characters—both the beloved and hated.
While the book presents an imagined scenario, it is not far from our reality today. Thrasher can speak to:
• The suppression of free speech and how Christianity is becoming viewed as hate speech in our culture
• Technology, algorithms, and how they censor Christian/conservative language (e.g., Facebook, Google)
• Current events that point toward a future of American Christian persecution
• Threats to authentic Christianity—power, greed, indifference, etc.
• Our call to be bold and outspoken about our faith
For more information, visit www.waterbrookmultnomah.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Best-selling author TRAVIS THRASHER has written more than 50 books, spanning genres in fiction, nonfiction and children's literature. His inspirational stories have included collaborations with musicians such as American Idol winner Scotty McCreery and reality TV stars Bill Klein and Jen Arnold from TLC's
The Little Couple. He has also worked alongside highly successful writers such as
Left Behind series author Jerry Jenkins and
Redeeming Love author Francine Rivers.
Upcoming projects continue to expand Thrasher's profile including the book,
The Black Auxiliary, about the lives of the other 17 American black athletes who competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, and
Life to the Extreme about America’s favorite carpenter, Ty Pennington, and his time on the hit shows
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and
Trading Spaces. Thrasher lives with his wife and three young daughters in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area. For more information, visit
www.travisthrasher.com.
PRAISE FOR AMERICAN OMENS
“Thrasher’s outdone himself with this multilayered story of ultimate stakes. Written with deft and obvious passion,
American Omens is a thrilling, eerie sci-fi that feels far closer to realitythan fiction.”
—Tosca Lee, New York Times best-selling author
“
American Omens is, simply put, stunning. Stunning in the delivery of story that grabs you from the first paragraph. Take caution: it will root you where you stand until you finish the first chapter. Then you’ll be reluctant to wait longer to start on the rest. And it’s stunning in the quality of prose—vivid images and great dialogue. Travis Thrasher has written a novel that will take you on a roller coaster to unexpected places. When you finish, aside from wishing there was more, you’ll have a disturbing sense of where the future is headed.”
—Sigmund Brouwer, author of the Christy Award’s 2015 Book of the Year Thief of Glory WHAT READERS ARE SAYING “
American Omens may turn out to be the most important fiction book published in recent years that a Christian needs to read and deserves to be the must-read book of 2019. [It] is intensely compelling and will grab readers with its strong characters, plot, and uncompromising view that God is still God and He is still ultimately in control in a world where technology seemingly rules and privacy is violated by an ‘elite’ few.”
—Kevin, GoodReads
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