Giants of Faith Vs. Giants of Canaan. LOS ANGELES, CA (EPP) - Brian Godawa, the award-winning screenwriter of To End All Wars, began a new saga of Biblical fantasy novels with his release of Noah Primeval to phenomenally positive reviews across the internet and bestseller status on Amazon. The fifth and sixth books in the saga Chronicles of the Nephilim are now available as companion novels in paperback and on Kindle: Joshua Valiant and Caleb Vigilant. After four hundred years of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites under Moses have escaped into the desert and are prepared to enter the land ofCanaan that God had promised them. There’s only one problem: It’s crawling with giants. And these giants are the Seed of the Serpent, linked to the nefarious Nephilim before the Flood. Only twomen, Joshua and Caleb, have the faith to face these monsters whose murderous idolatry defiles the land. They must conquer the infamous giant Og of Bashan in the land of the Serpent, and then face the terror of the gigantic Anakim, before whom no man can stand. But a mysterious exotic woman with a dark past holds the key to their success and the future of their kingdom: Rahab the harlot. This is what theWar of the Seed has been building towards. Chronicles of the Nephilim is written in the mythic genre of The Lord of the Rings and Narnia, blending fantasy and mythopoeia with history to retell the Biblical narrative with a fresh perspective, while staying true to the original spirit of the story.

Talking Points for Joshua Valiant and Caleb Vigilant:

• Two companion novels released simultaneously to excited fans who cannot wait.

• These books answer the skeptical doubts about God’s Holy Wars in the Old Testament better than many theological textbooks.

• A Biblical epic that uses the fantasy genre to express theological truth. Just like Lewis and Tolkien did.

• Maintains respect for the Biblical text, while filling in gaps with imagination based on Biblical images and metaphors.

• An appendix that provides the interesting Biblical and ancient Near Eastern research behind the imagination in the novel.

Online Press Materials for Joshua Valiant and Caleb Vigilant:

http://www.godawa.com/chronicles_of_the_nephilim/press_kit_index.html

Amazon.com Link Kindle:

Amazon.com Link Paperback:

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To schedule an interview with Brian Godawa,

Or to receive a complimentary review copies of Joshua Valiant and Caleb Vigilant,

please contact:

Media@EmbeddedPictures.com

(310) 948-0224
Author Bio

Brian Godawa has been a professional filmmaker, writer, and visual artist for many years. His creative versatility was born of a passion for both intellect and imagination, both left-brain and right-brain. The result: Brian is an artisan of word, image, and story that engages heart, mind, and soul. Just think, “Renaissance Man.”

He is the screenwriter for the award-winning feature film, To End All Wars, starring Kiefer Sutherland, and Alleged, starring Brian Dennehy as Clarence Darrow along with Fred Thompson as William Jennings Bryan. Previously Brian adapted to film the best-selling supernatural thriller novel The Visitation by author Frank Peretti for Ralph Winter (X-Men, Planet of the Apes), and wrote and directed several documentaries, including Wall of Separation for PBS.

Brian’s scripts have won multiple awards, and his articles on movies and philosophy have been published around the world. He has traveled around the United States teaching on movies, worldviews, and culture to colleges, churches, and community groups.

His popular book, Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment has been released in a revised edition from InterVarsity Press and is used as a textbook in schools around the country. His book Word Pictures: Knowing God Through Story and Imagination (IVP) addresses the power of image and story in the pages of the Bible to transform the Christian life.

His main website is www.godawa.com.

Check out the trailer and other goodies for Enoch Primordial and Chronicles of the Nephilim at:

www.ChroniclesOfTheNephilim.com

Author Photos

Pictures are linked to high resolution files. Click on Image to download high resolution version.

Published Books, Articles, Awards

Published Books

2013 Caleb Vigilant, Embedded Pictures Publishing, novel.

2013 Joshua Valient, Embedded Pictures Publishing, novel.

2013 Abraham Allegiant, Embedded Pictures Publishing, novel.

2012 Gilgamesh Immortal, Embedded Pictures Publishing, novel.

2012 Enoch Primordial, Embedded Pictures Publishing, novel.

2011 Noah Primeval, Embedded Pictures Publishing, novel.

2010 Omnibus V: The Medieval World, Veritas Press, published chapter,

“History of Dramatic Arts.”

2009 Word Pictures, Intervarsity Press, published book.

Hollywood Worldviews, Intervarsity Press, published book, revised edition.

Apologetics for a New Generation, Harvest House, Ed. Sean McDowell, published chapter “Storytelling and Persuasion.”

2002 Hollywood Worldviews, Intervarsity Press, published book.

2002 The Christian Imagination, Shaw, Ed. Leland Ryken, published chapter, “Redemption in the Movies.”

Published Articles

2011 BioLogos Foundation, BioLogos.org. Contributing writer.

1995-2011 CRI Journal, Charlotte, NC, Contributing writer.

Scr(i)pt magazine, Los Angeles, IL, published articles.

Sacerdos magazine, Rome, Italy, published articles.

samizdat.com, French online magazine, published articles.

Reformation in Poland, Poland, published article.

SCP Journal, Berkeley, CA, published articles.

Cornerstone magazine, Chicago, IL, published articles.

Center for Cultural Leadership, LaGrange, CA, published articles.

razormouth.com, online magazine, published articles.

Rutherford Institute Magazine, Charlottesville, VA, published article.

PRODUCED FILMS

2012 Descent of the Gods – (Feature)
Screenplay, Direction, in pre-production.
Golden Leaf Pictures, CA

School’s Out: Academic Freedom vs. Political Correctness – (Documentary)
Screenplay & Direction, in post-production.
Boulevard Pictures, Culver City, CA

2011 Alleged – (Feature) - Screenplay.
Two Shoes Productions, MI

2009 Lines That Divide: The Great Stem Cell Debate – (Documentary)
Screenplay & Direction.
Boulevard Pictures, Culver City, CA

2008 Change Your Life (Feature) - Screenplay.
Transcendental Media, Long Beach, CA

Choices You Can Live With (Promo video) – Screenplay & Direction.
Westside Pregnancy Clinic, Los Angeles, CA

2007 Wall of Separation – (Documentary PBS) – Screenplay & Direction.
Boulevard Pictures, Culver City, CA

Cruel Logic (Narrative Short) – Screenplay and Direction.
2008 Emerging Cinematographer Award – International Cinematographers Guild

Secret Believers (Promo video with narrative) – Screenplay.
Open Doors, Secret Believers.org

The Conspiracy Show (Comedy Short) – Screenplay and Direction.
Highway Video Productions

2006 Our First Liberty (TV special) – Screenplay.
Alliance Defense Fund, Phoenix, AZ.

2005 The Visitation (Feature) – Screenplay.
Namesake Entertainment, PeeWee Valley, KY.

2002 To End All Wars (Feature) – Screenplay.
Argyll Film Partners, Culver City, CA.

FILM AWARDS

Alleged

2011 – Best Narrative Feature, Audience Choice Award, FreedomFest Film Festival.
Best Michigan Film Award, Flint Film Festival
Best Narrative Feature, Made-in Michigan Film Festival

Wall of Separation

2007 – Nominated, Silver Gavel Award, American Bar Association.

Cruel Logic (Short)

2008 – Emerging Cinematographer Award – International Cinematographers Guild

2005 – Official Selection: Dusk Till Dawn Fest, Golden Star Shorts Film Fest, Great Lakes Indie Film Fest, Shriekfest, Bluegrass Indie Film Fest.

To End All Wars

2003 – Showcase selection, Cinema for Peace, Cannes Film Festival

2002 – Grand Prize Best Picture Crystal Heart Award, Heartland Film Festival

Commander in Chief Medal of Service, Honor & Pride, Veterans of Foreign Wars

Picture of the Year, Santa Barbara Film Festival

Played in 13 Film Festivals, being given either opening or closing position.

Novel Summaries

Joshua Valiant

After four hundred years of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites under Moses have escaped into the desert and are prepared to enter the land of Canaan that God had promised them. There’s only one problem: It’s crawling with giants. And these giants are the Seed of the Serpent, linked to the nefarious Nephilim before the Flood.

Only two men, Joshua and Caleb, have the faith to face these monsters whose murderous idolatry defiles the land. But first, they must establish a bridgehead across the river to launch their invasion.

But this land is the territory of King Og of Bashan, the last of the mighty Rephaim giants who worship the goddess of war, Ashtart. And Ashtart has plans to annihilate Israel with an evil occultic army.

The War of the Seed is climaxing in this first of two companion novels, including Caleb Vigilant.

Caleb Vigilant

In this companion volume to Joshua Valiant, the story of the conquest of the Promised Land of Canaan continues. Moses has died, the Israelites stand poised to invade Canaan. Their first target: The impenetrable mighty walls of Jericho.

But God has been preparing a pagan harlot named Rahab to help Israel. They soon discover through prophecy that she is a crucial link to God’s plan of redemption for the Seed of Abraham. And she has fallen in love with an Israelite warrior whose child she bears.

Unfortunately, the Anakim giants of Canaan have also discovered Rahab’s identity and have sent assassins to take her out.

Now Joshua and Caleb must protect Rahab at the same time as they assault the Anakim stronghold and face the tallest, most ruthless of all giants: The brothers Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai. Worse yet, the patron deity of the Anakim is the storm god Ba’al. They’re going to need the archangels help or they haven’t got a chance.

This is what the War of the Seed has been building towards.

Chronicles of the Nephilim is written in the mythic genre of The Lord of the Rings and Narnia, blending fantasy and mythopoeia with history to retell the Biblical narrative with a fresh perspective, while staying true to the original spirit of the story.

An Interview with Brian Godawa

Q: What is Joshua Valiant and Caleb Vigilant About?

A: Joshua Valiant and Caleb Vigilant are companion novels that retell the biblical story of Joshua’s conquest of the Promised Land of Canaan. They are stories about courage and faith against impossible odds, and the conflict between justice and love. This is a very high midpoint in the biblical story of Israel because it was the land that God had promised for over 400 years, and now Moses is finally leading them into it. Talk about delayed gratification! But something many people are not aware of is that part of God’s deliberate goal was for Joshua to wipe out the many giant clans in the land because they were the descendants of the evil giant Nephilim from before the Flood. We will learn about the mighty giant King Og of Bashan, the last of the Rephaim giants as well as the gigantic Anakim giants that terrified everyone in Canaan. But this is not just a war novel, it is also loaded with romance as we are introduced to the infamous Rahab the harlot from Jericho and how she converted to Israel and fell in love with one of their very important men. Rahab would become a special instrument of God’s choosing in bringing about the Messiah. But only if Joshua and Caleb can protect her from the assassins that are on her trail.

Q: Why did you release two novels at the same time?

A: I released Joshua Valiant and Caleb Vigilant at the same time rather than staggering them because they are parts one and two of a single big story. Their plots and characters are so closely intertwined that readers would feel desperate if they had to wait another six months or so to get the second novel in order to finish the exciting action packed story. Fans would be out for my blood if they were left hanging with everything in the balance! J

Q: What is unique about these novels?

A: What makes Joshua Valiant and Caleb Vigilant so unique is that they are dealing with the “Holy Wars” of Israel where the Israelites killed every man, woman, and child of some of these Canaanite clans. This is a current controversy in the Christian world because the Holy Wars seem so violent to many people in our modern worldview. Theologians have been trying to address this issue for centuries, but these Chronicles are able to shed light on the rightness of the wars like never before. The power of storytelling and imagination can illuminate spiritual truth and satisfy the heart and mind in a way that systematic theologies and didactic sermons cannot. Joshua Valiant and Caleb Vigilant are the definitive proof of the justice of Israel’s actions in those particular wars without avoiding or denying the personal moral failures of some of the very human participants including, Moses, Joshua and Caleb. These books will settle the issue once and for all like never before.

Q: Are these novels complete fabrications or do they tamper with Scripture?

A: In Joshua Valiant and Caleb Vigilant, I have done what I have done in the previous Chronicles; I have taken some fantasy elements such as satyrs, serpent beings and Leviathan that are in the Bible as symbolic references to demonic reality and I have literalized them. I am writing theological novels that show the true spiritual reality behind the outer world. But also, every main character in my stories are based on Biblical references. For instance, the Bible talks about how Israel conquered the mighty King Og of Bashan, the last of the Rephaim giants. But it also makes special mention several times of how Caleb defeated the three mighty giant “Sons of Anak,” Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai. These are all my villains in the two novels. Though we are never told their stories in detail in the Bible, I embellished them to bring them to life and give readers a feel about what these specific giants mentioned in the text may have been like. Everything I write in the novels is based on research, including the actual evil that Canaanites were engaged in. The stories are told between the lines of the sacred text, but never against it. Everything fits with the Biblical stories and facts that we do know and doesn’t contradict them. My goal is to make the Biblical stories come alive in a fresh new way that reveals spiritual truths that Christians may have missed, just as I had missed before I discovered this storyline in the Bible. If anything they will make people want to learn more about the Biblical stories because they are so fascinating.

Q: What is next for the Chronicles of the Nephilim?

A: The next novel in the series will be David Ascendant, which is about how King David finally got rid of the last of the giants left in the land of Israel after Joshua. As the messiah king, he was a penultimate picture of the coming Messiah. Which is why I have a surprise additional novel after David: Jesus Triumphant. Believe it or not, there are some vestiges of this “War of the Seed” that are not completed until Christ comes as the final Victor over the dark forces that began before the Flood. You will not believe the rest of the story, but it is all based on the Bible.

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Check out the trailers and other goodies for Joshua Valiant & Caleb Vigilant
and Chronicles of the Nephilim at:

www.ChroniclesOfTheNephilim.com