About the Book

King Ferdinand, who will later become Holy Roman Emperor, orders the eradication of all  heretics in Tyrol, and especially their leader, Jakob Hutter. Like other Anabaptists, Hutter has rejected armed revolt and embraced nonviolence. What if instead of overthrowing oppressive rulers, he asks, we create a peaceful and just alternative society ourselves?

Driven into hiding and eventually forced to flee through the mountains into Moravia, Hutter realizes his dream and finds love. But persecution follows him. Despite death warrants, he and his pregnant wife, Katharina, return to Tyrol to support the underground movement there. They are betrayed by a friend turned informant and captured along with their baby. Jakob is burned at the stake in the town square of Innsbruck. Katharina escapes but soon meets a similar fate.

Their story comes to life in this graphic novel, the second in a series that dramatically recreates a little-known chapter in the history of the Reformation. These radicals, labeled Anabaptists by their enemies, were ready to die for their vision. They were executed by thousands – by water, by fire, and by sword – in both Catholic and Protestant lands. This action-packed account of young people daring to standing up for their convictions will appeal to today’s nonconformists.


Book Trailer

Praise

By Fire is recommended for high school ages and up, having potential to hold attention with a true story of decadent corruption, fugitive romance, jealousy and fiery martyrdom.

Anabaptist World

Readers who have grown weary of politicized faith but long to follow the Jesus Way of the Sermon on the Mount will find the Hutter family’s testimony infused with courage, resolve, and confidence in Christ. Their resolve to demonstrate a nonviolent ‘third way’ was indeed tested by fire. While none of us may literally have our faith tested by the water or fire of persecution, the Hutters fortify our commitment to resist the seduction of empire, the culture, and the false gospel of Christian nationalism – but to do so humbly and nonviolently.

Brad Jersak, Clarion Journal

Recommended for children ages twelve and up, as material in History or Theology curricula. Readers learn about Jakob Hutter’s life and death as an Anabaptist leader, …his life on the run from persecution, and his dreams of building Christian communities in which people live and share everything equally together.

Catholic Library World

By Fire is an inspiring graphic biography about a man who tried to change a religious status quo despite the cost to himself.

Foreword Reviews

Reading this graphic novelization of Jakob and Katharina Hutter’s stories may be a surprising experience for historians, or for anyone who is accustomed to knowing the early Anabaptists only through text, not image. The visualization somehow renders the convictions, movements, and martyrdoms of the Hutters both more real and more unbelievable.

Mennonite Quarterly Review

Powerful. Haunting. Beautifully illustrated. Well researched and engaging. I love the power of graphic novels like this to make history real and all too human.

Tim Smyth, author of Eisner nominated Teaching with Comics and Graphic Novels

Tablet of Contents

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Anabaptists