Today is August 22, 2026, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Almost five years ago, I self-published the first edition of my novel, When the Earth Groaned, on Amazon. It was a long time coming — thirteen years after I wrote the first sentence!
For a variety of reasons, I removed the book from sale on Amazon a couple years ago. It had been published in both paperback and e-book formats. After this interim, with the novel out of print and stuck in limbo for some time, it now seems a good opportunity to do what maybe I should have done to begin with — just make the novel available for download without purchase. Not that I regret having gone the publishing route. I am grateful to my editor Jenn, and I certainly learned a lot getting the novel ready, submitting it to a publisher (it was rejected, which is not uncommon) and putting it up on Amazon.
So, why the change? Ultimately, my novel was not intended to be a business venture for me. The novel’s purpose is to enrich the reader and hopefully give the reader something to consider.
The Second Edition
Therefore, in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I am releasing the second edition of When the Earth Groaned here in eBook format. This book is still copyrighted material. It may not be modified, sold, republished, etc. But anyone obtaining a copy of the novel may read it. No, you do not have to subscribe or enter your email address.
This second edition has an updated cover image — a bit lower key, but no less relevant.
eBook
Mostly Non-Spoiler Synopsis
When the Earth Groaned is the fictional story of Michael, a well-meaning but imperfect young man, who reforms with the help of an unusual dream, a knight named Doriel, and a time-traveling savant called Rursonaut.
Caught up in a much larger conflict than they imagined, Michael and Rursonaut flee through a hostile wilderness, pursued by dark powers, as they seek the city of Sangreal. There they hope they will be safe, but it is there they may face the greatest danger of all.
Together with Doriel and a handful of other companions they encounter on the way, they begin to unravel the meaning of Michael’s dream and the possibility of a calamity that might soon befall the world.
But could their story hint at something deeper and far more sinister taking place in reality?
When the Earth Groaned: Official Trailer from 2021
Bonus Material
If you’ve read this far, you deserve a free prize. How about a downloadable, hand-drawn map of the When the Earth Groaned fantasy world for your own personal use?
Just click the download link to the right.
This map was drawn by my talented and artistic wife Melissa.
The first edition of the novel was released on September 24, 2021, the feast of Our Lady of Ransom.
Spoiler Synopsis
The difficulty in writing allegory is that one cannot really describe what the allegory is without spoiling the story and giving away the hidden meaning. Yet it is the hidden meaning–the things to which the allegory point–that are the true message. In the case of this novel, the final chapter explains what you read in the fantasy novel. If that is good enough, stop here. Otherwise, the following paragraphs will describe some of the hidden meaning, at the risk of spoiling the effect of having read the explanation only at the end.
While it is a work of fiction and a fantasy novel, When the Earth Groaned is a decidedly Catholic book that points to the messages Our Lady gave at Fatima, Akita, and Quito. It paints the picture of a world cooperating with the devil in its own destruction, a world in which the Church is in eclipse, a world mired in sin and vice … and the possibility of a great and terrible chastisement. The story is also one of a “canceled” priest, of the struggle between orthodoxy and error, and of the reemergence of paganism in our day, in the face of a weakened Church that many work feverishly to tear down.
It is my hope that the novel will get the attention of those who, otherwise, would not be open to hearing the message of Our Lady, by presenting the message first through allegory and only revealing the underlying meaning at the end.
Hi Michael,
I noticed the map of your world. Very nice! Map -making is sort of a specialty of mine. I’ve hand copied maps such as Middle Earth, Narnia, and even made my own fantasy world and for friends as well. If ever you’d like a sketch, let me know!