For more than 40 years Crisis Magazine has worked to expose and oppose the cultural forces both inside and outside the Church that turn us against the good, the true, and the beautiful. I believe Crisis has been fulfilling that mission admirably, and we will continue to do so going forward.

Yet, exposing and opposing the rot is not enough—we must also create an alternative culture, one that points people to deeper truths than those the world offers, in ways that are both enlightening and entertaining. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of seeing ads for the latest movies, TV shows, and books that clearly aim to mock basic morality and denigrate the Faith.

In that vein, I’m excited to announce the publication of my first novel, Shard of Eden, a futuristic tale of six men on a perilous mission in deep space.

At the dawn of the 22nd century, mankind finds itself recovering from the Chaos Wars—a global AI revolt that decimated much of the planet. An unprecedented wave of conversions to Catholicism has brought millions into the Church, and the Vatican has taken on a mantle of world leadership unseen since the Middle Ages. Now, Church scientists have detected a Signal from deep space that seems to indicate the possibility of undiscovered intelligent life. Hero of the Chaos Wars Pope Gregory XIX sends a ship to investigate; what the crew finds will have profound implications for humanity.

If this sounds interesting, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Shard of Eden. The novel has a deep Catholic ethos, but it avoids being preachy. According to early readers, it is, above all, a good story. One reviewer wrote,

Excellent first fiction effort from Mr. Sammons: he develops a good sense of mystery for the characters as they travel toward their mysterious signal and does a good job of explaining each character’s background in flashback chapters. The plot twists are well done with the epilogue leaving a sense of foreboding & mystery. Highly recommended and very worth your time and money!

Shard of Eden is also a great gift for the book lover in your life; though written for adults, the content is clean and appropriate for teens.

Order your copy today: www.shardofeden.com