Adeodatus is the story of a badly burned boy rescued from an apocalyptic conflagration that destroys much of Western civilization. The novel tells of his subsequent flight from the epicenter of catastrophe, with his rescuers, in search of a place of safely. Severely traumatized, the mysterious child has lost all power of speech, and yet there is a light in him that is recognized by several of the people he meets during the long journey. His identity and mission are only gradually understood, revealing a purpose that is intimately connected to Divine Mercy and the unfolding of salvation history.

This second volume of The Remnant Trilogy presents one of many possible forms the future might take if mankind does not change its ways. A civilization that has largely abandoned God and fosters a spirit of falsehood and murder at every turn, indeed one that calls evil good and good evil, is due a purifying chastisement. Sacred Scripture warns that it will surely come when the cup of iniquity is full. Only the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit know the day and the hour, but, as the trilogy dramatically portrays, the nature of Divine Love will choose the moment when the greatest number of souls will be saved.

“Michael O’Brien is a superior spiritual storyteller worthy to join the ranks of Flannery O’Connor, Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh, and C. S. Lewis.”
—Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., Author, Summa of the Summa; Professor of Philosophy, Boston College

“A dystopian tale that takes us through the ashen remains of civilization, and inwardly through the scorched hearts of its survivors. Adeodatus is written with the formidable literary power and eternal hope that we have come to expect from Michael O’Brien.”
—Peco Gaskovski, Author, Exogenesis

“Adeodatus means ‘given by God’—an incongruous title for this apocalyptic novel about the violent end of Western civilization. Can grace, holiness, and beauty survive in the ashes of our fallen world? Michael O’Brien is one of the few novelists today who can lead us to convincing answers.”
—Michael Norton, Author, A Hiker’s Guide to Purgatory

“With Adeodatus, Michael O’Brien takes his rightful place among the finest writers of Christian apocalyptic fiction. Like Walker Percy and Robert Hugh Benson, he moves effortlessly between heartbreak and humor. His unforgettable heroes fight, suffer, and love their way across a ruined nation toward a nail-biting climax.”
—Fr. J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B., Author, The Eighth Arrow: Odysseus in the Underworld

“An engrossing tale of suffering, perseverance, and self-realization. In his characteristic soaring prose, O’Brien leads us into the wasteland while his principal characters confront the truth of their own failed lives and their irredeemably bankrupt society. As O’Brien’s character Tobias says of his vocation, so, too, does this novel ‘sing in the midst of desolation.’”
—Thomas Curry, Author, Miss Sally’s Son: A Novel

“This brilliant novel highlights the mystery of the spiritual senses possessed by those who love God. These senses transcend the constraints of memory and death; they also bind together those separated by time and space. O’Brien beautifully beckons us, through ‘the burning boy’ and many restless hearts, to ‘come further and deeper into the country of love.’”
—Fr. Thomas Esposito, O.Cist., Author, Blue Miles: A Monastic Novel