Margaret's Ark

by Daniel G. Keohane

On April ninth, thousands of people wake from the same dream, visits from angels instructing them to build a biblical ark in their front yard, or the town square or little league field. Anywhere, to prepare for the worst natural disaster to strike the world since the days of Noah.

A widowed California high school teacher risks everything to build a boat in the sixty days she is given. A homeless and self-proclaimed prophet of God preaches across Boston's waterfront, unaware that he is not alone in his visions. A young priest is torn between the signs around him and the skepticism of his Church.

In the end, only thirty people may board each boat. As the world slowly comes to grips with events unfolding around them, they must weigh their own faith in the exceptional and identical visions of so many people. The skies are clear, without a hint of rain. But if the dreams are true, something terrible is looming on the horizon.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fantasy, Suspense, Post Apocalyptic, Ebooks

273 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2011

About the author

Daniel G. Keohane's first novel, Solomon's Grave (2009), was a finalist for the international Bram Stoker Award. Since then he has released the critically-acclaimed Margaret's Ark (2011) and Plague of Darkness, (2014), Plague of Locusts (2022) and the upcoming Stories from the Psalms, Volume 1 (2023). Under the pseudonym G. Daniel Gunn he has published Destroyer of Worlds (2012) and Nightmare in Greasepaint (written with L.L.Soares). His short stories have been published in a number of major horror magazines and anthologies over the years, including , Cemetery Dance, Apex Digest, Shroud Magazine, Borderlands 6, Fantastic Stories and many others, and have received multiple Honorable Mentions in the annual Year's Best Fantasy and Horror / Best Horror of the Year.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be put off by the religious aspect. I'm as atheist as it gets, and I was somewhat surprised by how much I enjoyed this book - I only actually got it as it was a free Kindle download at the time. Probably the best non-classic book I've got from the Kindle free books. The author managed to show the story from quite a variety of different peoples' viewpoints without getting too convoluted or confusing, and it held my attention throughout...it was also quite sad at times. It could do with a bit more editing, however; I did spot a few distracting grammatical errors.

[Sherry Sharpnack · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Margaret's Ark" was the second-oldest unread book on my Kindle -- so I read it. So much for my goal of NOT only reading to catch up my TBR in 2022. Boy, am I SO SORRY that I waited so long to read this - 10 years!
I truly loved Kidd's "The Book of Longings," in which we follow Jesus' relationship w/ his wife, Ana. It beautifully brought to life the gospel stories, from a wife's POV. "Margaret's Ark" reimagines another popular story from the Bible -- the story of Noah, his Ark, and a worldwide flood, only this one is set in modern-day America.
Margaret is a widow w/ two young daughters, a science teacher, and a practicing Catholic. Jack has a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and lives in a shelter, when he can remember where it is located in order to return to at night. They are both visited by angels during their dreams, David and Michael respectively. David tells Margaret that she needs to build an actual ark, on the green of her California village, b/c a flood will destroy her world in 60 days. Michael encourages Jack's view that he is the new John the Baptist, exhorting his listeners to repent their sins, before a flood hits in 60 days. Jack and Margaret both suffer terribly for their convictions -- one as a latter-day prophet, and the other labelled a crackpot who nevertheless persists in her ark-building.
So... does the world end in a flood in 60 days? Does Jack survive the rigors of his preaching? Does Margaret actually get her ark built? What happens to the people in the secondary stories? Do they believe and are saved? Would WE believe such a cockamamie story and believe ourselves?
I thought I understood the derision that Noah and his family endured while building their ark, but Keohane really brought this alive in my imagination. I was so enthralled that I read over 90% of the book in one sitting -- on an absolutely beautiful March day in eastern Nebraska when I should have been outside. I honestly could NOT put the book down to do so. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone w/ any degree of religious faith, and give this story far more than the 5 stars I am allowed to give it by Goodreads.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't a fast-moving thriller, soon-to-be-movie, where one eccentric scientist or lucky stargazer tries to avert a major disaster. This is a story about Margaret who, amongst many others, is visited by an angel. In her vision, she is told to build an ark for 30 people - no more, no less - and given the instructions on how to build it. This is also the story about Jack, a homeless man suffering from traumatic brain injury, who knows that his job is to warn people about the coming flood. Both know that this flood isn't caused by God, because He promised not to, but that instead He is sending them a warning to help them save people. And this is the story of their attempt to do so.

It focuses on the small stories of the individual people - the store clerks, the doctors, the local religious leaders - rather than looking at the government; it includes the struggles with local by-laws (you're apparently not allowed to build a boat on public property) and the struggles with people who can't, or won't, allow themselves or anyone else to believe.

I don't know what I expected for the ending, but it felt right. I wished it had continued, but that's always the way with a book you enjoy because you don't want the story to end.

[Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pulled into this book mostly out of curiosity about how the author was going to pull off a plausible, modern day, Biblical Flood. Damn if he did not pull it out of the hat, and very well. The story leading up to it was very good too. I am very pleased I took a chance on this book.

[Amy Posten · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Margaret's Ark thousands of ordinary people are visited in their dreams by "angels" with a message from god; they need to build an ark in order to survive a flood of apocalyptic proportions that will ravage the world in 60 days.

I was really quite pleasantly surprised by this book. I expected it to fall along the lines of some of the other Apocalyptic Christian Literature (i.e. the Left Behind series) that I've read which have a tendency to feel very "preachy" (if that makes sense). In reality I found it to be the opposite. While the main character, Margaret, is a Christian, the non-Christians in this book who had the dreams were visited by entities who were sent by the god(s) of their chosen religion. I thought this was a nice touch. I also like how the book included the perspective of characters who had the dreams but chose not to act on them.

I also REALLY enjoyed Margaret, the main character. In many cases I find that female protagonists written by men tend to be weaker characters who need a man to "save" them, but I didn't find this to be the case with Margaret. She is strong, intelligent, and I really enjoyed her back-story.

The books started off slowly, but builds wonderfully. After the first few chapters I couldn't put it down. In fact, I literally stayed up all night reading.

This book is self-published, but it is one of the BEST self published books that I've read. There were only a few spelling/grammatical errors that really stood out in my mind. There were, however, two major spelling errors that really bothered me, and were the sole reason why this isn't a five star book for me. Near the end of the book two Hindu gods are mentioned, Hanuman and Rama, spelled by the author as Hunnman and Ramman (unless these are alternate spellings that I am not aware of). I can really only assume these are the gods that the author meant to reference because of the context in which they are mentioned (they are seen by a Hindu character in a scene that is similar to one that occurs in the Ramayana). Because this occurs near the very end of the book (within the last few pages) it was not enough to ruin the story for me, but I was bothered by it. I hope that some day the author edits these scenes.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Apocalyptic/ Post-Apocalyptic genre, books with strong female protagonist, or anyone looking for an quick exciting read. As I mentioned before, don't let the religious nature of the book scare you off. I didn't feel forced on to me, the reader at all.

***Edit 3 March 2012
I'm changing this review to five stars because today I received a message from the author thanking me and informing me that he would correct the spelling mistakes that I pointed out in my review. He mentioned that he was not sure when these changes would be posted to his ebook. I definitely appreciate that he took the time to respond to me and to make the appropriate changes. As I mentioned in my review the only reason that I gave the book four stars instead of five was because of the spelling errors, but now that they are corrected I am changing it.

[Marie Wattier · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if God asked you to do the impossible?
What if you did absolutely everything right, but still never got the reward you were hoping for in life? Where would your faith be then?
For me, one of the strongest challenges Daniel G. Keohane brings to light in this book is whether or not we truly do what is right because it's right, or do we always have in the back of our minds the thought that surely we will get rewarded for this somehow. But what if our sacrifices in life, only lead us to opportunities to sacrifice even more? Will we still do what is right?

I love the characters developed in this story. People from so many cultures and backgrounds, each struggling with their own messed up lives. Daniel G. Keohane does a beautiful job of taking us inside their struggles to see the heart of the person.

I feel like I've been on an really emotional journey, yet I'm somewhat sad to leave it behind and move on.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original review posted June 20,2016

I was intrigued the other day when I found Margaret’s Ark by Daniel G. Keohane. My interest was so captured by this book title and description that I couldn't get it out of my thoughts. I eagerly re-arranged my schedule to read it and I am so glad that I did.

This book is absolutely amazing!

The story line is unique, fast paced and captivating from start to finish. The twists and turns of the plot are unexpected, intriguing and will definitely keep you on your toes.

I liked it SO MUCH that I am encouraging (begging) friends and family to read it just so I can have a conversation with someone about this book. :)

I define a book to be really, really good when it gets my emotions flowing, my brain waves hopping and the story stays with me for days after reading it. Margaret’s Ark is one such a book!

Update - I've added this book to my "Lifetime Favorite Books" book shelf.

[Lea Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret's Ark is about what happens when the Earth shifts and causes a flood of catastrophic proportions and how God intervenes by trying to save people through Faith. For those who have been given the instructions on how to build the Ark and an Angel for guidance it causes them to question if it is a dream or reality. Those who question but choose not to ignore are rewarded. Margaret's sacrifice is the ultimate sacrifice and was clearly an act that would cause you to question yourself...would I make the same sacrifice? Daniel Keohane has touched on a subject that few want to think about...what would I do? Although his story does drag along it's safe to say this book is a good read...in my opinion.

[Trilby Plants · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story, but not the religion. It wasn't billed as a religious book, but should have been. The story was compelling.

[John Wiltshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't have thought this book would appeal to me. However, something about the current state of the world makes this an intriguing scenario--what would you do if you heard the voice of God telling you to build an ark? Interestingly, the flood that these select people are forewarned about isn't apparently being sent by God--He's just helping out a few people where he can with prophetic dreams. They must each build an ark that will hold thirty people. You can imagine how well this imperative goes down with family and friends.
I'm worried about the animals. No mention of them yet.
I'll update when done...
Finished and I'm rather bemused by this novel. I've done something I rarely do and glanced at other reviews before writing this, but none of them seem to address the huge elephant in the room. So, God is not sending the flood. That's made quite clear many, many times. It's a natural disaster which He cannot prevent but He can save a few souls where He can with these visions to simple ordinary people. Got that so far? So, with about a dozen pages to go I was getting very keen to discover how this flood was going to occur. The magnetic poles of the earth switched, the earth stood still for a moment then began to spin the other way. Uh huh. I'm no scientist, but sorry, the magnetic poles have switched in Earth's long history before and the fricking earth does not stand still and it cannot reverse its spin.
So, that said, let's explore what happens. Imagine you're holding a full cup of water in a car speeding along and the driver slams on his brakes. Where does the water end up? Yup--all over you and the windscreen. The oceans are travelling at the speed of the spin of the earth, so when the earth stops in this book and starts to rotate the other way, the oceans carry on travelling the way they were...right over all the land masses in their way. Uh huh.
But, even if I accepted this ludicrous distortion of science, even if I just go with this image of the oceans sloshing right over the land...the people just sit there!The buildings stay there! Every other freaking thing doesn't move at all! I think the author threw in a "gravity held it all down" or some such rubbish. Seriously, folks, the ending of this novel absolutely sucks. And, if I accepted all of the above and said, okay, cool new science or something... the vast tidal waves that wipe out everything across the world, dribble out on the East Coast of the States leaving everything east of the Mississippi Basin intact. Huh. So. Let me get this straight. God sends visions to people to build tiny arks...ruins their lives, splits their families, etc, etc, but doesn't just tell them to drive east. Seriously? Am I reading a different book to every other reviewer here? Answers below if I'm missing something. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The faithful on the boat are having an absolutely shit time and proved absolutely nothing about faith because millions have survived just by sitting on their porches and "watching the rescue helicopters stream west".
I'm a bit incensed by this book. As you can probably tell. So, five stars for interesting premise and well written but zero stars for the ending. I'll round it out to three.

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many view publishing's future and the Amazon.com self-publishing revolution with equal parts trepidation and suspicion. How will the industry – whatever it becomes - maintain standards of quality? How will readers know if something is good, even with word of mouth, because opinions on “good” vary so greatly?

And what about the authors themselves? Don't they still need editors and gatekeepers to keep them (authors and would-be authors) on their toes? Keep them from getting complacent? Whatever happened to working hard, being patient, earning the satisfaction that came with a Publisher’s stamp of approval?

These concerns aside, if Margaret's Ark, by Daniel G. Keohane, is an indication of publishing and self-publishing's potential future, things might not be so bad.

Of course, it makes a difference when the author self-publishing is an experienced professional with valid publishing credentials outside their self-published venue, and a Bram Stoker Award Nominee to boot. It makes a difference when the author self-publishing has done their time and has achieved industry success. Not to be redundant, but it also makes a difference when the author's self-published novel was a semi-finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novelist contest, scoring a positive review from Publisher's Weekly, even.

All these things make a big difference, because Margaret's Ark is not a sloppily conceived story slapped together in Word and Adobe, then uploaded to CreateSpace. Nor is it a rookie author's efforts. It's a quality work of fiction, written by a professional who knows his stuff. A gripping story about the power of faith, but also a frightening portrayal of that inevitable conflict that must erupt – because we're human and flawed – between those who would choose to follow their faith unswervingly, those who follow it only for selfish reasons, those who fear and do not understand faith's power...and those who ultimately reject it.

Solomon's Grave, Keohane's first novel, proved a solid debut and earned him a Bram Stoker nomination for “Superior Achievement in a First Novel”, however Margaret's Ark is Keohane's best work to date. Though it moves slowly and takes time building its tension – and build tension it does – this novel is the mark of an experienced craftsmen. The characters are varied and engaging, prompting genuine sympathy in the reader.

Keohane manages to walk a fine theological line, also. His story is original and well-written, not a shabbily veiled religious allegory, but it shouldn't prove too radical in regards to doctrine. His success is that he does what spiritual fiction often fails at: he focuses on the human element, how humans deal and grapple with the difficulty – and demands – of faith.

Margaret's Ark is published through Keohane's own, self-styled imprint, Other Road Press. Time will tell if he'll release other works through this venue, either his own or of other authors. In any case, not only is it a fine novel, but the book itself – its craft, its formatting – serves as a rare example of self-publishing's promise for the future.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic, unputdownable read about the end of the world! Margaret has dreams where she is visited by an Angel who orders her from God to build an Ark as there is going to be a second devastating flood on the planet. The only thing is she is not the only person who is having these dreams, thousands of people are having the same dream, both christian and non christians (whose dreams involve representatives from their own religions). The first half of the book is quite slow paced, as Margarets begins planning and building her ark and getting her "crew" together but the second half moves at a very good pace - and the tension of the times, as people realise what she and thousands of other people are doing, is brilliantly shown. It is a very very good portrait of the reception that the ark builders could hope to get (if they were really doing this) - the derision and joke making at first, moving into anger and fear when people realise that there might just be something in this "flood nonsense" after all.

Of course not everyone who had the dreams acted on them, through personal choice, and it was interesting to read one story about why someone would not want to build an ark, even though he believed it was true. Preacher Jack was also a wonderful character, though I would have liked to have read more about his life before his accident.

The book obviously has a religious feel to it, but it is not preachy in any way - just a very enjoyable read, but thought provoking. I would have given the book 5 stars but there are a number of formatting errors which need looking at but, for the story, I would certainly recommend this book.

[Carol Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

When all is said and done, this is a book about faith - Margaret's, Preacher Jack's, and the thousands of others whom angels have visited. There are some who question their faith, and some who deny their faith, but never does this book become preachy.

Margaret is one who is steadfast in her faith. She begins to build an ark on the town green, to the specifications given to her by an angel in a dream. She doesn't know why she's building it to these specifications, only that she must. Others soon join her and when they run out of funds for materials, they begin stripping down her house.

Jack is a homeless man, but God sends him an angel as well. He's damaged in both mind and spirit, often forgetting what he's doing, but he's filled with the power of the Lord and preaches His word to any who will listen.

Suresh Ramprakash is visited by an angel as well, but though he believes, he ignores the angel for his wife, who does not believe.

We meet others along the way, although the story focuses mainly on Margaret. This is a fascinating, richly detailed story about faith, prophecy, and the end of the world. Could this really happen? I advise you to read it for yourself to find out

[Birgit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful story with an interesting subject - the author asks "what if": What if there is another flood and God wants an Ark built?
The way Mr Keohane implemented that "What if" resulted in a story that will keep the reader glued to the pages, following the protagonists as they struggle with their faith and either follow the Angels' words or choose to ignore them. The characters themselves are everyday people like you and me, nothing special, easy to identify with them, which might be one of the reasons the book catches the reader right away. Seeing them struggle through their lives during the 60-day-countdown, watching some of them change makes this one of those stories that will follow you even after you finished the book.
So we have an interesting plot, genuine characters, add to that a very good narration style and hardly any grammar or spelling errors, and you have an outstanding book.
I hope to read more of this author.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do if an angel appeared to you in your dreams? Especially if you're not particularly religious? I think Daniel Keohane approached the issue of faith in oneself as well as one's faith in God very clearly in Margaret's Ark. I was drawn in at the beginning and the drama kept me reading even though this is far from my normal fare. I had trouble understanding the character Jack's part in the book, but by the end, I realized he had a multi-faceted part to play. The dichotomy between the two Catholic Fathers was interesting. I considered removing a star for the typos, but while there are some, they are not numerous or distracting. Nice work, Mr. Keohane!

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a thought provoking book. It's very well written for an ebook and I did find a few editing errors but not enough to through me off of reading the book. How would you feel if you were visited by an angel telling you to build an ark and could only take 30 people with you. I loved how it followed those who followed through with building the ark and some that received the direction but chose not to build the ark. I found myself thinking of this book even when I wasn't reading the book. As I said, very thought provoking.

[Terry Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this as a Kindle freebie, but was a little skeptical of this book based on the subject matter. I was pleasantly surprised, however, and found the book to be quite thought provoking without being "preachy". The characters were believable and it wasn't hard to picture myself in their shoes. What would I do if I received a divine vision and was faced with making decisions that alienated me from friends, family and most of society? Would I have the faith to follow God's leading? Lots to think about...

[Deborah Keady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating story

When I read the brief description of the book I was intrigued. So many "end times" novels follow a common format of storyline however this book does not.
The author gives us a glimpse into the lives of each character as the story unfolds and the reader is drawn into it as well.
The book does not preach to the reader but the realism makes us pause and ask "what if"?
I look forward to reading more of this author's books.
I gave four stars only because I wished for maybe a bit more at the conclusion of the book.

[Karen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that really makes you think. It's certainly about angels and God but it's also about us, humans, and how we react to the unknown.

Angelic visitations to certain people is what drives this story. The impending end of the world as we know it, God's wrath or something else? Why some are chosen and others not is not really addressed. There are no definitive answers here but this is a story you should read.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would you think if you woke up one morning to find out thousands of people have had the same dream and they must, on faith alone, follow the instructions given to them? I thoroughly enjoyed this thought provoking book but found it ended much to abruptly for my tastes. It left me wanting more....

[Deb B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not the most compelling book I've ever read, it did hold my interest until the very end. I did want to find out where the story was going... and what happened to the characters.

It's a very thought-provoking story. And I have to wonder about myself. Would I be ready, or even willing, to build an ark... if asked to do so by an angel?

[Canoe41 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It prompted a wide range of emotions from within me. The characters were well developed and appropriate to the primary story as well as to the secondary stories. I wish the book had been a little longer so that there was resolution about some of the characters. Mr. Keohane certainly left door wide open for a sequel.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curious. I was just really surprised all the way through, mostly because I kept trying to figure out what spiritual p.o.v. the author was coming from. Never did, but that didn't keep me from mostly enjoying the book.

I could have done with less of one character, and more of others. But the ending really surprised me for the most part and made for a satisfying experience.

[Jeff Bristow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Character development was great and the pacing up to the end was perfect. I wish there had been a bit more at the end. I was left with wondering what would happen next. The end just came a bit too quickly for me. But I would certainly recommend this book to anyone.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll give Margaret's Ark 4 stars because it kept my interest throughout. Again, not a "happy ending" but an ending to the story that fit the story. I found the tight drama of the characters was well done, and stayed tuned to the main characters!

[Paula B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret's Ark gives the reader a chance to consider the last days on earth. What if God asked you to prepare the way for the end? The book kept my interest all the way through and I was caught up in the "what if" scenario entirely.

[Cheri Harwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating take on how, in today's time, we would react to a vision from God to go build an ark. I couldn't stop reading this book. I almost didn't read it because I feel Christian fiction is usually very superficial and lame.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking and engrossing story. What if thousands of "ordinary" people all received warnings that the world as we know it would end in 60 days, and that they could only save 30 people? Would you believe? What would you do?

[Ron & Lori Estes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting well written story

Good character development throughout.
Realistic reactions of people affected but not involved.
Didn’t quite know how to take the catastrophe because of the promise long ago.

[Sheri White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, just amazing. Started it yesterday and couldn't stop reading. Review to come soon.