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While the World Turns
Sixteen hundred years ago, as the old world died, a ship carried thirty-three priests and one hundred pilgrims into orbit. One by one, the priests lived solitary lives, praying for salvation. At his vigil's end, Father Aitor wakes the final priest--Jacob, whom he loves--to lead the survivors as they rebuild civilization. Their mission is clear: bring Christ to the wilderness. But Aitor has never heard God's voice, and he is beginning to believe that Jacob hasn't either. And when they encounter strange, deformed creatures, doubt is not their only threat.
In a nearby community, Talit has always believed in the holy laws of her people, mutated children of the wasteland--until her best friend, Ziek, contracts a fatal sickness and is exiled. Angry at this unbearable cruelty, Talit helps Ziek escape and strikes out across the desert. She will bring the person who condemned them all to sickness--even if it is a vanished deity--to justice, and the monsters stalking them cannot stop her.
In a nearby community, Talit has always believed in the holy laws of her people, mutated children of the wasteland--until her best friend, Ziek, contracts a fatal sickness and is exiled. Angry at this unbearable cruelty, Talit helps Ziek escape and strikes out across the desert. She will bring the person who condemned them all to sickness--even if it is a vanished deity--to justice, and the monsters stalking them cannot stop her.
- GenresFaith
228 pages, Paperback
Published September 30, 2021
3 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
K.M. O'Neill
2 books10 followersK. M. O’Neill has studied and worked in multimedia communications, software development, education, and data analysis, but only to pay the bills—her first true love is writing, usually at ungodly hours of the night, by candlelight.
She lives in Colorado. When she's not being distracted from her writing, you can probably find her playing videogames, hanging out at a brewery with friends, at the gym, playing pick-up volleyball, or working on amateur crafting projects.
She lives in Colorado. When she's not being distracted from her writing, you can probably find her playing videogames, hanging out at a brewery with friends, at the gym, playing pick-up volleyball, or working on amateur crafting projects.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 14, 2025
Raise your hand if you have been personally victimised by K. M. O’Neill… 🙋♀️
July 31, 2023
Will be back in 3-4 business days with actual comments and maybe even a coherent thought. At present all you need to know is that this book is the reason why I'm sitting in bed at midnight with tears rolling and rolling down my cheeks. Wasn't planning on spending my evening in such a way but I could not stop reading once I started and then things happened and now my eyes are spigots. Anyway nothing coherent is coming out of this tired brain right now so will be back after I have processed a bit <3
Krista if you're reading this I a) hope you're happy. I just cried and cried and felt this pierce right through my heart, b) want to ask if you had the medieval concept of the heavens and cosmos in mind while you were writing this, c) btw the ending nearly made me throw up. Oh my word, d) would LOVE to hear what inspired this book and what you personally love most about it and how you felt and what you thought as you wrote certain scenes, e) have been bludgeoned over the head with the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be the name of the Lord (I finished reading, said "Praise be to God" in a wobbly voice, and cried again), f) hope you have a wonderful day, you crazy talented positively brilliant and also artistically ruthlessly honest girl. This is bonkers. Your MIND (to quote Taylor Swift)(this is affectionately meant). God bless you, dear. Now I must hurry myself to bed before I lose my mind a second time but be forewarned I shall be back with a vengeance (😭😭😭) with more words!!!
Krista if you're reading this I a) hope you're happy. I just cried and cried and felt this pierce right through my heart, b) want to ask if you had the medieval concept of the heavens and cosmos in mind while you were writing this, c) btw the ending nearly made me throw up. Oh my word, d) would LOVE to hear what inspired this book and what you personally love most about it and how you felt and what you thought as you wrote certain scenes, e) have been bludgeoned over the head with the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be the name of the Lord (I finished reading, said "Praise be to God" in a wobbly voice, and cried again), f) hope you have a wonderful day, you crazy talented positively brilliant and also artistically ruthlessly honest girl. This is bonkers. Your MIND (to quote Taylor Swift)(this is affectionately meant). God bless you, dear. Now I must hurry myself to bed before I lose my mind a second time but be forewarned I shall be back with a vengeance (😭😭😭) with more words!!!
October 29, 2021
I had the absolute pleasure of reading bits and pieces of earlier drafts, and then last spring reading the entirety of one of the final pre-publication drafts. No matter how many times I've sat and rewritten this review I honestly don't have the words to explain it all, how deeply this book moved me and how it's going to live in my heart for the rest of my life.
2021 has been a difficult year for me, jumping from one existential/spiritual/etc crisis to another, but sitting and reading this in one sitting one weekend afternoon? I thought maybe I could feel peace, like Aitor at the cinema, I glimpsed Something I am prehaps unlikely to ever see again.
What can I say? I loved it. I wept. Multiple times. I laughed. I was at peace and troubled all at once. Reading Aitor's perspective was like looking into a mirror of my own soul, broken and cracked and tired. No spoilers, but one scene in particular made me absolutely lose my marbles. It was So Much.
This book is one long question, one without an answer. It speaks about the nature of faith, and of humanity, of goodness and despair, and it makes demands about the ineffable, inexorable Divine. It is gorgeous and it is heartbreaking. It is so difficult so sing its praises without spoilers, but when the pieces click, the plotlines intersect, it is not in a way I expected, not in the way, I think, most people will expect. And I loved it even more for that.
I'm so happy to finally have a physical copy, to underline and dog ear and mark up with my infinite thoughts and feelings on the numerous, inevitable rereads.
Thank you.
2021 has been a difficult year for me, jumping from one existential/spiritual/etc crisis to another, but sitting and reading this in one sitting one weekend afternoon? I thought maybe I could feel peace, like Aitor at the cinema, I glimpsed Something I am prehaps unlikely to ever see again.
What can I say? I loved it. I wept. Multiple times. I laughed. I was at peace and troubled all at once. Reading Aitor's perspective was like looking into a mirror of my own soul, broken and cracked and tired. No spoilers, but one scene in particular made me absolutely lose my marbles. It was So Much.
This book is one long question, one without an answer. It speaks about the nature of faith, and of humanity, of goodness and despair, and it makes demands about the ineffable, inexorable Divine. It is gorgeous and it is heartbreaking. It is so difficult so sing its praises without spoilers, but when the pieces click, the plotlines intersect, it is not in a way I expected, not in the way, I think, most people will expect. And I loved it even more for that.
I'm so happy to finally have a physical copy, to underline and dog ear and mark up with my infinite thoughts and feelings on the numerous, inevitable rereads.
Thank you.
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June 7, 2023It's okay, I feel like the author could probably do better. When are they going to write something new?
June 21, 2022
I read this book some months ago, but did not write a review (or even rate the book) at that time.
Last month, I had trouble finding this book to look through it again before writing the review. This was because, at some point, I had decided to store it up by G.K. Chesterton's "Heretics" and Robert Hugh Benson's "Lord of the World." However, I'd been looking at a shelf containing "Dune" and "Island of the Aunts," more at eye level. I wrote that down to include in my review, and then (yet again), did not write the review.
I finally resolved to write this thing and looked for the book again, just now. It was in neither of the aforementioned places. Instead, it was on top of my jewelry box, in a stack also containing "Dracula," "Frankenstein,"and "Pride and Prejudice," topped by C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy. At some point, for some reason, I had put it there.
I rate this book five stars not because I think it is without flaw, but because I strongly feel that it is worth reading. It is quite a good debut novel, and I believe the author poured profound emotion and effort into it, and I very much hope that it will be read and appreciated by more people.
More than that, however, I hope myself to read her future works. I like to think of this book as being comparable with Dostoyevsky's "Notes from Underground" or Charlotte Bronte's "The Professor". With that in mind, I look forward to reading this author's "Crime and Punishment," her "Jane Eyre."
Last month, I had trouble finding this book to look through it again before writing the review. This was because, at some point, I had decided to store it up by G.K. Chesterton's "Heretics" and Robert Hugh Benson's "Lord of the World." However, I'd been looking at a shelf containing "Dune" and "Island of the Aunts," more at eye level. I wrote that down to include in my review, and then (yet again), did not write the review.
I finally resolved to write this thing and looked for the book again, just now. It was in neither of the aforementioned places. Instead, it was on top of my jewelry box, in a stack also containing "Dracula," "Frankenstein,"and "Pride and Prejudice," topped by C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy. At some point, for some reason, I had put it there.
I rate this book five stars not because I think it is without flaw, but because I strongly feel that it is worth reading. It is quite a good debut novel, and I believe the author poured profound emotion and effort into it, and I very much hope that it will be read and appreciated by more people.
More than that, however, I hope myself to read her future works. I like to think of this book as being comparable with Dostoyevsky's "Notes from Underground" or Charlotte Bronte's "The Professor". With that in mind, I look forward to reading this author's "Crime and Punishment," her "Jane Eyre."
June 18, 2024
This small-press Christian novel is better than many. I love the well-done spiritual arcs of one co-protagonist and his friend; O'Neill does not shrink from big questions and painfully unclear answers. Her prose is well done. The characters have my sympathy throughout even when they're painfully wrong.
But I can't recommend this, because the larger worldbuilding is unfortunately incoherent.
Amid the start of a nuclear war, the Roman Catholic Church launches a cold-sleep starship (how'd they get it? We don't know) set to return to Earth and land to repopulate Earth should it be necessary. It appears that it is. We follow the two priests, who are now seriously doubting God, as they help organize the new town amid an unknown world and dangerous mutant animals... and perhaps humans as well? But the global situation is unclear (why didn't they see it from orbit? We don't know), and they're afflicted by tumors (why didn't they notice radiation levels? Or at least land with well-stocked medical facilities? We don't know).
Meantimes, another arc traces a low-tech village dealing with similar nuclear-war-caused dust storms (how? we don't know) and tumors. This does have sympathetic characters... but peters out with a good conclusion to their character arcs but unclear plot results. When is this set relative to the other arc? We don't know.
But I can't recommend this, because the larger worldbuilding is unfortunately incoherent.
Amid the start of a nuclear war, the Roman Catholic Church launches a cold-sleep starship (how'd they get it? We don't know) set to return to Earth and land to repopulate Earth should it be necessary. It appears that it is. We follow the two priests, who are now seriously doubting God, as they help organize the new town amid an unknown world and dangerous mutant animals... and perhaps humans as well? But the global situation is unclear (why didn't they see it from orbit? We don't know), and they're afflicted by tumors (why didn't they notice radiation levels? Or at least land with well-stocked medical facilities? We don't know).
Meantimes, another arc traces a low-tech village dealing with similar nuclear-war-caused dust storms (how? we don't know) and tumors. This does have sympathetic characters... but peters out with a good conclusion to their character arcs but unclear plot results. When is this set relative to the other arc? We don't know.
February 24, 2023
A stark envisioning of humanity's future is the setting for this fable-like novel of faith and sacrifice. The author skillfully interweaves the paths of four main figures: Aitor and Jacob, two priests selected to help rebuild the world following a nuclear apocalypse, and Talik and Ziek, friends driven from their city of mutants when Ziek exhibits symptoms of the dreaded Burdening disease.
The two storylines remain largely separate, as the sets of characters must confront daunting odds against their bare survival, constantly questioning whether God truly cares for mankind, or if He has forever turned His face away from a hopeless, murderous race.
While the scope of the action recalls "A Canticle for Leibowitz", the characters' internal struggles reminded me of "Silence", especially Aitor's prolonged 'dark night of the soul'.
I found this work to be gripping, achingly beautiful and unforgettable.
The two storylines remain largely separate, as the sets of characters must confront daunting odds against their bare survival, constantly questioning whether God truly cares for mankind, or if He has forever turned His face away from a hopeless, murderous race.
While the scope of the action recalls "A Canticle for Leibowitz", the characters' internal struggles reminded me of "Silence", especially Aitor's prolonged 'dark night of the soul'.
I found this work to be gripping, achingly beautiful and unforgettable.
October 31, 2021
I don't really know how to review a book like this that I related to so deeply. It almost feels less like reviewing the book and more like just telling everyone about my problems.
It was amazing, and it made me cry. Good?
No?
Well. How do I explain how the central question is never answered, but that does not make the story unsatisfying or unfinished. Because the central question is one that, if you're anything like me, you never stop asking.
It's about faith. Deep down, this book is about faith, and it's not like. A cheery, happy sort of faith. Which I greatly appreciate.
I think that sometimes the most important part of faith is just. screaming at God. And that's what this book is. Except more beautiful than that.
Like I said, I don't know how to review it for real. I do know that it's going to be one of those that I will need to always have an extra copy around to shove at my friends to read.
This book and Canticle for Leibowitz are in a class of their own, in my opinion.
It was amazing, and it made me cry. Good?
No?
Well. How do I explain how the central question is never answered, but that does not make the story unsatisfying or unfinished. Because the central question is one that, if you're anything like me, you never stop asking.
It's about faith. Deep down, this book is about faith, and it's not like. A cheery, happy sort of faith. Which I greatly appreciate.
I think that sometimes the most important part of faith is just. screaming at God. And that's what this book is. Except more beautiful than that.
Like I said, I don't know how to review it for real. I do know that it's going to be one of those that I will need to always have an extra copy around to shove at my friends to read.
This book and Canticle for Leibowitz are in a class of their own, in my opinion.
January 8, 2024
I read this book all in one sleepless night, and I really need to read it again to properly formulate anything about it. It falls into the great tradition of Canticle for Liebowitz, The Sparrow, and Silence. It also felt very much like a Catholic Lord of the Flies (just finished teaching this so the similarities were present to my mind). Intensely lyrical, painfully grotesque, and yet pierced through with beauty. There are no "answers" given, in the sense of formulaic definitions of faith, and yet the whole book is an answer. I can't wait to see what this author writes next, because what a powerful debut!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews