About the novel
The first language, once spoken by all humanity, was lost at Babel. Can it be recovered?
A brilliant professor uncovers clues to humanity’s lost first language. A graduate student follows the trail from Dublin to the Vatican archives and Iona. But recovering what was scattered at Babel may awaken something that should have remained silent.
The First Silence is a literary thriller about forbidden knowledge, hidden Vatican archives, and the perilous distance between seeking truth and trying to possess it.
“Michael Morris has written an engaging novel that beautifully unites faith, history, and the search for truth.”
About Michael J. Morris
Michael J. Morris holds a PhD in Biblical Studies from Trinity College Dublin. His scholarship examines ancient Jewish and Christian traditions concerning evil and spiritual protection. He is the author of Warding Off Evil: Apotropaic Tradition in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Synoptic Gospels. The First Silence: The Reliquary of Iona is his debut novel.
Review and feature enquiries
For a review copy, a newsletter feature, or reading-group enquiries, contact Michael J. Morris. Please include your publication or group and any deadline.
Possible subjects include the lost language of Babel, the history behind the novel’s Iona setting, and ancient traditions of spiritual protection.