Publications
Over the past few decades, atheism in America has seen explosive, unprecedented growth in its numbers, influence, and political clout. Daylight Atheism both springs from and taps into the passionate energy and intensity of this nascent social movement. Following in the footsteps of other bestselling atheist manifestos, it paints a compelling picture of the dangers we face from rampant, unchecked religion, weaving together barbarous verses from ancient texts with all-too-familiar stories from today’s headlines to make the case that superstitious belief is a crutch upon which we can no longer afford to depend.
In response to religious claims that atheism is too negative, that it tears down people’s faith without offering anything in return, this book also presents atheism as an uplifting and even joyous worldview, one that includes a strong moral compass governed by reason and conscience, an exhilarating freedom to steer our own destiny, and a powerful feeling of transcendent awe and wonder at the glorious vastness and complexity of the universe. Daylight Atheism metaphorically recalls the emergence of atheism from the shadows into the daylight of society’s discourse, and conveys the message that being an atheist isn’t something to be ashamed of, but something to be proud of.
Available in these formats:
Amazon CreateSpace (paperback)
Smashwords (all other e-book formats)
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“Adam Lee has been a voice of reason for atheists (and curious Christians) online for many years and this book, as with all of his writing, makes a strong case for the atheist worldview. I suspect you’ll find it very convincing since Adam does such a thorough job of laying out the evidence against faith and sharing what many other atheists before you have said about it. Whether you’re brand new to atheism or a seasoned philosopher, there’s something in here to help you leave the darkness of faith and come into the daylight.”
—Hemant Mehta, blogger at Friendly Atheist, author of I Sold My Soul On eBay
“For those who have left biblical religion or are wavering, Adam Lee’s book is an intellectual and spiritual journey. Lee looks at Bible-belief with both compassion and unflinching honesty, but he doesn’t stop there. Through a window into his own inner life and the words of leading freethinkers, he opens up the rich depth that can be found in life – and death – beyond religion.”
—Valerie Tarico, blogger at Away Point, author of Trusting Doubt
“Adam Lee has long been one of my favorite atheist writers. (In fact, his blog is a big part of why I get into the game.) And this book is a perfect example of why. His writing is both clear and passionate – a tricky balance. He dismantles theism with precision and righteous anger, and offers an optimistic vision of the alternative. Atheists will find both ammunition and inspiration here – and theists who care whether the things they believe are true are encouraged to test their faith in this white-hot furnace.”
—Greta Christina, blogger at Greta Christina’s Blog, author of Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless
“Adam Lee’s writing has made him one of the most widely-read atheist bloggers – and rightfully so. This effort should secure him a place amongst atheism’s most informative and relatable authors.”
—J.T. Eberhard, blogger at What Would JT Do?
“Atheists—and their argument—inspire so much fear because they’re so unknown. Unlearn your fear by reading Adam’s book and realizing that atheists really are just like everyone else. In fact, you probably know one and just don’t know it yet.”
—Amanda Marcotte, blogger at Pandagon, author of It’s a Jungle Out There and Get Opinionated
“To a believer, atheism can seem dark, cold, and frightening. Adam Lee opens the shutters and lets the sunlight in. Daylight Atheism speaks clearly and passionately of the joy of living a reality-based existence guided by respect for each human person. Highly recommended.”
—Mary Johnson, former member of the Missionaries of Charity, author of An Unquenchable Thirst: A Memoir
Meta is my first joint book, published together with Andrew Murtagh, an unconventional, thoughtful Christian who describes himself as following the “Aristotelian-Thomistic philosophical tradition”. The book grew out of a exchange of letters between us on our respective blogs, in which Andrew defends an ecumenical Christianity while I advocate naturalism and secular humanism. We have a friendly rapport and a commitment to civility that we hope makes our book approachable to readers of all perspectives – but occasionally, the sparks do fly!
Together, we debate:
Meta is published by Cascade Books, an imprint of the Oregon publishing house Wipf & Stock, devoted to books that combine academic rigor with broad appeal and readability.
20% of the profits from this book will be donated to charities that work to end human trafficking.
Available from these outlets:
Amazon (paperback)
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“Andrew Murtagh and Adam Lee provide a model of how conversations in day-to-day life can be touched by the philosophical spirit—one that seeks actual reasons for accepting or rejecting various claims, that acknowledges the limitations of one’s own perspective, and that is open to altering one’s views in the evolving endeavor to discern what is true and to order one’s life accordingly.”
—William Jaworski, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy at Fordham University and author of Structure and the Metaphysics of Mind
“A bold journey… The nature of the good, the existence of God, faith and reason, the problem of evil, the historicity of Jesus, consciousness, heaven, causation, justice, church and state, and abortion, it’s all here… If you share Murtagh and Lee’s passion for the friendly pursuit of truth across deep intellectual divides, then Meta is for you.”
—Randal Rauser, Ph.D., Professor of Historical Theology at Taylor Seminary and author of An Atheist and a Christian Walk Into a Bar…
“Perhaps you have grown tired of scholarly dialogues that regularly lose the audience in technicalities, or where opponents scream over each other so neither can be heard. If you enjoy dialogues but refuse to pay these prices, try this discussion between Andrew Murtagh (a Christian) and Adam Lee (an atheist).”
—Gary Habermas, Ph.D., Distinguished Research Professor & Chair of Philosophy at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and author of The Historical Jesus
“A theist and an atheist walk into a radio station, and out come a brilliant series of letters. Thoughtful, witty, respectful – Lee’s and Murtagh’s extended conversation about the nature of truth, existence, and morality transcends competition and spectacle.”
—Katherine Stewart, journalist and author of The Good News Club: The Religious Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children
These stories are prequels to my novel Dark Heart.
Dark Guardian [PDF]
Arvis Sharadel, a sly, sinister and dangerous figure, is summoned by his old allies in the noble House of Destin, who have a favor to ask of him. They plan to nominate their only son, the brash and arrogant Raine, for a prestigious competition called the Choosing in which the priesthood of Vraxor will select the god’s next mortal regent, and they want Arvis’ help in keeping him safe from the assassins that their rivals will surely send against him. But no sooner has Arvis arrived than he discovers that an enemy already has deadly designs on the boy. [5000 words]
Candlelight [PDF]
In a hovel in the countryside, a young girl named Wyre lives in poverty with her mother. Though they have peace and happiness when they’re together, they both dread the occasional visits of Wyre’s father, an alcoholic and brutally abusive military officer. One day, Wyre’s father goes too far and accidentally awakens her latent magical talent, with terrible consequences for all of them. [8500 words]
Glory Awaits [PDF]
Warde Kahliana never wanted to be anything more than a faithful foot soldier. But the war is going badly, and defeat seems certain – until a chance meeting with an enigmatic stranger sets Warde’s life on a new course, and gives him a glimpse of the leader he was born to be. [6400 words]
Three gods rule the world of Caliel.
Nimrod, once a human mage, now the god of healing and light, presides over the great cities of the west. Shayna, once a Dryad, now the goddess of nature and balance, holds sway over the vast forests of the south. And Vraxor, once a demon, now the grim god of death and darkness, rules the harsh and rugged swamps and mountains of the east.
In Vraxor’s society, where demons walk the streets along with humans and the god’s terrible priesthood rules with an iron fist, a girl named Myrren has begun to see inconsistencies in the beliefs she’s been taught all her life. Accompanied by her demonic guardian and a brash young nobleman, she sets out on a pilgrimage to escape the hardships of her world and find out for herself what the truth is.
However, what begins as a simple journey soon spins out of control, as she’s swept up in events vaster and more perilous than her darkest dreams: a life-and-death struggle for power in the highest circles of her homeland, the rise of a prophesied hero destined to destroy Vraxor’s civilization, the rediscovery of a holy symbol called the Dark Heart that’s been lost for centuries, and the ominous discovery that the enigmatic and deadly priests of Vraxor are pursuing her for reasons unknown.
As she flees for her life across the length of Caliel, Myrren will find friendship in unexpected quarters and new allies she never would have imagined. But she’ll need all the help she can get if she’s to escape her new enemies alive…
Read the first three chapters free
Available in these formats:
Amazon CreateSpace (paperback)
Smashwords (all other e-book formats)
One month out of every year, the constellation of the Ring rises in the night sky above the world of Caliel.
But one year out of every ten, the brightest star is missing, and the Ring becomes… the Broken Ring.
Legend whispers that any promise, any pledge, any oath made under the Broken Ring will inevitably be broken.
When Myrren Kahliana and Raine Destin took their wedding vows under the sign of the Broken Ring, they thought the tales were mere superstition. But they’re about to find out how much power an old legend can have, as fortune tears them apart and sends them across the world from each other.
To fulfill his family duty, Raine must travel to the city of Ral Vraxan, the dread capitol of all the lands that worship the god Vraxor, where assassins lurk around every corner and politics is written in blood. Competing for a high honor called the Choosing, he’s plunged into conflict with a rival who may not be what she seems… and even if he can avoid his enemies’ traps and outwit their plots, the secrets of Vraxor’s terrible priesthood may still rend the country apart in civil war.
Myrren, meanwhile, sets out on a different path, traveling to the vast, pristine wilderness of Shael to witness the marriage of her closest friend. But the journey of a lifetime becomes a nightmare, as she finds herself being pursued by a mysterious, deadly and relentless new enemy that only she can see, and that wants something from her she doesn’t even know she has.
When gods walk the earth and fate is written in the stars, can two people in love steer their own destiny?
Read the first three chapters free
Available in these formats:
Smashwords (all other e-book platforms)
The world of Caliel is on the brink of war.
In the lands of the god Vraxor, family turns against family and friend turns against friend, as the dark god’s priesthood is riven by dissension and schism, and opposing armies muster in the wings. Raine Destin and a former enemy battle in the halls of power to hold the nation together, but all their diplomacy and guile may not be enough to stop their country from tearing itself apart in catastrophic civil war.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Myrren Kahliana and her friends have come to the great city of Palidia, capitol of the lands of light, on an impossible mission: to track down an ancient and deadly race of demons and recover the weapon they’ve stolen before they can use it to shatter the world. But Palidia is in turmoil, swollen with refugees, its democracy besieged and undermined from within by a sinister plot, and Myrren’s quest will take her into the deep waters of the city’s politics, where no one can be trusted and enemies lurk behind the smile of every ally.
Merciless destiny divided them. Can they defy fate and fight their way back to be reunited?
Read the first three chapters free
Available in these formats:
Smashwords (all other e-book platforms)
The final battle has come to the world of Caliel.
In a victory beyond all hope, Myrren Kahliana and her friends have recovered the ancient and magical relic known as the Dark Heart. Now, with the priceless artifact in her possession, Myrren is determined to return home at long last. But the journey won’t be an easy one.
Between her and her homeland lies the entire world of Caliel in all its beauty, its grandeur, and its peril: ancient ruins, fierce deserts, vast jungles, ghostly battlefields, cities of thieves and killers, and an uncanny and unnatural pattern of change in the world itself that seems to be following them. And above all else, she and her friends are being relentlessly pursued by a race of demons who want the Dark Heart for their own purposes.
And even in Myrren’s own land, there’s no peaceful homecoming awaiting her. A hero whose coming was foretold in prophecy, a mad tyrant who wields power far beyond that of any mortal being, is closing in for his final assault, and his ultimate goal is nothing less than eradicating Myrren’s people from the earth.
To decide where she stands when the battle lines are drawn, Myrren will have to come to terms with her lost faith and her broken marriage. To have any hope of victory, she’ll have to unite an improbable coalition of allies and overcome deadly treachery from a once-faithful friend. And to save her land and her family in the face of an unimaginable threat, she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Read the first three chapters free
Available in these formats:
Smashwords (all other e-book platforms)