A novel by R. William Chapman II
A captain, a physician, a nurse, a poet, his wife, a chaplain, and a major. Each faces a decision about another person’s life under circumstances for which education, faith, and experience have left them unprepared.
Empyrean’s characters
At the heart of Empyrean are seven distinct characters caught in the Holocaust and the final months of war. The Captain arrives wounded from the Ardennes. Sabina tends soldiers and civilians, while Pierson hears their grief and doubts his own answers. Ionel and Esther struggle to protect their family under Nazi persecution. Burg orders prisoners to assist in medical work they cannot refuse. Lindley directs the American detachment, counting supplies and insisting on obedience as the survivors wait for help.
Command & conscience
An American officer
Recovering from a wound suffered in the Ardennes, the Captain is sent to assist concentration-camp survivors. He must secure the camp, care for the prisoners, and answer to officers intent on continuing the advance.
Read the profileExpertise & responsibility
A physician in the Nazi camp system
Burg has spent years treating the sick. Under the Nazis, he uses that same training on prisoners who cannot refuse him, and finds reasons to continue.
Read the profileCare & moral courage
A French Red Cross nurse
Sabina dresses wounds, argues with officers, and brings books to a restless patient. She has little patience for anyone who considers a civilian’s suffering less urgent than a soldier’s.
Read the profileLanguage & survival
A Jewish poet, husband, and father
Ionel hides poems and books beneath the floor of his Paris apartment. He hopes to keep his family together. In the camp, Dr. Burg orders him to assist with work he would once have found unthinkable.
Read the profileFamily & survival
A Jewish woman, wife, and mother
Esther watches the streets, questions her husband’s plans, and tries to protect their daughter. She knows how to mend a garment and how to recognize an assurance she cannot trust.
Read the profileFaith & presence
A Catholic military chaplain
Pierson has spent the day among amputees and dying soldiers when he sits beside the Captain. The wounded officer wants to know where God has been. The chaplain stays to hear him out.
Read the profileOrders & provisions
An American supply and command officer
Lindley keeps the inventories and issues the orders. In his first independent command, he is determined to satisfy his superiors and keep every man within his allotted duty.
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First Edition hardcover · October 1, 2026. Pre-order now, or join the reader list to read the opening fifty pages.