Book record · Former Barking Rain Press title
Postponing Armageddon
by Adele Abbot
A medieval fantasy in which Matthias, a long-lived thirteenth apostle, carries twelve scrolls across Europe toward Glastonbury Tor. Shortlisted in manuscript for the 2011 Terry Pratchett First Novel Award; published by Barking Rain Press in 2013.
This book was once published by Barking Rain Press, which announced its closure in 2019. This site is not that publisher and does not sell books. See “Finding the book today” below.
Premise
Postponing Armageddon is a fantasy set in medieval Europe. Its central figure is Matthias, described as the thirteenth apostle, who in this telling has lived far longer than an ordinary man. Around the year 1000 he carries twelve scrolls across Europe toward Glastonbury Tor in England, where reading them at the right moment would rewrite history.
Other ancient beings, the Amaranthine clans, want him stopped. In the library catalogue description, these rivals have their own stake in the outcome, because using the scrolls would wipe their families out of existence. That conflict between one man’s mission and the survival of others drives the story. This summary stays within the premise as the distributors’ descriptions present it.
Publication history
The novel’s first public recognition came before it was published. In 2011, Postponing Armageddon was one of six manuscripts shortlisted for the Terry Pratchett First Novel Award. Sir Terry Pratchett sponsored the prize together with Transworld Publishers, and it was open to unpublished novels by writers living in the UK. Library listings use its competition name, “Anywhere But Here, Anywhen But Now”. The 2011 award went jointly to David Logan for Half Sick of Shadows and Michael Logan for Apocalypse Cow, so Postponing Armageddon was a shortlisted finalist and not a winner. The Wikipedia list spells the author’s surname “Abbott”. The book’s own edition records use “Abbot”.
Barking Rain Press published the novel in 2013. Wikipedia’s article on the prize cites the press’s book page at this site’s old address, /dd-product/postponing-armageddon/, with a date of July 2013. Goodreads records a 202-page paperback first published on 2 July 2013. An ebook edition, ISBN 978-1-935460-81-7, went to libraries through OverDrive, which names BRP Publishing Group as publisher (Barking Rain Press was one of its imprints) and gives a release date of April 2014. OverDrive files the book in a series called the Amaranthines.
Open Library also lists an earlier Barking Rain Press book by the same author, Of Machines & Magics (2012). This research found no edition from another publisher after Barking Rain Press announced its closure in 2019.
This page is an independent record. Barking Rain Press no longer sells this or any other book.
Reading notes
These notes come from desk research using catalogue descriptions and prize records. They are not a reading report.
The premise draws on Christian tradition (a thirteenth apostle) and sets it against a real English landmark, Glastonbury Tor. It combines those with a familiar fantasy structure: a quest across a historical landscape, a powerful object to carry, and opponents who can’t simply be written off as villains, since they are fighting for their families’ existence.
The title points to delay rather than rescue, which suggests the story is about timing and consequences more than a clean victory. OverDrive files the book under fantasy and historical fiction.
Finding the book today
The Barking Rain Press printing is out of print. Library ebook services have carried the BRP Publishing Group edition, so a public library’s digital collection is a good place to start (ISBN 9781935460817). WorldCat and library catalogues can find print copies by title and author. Search under both spellings, Abbot and Abbott. This page doesn’t give prices or say where the book is sold.
Finding the book today
The Barking Rain Press edition is out of print. Library ebook platforms have listed the BRP Publishing Group ebook (ISBN 9781935460817); WorldCat and public library catalogues are the best places to look for a copy.
Discussion questions
- Matthias wants to read the scrolls so that history is remade. Can remaking history be a heroic goal, or is it always a threat to someone?
- The rival beings oppose him because the scrolls would erase their families. How does that motive change the way we see the antagonists?
- The novel takes a figure from Christian tradition, a thirteenth apostle, and gives him an extraordinarily long life. What does fantasy gain by building on religious legend?
- Glastonbury Tor is the journey's goal. Why might an author choose a real place with a long history of legend as the destination?
- The title suggests delaying the end of the world rather than preventing it. What is the difference, and why might it matter?
- The book began as an unpublished manuscript entered in a first-novel competition. What do prizes for unpublished novels do for new writers?
- A very long life is central to the premise. How might living for centuries change a person's sense of duty?
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Sources
- Terry Pratchett First Novel Award, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Postponing Armageddon (OverDrive), OverDrive. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Postponing Armageddon by Adele Abbot (Goodreads), Goodreads. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Open Library search: Barking Rain Press, Open Library. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Now in Print & eBook: 'The Chronocar' (Barking Rain Press release), PR.com. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- When Things Go South When You're North: The End of Barking Rain Press, Judy Penz Sheluk. Accessed 2026-11-12.