When the World Shook: Being an Account of the Great Adventure of Bastin, Bickley and Arbuthnot

Three Englishmen. One forgotten island. And something ancient that should have stayed buried. Wealthy philosopher Humphrey Arbuthnot, devout clergyman Bastin, and skeptical surgeon Bickley set sail for the remote Pacific island of Orofena seeking adventure and answers. What they discover is a ghost city: streets empty, temples abandoned, an entire civilization vanished as if swallowed by time. But the island has not released its grip. Something remains in those silent places, something that will shatter their understanding of reality and force each man to confront what he truly believes about life, death, and the boundaries of the possible. Haggard weaves adventure with the metaphysical in this lesser-known masterpiece. The clash between Bastin's faith, Bickley's science, and Arbuthnot's spiritual seeking drives the narrative forward as much as the strange events on Orofena. It is a tale of men tested against the unknown, where the greatest adventure may be the one that transforms them from within. For readers who loved King Solomon's Mines and She, this novel offers the same propulsive storytelling with added philosophical depth.