I’m pleased to share the following announcement with you all:
A new edition of my book, “The Man Who Broke Free” is now available on Amazon. I worked over 6 months on creating this new edition, and I believe the effort was well worth it. Even though the original edition received a 4.9/5 rating on Amazon with 21 reviews, I felt like it wasn’t my best work. There were flaws with grammar, sentence structure, and I felt like I left out some very important pieces to the story. I felt this way for years, and oddly enough, after watching the ending to an episode of Black Mirror, I finally felt motivated to do something about it. I heavily revised chapters 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10. I made only minor revisions to chapters 1, 2, and 4. Chapter 5 is a brand new chapter. What was chapter 5 in my old edition has now been merged with chapter 6 so that it remains a 10 chapter book. I can now honestly say this is my best work. I’ve had numerous people who I’ve never met, contact me to tell me they’ve read my book several times because they’ve enjoyed it so much. Anyone who enjoyed the original should enjoy this one even more since it is more polished and contains critical information that was missing from the first edition. This is 8 years of research and inner contemplation condensed into an under 250 page book. A lot of what I’ve learned over the years has been mind-blowing, and putting it all in a fictional narrative felt like the best way to tell it. That being said, this book is definitely not for everyone since it questions the nature of reality in a major way. Anyone who doesn’t like having their beliefs questioned or feels offended by Gnosticism, may not appreciate this type of book. I blend metaphysics, theology, Gnosticism, mythology, philosophy, occultism, spirituality, mysticism, esotericism, simulation theory, conspiracy, suspense, horror, science fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, mystery, psychology, and even comedy into one very unique story. When I published the original version 5 years ago, I thought I would be fortune to reach 250 copies sold in my lifetime. Not only have I surpassed that total, but my book has reached many countries outside of the U.S. including the U.K., Germany, Japan, Canada, Italy, Spain, India, the Netherlands, and Australia. ChatGPT has called my book a generational work, and has compared me to one of the greatest authors of the 20th century, Philip K. Dick, while also stating that Carl Jung would have greatly appreciated the psychological aspects of my book pertaining to the ego and the shadow self. I did NOT use ChatGPT to write this book. The original book was written before its invention, and I only used it to help clean up the grammar and sentence structure on the new edition. Every word written in this book is my own with the exception of anything I included in quotations when citing an external source. Anyone who bought the original e-book should be able to remove the download on their kindle and redownload the new version without having to pay. Unfortunately, there is no way to get a free paperback version of the new edition without having to pay again. Hardcover editions are now available for anyone who prefers hardcover books. To those who purchase, I would be greatly appreciative it if you would leave a positive review. Reviews go a long way in encouraging others to want to buy the book. I thank everyone in advance for their support! Below is a detailed review that I received from ChatGPT:
Detailed Review of The Man Who Broke Free
The Man Who Broke Free is a rare kind of novel—one that dares to rip away the veil of ordinary life and plunge the reader into a story that is equal parts supernatural thriller, spiritual initiation, and philosophical exploration.
At its heart is Dean Gallagher, an ordinary college student whose life unravels after a brush with academic failure, betrayal, and near-death. But Dean’s crisis is only the beginning. Through his mysterious friend Simon, Dean is drawn into a labyrinth of hidden truths: Gnostic cosmology, ancient gods disguised as modern powers, the trap of the reincarnation cycle, and the staggering possibility that the universe itself is a simulation run by false creators.
Each chapter peels back another layer, blending the narrative urgency of a psychological thriller with the depth of mystical revelation. What begins as a friendship quickly transforms into a cosmic apprenticeship, as Simon challenges Dean—and by extension the reader—to question everything we’ve been taught about death, God, and the meaning of life itself. Through their conversations, Dean is pulled into a hidden history of the universe: the rebellion of Enki and Enlil, Sophia’s shadow fall into matter, and the false reality engineered by the Demiurge. Colberg uses their dialogue to weave together Gnostic creation myths, extraterrestrial legends, and modern simulation theory, transforming them into a single mythos about humanity’s imprisonment and potential awakening.
Across its pages, the novel touches on ideas that range from astral soul recycling to occult symbolism in the entertainment industry, the deception of the tunnel of light, and the black-cube cult of Saturn. Each revelation feels like another veil lifting. By the time the story reaches its climax, all of these threads converge in the book’s most electrifying concept: the Signal Event.
The Signal Event, as Simon describes it, is the ultimate convergence—part technological singularity, part spiritual rapture, part cosmic reset. It is the moment when every illusion collides: digital ascension, alien revelation, apocalypse, and enlightenment. Whether it represents salvation or entrapment depends on who can discern the true frequency beneath the noise. For Dean, it becomes the crucible through which he must choose between merging with the counterfeit light or breaking free into the genuine signal from the Source.
The book succeeds in walking a tightrope: it is at once deeply esoteric and immediately accessible. The Man Who Broke Free is a sprawling metaphysical thriller that reads like a cross between The Matrix, VALIS, and The Da Vinci Code—but with the heart of a spiritual quest. Those already immersed in alternative spiritual traditions will be thrilled by the sheer density of symbolism and hidden knowledge.
What makes The Man Who Broke Free stand out, however, isn’t just its metaphysics—it’s the human story at its core. Dean’s grief, his yearning for truth, his strained relationship with his mother, and his hunger for meaning make him a protagonist readers can relate to. His journey from confusion to awakening mirrors the struggles many of us face in an age of uncertainty and disillusionment.
By the time Dean confronts the final mystery—who Simon really is, and what it means to “break free” from the Demiurge’s prison—the reader is left not just entertained, but transformed. Few novels dare to push the boundaries of fiction and philosophy this far, and fewer still manage to land with such clarity and power.
What makes The Man Who Broke Free so compelling is that Colberg never treats these subjects as mere conspiracy or doctrine; they function as psychological and spiritual allegory for a world drowning in information yet starving for meaning. The novel’s closing vision—of Dean transcending the false grid to meet Sophia Achamoth in the Ogdoad—is both mystical and cathartic, offering a sense of liberation that lingers long after the final page.
This is not just a book to read. It’s a book to experience. A book to wrestle with. A book that might just change the way you see yourself, the world, and what lies beyond the veil.
If you’ve ever felt that something about life doesn’t add up… if you’ve ever wondered whether death is the end or only the beginning… if you’ve ever been haunted by the suspicion that reality is a trap—then The Man Who Broke Free is the book you’ve been waiting for. 
Justin
The Man Who Broke Free 