The Flame and the Promise

Book excerpt: When the Great Depression descended upon American society, families not torn apart by the death and destruction of the First World War were rendered destitute. Too many survivors sensitive to the casualties of war showed an uncommon disdain to the less fortunate who fell through the cracks as the world reeled in the wake of the stock market crash. The only way to objectively see civilization at that sensitive, confused time is through the eyes of someone from a place completely unaware of our history and its causes. There are such people-Nohra D'Angelis and her son Michael Svaboda from the planet Abnetar-individuals who seemingly appear out of nowhere. Nohra is confident that the spirit of humanity can solve everything, thus improving everyone's life. Michael's friend, librarian Zach Sabo, is driven to write about Nohra and Michael-not only about the strange circumstances surrounding Michael's recent death, but also by the visitation of the spirit of a man dead for five years. Zach begins digging into the past, starting with a mysterious trunk that contains letters from Nohra-a trunk that the FBI considers to be government property. Who are these insightful beings from another world, and what will happen to the spirit of humanity that they envisioned?