Michaelmas

It is the early years of the 21st Century. Laurent Michaelmas is the top, most respected and most acclaimed reporter. He is urbane and civilised, he rubs shoulders with the rich and famous, and almost no door is closed to him. In his private life he is a isolated and lonely man, afraid of emotional entanglements and even perhaps a little paranoid. The United Nations Astronautics Commission has a major manned space mission scheduled to the outer planets. The mission is now to be commanded by the Russian astronaut, Papashvilly, due to the tragic death of the original commander Walter Norwood some months previously. When world-famous Professor Nils Limberg announces that the supposedly-long-dead Walter Norwood is in fact alive, having been restored from the brink of death by dint of the Professor's magnificent skill and astonishing medical techniques, the world is stunned. But Michaelmas realises that something is seriously wrong. He knows Norwood could not have survived his shuttle crash so who is lying? Who could gain from such lies? Moreover, Michaelmas is especially concerned because he believes that it is possible that this bizarre announcement may in some way be directed against him, to expose him, and to topple him. For Michaelmas has a secret. He believes he is more than a world-renowned journalist. Michaelmas believes that he rules the world, controlling it absolutely and guiding it in the path he has chosen.