There Is Hope
Heat is the venerable enemy. Hope is what endures.
Welcome traveler to There Is Hope,
A fully immersive Museum of Life experience: A curated exhibition of memory logs from the Dust Road.
The world
It’s the year 2550.
After 400 years of a Data War—a brutal battle between data moguls over the last natural resources—Europe lies in ruins. A post-apocalyptic wasteland ravaged by climate change and human greed.
The North Colonies Alliance clings to the cool north.
The Dust Tribes roam the dust bowl of Central Europe.
The Japanese Seaweed Colonies survive in the largely uninhabitable south.
The Siberian Cooperatives—stewards of the taiga—hold Earth’s last natural resources.
All is connected by the Dust Road: a treacherous underground trading route controlled by the elusive Dust Pirates.
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The journey
This collection follows the miraculous story of Shia Santos, founder of the Museum of Life and the first human consciousness to be preserved in our archive.
✧A mosaic of stories and rare memory logs about life on a planet devastated by climate change and things that give people hope.✧
Choose your experience.
Begin anywhere.
Follow the threads through memory & myth.
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There Is Hope: A mosaic novel
If you're ready, step into the Dust Road.
Human Island
A mother filming a human sacrifice documentary must confront her buried grief.
Highlight: Witness a human sacrifice in the Japanese Seaweed Colonies.
The day I learned I would die
A memory log from Shia Santos.
Experience: The heartbreaking beauty of being human.
The Seed Growers
A seed smuggler risks everything to deliver hope.
Highlight: A Midsummer Festival at the Seed Keepers Colony.
Seeds of Resistance
A memory log from Fanny Yaar, resistance leader and farmer.
Experience: The hunger of the seed keepers.
The Dust Pirates
A girl’s secret mission pulls a young boy onto a dangerous path.
Highlight: Join the serpent dance, meet the zombie children.
Hope at the end of the world
The second and last memory log of Shia Santos.
Experience: Join a smuggling caravan into the Siberian Cooperatives.
The Cooperatives
A mysterious permafrost fungus threatens the last forest.
Highlight: A train journey with the Ghost.
Wildfire
Memory logs from the Ghost, including the Data War.
Experience: The historical Wildfire Masacre.
There Is Hope
A girl finds a glimmer of hope in a dying world.
Highlight: Meet our mythical makers.
The Immortal
The only personal memory log of Sanse Ahuic.
Experience: The mind of a 1000-year-old human maker.
Curator’s Notes
This entry log is currently being revised and will be made available soon exclusively to patrons of the museum.
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What visitors say
‘A tragically beautiful world so complete and immersive that it feels sensual even as it’s breaking your heart.’
—Ben Wakeman, Catch & Release
‘Beautifully written and utterly believable, unfortunately.’
—Terry Freedman, Eclecticism
‘My grief surrounding the deforestation and desertification of Iran—and the world—has surfaced through these pieces. What a beautiful planet we inhabit.’
— Keyon Hejazi
‘Excellent! The writing feels careful and intentional.’
—Peter Clayborne, Anarchy Unfolds
‘The Ghost is becoming one of my favorite characters on Substack.’
—Brian Wilcox, Standing in Doorways
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Limited Access
Access requires a paid Museum subscription (via Substack).
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Related Stories
Smuggler—They call us the zombie children.
Ice—Two homeless siblings are going on a dream vacation with ice.
Ladybug—The memories we leave behind.
Whichever you choose, we hope you’ll enjoy your next stop on the Dust Road.
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We hope you’ll enjoy this curated collection of lives.
Your curators,
Deya & Sayuri Santos—The Museum of Life