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.

  1. A documentary

  2. A sacrifice

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The day I learned I would die

A memory log from Shia Santos.

Experience: The heartbreaking beauty of being human.

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The Seed Growers

A seed smuggler risks everything to deliver hope.

Highlight: A Midsummer Festival at the Seed Keepers Colony.

  1. The delivery

  2. The ghost

  3. The escape

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Seeds of Resistance

A memory log from Fanny Yaar, resistance leader and farmer.

Experience: The hunger of the seed keepers.

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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.

  1. Trapper

  2. Secrets

  3. Betrayal

  4. Children

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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.

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The Cooperatives

A mysterious permafrost fungus threatens the last forest.

Highlight: A train journey with the Ghost.

  1. The last forest

  2. The scream

  3. The struggle

  4. The fortune teller

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Wildfire

Memory logs from the Ghost, including the Data War.

Experience: The historical Wildfire Masacre.

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There Is Hope

A girl finds a glimmer of hope in a dying world.

Highlight: Meet our mythical makers.

  1. A glowing light

  2. A deep dive

  3. A dark night

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The Immortal

The only personal memory log of Sanse Ahuic.

Experience: The mind of a 1000-year-old human maker.

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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

⏳ Free until June 30
Starting July 1, access requires a paid Museum subscription (via Substack).

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Related Stories

  • SmugglerThey call us the zombie children.

  • IceTwo homeless siblings are going on a dream vacation with ice.

  • LadybugThe memories we leave behind.

Whichever you choose, we hope you’ll enjoy your next stop on the Dust Road.

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Reserve your copy: Limited print edition (autumn 2025)

To celebrate the completion of There Is Hope, I’m offering a limited print run this autumn.

  • 333 copies only

  • Printed sustainably, with an original illustrated cover

  • Serialized novel + bonus final episode via Substack

  • Ships worldwide

$49Patron tier (includes print copy + international shipping)
$107Founding Member (includes all of the above + a surprise gift)

All print books start shipping October 2025. Subscribe today and reserve your copy.

Already a paid subscriber?

You don’t have to do anything—all current paid subscribers will automatically receive the limited print edition this autumn. Thank you for supporting this story from the very beginning.

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We hope you’ll enjoy this curated collection of lives.

Your curators,
Deya & Sayuri Santos
The Museum of Life