It's the 1950's; after a nuclear blast in the mid-Pacific, a Thoreau-reading American Air Force General makes an unexpected and troubling discovery. There, in a flowery field on a tiny island in the middle of a vast ocean, is an angel, its beautiful face frozen in a death mask and its huge wings wrapped around an inert body. As the general ponders this mystery, the Soviets discover their own angel after a similar nuclear test in Siberia. Are these twin phenomena a ploy in the ongoing hostilities between two international power? Or has divine intervention actually pointed the way toward a new political era? Out of the confusion and dismay provoked by the discovery of these ethereal messengers comes a message both simple and profound. Originally published in 1955, this enchanting, sometimes chilling novella tackles a question that has plagued human since civilization began: How can we live together in peace?

Philip Wylie was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1902. He was best known for his original works of fantasy and science fiction, including When Worlds Collide, published in1932. He died in 1971