The Angel Factory

Thomas Wisdom leads an untroubled life - happy at home, successful at school - until his rebellious friend Gip opens a secret file on his father's computer and he discovers details of his adoption. Stunned by his parents' betrayal and convinced by Gip of sinister motives for their actions, he spies on them as they attend their mysterious annual 'business trip'. Here he discovers that his parents and sister are angels, three of many thousands created as part of the Project, an initiative instigated by the Presence, a force for goodness from a distant galaxy, bent on preventing humankind from causing its own destruction. Thomas is first seduced, then alarmed by the Project and, with his friend Gip, he determines to escapes its influence. The story meanders between the genres of mystery thriller, science fiction and New Age fantasy and while the themes of good and evil, trust and betrayal are minutely - and sometimes thought-provokingly - explored, the narrative becomes saturated with improbable events and cohesion and conviction are strained.