Our coming world

"Our Coming World" by Alfred Charles Michaud is a philosophical novel written in the early 1950s. The book presents a narrative critique of contemporary human society through the lens of an extraterrestrial encounter, ultimately exploring themes surrounding economic systems, humanitarianism, and the potential future of mankind. The story follows Lieutenant Fred Balmore, a pilot who becomes embroiled in an extraordinary incident that leads him to a Martian civilization, where he learns about their advanced yet utopian lifestyle. At the start of the novel, the unnamed narrator encounters Fred Balmore during his daily walks, where he is struck by Balmore's melancholic demeanor on a park bench. Through patience and conversation, Balmore reveals the strange and surreal circumstances that led to his mental instability, stemming from a bizarre incident involving a Martian airship. As he begins to recount his experience aboard the Martian vessel, Balmore details the advanced technologies, social structures, and philosophical ideals of the Martian people, contrasting them sharply with the dysfunctions and injustices of life on Earth. The reader is thus invited to explore profound questions about humanity, morality, and what the world could become with a more humane economic system.