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In this shimmering work of fiction, acclaimed novelist Nicholas Christopher follows the remarkable life of Franklin Flyer--a restless young inventor named after the train on which he was born--through the tumultuous years of the Great Depression, into the Second World War. Raised by his suffragette aunt, at various times a vagabond and tycoon, Franklin travels across the U.S.A. and around the globe, seeking adventure and enlightenment, charting his fate by pursuing the unexpected. He encounters a glittering cast of characters: among them Rita Hayworth, Josephine Baker, OSS founder "Wild Bill" Donovan, and a host of political zealots, opportunists, and dreamers thrown together in a world on the brink of collapse. With each new invention--devices that help to revolutionize everything from early television to the Allies' wartime technology--Franklin makes his mark. Gaining fame and fortune, he also suffers terrible heartbreak, and through numerous transformations discovers that a man's own life is truly his most difficult, and rewarding, invention. A vivid blend of history and imagination, Franklin Flyer brings to life an American hero as unforgettable as his times.

"A tale of journey, loss and rebirth…a story full of charm." -The New York Times Book Review

"A pleasure to read…Positively glow[s] with descriptive grace…A lovely investigation of 'the only mystery worth pursuing,' the metamorphoses of the human spirit, observed at both stillness and breakneck speed." -Washington Post Book World

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