The Blog of Seth W. James

New Novel Release, “Ethos of Cain” by Seth W. James, Book 1 of The Cain Series

Ethos of Cain, the first novel in The Cain Series, debuts today exclusively on Amazon, in ebook, trade paperback, and hardcover formats.  An episodic, near-future, cyberpunk science-fiction novel, Ethos of Cain explores a world in the grip of technological upheaval, the nature of identity and change, and the ever-widening grey area between criminal, corporate, and governmental power.

Cover art and back-cover copy:

“The perfection of cold fusion and CasiDrive propulsion had lifted humanity into the wider solar system—and widened the gulf between the nameless masses and the sovereign-class wealthy.  Into the grey between corporate and criminal walked Cain, a soldat de fortune, who, for the last twenty years, had taken scores and completed contracts for the elites of any world, impenetrable, abstruse, and solitary.

All of that changed one year ago when, after a triste with a former client turned into a romance, Cain’s relationship with Francesca caused him to question how he could walk in her world and survive in his own.  The boundaries of their lives then came crashing to Earth when the man whose syndicate they had destroyed returned for revenge.  The money behind the man, however, concealed a deeper, more sinister plot, one that threatened Francesca’s life and would challenge Cain to walk the razor’s edge between their two worlds while remaining true to the Ethos of Cain.

Ethos of Cain is the first novel in The Cain Series by Seth W. James.”

The Cain Series will follow Cain and Francesca as they delve into the deepest underworlds and soar to the farthest flung colonies to challenge the powers of the next century, to wrest from them a future worth living.  Set in the near future, where the perfection of cold fusion and CasiDrive propulsion have lifted humanity into the wider solar system, the series explores the collision of boom-industry expansion, the worsening effects of climate change, and the warring-states corporate power structure created by sovereign orbitals.

It has been a great pleasure writing the first novel in The Cain Series and designing the next several books to come.  Book 2 is already underway and I hope to have it ready for publication by next summer or early fall, 2024.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy Ethos of Cain!