SETH W. JAMES

New Novel Release: “Life in the Grey,” book 6 in “The Cain Series,” by Seth W. James

November 1, 2026

By Seth W. James

Life in the Grey, book 6 in The Cain Series, launches today, 1 November 2026, in ebook, paperback, and hardcover formats.  Like all Cain Series novels, Life in the Grey is episodic, near-future, cyberpunk science fiction.  Life in the Grey is also the first book in The Cain Series’ second cycle, which will comprise books 6 through 8 and follows soldiers-of-fortune Cain and Francesca as they build their new life in the Orbital Archipelago.

A year has passed since the events of book 5, Logos of Cain, and Cain and Francesca have spent the time pulling down scores and reacclimating themselves to life in the lawlessness of the Orbital Archipelago.  Their plans for the future must wait, however, when a distress call comes in from Paula Cruz, their longtime associate and DMI hacker extraordinaire: her Lockpick orbital has come under attack—and their equally longtime client, criminal syndicate leader Lester Sims, has pulled Paula’s defensive aircover.  The race is then on, to keep ahead of those hunting Paula and to discover who is after her—and stop them for good.

As it has become a sad necessity in our fascist present day, I must reiterate to readers that all of my novels, including Life in the Grey, have been and always will be written solely by me: no so-called-AI was used or ever will be used in my books.  The cover art, as well, is entirely human-created, by James T. Egan of Bookfly Design.

Cover:

Cover copy:

“Cain and Francesca, two of the Orbital Archipelago’s elite soldiers-of-fortune, had anticipated a tedious morning of interviewing prospective clients when an emergency call came in on Cain’s private line.  Paula Cruz, the DMI hacker who had supported Cain on countless scores over the last eight years, had come under attack: Lester Sims, the mob boss with whom she had a protection agreement, had just pulled her aircover and mercenaries were inbound to kidnap her—or worse.  Cain and Francesca immediately set out to follow Paula’s escape vehicle to Earth, where the three fugitives must now run for their lives to evade the pursuing mercs and, ultimately, discover the identity of Paula’s attacker, his purpose, and end the threat—permanently.

From the riotous streets of Texas, to the opulent high-rises of Chicago, to the seediest corners of the archipelago, Cain, Francesca, and Paula must hunt the hunter in this next thrilling novel in The Cain Series.”

I had originally conceived the overarching plot of cycle 2 in The Cain Series all the way back in 2023, when designing the plot for cycle 1, and so it was a great pleasure to, after the last 4 years of writing Cain books, to move into this new cycle.  The novel also takes us back to the USA, with the action centered entirely within the states, and gives us the opportunity to further explore life in Fusion Age America.  From the lasting effects of climate change, to the realities of life lived on UBI (Universal Basic Income), to the complex and corrupting relationship between corp-cops, the community, and investors, Life in the Grey digs deeper into where we just might be headed—or perhaps where we already are.

Book 7 is already underway, with an expected publication date sometime in late Spring or early Summer, 2027.  The plan remains to publish book 8, rounding out cycle 2, by the end of next year.  More on both of those to come.  In the meantime, I want to thank all the returning readers to The Cain Series and hope you all enjoy Life in the Grey.