I’ve got a few upcoming projects, aside from the third Madison Mosby book (due out in July/Aug 2019). The next series is one I’ve been thinking of for a while – James Bond in space.
“But, Jason,” you’re saying, “James Bond has already been to space. Moonraker was a universally acclaimed masterpiece for its time.”
I know. It stands next to Empire Strikes Back both in story-telling tone, plot twists and visual effects. #sarcasm.
Just slow down, dear reader. Let me lay this out for you.
The new series is titled, The Eagle’s Debt. The first book will be No Graves for Heroes. Ex-Space Marine, Axel Nash has lived the last thirty years in the shadows, dodging the law. He still has nightmares from the last battle of Luna, filled with fires and butchers. When the treaties were signed, he was branded a war criminal by the victors, and a hero by his crew. America lost the first Solar War and Axel and his buddies paid a second price, a life on the run. Now, the US is in need of an experienced space marine for a suicide mission, over Saturn.
It’s been a long time since Axel Nash has fought for his country. He’s ready to serve.
Axel is contacted by the man who saved him from the war crimes commission. An old US ally needs a huge favor before a civil war breaks out within the Chinese Empire. Hundreds of thousands are expected to die in the first hours of the coming war. With this shift in the geo-political balance, America has a chance to get back onto the international stage for the first time in decades. With the right friends, they could once more ascend to the ranks of the superpowers.
The mission will send Axel into Chinese-held space, to the luxury orbital resort, Pangea. He’ll have to get in and exfiltrate a brother and sister, who have disappeared. Russian gangsters control the underworld on the floating city and they are willing to defend their territory to the death. Armed body guards, on hair triggers, will shoot first to protect their wealthy employers. And, Pangea shock troops will not hesitate to kill anyone who dares cause trouble in the most luxurious resort in the Solar System.
Axel will face them all with the help of a synthetic human, an aging hulk of a ship and his numerous contacts throughout the Solar System. If he fails, the US will be humiliated, left to be forgotten in the new century, and he will be off to a black site prison where torture awaits. If he succeeds, he might just give his country a shot at glory, once again.
A final note on the series. The Eagle’s Debt will be loaded with military sci-fi, galactic empire and cyberpunk elements. These are my favorite sorts of stories. Axel Nash will be a James Bond-like character, but with all the consequences of living a hard-drinking, promiscuous and violent life. Think, war wounds, drug abuse, and lots of illegitimate kids. Seriously, he’s got all of that working against him.
On the surface, this all might seem like “America’s might means right,” or “get revenge on those who wronged us.” It’s not. Instead, the stories will focus on the sort of hope found in Star Trek and other great sci-fi, where science and reason win out, not poorly planned, thuggish violence. It’s more of a tale of “watch what happens when we play long-ball again.” Because, I think we’ve lost a bit of that lately.
Some may call this political wish fulfillment. Fine. I want to explore what happens when America loses its top position and has to fight to get back on top.
Look for more news on the first book in The Eagle’s Debt saga – No Graves for Heroes, coming soon.