NEW RELEASE and EXCERPT
War of the Institutes
(The Modest Proposal Institute Book 4)
(The Modest Proposal Institute Book 4)
by Paul James
War of the Institutes, the fourth and final book in The Modest Proposal Institute series by Paul James, has just been released. The author stops by today to share an excerpt from the book. Also available for only $0.99 each (or FREE on Kindle Unlimited): An Old Path to a New Future, No More Empires (read my blog post), and Rival Institutes.
Image created using Mockup Shots.
Description
The Modest Proposal Institute, which began in 2018 with such high hopes of saving the future progress of mankind, has broken into rival factions by 2030. Book 4, War of the Institutes, brings to an end this dystopian young adult, near-future sci fi, history of Earth.
Alexis and his pioneers have set up home on the moon and Mars, with an Earth 2.0 to come. Shane and his ocean pioneers are establishing mankind's presence on the seabed. Nadia and Tomas reign supreme in Western Europe and would like to extend their dominion across all the old Western lands. A splinter group, led by Jamie, wishes to live free in North America. All would be well if only they would be happy with what they have - but not everyone can and on Earth mankind returns to its pre-industrial state.
Excerpt
Moon City, 2129
Alexis frowned. He wished, and not for the first time, that he’d never started this history and yet it had to be told. To be honest, all he really wanted was his view of events told in his own voice. Looking back, he could see so many times where he failed and people would wonder why? They would ask why the same man who, in his early days, had pushed the Space Institute forward so forcefully, but then had been so unsure of himself when the Institute began to fracture. And they’d be right to ask. He could hardly understand it either. Until 2040, he’d been striding forward into space. After 2040 he’d been out of his depth on Earth. People there made no sense to him. Unfortunately, that’s the time he’d reached in this history, and he felt almost afraid to go on. He shrugged. Best to get it over with, he thought, and began recording.
It was the darkest time of the Institute’s history. The time when the three branches drifted farther and farther apart in growing mistrust and then violence. These events had happened only a few years ago and yet were almost forgotten by most. Or here in space they were, anyhow. He couldn’t speak much about those left on Earth because he never visited now, but he suspected their everyday thoughts were consumed by just finding enough food to keep living.
It wasn’t a dark time for everyone. Here in space, life went on as if nothing had changed. It was always a reflection of the Earth of 2018 here, only better. Before the moon and Martian cities were even half finished, exploratory missions had gone out in search of asteroids, other moons, and anything in the solar system that looked like it could be colonized. The drive was relentless. Even Alexis was staggered at the energy his pioneers showed in every possible new territory. Now he could see how the ancestors of the Western world could have arrived in a wilderness hundreds of miles from the nearest outpost of their civilization and built a city almost overnight.
He also now saw why the Founders had not focused on recruiting men with any one particular attribute—not IQ or physical strength or any other single quality. The Institute needed a range of qualities. Once those who explored had put roots into a new territory, pioneers needed to arrive and build. Nothing stopped the pioneers—not heat, cold, or exhaustion. They threw themselves into building each new settlement like there was no tomorrow. The contrast to the people he’d tried to help on Earth was staggering. Back on Earth people were starving, freezing, and yet could barely organize a hunt. Any one of the Institute’s men was worth ten of them.
After the pioneers came the builders, farmers, manufacturers, and those who provided them the services they needed. Where there had once been a barren, lifeless rock whirling in space, there was soon a thriving community sending resources back to the older colonies and importing things they needed in order to expand. No one directed anyone. The men just did what they did and the rest of life followed naturally.
The same story, of course, had been played out many times throughout men’s history on Earth. As Dean had told them, barren islands and lands had been turned into bustling cities and booming countries for thousands of years, but it was still astonishing to watch happen in space.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“This author is a born story-teller, and I enjoyed this immensely. I’m especially impressed because it’s a first book. Superbly edited and excellently written, it’s a story of growing up, facing challenges, and finding the ‘you’ that you were meant to be; but all that’s extraneous to the plot, which I found unique and fascinating. About a group of young boys working to solve the problems of their society by creating a better future, you’ll experience tension, and relief, and more tension.”
“The story reaffirms that no matter how technologically advanced or intelligent we humans are, our basic human nature doesn't change, or rather, the more things change, the more they stay the same.” ~ MJC
“Loved this book. Great build up from the 3 and like the others couldn't put it down. Would recommend to those who love sci fi and an adventure.” ~ NB
“You will enjoy this book more - as you will know the history of the main characters and the plot if you read books 1-3 of the Modest Proposal Institute. Be advised that the characters’ life spans last for hundreds of years. Tomas and Nadia rule Europe, Alexis controls Outer Space, Shane the Oceans, Jamie - Jamestown, North America, and Asia and the rest of the world had more localized control. What happens when one leader wants to control the Earth?” ~ Terry Biehl
“The end of the end. Heavy, yet satisfying. It made me cry. I was secretly hoping for a different ending, but knew it has to end this way. The Modest Proposal Institute series is truly a masterpiece that makes you wonder on so many issues that we're facing right now.” ~ Rugova Writes
About the Author
Paul James is an engineer with a life-long interest in books and writing. Originally from England, he's lived with his family near Toronto, Canada, for many years and where he walks, runs and takes wildlife photos whenever the weather will let him. In his writing, he likes to capture the humorous side of life even when sometimes the world doesn't seem to warrant it - as we saw in his earlier book, Diary of a Canadian Nobody.
For his new series, The Modest Proposal Institute, he has returned to one of his earliest loves - science fiction.
Links
Featured in this post:
