This book is part of The Light and Shadow Chronicles, a series of epic fantasy stories which can be read in any order. Find out more about the series by clicking on the image below:
If you are new to this fantasy world, or have only read one of the books, these extracts will help to give you a flavour of what my writing is about. I hope you enjoy them!
Fantasy novel A Chronicle of Chaos by D.M. Cain is FREE for four days, starting today!
Bound by fate. Severed by blood.
In a realm ravaged by war, The Brotherhood of Shadow and The Children of Light will stop at nothing to destroy each other.
The warrior known as Chaos fights in the name of honor and glory. Arrogant and headstrong, he considers himself the strongest in the land, until fate puts him at the mercy of the demon Anathema.
The two strike up an intense rivalry, but their obsession to defeat one another only leads them closer together.
When the forces of Light and Darkness collide, where will their loyalties lie?
★★★★★ – “Outstanding. Strongly recommended to anyone who likes young adult fantasy.”
★★★★★ – “A unique and different approach to the old themes of angels and demons.”
★★★★★ – “Amazing and entertaining, this book explores many themes and delves deep into the question of what is right.”
★★★★★ – “I was captivated as the story unfolded. Battles, adventures and feelings of being an outcast intermingled with love and affection. A must-read for fantasy fans.”
★★★★★ – “A heartrending tale of brutality, love, compassion and destiny.”
Young Soren is the apprentice of legendary warrior, Raven Lennox. At the age of sixteen, Soren is expected to fight in the eternal war against the Brotherhood of Shadow – but he seems to be more interested in mischief than battle.
When one of Soren’s adventures goes off course, he accidentally unleashes a deadly threat. As an age-old prophecy comes to pass, Soren must take a perilous journey deep into enemy territory.
But does he have what it takes to save the realm, or will the Brotherhood destroy everything he loves?
★★★★★ – “I’m delighted with the depth of young Soren Nitaya. This is a coming of age fantasy young and old alike will not be able to put down until they’ve read the last page. Definitely recommended.”
★★★★★ – “With remarkable characters and a captivating ending, you won’t want the story to end.”
★★★★★ – “A well-written fantasy read. Character development is done very well, the book has good pace and will leave the reader wanting for more. D.M. Cain has given us a real jewel to enjoy.”
The voice broke into his thoughts, everywhere and nowhere at once, deafening, yet somehow a whisper. “Are you ready to learn the truth?”
Heir to a notorious crime syndicate, sixteen-year-old Vincent Wilder is determined to live up to his father’s intimidating legacy, and expand his violent empire. The Wilders have terrorised the city of Pabell for decades and Vincent knows the business inside and out – and has dirtied his own hands more times than he dares to count.
But no matter how ready he thinks he is, nothing could have prepared him for life at the helm. His father was a man of many things, but secrets wasn’t one of them. Or so Vincent had thought. The deeper Vincent gets into his leadership role, the more terrifying and inexplicable skeletons he uncovers.
With the threat of a revolution, a mysterious and intrusive voice in his head, and a long-lost history he knew nothing about, is he really up to the challenge?
★★★★★ – “I have not seen this type of book writing before, and it looks very promising. I found it very interesting and cannot wait for more.”
★★★★★ – “A gripping and intriguing short story, and a great introduction to this series.”
In a realm ravaged by war, The Brotherhood of Shadow and The Children of Light will stop at nothing to destroy each other.
The warrior known as Chaos fights in the name of honor and glory. Arrogant and headstrong, he considers himself the strongest in the land, until fate puts him at the mercy of the demon Anathema.
The two strike up an intense rivalry, but their obsession to defeat one another only leads them closer together.
When the forces of Light and Darkness collide, where will their loyalties lie?
★★★★★ – “Outstanding. Strongly recommended to anyone who likes young adult fantasy.”
★★★★★ – “A unique and different approach to the old themes of angels and demons.”
★★★★★ – “Amazing and entertaining, this book explores many themes and delves deep into the question of what is right.”
★★★★★ – “I was captivated as the story unfolded. Battles, adventures and feelings of being an outcast intermingled with love and affection. A must-read for fantasy fans.”
★★★★★ – “A heartrending tale of brutality, love, compassion and destiny.”
Warring countries, fantastical creatures, beings of terrible power and journeys of epic scale. The legendary Book of Alcherys tells wild and unimaginable stories. But they are not mere fairy tales. They are true, every word.
Callista Nienna is strong and independent, but nothing could have prepared her for civilisation being brought to a violent end. Now, she is forced to stay alive in a desolate wilderness with only her closest friend for support.
She has two choices: give up and die with the wilting world around her or seize her destiny and make it to the only sanctuary left unscathed. At the end of her journey, something awaits Callista, something both terrifying and unbelievable.
The beginning of a fantasy epic. Learn where it all began in this prequel novella from The Light and Shadow Chronicles.
★★★★★ –WOW! Read the whole book in one sitting. Just couldn’t put it down. Would love to know how you manage to keep coming up with these terrific books. Personally I think this is the best one yet – Anne Harris, Avid Reader
Fantasy novella Origin of Shadow by D.M. Cain is FREE for four days, starting today!
The voice broke into his thoughts, everywhere and nowhere at once, deafening, yet somehow a whisper. “Are you ready to learn the truth?”
Heir to a notorious crime syndicate, sixteen-year-old Vincent Wilder is determined to live up to his father’s intimidating legacy, and expand his violent empire. The Wilders have terrorised the city of Pabell for decades and Vincent knows the business inside and out – and has dirtied his own hands more times than he dares to count.
But no matter how ready he thinks he is, nothing could have prepared him for life at the helm. His father was a man of many things, but secrets wasn’t one of them. Or so Vincent had thought. The deeper Vincent gets into his leadership role, the more terrifying and inexplicable skeletons he uncovers.
With the threat of a revolution, a mysterious and intrusive voice in his head, and a long-lost history he knew nothing about, is he really up to the challenge?
Many people have asked me about the meaning of the shield and symbols on the front of the books in the Light and Shadow Chronicles, so I thought I’d take some time out to explain the significance of the artwork.
Each of the symbols on the shield represents a different faction in the war which rages across the land in the Light and Shadow Chronicles series. Some of the symbols are linked to the Children of Light, some the Brotherhood of Shadow and some entirely different groups of people (or creatures!) altogether.
Each book features the shield (or a representative symbol from the shield) and a themed background which is related to the book’s setting or tone.
Origin of Shadow is the latest installment of the Light and Shadow Chronicles – an epic fantasy series by D.M. Cain. This novella details the beginnings of Vincent Wilder and the nefarious Brotherhood of Shadow.
Vincent and his cronies start off in a Mafia-esque crime syndicate. Take a look at this visual map of the Wilders’ power structure:
Origin of Shadow by D.M. Cain
The voice broke into his thoughts, everywhere and nowhere at once, deafening, yet somehow a whisper. “Are you ready to learn the truth?”
Heir to a notorious crime syndicate, sixteen-year-old Vincent Wilder is determined to live up to his father’s intimidating legacy, and expand his violent empire. The Wilders have terrorised the city of Pabell for decades and Vincent knows the business inside and out – and has dirtied his own hands more times than he dares to count.
But no matter how ready he thinks he is, nothing could have prepared him for life at the helm. His father was a man of many things, but secrets wasn’t one of them. Or so Vincent had thought. The deeper Vincent gets into his leadership role, the more terrifying and inexplicable skeletons he uncovers.
With the threat of a revolution, a mysterious and intrusive voice in his head, and a long-lost history he knew nothing about, is he really up to the challenge?
Praise:
★★★★★ – “I have not seen this type of book writing before, and it looks very promising. I found it very interesting and cannot wait for more.”
★★★★★ – “A gripping and intriguing short story, and a great introduction to this series.”
My latest book to be released, Origin of Shadow, is a dark exploration into madness, destiny, honour and brutality. Follow Vincent Wilder’s descent into the murky recesses of ultimate power in this new novella from The Light and Shadow Chronicles.
Not sure if it’s your thing? Get Chapters 1 & 2 of Origin of Shadow for FREE here and take a look. If you love it, great! If you don’t, no harm done.
As part of the research and planning for Origin of Shadow, I had to get into the head of main character and anti-hero Vincent Wilder. It was fun to give him quirks, neuroses and talents. As an inside peek, here is the first ever mind map I doodled when I was getting to know the man himself:
As part of the lead up to the release of Origin of Shadow, I will be putting together a video interview, in which I will answer fan questions about the book, the series, myself as an author, or even what my favourite flavour of ice cream is. The beauty is, the questions come from YOU. So, please comment on this page, or send me an email to dmcain84@gmail.com with your questions. Thank you!
Immersive fantasy fiction 