Cabal of the Dark Sefiroth gives #Pinoyscifi a new flavor
The literary landscape for #Pinoyscifi is broadening, thanks to a variety of published works that 8Letters has been accepting and releasing. Early November we launched Cabal of the Dark Sefiroth, the newest addition to 8letters’ sci-fi imprint.
Doc Vince, author of Cabal, categorizes his novel as mature sci-fi that attempts to portray characters as realistically as possible, taking inspiration from foreign governments claiming that UFOs were real.
“Before, when you believed in UFOs you were labelled as a conspiracy theorist. Now, it seems that people in power are inundating people with information insisting that these things are indeed real,” Doc Vince explains.
Sci-fi readers may be quick to point out that mature and realistic sci-fi is not uncommon, so what differentiates Cabal from the rest?
“The story arose from my discourses with my first cousin who was involved in many Eastern meditative disciplines and who also dabbled in cryptozoology and UFOs. This novel is an attempt for me to present my worldview why these seemingly mysterious and unconnected things happen.
I see the Cabal series as something like a literary sudoku puzzle; the Easter eggs I place here and there are all researchable while some have many layers of cloaking added because they might arouse suspicion in some people,” the author shares, adding, “I could fill a niche for hard sci fi with a Pinoy flavor… not only the Filipino market but the global market as well.”
Despite Doc Vince’s eagerness to position his novel in the literary scene, it was not without fears, risks, and challenges. He tells 8Letters, “One of my apprehensions was that there would be no publisher who would release my story, because it may be too controversial or too nasty to publish.”
Cabal of the Dark Sefiroth introduces readers to the Das’kal—Dayuhan mula sa Kalawakan—who must live and acculturate with the Sei-Pyen community for survival. At the center of the conflict is Kina, a Mharlikan mercenary with a dark past and an even darker future.
At present, Doc Vince is halfway through Doomsday in my Dreams, the second book in the Cabal series.
