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Ascendants

A Novel

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Pub Date Mar 24 2026 | Archive Date Mar 23 2026

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Description

It’s not the life you lead; it’s the blood you bleed. 

By 2060, society has been divided into two classes by a groundbreaking discovery: An afterlife exists, but only for the genetic few. Ascendants are genetically destined to experience what comes after. Biomasses are condemned to oblivion. 

 This new era of Ascension is controlled by The Jacobs Institute, a powerful research organization challenging the limits of consciousness and morality. Ascendants follows three characters caught up in The Institute’s web of secrets—the visionary scientist who started it all, a grieving husband beholden to his belief, and a fierce young woman grappling with what society has become. What will it cost them to unravel the science that fuels The Institute’s power? 

A gripping techno-thriller, Ascendants is both a warning against the weaponization of science and belief, and a vision for the survival of humanity. 

It’s not the life you lead; it’s the blood you bleed. 

By 2060, society has been divided into two classes by a groundbreaking discovery: An afterlife exists, but only for the genetic few. Ascendants...


A Note From the Publisher

If you'd like to leave a review on Goodreads, please use this link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244747392-ascendants

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Don Schechter is the founder and CEO of Charles River Media, as well as a filmmaker and professor of the practice at Tufts University, where he teaches courses ranging from filmmaking to the art and business of media campaigns. He is the cohost of No Win Scenario, a science fiction podcast featuring interviews with genre creators. “Ascendants” is his debut novel. Born in Queens, New York, he now lives in Newton, Massachusetts.

If you'd like to leave a review on Goodreads, please use this link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244747392-ascendants

If you'd like to leave a review on Amazon, please use this...


Advance Praise

Ascendants feels like a high-concept Black Mirror episode stretched into a techno-thriller, maintaining a breakneck pace while forcing you to grapple with profound ethical questions. . . . If you’re a fan of cerebral science fiction, like the works of Philip K. Dick, or modern dystopian thrillers that blend fast action with deep moral complexity (think Altered Carbon), this book is a must-read.” —Manhattan Book Review 

Ascendants feels like a high-concept Black Mirror episode stretched into a techno-thriller, maintaining a breakneck pace while forcing you to grapple with profound ethical questions. . . . If you’re...


Marketing Plan

  • NetGalley availability for three month
  • Targeted NetGalley eblast
  • Three prepublication reviews
  • Ingram Reviews Program
  • Submitted to appropriate book award contests
  • Targeted outreach to author's community through website, newsletter, and social media
  • National and regional media outreach for features and reviews
  • NetGalley availability for three month
  • Targeted NetGalley eblast
  • Three prepublication reviews
  • Ingram Reviews Program
  • Submitted to appropriate book award contests
  • Targeted outreach to author's community...

Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781967510344
PRICE $19.95 (USD)
PAGES 306

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