Spotlight: Ascendants by Don Schechter

Pub Date: March 24, 2026

Genre: Techno thriller/Sci-fi

Publisher: Girl Friday Productions

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.

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About the Author

Don Schechter is an entrepreneur, filmmaker, writer, and professor at Tufts University.

He is the author of the forthcoming novel, Ascendants, a speculative sci-fi thriller that explores the intersection of humanity and technology. The story, which Don describes as one that has been “chasing him for years,” serves as the cornerstone of a multi-platform universe.

The world of the novel is further brought to life through The Ascendants Anthology, a series of short films written and directed by Schechter. The film project has earned critical acclaim on the international festival circuit, screening at Hollyshorts (Finalist), the Philip K. Dick Film Festival, Boston Comic Con, the Hot Springs International Film Festival, The Tri-Cities Film Festival, NYCIFF-Fright Fest (winning five awards; including Best Director and Best Horror Science Fiction TV Series), and the Boston International Film Festival (winning “Best Sci-Fi”).

Don is the founder and CEO of Charles River Media, Inc. where he oversees a diverse slate of projects ranging from television, film, corporate, political, and non-profit communications.

A dedicated educator, Don serves as a professor at Tufts University in the Film and Media Studies program, teaching students filmmaking and marketing skills in “From Script to Screen” and The Art and Business of Crafting Compelling Media Campaigns. He is also the co-host of the science fiction podcast No Win Scenario and his TEDx Talk, “Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Storytellers, Sci-Fi, & Unreliable Mirrors” has been met with positive reviews. Originally from Queens, New York, Don is a lifelong student of speculative storytelling and currently lives outside of Boston.