Book Review: Diathesis (Descent, Book 1) by Ishmael A. Soledad

Diathesis by Ishmael A. Soledad

Diathesis (Descent, Book 1) by Ishmael A. Soledad

Temple Dark Publishing, 2025 (release date April 18)

ISBN: 2370015765491

Available: Hardcover, ebook edition (preorder)

Buy:  Amazon.com

 

With Diathesis, author Ishmael Soledad has taken a quantum leap forward in science fiction writing.  His debut, Sha’kert, was good, but also hinted at the potential of better to come.  With Diathesis, that potential has been fulfilled.  The book is a phenomenal tale of science and the ethical questions that come with it, used to propel a gripping story.  This one should easily be on the shortlist for awards this year, if not the outright winner.  If you are looking for a futuristic tale that will keep you pondering over the dilemmas posed for weeks afterwards, don’t miss this one.  It’s a must-read for sci-fi fans.

 

Diathesis is written in the present tense, told in the first person from multiple character perspectives.  Similarly to Sha’kert, it has intriguing plotlines that use moral questions as one of the foundations of the story.  However, the ethics are not the overriding reason for the story, they are simply part of it and used to advance the overall narrative, while making the reader think at the same time.  In this case, the main question concerns the genetic engineering of humans, deemed necessary to complete Earth’s first interstellar flight.  The genetically engineered humans are a big part of the story, and you’ll follow them as they deal with the fact that despite all the money and effort poured into making them superior, they are still considered expendable, nothing more than items designed for a purpose.  In other words, humans who aren’t considered human.  The author weaves their struggles into their training regimen over the years with impeccable skill, making for an enthralling story.

 

The engineered humans are not the only part of the story: other characters are equally as compelling, with problems of their own.  Maria, the scientist who creates the cryogenic sleep system needed to allow for interstellar flight, must compromise everything she believes in order to continue her research.  For her, the price may eventually become too high, and Maria has to decide whether to sit on the sidelines or do something about it, possibly destroying everything she worked for her entire life.  It makes her character compelling.  How much is too much?

 

Li Quao’s plot thread provides a nice counterpoint to the other characters, since he could be politely classified as having an extreme self-interest streak, or, more accurately, as a borderline sociopath.  His part in the narrative isn’t established by the end of the book, but he’s clearly going to play an important role later.  His Jekyll/Hyde personality can be terrifying, as he eliminates anything in his way, but on the surface he plays the role of a morally centered person perfectly.  He’s the one character that never has any qualms about doing anything wrong, since he believes himself incapable of it.

 

All the above cover the story arc, from the original planning of the interstellar mission and the obstacles encountered, up through the initial launch.  There’s a lot of material here, but it’s not the “hard science” type. The author prefers to concentrate on the characters instead of the technical aspects.  That’s where his main skill is, and it’s doubtful that there is anyone else out there who does it this well.  It’s a character-driven story that pulls you in hard and never eases up, while giving you plenty to think about over the course of reading it, and long after.  This is sure to be one of the best of 2025.  This is beyond highly recommended, and certainly gets the Samuelson seal of approval!

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on March 22, 2025 by , Reply

Musings: The Trouble with Young Adult Fiction

And now for something completely different.

 

Elisabeth Wheatley is an indie author of  fantasy romance who also makes videos, and most recently she addressed a question from the  parent of girls aged 12 and 14: why does every YA book seem like it has smut? Part of her video had to do with the way other readers piled on that person (as in, don’t be a jerk),  but her answer is interesting, and so are the comments that followed the video. And what I found interesting about the comments was that there are many people who have a different idea of what YA books are and who their target audience is than those of us who are librarians, writers, and publishers. These are people who read extensively in their genre, and I assumed we were all working off a common definition.

 

Granted, the boundaries are a little muddled: A Court of Thorns and Roses was originally marketed as a YA title and is often shelved with YA books, but is definitely not YA (this is likely how it frequently ends up challenged) but to me the surprising thing to me is the number of readers who think young adult books are for readers in their 20s– who would actually be described as young adults- instead of for teenagers. YA fiction has a lot more adult readers than it used to, but this is the first time I’ve actually come across a significant group of readers who believe YA is not for teenagers.

Have you come across this belief that young adult books are actually for readers who are in their 20s? I”ve been reading YA books since the 1980s and I never would have predicted there would be confusion over this. What do you think about the way books are being marketed over this “blurred line”? Do you think it matters, not just in terms of “smut” but in terms of violence?  I’d love to know.

Posted on March 2, 2025 by , Reply

Musings: Discovering A Brave New World

bookcover for Brave New World

 

The Monster Kid just took an unofficial poll of his peers (mostly college freshmen) and asked if any of them had read a book in the last year. With one exception, they said they had not read a book in years. How they graduated high school without reading a book is unclear to me. Certainly my kids have had novels assigned, and I know they’ve read them. Maybe they aren’t counting fanfiction, webnovels, or graphic novels?

 

This was part of a discussion I was having with him over the book he had just discovered– a revelation! After years of reading and rereading 1984, he has just discovered Brave New World and is comparing them to each other and current events. To discover a book that is a source of wonder is a rare thing once you have passed the gates of childhood, where everything you encounter is for the first time.

 

Looking back to books we loved in the past often reveals the flaws we missed when the story first swept us away (how did I miss the antisemitism in Oliver Twist?} especially once we have encountered a wider context, both in the world around us and through other books we’ve read (I’ve suggested Julia, The Handmaid”s Tale, Fahrenheit 451, The Parable of the Sower, and others to him), but once he pulls his nose out of his schoolwork and stack of screenwriting books, I guess he will have to discover those on his own as well. It’s pretty exciting to see a face light up like that, regardless,

 

I would love to see everyone read widely, to discover that book that suddenly clicks and carries you away, and then be able to come to terms with its flaws, if you can. It saddens me that so few of the Monster Kid’s peers have given themselves that opportunity. I hope that every one of you do, as well.

Posted on March 1, 2025 by , Reply
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