{"id":10502,"date":"2025-03-22T14:15:56","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T18:15:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/?p=10502"},"modified":"2025-03-22T14:15:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T18:15:56","slug":"book-review-diathesis-descent-book-1-by-ishmael-a-soledad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/book-review-diathesis-descent-book-1-by-ishmael-a-soledad\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Diathesis (Descent, Book 1) by Ishmael A. Soledad"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Diathesis<\/a><\/p>\n

Diathesis (Descent, Book 1)<\/em>\u00a0by Ishmael A. Soledad<\/p>\n

Temple Dark Publishing, 2025 (release date April 18)<\/p>\n

ISBN: 2370015765491<\/p>\n

Available: Hardcover, ebook edition (preorder)<\/p>\n

Buy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With Diathesis, <\/em>author Ishmael Soledad has taken a quantum leap forward in science fiction writing.\u00a0 His debut, Sha\u2019kert<\/em>, was good, but also hinted at the potential of better to come.\u00a0 With Diathesis, <\/em>that potential has been fulfilled.\u00a0 The book is a phenomenal tale of science and the ethical questions that come with it, used to propel a gripping story.\u00a0 This one should easily be on the shortlist for awards this year, if not the outright winner.\u00a0 If you are looking for a futuristic tale that will keep you pondering over the dilemmas posed for weeks afterwards, don\u2019t miss this one.\u00a0 It\u2019s a must-read for sci-fi fans.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Diathesis<\/em> is written in the present tense, told in the first person from multiple character perspectives.\u00a0 Similarly to Sha\u2019kert<\/em>, it has intriguing plotlines that use moral questions as one of the foundations of the story.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 In this case, the main question concerns the genetic engineering of humans, deemed necessary to complete Earth\u2019s first interstellar flight.\u00a0 The genetically engineered humans are a big part of the story, and you\u2019ll 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.\u00a0 In other words, humans who aren\u2019t considered human.\u00a0 The author weaves their struggles into their training regimen over the years with impeccable skill, making for an enthralling story.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The engineered humans are not the only part of the story: other characters are equally as compelling, with problems of their own.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 It makes her character compelling.\u00a0 How much is too much?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Li Quao\u2019s 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.\u00a0 His part in the narrative isn\u2019t established by the end of the book, but he\u2019s clearly going to play an important role later.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 He\u2019s the one character that never has any qualms about doing anything wrong, since he believes himself incapable of it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All the above cover the story arc, from the original planning of the interstellar mission and the obstacles encountered, up through the initial launch.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of material here, but it\u2019s not the “hard science” type. The author prefers to concentrate on the characters instead of the technical aspects.\u00a0 That\u2019s where his main skill is, and it\u2019s doubtful that there is anyone else out there who does it this well.\u00a0 It\u2019s 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.\u00a0 This is sure to be one of the best of 2025.\u00a0 This is beyond highly recommended, and certainly gets the Samuelson seal of approval!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diathesis (Descent, Book 1)\u00a0by Ishmael A. Soledad Temple Dark Publishing, 2025 (release date April 18) ISBN: 2370015765491 Available: Hardcover, ebook edition (preorder) Buy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon.com   With Diathesis, author Ishmael Soledad has taken a quantum leap forward in science fiction writing.\u00a0 His debut, Sha\u2019kert, was good, but also hinted at the potential of better to come.\u00a0 With<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10502"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10504,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10502\/revisions\/10504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}