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Before Ascendants: A Novel there was the Ascendants Anthology and Ascendants: Horizon. These short films helped develop the world of Ascendants that began with a feature script and morphed into a novel released in March 2026 with the potential to be a great streaming series. Head over to the novel’s website for the latest information or take a look here at our archive.
“Original concept. Story is thought provoking and intelligently written.”
The Novel
Ascendants is a high-stakes technothriller where proof of an afterlife collides with corporate power in a future transformed by scientific achievement, authoritarianism, and the collapse of religious ideology.
“The terrifying intersection of eugenics, theology, and political power.”
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.
Ascendants Anthology
The Ascendants Anthology is a series of short films that take place during key historical moments of the Ascendants mythology – from 2035 AD to 2070 AD.
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What is Ascendants?
Tagline: It's not the life you lead. It's the blood you bleed.
“Ascendants is a fascinating look at the intersection between science and philosophy and examines what can happen to those in a capitalistic environment. This modern cyber-punk adventure is a mirror to our current society and values, in the way that the best science fiction intends.”
—Erin Macdonald, PhD
Science Advisor for Star Trek
Ascendants is a multi-format project. Each short in the Ascendants Anthology explores a different aspect of the life created by the discovery of Ascension - and each film takes place at different key historical points. Read more about the pilot and take a look at conceptual artwork here.
Ascendants: Horizon
This 30 minute sci-fi short film serves as a prequel to ‘The Ascendants Anthology’ series as well as a general entry into the mythology of The Ascendants saga. ‘Horizon’ follows Ben, a prescription drug addict and an unwitting experiment of ‘The Jacobs Institute,’ as he returns home following the death of his father and reunites with the girl he left behind.
Countdown to Ascension
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