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Soul Designers

By: Dona Watson
Narrated by: Brandon J Peterson
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Summary

A half-breed seeks immortality for genetically engineered slaves.

Jack, the half-breed offspring of a human mother and a genetically engineered father, lives a life of pain, alienated by human society and by many of the gens created by mankind to perform heavy labor. Not only do gens live like slaves, but humans have withheld from them the one piece of DNA that would grant them a soul. Jack is determined to uncover this well-hidden secret and rescue his fellow gens from a meaningless existence with no prospect of eternal life. As he begins to infiltrate the ranks of the Ministry of Religion, he finds that the farther he goes, the more it could cost him—possibly even his own life.

©2023 Dona Watson (P)2024 Dona Watson

Critic reviews

“An exciting debut novel! Soul Designers blends meaningful threads of faith into an all-new dystopian society as Dona Watson crafts intrigue and humanity with a thoughtful pen. Whether you’re a long-time spec fan, or just getting started—Soul Designers is a story of hope that’s a wonderful addition to any fiction lover’s shelf.“ – Joanne Bischof, Christy Award-winning author of The Lady and the Lionheart

“A magnificent tale of what it means to be human. Set in a futuristic society, Dona Watson’s Soul Designers, explores a world populated by humans and genetics—the flaw being that the gens have been purposely engineered without souls. As such, they cannot enter heaven when they die. Watson puts her characters right in the heart of the moral struggle between faith and science. This is a book with a killer premise and riveting characters, and I highly recommend it!“ – USA Today bestselling author Merrie Destefano, author of Valiant, Shade, and Afterlife

“Dona Watson’s Soul Designers is a futuristic thriller that explores intriguing ideas. I applaud the originality. It really kept me guessing!“ – Kerry Nietz, award-winning author of Lost Bits and Frayed

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Listener received this title free

Unique idea...

An intriguing premise that doesn't quite reach it's full potential (Hopefully this will be rectified in a sequel). As far as speculative fiction goes I'd place this one in the top third of that genre. But it feels like important parts of the back story are missing and some of the world building needs to be expanded further. The prose is engaging without being verbose, it moves the plot along at a decent pace. The characters are believable in their acts and behaviour which is refreshing in any sci-fi novel.

Peterson's narration was great with no noticeable dips or breaks in the production. His diction is crystal clear and well paced. If there is a sequel then I hope he is utilised again.

Overall, it's a decent debut and I look forward to seeing how Watson progresses as a writer.

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