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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Parallels to Dante's Inferno gone haywire. While the writing was at times riveting and deeply affecting, the episodic structure left me feeling cold. Too much time was devoted to the few ringdoms we actually get to see, and the threads joining them together felt a bit tenuous. Not sure I'll bother with the rest of the series.
fast-paced
Good fun from start to end, great cast of characters, all flawed and interesting. A good set-up for a series that I will be reading more of.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I came to this book aware of it as one of the examples of a breakthrough self-published fantasy novel and therefore with pretty high expectations, knowing what a competitive market-place that can be. Broadly, it didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed being immersed in the world that the author created, which has a number of novel elements but also felt embedded in a classical fantasy tradition stretching all the way back to novels such as Gullivers Travels and Candide.
The development of the central character Thomas Senlin really interested me. I think that one of the most successful parts of the book is the way in which he changes before your eyes without the reader really being aware of it, until sudden dramatic moments underscore quite how far he has come from his starting point.
That said, there were some obstacles early on. I found the story to be a little slow to get started, and some of the characterisation seemed a little uneven at the outset but once I had moved past that I found the story very engaging and difficult to put down. The ending leaves open a range of interesting directions for the surviving characters to travel in (both literally and metaphorically) and I look forward to seeing how things develop in future books.
The development of the central character Thomas Senlin really interested me. I think that one of the most successful parts of the book is the way in which he changes before your eyes without the reader really being aware of it, until sudden dramatic moments underscore quite how far he has come from his starting point.
That said, there were some obstacles early on. I found the story to be a little slow to get started, and some of the characterisation seemed a little uneven at the outset
Spoiler
(although it is fair to say that at least some of this is redeemed later in the book by revelations about the characters in question, such as Finn Goll and Adam)
An honest and surreal adventure
What a wholly unique book. I don't think I've read a fantasy book quite like this. I'm ashamed to admit I've come to expect certain tropes or familiarity with my fantasy books but this blew all of those out of the water. This was an abrupt move away from familiar fantasy settings and into something else.
Senlin's Ascend feels closer to something Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli would make. There's this other worldly feeling to it. There are familiar elements in this setting yet so different. The Tower of Babel feels so rich and creative and full of wonder.
It took me a little longer than expected to read this book. It's written in a much more stylized prose which makes sense since Bancroft is/was a fan of poetry. There's a lyrical aspect to the prose that's beautiful and slows the reading (not necessarily in a bad way, just is).
One last thing: Thomas Senlin is one of the best protagonists's I've read. The idea for a simple headmaster as the lead of a fantasy novel... Wow. Such an inspired choice. I'm surprised I haven't read something similar. He's smart and capable yet bashful and unsure. He feels like a regular person I would know put in an irregular situation.
What a wholly unique book. I don't think I've read a fantasy book quite like this. I'm ashamed to admit I've come to expect certain tropes or familiarity with my fantasy books but this blew all of those out of the water. This was an abrupt move away from familiar fantasy settings and into something else.
Senlin's Ascend feels closer to something Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli would make. There's this other worldly feeling to it. There are familiar elements in this setting yet so different. The Tower of Babel feels so rich and creative and full of wonder.
It took me a little longer than expected to read this book. It's written in a much more stylized prose which makes sense since Bancroft is/was a fan of poetry. There's a lyrical aspect to the prose that's beautiful and slows the reading (not necessarily in a bad way, just is).
One last thing: Thomas Senlin is one of the best protagonists's I've read. The idea for a simple headmaster as the lead of a fantasy novel... Wow. Such an inspired choice. I'm surprised I haven't read something similar. He's smart and capable yet bashful and unsure. He feels like a regular person I would know put in an irregular situation.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not sure if it's even fair to give this 5⭐ , given the other books I've also given 5.
This blows everything else I've read this year, out of the water.
Senlin is a truly fascinating character, that I think it's easy for anyone to see themselves in. An ordinary man, with an extremely ordinary outlook on life.
Thrown into a bizarre world where he loses his wife on their honeymoon, and spends the entire book trying to get her back.
His growth in only this first book is remarkable.
The writing style & setting remind me a lot of Terry Pratchett's style of world.
While the characterisation of the Tower of Babel is very much like Mervyn Peak's Gormenghast.
A building that lives.
Josiah Bancroft's humour & prose is right up my alley.
Brilliant.
This blows everything else I've read this year, out of the water.
Senlin is a truly fascinating character, that I think it's easy for anyone to see themselves in. An ordinary man, with an extremely ordinary outlook on life.
Thrown into a bizarre world where he loses his wife on their honeymoon, and spends the entire book trying to get her back.
His growth in only this first book is remarkable.
The writing style & setting remind me a lot of Terry Pratchett's style of world.
While the characterisation of the Tower of Babel is very much like Mervyn Peak's Gormenghast.
A building that lives.
Josiah Bancroft's humour & prose is right up my alley.
Brilliant.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated