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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Senlin Ascends is a roller coaster ride through a unique, steampunk world. It is filled with mystique and misery, humor and humility, and no small degree of charm. There is a great deal of wisdom between these pages. I believe I highlighted more passages in this book than any other I have read in recent memory.
For me, where Senlin falters most is with it's pacing. It is a slow start. Really the entire first part is a bit rough. The second part is markedly better but the third and final part is really where the story takes off. In comparison to the third part, the first two are simply drab. This mostly just makes me even more excited for the next book.
I also had a hard time coming to grips with a simple fact about halfway through the book. When the story begins it has a clear goal in mind. Our main character Thomas Senlin is on a mission. I had to reconcile with the fact that this book is filled with many side quests, as it were. The progression in the main quest is rather little and the hints and hopes to the main goal nearly get entirely lost at times. I found this aspect frustrating at first but once I figured out this story was going somewhere else I found much more enjoyment in it.
This is a great book and I look forward to the next one.
For me, where Senlin falters most is with it's pacing. It is a slow start. Really the entire first part is a bit rough. The second part is markedly better but the third and final part is really where the story takes off. In comparison to the third part, the first two are simply drab. This mostly just makes me even more excited for the next book.
I also had a hard time coming to grips with a simple fact about halfway through the book. When the story begins it has a clear goal in mind. Our main character Thomas Senlin is on a mission. I had to reconcile with the fact that this book is filled with many side quests, as it were. The progression in the main quest is rather little and the hints and hopes to the main goal nearly get entirely lost at times. I found this aspect frustrating at first but once I figured out this story was going somewhere else I found much more enjoyment in it.
This is a great book and I look forward to the next one.
This book represents what many of us indie authors wish would happen to us--some big name person would read our book and like it so much they would push it out to their masses of followers. And this book certainly deserves the hype and the fact that it's being picked up by a big publisher. It's a hero's journey tale but delightfully told and very well written. The closest story I can think of to come close in style to this one is the series The Dungeon, edited by Philip Jose Farmer, though this is far superior.
This book was so interesting, I forced my husband to listen to me describe it just so I could discuss it with someone. Also the overlying plot twists and turns unexpectedly, which I can always appreciate! Interested to see where the story goes...
Senlin Ascends is a delightful fantasy adventure that is well-written, full of interesting characters, and uses its unique setting to full effect. I recommend it to basically everyone who reads the fantasy genre. This novel was fun and fast paced!
Newlyweds Thomas and Marya Senlin are off to honeymoon at the awe-inspiring Tower of Babel. Tom, a level-headed, subdued school master quickly loses his wife in the chaotic crowds outside the tower. Thus begins his quest to find his bride. Yet the tower is not the civilized bastion of ease and refinement he has been led to believe. To save his wife, Senlin must navigate a rogues gallery of scoundrels, thugs and liars to ascend the tiers of the tower, each a unique society replete with new perils and allies that fit together into a well-crafted story.
Before I gush too much I should briefly mention the few things I didn’t like, though I will say at the outset that I still greatly enjoyed the book overall. My biggest issues was that a few of the plot points felt a bit contrived, and there were moments that didn’t ring true because one character or another would foolishly believe a cad despite all evidence to the contrary, or conveniently suffer a lapse in their suspicious or greedy natures to allow one of the capers to proceed. A few of the similes that Bancroft used also fell flat for me, feeling more like author intrusions, but in general the writing is very well executed and at times deeply charming in a way that helps to endear the book overall. Finally, I will note that the villains are definitely caricatures. However, in a way, they are more like avatars of the tower’s corruption, and to be perfectly honest, they match the, at times, absurd steampunk ascetic quite well, diminishing what would normally be a major issue for a novel to only a minor quibble.
At first, Senlin’s muted personality is underwhelming. I’ll admit that after the first few chapters, while still very much engaged with the book, I wanted a little more from the main character. Bancroft delivers, using flashbacks of his wife to invest the reader in their relationship, and thus the quest, but also steadily drawing him out of his shell as new dangers force him into action and his determination and experience transform his introversion into stoic nerve and bold resolve. Most importantly his ability to hope and trust, scarce commodities in the tower, gives Senlin real heart. The supporting cast is also memorable: artists, aeronauts, acrobats, con men, and lay abouts, though the overall tone is more quirky and quixotic than deep or emotional. They are not without some nuance, though, and none of them feel false or flat. In general the level of characterization matches the tone of the book, evolving what at first seems a purely light-hearted romp, to give it just enough darkness and conflict to lend the stakes the needed ballast to offset the playful and eccentric atmosphere that pervades the tower.
The ending pulls the disparate threads together into a satisfying conclusion that is made memorable by the unique setting and some cleverly inserted surreal elements that stamp it all with Bancroft’s unique voice.
Do yourself a favor and enjoy this book as soon as possible. I for one will continue on to the sequel, The Arm of the Sphinx, which is set up in the closing chapters of Senlin Ascends. I also look forward to the final installment of the trilogy, The Hod King, coming out January 22nd 2019!
Newlyweds Thomas and Marya Senlin are off to honeymoon at the awe-inspiring Tower of Babel. Tom, a level-headed, subdued school master quickly loses his wife in the chaotic crowds outside the tower. Thus begins his quest to find his bride. Yet the tower is not the civilized bastion of ease and refinement he has been led to believe. To save his wife, Senlin must navigate a rogues gallery of scoundrels, thugs and liars to ascend the tiers of the tower, each a unique society replete with new perils and allies that fit together into a well-crafted story.
Before I gush too much I should briefly mention the few things I didn’t like, though I will say at the outset that I still greatly enjoyed the book overall. My biggest issues was that a few of the plot points felt a bit contrived, and there were moments that didn’t ring true because one character or another would foolishly believe a cad despite all evidence to the contrary, or conveniently suffer a lapse in their suspicious or greedy natures to allow one of the capers to proceed. A few of the similes that Bancroft used also fell flat for me, feeling more like author intrusions, but in general the writing is very well executed and at times deeply charming in a way that helps to endear the book overall. Finally, I will note that the villains are definitely caricatures. However, in a way, they are more like avatars of the tower’s corruption, and to be perfectly honest, they match the, at times, absurd steampunk ascetic quite well, diminishing what would normally be a major issue for a novel to only a minor quibble.
At first, Senlin’s muted personality is underwhelming. I’ll admit that after the first few chapters, while still very much engaged with the book, I wanted a little more from the main character. Bancroft delivers, using flashbacks of his wife to invest the reader in their relationship, and thus the quest, but also steadily drawing him out of his shell as new dangers force him into action and his determination and experience transform his introversion into stoic nerve and bold resolve. Most importantly his ability to hope and trust, scarce commodities in the tower, gives Senlin real heart. The supporting cast is also memorable: artists, aeronauts, acrobats, con men, and lay abouts, though the overall tone is more quirky and quixotic than deep or emotional. They are not without some nuance, though, and none of them feel false or flat. In general the level of characterization matches the tone of the book, evolving what at first seems a purely light-hearted romp, to give it just enough darkness and conflict to lend the stakes the needed ballast to offset the playful and eccentric atmosphere that pervades the tower.
The ending pulls the disparate threads together into a satisfying conclusion that is made memorable by the unique setting and some cleverly inserted surreal elements that stamp it all with Bancroft’s unique voice.
Do yourself a favor and enjoy this book as soon as possible. I for one will continue on to the sequel, The Arm of the Sphinx, which is set up in the closing chapters of Senlin Ascends. I also look forward to the final installment of the trilogy, The Hod King, coming out January 22nd 2019!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft was exciting, well written, and all around captivating fun! The characters were astoundingly actualized, showing, as they evolved, all levels of humbling, raw humanity. The plot was exhilarating, fuel packed and transformative. The richly built Babel-verse was a dynamic treat and an extraordinary thrill to navigate. Easy to get into. Thrilling to the very end. Senlin Ascends is a fantastic, masterful, buoyant read! I'm so glad that there's more to come! Excellent! Excellent!
I would like to thank NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was an unexpected delight. The world building is what immediately catches your attention, with descriptions of the Tower of Babel, center of all things civilized and beautiful. But it doesn't take long for the story itself to pull you in, much like the tower grips the main character in an unbreakable hold.
The pacing is excellent. It ends up being in many ways quite a dark book, but the darker elements build up slowly and masterfully so that you are always kind of questioning the real nature of things alongside the antagonist. I also found the character development to be a thing of beauty and skill, as it crafted an incredibly believable, poignant story of an inactive scholar turned wary hero.
I am straight away starting the sequel and find myself incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon this little masterpiece.
The pacing is excellent. It ends up being in many ways quite a dark book, but the darker elements build up slowly and masterfully so that you are always kind of questioning the real nature of things alongside the antagonist. I also found the character development to be a thing of beauty and skill, as it crafted an incredibly believable, poignant story of an inactive scholar turned wary hero.
I am straight away starting the sequel and find myself incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon this little masterpiece.