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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The setting is fresh, and the main character is extremely likable. I'm looking forward to continuing the adventure in the next book!
“We shouldn't have to go around congratulating each other for behaving with basic human dignity.”
Senlin Ascends is unlike your typical high fantasy book. It's fantasy with a basic premise, or so one thinks. A headmaster, Thomas Senlin, that works at a school in a small village faraway, marries a sweet girl called Marya. Thomas Senlin is a man of planning, habits and follows the rules. But Senlin is fascinated with the mysterious tower, so for their honeymoon, they plan to visit the tower. Senlin even has a guidebook for the tower, so what could go wrong, right?
Basically everything went wrong. Not only does Marya disappear but we find out the inside of the Tower of Babel is much more complicated than Senlin thought. Different worlds living and dwelling inside each level of the tower. The tower turns out to be, not as beautiful as he expected. In search for his wife he encounters many different people in the tower.
The simple premise has many strong factors. Senlin Ascends is a different mainstream fantasy novel, but it still has the elements of a compelling fantasy novel. Friendship, adventure, heists, philosophies, hope and despair.
This book is much more relatable because Senlin is a simple man. His character development was great. He went from being this timid, sensible and innocent man, to be the man he needed to be to achieve his goal in a realistic way. I liked the side-characters mentioned, his relationships with them and how Josiah Bancroft intervowed them through the story.
Recommended and read with my dear friend Fares
Senlin Ascends is unlike your typical high fantasy book. It's fantasy with a basic premise, or so one thinks. A headmaster, Thomas Senlin, that works at a school in a small village faraway, marries a sweet girl called Marya. Thomas Senlin is a man of planning, habits and follows the rules. But Senlin is fascinated with the mysterious tower, so for their honeymoon, they plan to visit the tower. Senlin even has a guidebook for the tower, so what could go wrong, right?
Basically everything went wrong. Not only does Marya disappear but we find out the inside of the Tower of Babel is much more complicated than Senlin thought. Different worlds living and dwelling inside each level of the tower. The tower turns out to be, not as beautiful as he expected. In search for his wife he encounters many different people in the tower.
The simple premise has many strong factors. Senlin Ascends is a different mainstream fantasy novel, but it still has the elements of a compelling fantasy novel. Friendship, adventure, heists, philosophies, hope and despair.
This book is much more relatable because Senlin is a simple man. His character development was great. He went from being this timid, sensible and innocent man, to be the man he needed to be to achieve his goal in a realistic way. I liked the side-characters mentioned, his relationships with them and how Josiah Bancroft intervowed them through the story.
Recommended and read with my dear friend Fares
This was an adventure. A true adventure. From the moment Thomas Senlin lost his wife in the markets to the very end (no spoilers!), it was the most vibrant adventure I have ever experienced. And yet, I feel, I have only just scraped the surface. For the Tower goes ever higher, and there are two more books to go. I can't wait to step into another adventure in the Tower, exploring all the sordid secrets and deadly schemes with one of the most stalwart main characters I've ever had the luck to meet.
I kinda barely paid attention to this audiobook, the women-trafficking really turned me off to the story and I was expecting a lot more magic/mystery about the tower but it was more steampunk and kinda grim
Read this after seeing book_reviews_kill on TikTok recommend this as one of his favorite books. And I have to say I love this. Excited to see where Thomas ends up in the next installment, which I've already requested from my library. The book is just so rich in explanation and the ringdoms that Thomas goes to during this book are all fully fleshed out and let the reader know that no one and nothing can be trusted, but also we do have some friends. Thomas is not uncaring and still forms relationships with those around him, wanting to see the good in those he interacts with.
One of the most brilliant books I have ever read! I am honestly baffled by the fact that not more people are talking about this series and will forever be grateful I randomly stumbled upon it. I fell in love with Senlin Ascends from page one and could not stop myself from reading. The writing is poignant, funny, and witty, as are the characters. The plot has to be one of the weirdest yet most engaging ones I've ever read, veering from kafkaesque elements to fantasy, steampunk, and even a bit of a mystery. Selin was an incredibly entertaining and relatable 'hero' to follow on his quest and I cannot wait where his adventure takes him next. Please consider picking this book up if the premise sounds interesting to you - you won't be disappointed, I promise!
First re-read: 19 November 2021
Original Rating: 4 stars
New Rating: 3.5 stars
Still Goodreads fcking sucks are having new reviews for re-reads... plus lots of QOLs improvements.
Anyways, SPOILERS...
Sooo, more or less I still like this book. But I guess one of the bad things I didn't like is how the characters keep meeting each other like a puzzle being formed together. Even some problems that are almost impossible to get out of is solved by someone intervening or Senlin "accidentally" do something right - it's fine but it's a little bit *too* perfect. Plus, the mystery of Marya's disappearance and the painting (mainly) is just so interesting - which we would see more of the upcoming books.
--- Original Review ---
This is [still] one of the underrated gems of fantasy and I hope it would more popular to fantasy readers or just readers in general. This book does have the common elements of fantasy like magic, dragons, or about defeating the "big bad" by "the one" who was once weak and ordinary. The plot seems too plain [for me] - finding Thomas's wife in a tower. Honestly, I wouldn't pick it up myself if it weren't for r/fantasy or Mark Lawrence who constantly praise this book. But suprisingly . . . it's really great. So what makes it worth reading?
First, the characters. . . they are so well-written and they have very different personalities motives, and raison d'êtres (just love this word, and I'm pleased Josiah Bancroft mentioned it). We have Thomas who is a headmaster, timid, someone who overthinks, too trusty or someone who doesn't stick to a plan until the tower changed him. I saw a huge character development in this book when he encountered different people on different ringdoms of the tower, he was pushed out of his comfort zone, driven by his desire to find his wife he pushed in the world of treachery, lies, and conspiracies.
Secondary or side characters like Marya, Edith, Adam, Voleta, Iren, Finn Goll, Ogier, Commissioner Pound, and Kristof are interesting on their own. I have to say Edith is probably my favorite character in this book, the way she acted at the parlor, her back story, and Kristof despite for a short appearance made me like his character. Meanwhile, Finn Goll
The picture above is a rough cover of the special edition to be published by Subterranean Press. You can see that it is not merely a tower, with some windows or something. It also has some ports, where airships can dock. It's beautiful inside and out. This book's world building is really great. In this book we see the lower four ringdoms of the Tower + the Market (which you can see in the next picture). We seen The Basement full of pickpockets and the weird beer-me-go round. There's The Parlor where you the whole floor is a stage filled with actors and audiences alike. Where you can act repeatedly as someone for months, where fires are being stoked. I've always wondered why can't people just skip this for people like Senlin who needs to go up to the Baths (but it will get answered at the end), Then we saw The Baths where Senlin intended to meet Marya. Then we also saw New Babel, for me it reminds me of Gotham, this place is just a bad place
TL;DR: This book is a must-read, character-driven and the world-building is superb. (Actual Rating: 4.5/5)
Some extrasss, books like this one or like [b:Kings of the Wyld|30841984|Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1)|Nicholas Eames|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477027207l/30841984._SY75_.jpg|51246585] are so underrated that my local bookstore only have copies in stock (probably 3 maximum). For about an hour in the bookstore, still choosing the book I'll buy, I saw the last copy of [b:Arm of the Sphinx|35959733|Arm of the Sphinx (The Books of Babel, #2)|Josiah Bancroft|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509574820l/35959733._SX50_.jpg|45063868] at the fantasy book shelves, but no Senlin Ascends. So I asked for a copy of Senlin Ascends to be transferred, and there are only 2 available copies in our whole country. So I bought the second book, and got the copy of Senlin Ascends the next day. Glad that I've bought this instead of something else
Original Rating: 4 stars
New Rating: 3.5 stars
Still Goodreads fcking sucks are having new reviews for re-reads... plus lots of QOLs improvements.
Anyways, SPOILERS...
Sooo, more or less I still like this book. But I guess one of the bad things I didn't like is how the characters keep meeting each other like a puzzle being formed together. Even some problems that are almost impossible to get out of is solved by someone intervening or Senlin "accidentally" do something right - it's fine but it's a little bit *too* perfect. Plus, the mystery of Marya's disappearance and the painting (mainly) is just so interesting - which we would see more of the upcoming books.
--- Original Review ---
This is [still] one of the underrated gems of fantasy and I hope it would more popular to fantasy readers or just readers in general. This book does have the common elements of fantasy like magic, dragons, or about defeating the "big bad" by "the one" who was once weak and ordinary. The plot seems too plain [for me] - finding Thomas's wife in a tower. Honestly, I wouldn't pick it up myself if it weren't for r/fantasy or Mark Lawrence who constantly praise this book. But suprisingly . . . it's really great. So what makes it worth reading?
First, the characters. . . they are so well-written and they have very different personalities motives, and raison d'êtres (just love this word, and I'm pleased Josiah Bancroft mentioned it). We have Thomas who is a headmaster, timid, someone who overthinks, too trusty or someone who doesn't stick to a plan until the tower changed him. I saw a huge character development in this book when he encountered different people on different ringdoms of the tower, he was pushed out of his comfort zone, driven by his desire to find his wife he pushed in the world of treachery, lies, and conspiracies.
Secondary or side characters like Marya, Edith, Adam, Voleta, Iren, Finn Goll, Ogier, Commissioner Pound, and Kristof are interesting on their own. I have to say Edith is probably my favorite character in this book, the way she acted at the parlor, her back story, and
Spoiler
particularly at the end, with that metal arm, cyberEdith!Spoiler
reminds me too much of Penguin of Gotham (Batman/DC), may be because I've been reading too much comics lately. That leads me to . . .The picture above is a rough cover of the special edition to be published by Subterranean Press. You can see that it is not merely a tower, with some windows or something. It also has some ports, where airships can dock. It's beautiful inside and out. This book's world building is really great. In this book we see the lower four ringdoms of the Tower + the Market (which you can see in the next picture). We seen The Basement full of pickpockets and the weird beer-me-go round. There's The Parlor where you the whole floor is a stage filled with actors and audiences alike. Where you can act repeatedly as someone for months, where fires are being stoked. I've always wondered why can't people just skip this for people like Senlin who needs to go up to the Baths (but it will get answered at the end),
Spoiler
but why the real weapons though? for fun and an attempt to make it real as possible? May be?Spoiler
without Batman, without something that the "villains" like Finn Goll fear.TL;DR: This book is a must-read, character-driven and the world-building is superb. (Actual Rating: 4.5/5)
Favorite quote: “Even beauty diminishes with study. It is better to glance than gawk.”It's like reading this book, it's beautiful despite it not being perfect. I just love it.
Some extrasss, books like this one or like [b:Kings of the Wyld|30841984|Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1)|Nicholas Eames|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477027207l/30841984._SY75_.jpg|51246585] are so underrated that my local bookstore only have copies in stock (probably 3 maximum). For about an hour in the bookstore, still choosing the book I'll buy, I saw the last copy of [b:Arm of the Sphinx|35959733|Arm of the Sphinx (The Books of Babel, #2)|Josiah Bancroft|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509574820l/35959733._SX50_.jpg|45063868] at the fantasy book shelves, but no Senlin Ascends. So I asked for a copy of Senlin Ascends to be transferred, and there are only 2 available copies in our whole country. So I bought the second book, and got the copy of Senlin Ascends the next day. Glad that I've bought this instead of something else
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
It's just kind of okay? The first section was really interesting, I loved the Basement and the Parlour, but the middle part just dragged on for what felt like forever. If I could rate based on sections the first would be a solid 4.5 but the Baths would be 2.