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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Spoilers discussed at the very end of this review, after the jump.
Rating: 4.5
There's no such thing as starting fresh: new beginnings all contain the old ones bundled up inside of them.
Not since [b:Shadowbahn|31247641|Shadowbahn|Steve Erickson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485953191l/31247641._SY75_.jpg|46207394] have I read something so trippy and wholly unique. The world's new tallest mountain has appeared in the middle of the ocean. A group of researchers has been tasked to summit after a recently failed expedition. As they are beckoned to the top of the mountain, everything changes and hunts.
It took me a long while to get into this, just under halfway. However, once the monsters show up, all hell breaks lose and I was enraptured. Like others, I did not feel like the epistolary worked well here; however, by the last chapter, I understood the format more and I feel like, even though it didn't work well as you were reading, in hindsight it was perfect. I loved seeing how much science was carefully woven through there, with plenty of space for fiction and fantasy to interweave. I loved the recollections of Harold's past life. The spirit of this reminded me a lot of one of my favorite books, [b:Migrations|42121525|Migrations|Charlotte McConaghy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612818084l/42121525._SY75_.jpg|65230718]. I find the wrestling of regret such a fascinating concept to explore alongside the plot of a horrifying event. Like others, I thought Harold's resume was a bit difficult to believe, but considering the vastness of everything else that happens, I'm not sure that a crazy resume was the thing I was putting my foot down at. This was just such a joy to read and a true feat of entertainment and a testament to the lasting impact of human trauma, in a way much more honoring to victims and realistic than the worst book ever written, [b:A Little Life|22822858|A Little Life|Hanya Yanagihara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446469353l/22822858._SY75_.jpg|42375710]. Ascension is definitely a book you either love or hate, but I just couldn't do anything but love it.
If you enjoyed this, I might recommend [b:Present Tense Machine|57693680|Present Tense Machine|Gunnhild Øyehaug|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624224612l/57693680._SX50_.jpg|90371815] as another trippy, speculative (but much tamer) ride through human existence and consciousness.
One spoiler below I wanted to comment on from others' reviews:
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I did not see any of this book coming, but I find it a little interesting that so many perceived "I am alien" to be the big twist and that this was disappointing to people. I felt like the plot was secondary to the message of the stories we carry with us and the pasts we try to outrun. I think speculative fiction is supposed to be read in a different way than typical horror. I also think the twist at the end where the mountaineer is chosen and then kills himself was much more of the twist than the fact that the anthropologist was some kind of spy. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I was just surprised at that moment being emphasized for some reason.
Rating: 4.5
There's no such thing as starting fresh: new beginnings all contain the old ones bundled up inside of them.
Not since [b:Shadowbahn|31247641|Shadowbahn|Steve Erickson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485953191l/31247641._SY75_.jpg|46207394] have I read something so trippy and wholly unique. The world's new tallest mountain has appeared in the middle of the ocean. A group of researchers has been tasked to summit after a recently failed expedition. As they are beckoned to the top of the mountain, everything changes and hunts.
It took me a long while to get into this, just under halfway. However, once the monsters show up, all hell breaks lose and I was enraptured. Like others, I did not feel like the epistolary worked well here; however, by the last chapter, I understood the format more and I feel like, even though it didn't work well as you were reading, in hindsight it was perfect. I loved seeing how much science was carefully woven through there, with plenty of space for fiction and fantasy to interweave. I loved the recollections of Harold's past life. The spirit of this reminded me a lot of one of my favorite books, [b:Migrations|42121525|Migrations|Charlotte McConaghy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612818084l/42121525._SY75_.jpg|65230718]. I find the wrestling of regret such a fascinating concept to explore alongside the plot of a horrifying event. Like others, I thought Harold's resume was a bit difficult to believe, but considering the vastness of everything else that happens, I'm not sure that a crazy resume was the thing I was putting my foot down at. This was just such a joy to read and a true feat of entertainment and a testament to the lasting impact of human trauma, in a way much more honoring to victims and realistic than the worst book ever written, [b:A Little Life|22822858|A Little Life|Hanya Yanagihara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446469353l/22822858._SY75_.jpg|42375710]. Ascension is definitely a book you either love or hate, but I just couldn't do anything but love it.
If you enjoyed this, I might recommend [b:Present Tense Machine|57693680|Present Tense Machine|Gunnhild Øyehaug|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624224612l/57693680._SX50_.jpg|90371815] as another trippy, speculative (but much tamer) ride through human existence and consciousness.
One spoiler below I wanted to comment on from others' reviews:
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
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I did not see any of this book coming, but I find it a little interesting that so many perceived "I am alien" to be the big twist and that this was disappointing to people. I felt like the plot was secondary to the message of the stories we carry with us and the pasts we try to outrun. I think speculative fiction is supposed to be read in a different way than typical horror. I also think the twist at the end where the mountaineer is chosen and then kills himself was much more of the twist than the fact that the anthropologist was some kind of spy. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I was just surprised at that moment being emphasized for some reason.
ASCENSION is a Lovecraftian thriller that, like the mountain that dominates its, kept me racing towards the end. The book delivers most on the prose and the reader's immersion in journey, and the madness, of the team's ascent, which by turns becomes a descent into the core of what it means to be human.
Well, apparently I am 2/2 in reading bad horror novels this week. The blurb and reviews for this were so compelling that I hit preorder immediately and then eagerly awaited its release. I was hoping for something existential and disturbing, along the lines of Thomas Olde Heuvelt’s Echo. Instead, I got a ridiculous sci-fi B movie of a book. I’ll skip most of my nitpicks and tell you that this review would have been much more measured except for one plot reveal that was so cartoonishly bad that I had to put the book down for a second. Towards the end, we finally realize that the mysterious and sinister alien presence that has created this anomaly has been with them on the journey all along. It’s none other than Dr. Neil Amai, teh anthropologist. How do we know this? Because the narrator realizes that Neil Amai…spells “I am alien” backwards.
If that reveal doesn’t make you roll your eyes, you might love this book. Otherwise, I’d skip it.
If that reveal doesn’t make you roll your eyes, you might love this book. Otherwise, I’d skip it.
Why aren't more people talking about this book?? I had never heard of Nicholas Binge but now I am intrigued. This story was unlike many books I have read in that it had a unique premise, alluring writing style and a compelling group of characters. If you enjoy science fiction and mind bending existential questions about the universe then this book is for you.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
This was exactly what I was in the mood for! Shorter Sci-Fi/Horror/psychological thriller that has a ton of emotional depth, and I loved pretty much about everything about it.
First of all, my favorite aspect of this was that emotional depth piece. The family moments from the flashbacks were handled so damn well and were really heartwarming/heartbreaking at times. I made note of a moment in particular when a relationship begins to separate as a child comes into the picture, and felt I could really empathize with that. Enough to jot it down at least.
The characters were all very distinguishable (outside of a couple of the soldiers), but solid character work in my opinion.
There's a bit of philosophical discussions at play here, but not too dense and felt like I was able to capture the majority of those themes. I can say the exact same thing about the hard sci-fi elements - gets pretty crazy and out there... but he does a great job at explaining it in laymen's terms, enough to get the general point across.
Hard not to compare this to the movies like Annihilation and Arrival (both stories I haven't read yet). This could EASILY be made into a great movie, adapting the book scene-for-scene. I picture it being in the same vein as Annihilation, might even be a bit too similar. Doubt that will ever happen unless Binge gets some crazy surge of attention in the future.
If I can point to any negatives on why it wouldn't be a 10 for me... I felt like I was more intrigued with the flashbacks then I was to the current timeline w/ the suspense/mountain/monsters scenes. Maybe those suspenseful moments could have been written as more engaging/visceral? Also, I thought there were a moment or two early on that made me laugh, but think it ended there. I could always use more humor and think this author is capable - would have liked to see some more humor mixed in here and there. That's about all I can think of. I personally love an ambiguous & thought provoking ending, so no negative from me there!
Overall, I really enjoyed this and Binge could be a new favorite of mine if he continues to seamlessly blend his emotional/family themes with the sci-fi elements. Think he has a strong talent there and makes me very excited for his future work!
9.25/10
First of all, my favorite aspect of this was that emotional depth piece. The family moments from the flashbacks were handled so damn well and were really heartwarming/heartbreaking at times. I made note of a moment in particular when a relationship begins to separate as a child comes into the picture, and felt I could really empathize with that. Enough to jot it down at least.
The characters were all very distinguishable (outside of a couple of the soldiers), but solid character work in my opinion.
There's a bit of philosophical discussions at play here, but not too dense and felt like I was able to capture the majority of those themes. I can say the exact same thing about the hard sci-fi elements - gets pretty crazy and out there... but he does a great job at explaining it in laymen's terms, enough to get the general point across.
Hard not to compare this to the movies like Annihilation and Arrival (both stories I haven't read yet). This could EASILY be made into a great movie, adapting the book scene-for-scene. I picture it being in the same vein as Annihilation, might even be a bit too similar. Doubt that will ever happen unless Binge gets some crazy surge of attention in the future.
If I can point to any negatives on why it wouldn't be a 10 for me... I felt like I was more intrigued with the flashbacks then I was to the current timeline w/ the suspense/mountain/monsters scenes. Maybe those suspenseful moments could have been written as more engaging/visceral? Also, I thought there were a moment or two early on that made me laugh, but think it ended there. I could always use more humor and think this author is capable - would have liked to see some more humor mixed in here and there. That's about all I can think of. I personally love an ambiguous & thought provoking ending, so no negative from me there!
Overall, I really enjoyed this and Binge could be a new favorite of mine if he continues to seamlessly blend his emotional/family themes with the sci-fi elements. Think he has a strong talent there and makes me very excited for his future work!
9.25/10
Only because I am in the holiday spirit do I graciously give this two stars. Anyone who knows me knows my love for the holidays. If my son or daughter had written this book, I would quietly sell my house and move at least 500 miles away from them. If they had written this book at the age of 10 I would have put them on the doorsteps of human services with a note asking they be adopted out. I enjoy good dialogue between characters. It is absent here. It is cheesy and unforgivable. A mark of a good book is when they can allow you to believe something can happen. It does not accomplish this. Change the oil on your car instead. It will be more fulfilling.
If not for the campy and frankly goofy reveal at the end of this book, I would have absolutely loved it and given it five stars.
This book does a great job on everything else though, I loved the character development with we got with our main character, paired with what I found to be a well implemented past storyline that was drip fed in a way for us to stay just on the cusp of understanding our main character. The tension and paranoia was done well and kept me wanting to find out more.
Is this a perfect book? No, but I do think its a really good genre thriller than blends sci-fi and horror all into a fast paced package!!!
If you like John Carpenter's The Thing, you might also enjoy this book (and vice versa)!!
This book does a great job on everything else though, I loved the character development with we got with our main character, paired with what I found to be a well implemented past storyline that was drip fed in a way for us to stay just on the cusp of understanding our main character. The tension and paranoia was done well and kept me wanting to find out more.
Is this a perfect book? No, but I do think its a really good genre thriller than blends sci-fi and horror all into a fast paced package!!!
If you like John Carpenter's The Thing, you might also enjoy this book (and vice versa)!!
I must admit, I thought about giving it four stars, but in the end I realized how entertained I was by the whole thing, how much it captured my attention. It took a bit to get going, but once they got to the mountain I found that I sat down to read and when I stopped I had gone 200+ pages in one sitting because I was just so curious and wanting to keep going. So stick with it, if the opening doesn’t grab you. The end also kinda had a sketchy landing, and there were some things that I thought seemed a bit rushed in the tie-up, but overall this was a good mystery thriller with sci-fi elements. Reminds me of mixing Jeff VanderMeer’s “Annihilation” and Lost. I saw someone already picked up the film option, and it read very much like a good movie already. I think with the right director, some good visuals / cinematography for the alien stuff, and even just one big-name actor to bring in the buzz, this could work really well as a movie. Will be curious to see what Binge writes next.
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Medical content