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oparel 's review for:
Senlin Ascends
by Josiah Bancroft
Well, that was really good.
For those who don't know, the story is about a school teacher who goes on honeymoon to the Tower of Babel, which is this massive structure with dozens of different layers, each of which has its own distinct culture. He loses his wife in the crowds and makes his way up the tower in search of her.
I picked it up after seeing it recommended by people whose opinions I trust both on Goodreads an on /r/fantasy (reddit's fantasy discussion board) and because the author always makes great contributions to discussions on /r/fantasy. The final straw was when I saw that he had chosen "Papa Won't Leave You Henry" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and "Wave of Mutilation" by Pixies as the theme songs for two of his characters.
Anyway, into the review:
The book is well paced. It drew me in quicker than I expected and kept me interested all the way through.
The premise is intriguing, by which I mean the Tower of Babel is fascinating to read about, and the worldbuilding is handled well (there are no massive info-dumps, you learn about the Tower at a pace that is slow enough to feel natural without being too frustrating).
I thought the prose was very good, which is quite an important aspect for me. It wasn't overly dense, flowery, or descriptive, but every now and then I'd come across a particular turn of phrase which made me pause in appreciation. It was a bit like Ursula Le Guin's writing in that way, although her style is a bit simpler. If I could improve the book in any way I'd probably make the prose a bit denser, as the Tower is a fantastic setting to explore, and I imagine that it would be even more amazing to read about if it was written in a style similar to that of The Book of the New Sun or Gormenghast. Both of these books have brilliant settings, and, when combined with their prose, they instilled in me a great sense of wonder which I felt was so close to happening in Senlin Ascends. This is a minor point, however, and one based on personal taste. The book would probably lose some of its accessibility and wider appeal if it was written in this way.
Characterisation may have been this book's strongest aspect. The majority of the focus is on Thomas Senlin, who was a truly fantastic protagonist. He is likeable yet flawed, which is what a protagonist should be, and the development of his character over the course of the book was superb. He begins as a stuffy, pedantic, self-important little man, and it was very satisfying watching him develop into a better, wiser and more capable person. None of the changes felt unnatural, and they were unnoticeable at the time, but by the end he's a very different man to who he was at the beginning. The side-characters are very good as well. Bancroft manages to give each of them a complex and compelling personality in a relatively short amount of time.
I fully intend to pick up the sequel, and its nice to know that the third installment of the tetralogy should come out later this year.
8.5/10
Update August 2017: Looking back I think I praised this book slightly too highly. It hasn't left that much of an impression on me (which is how I tend to measure the greatness of a book), and a 9/10 would put it among my all time favourites, so I'm knocking it down to 8.5/10. That's still a great score, and this doesn't mean that it was any less of an enjoyable read. It's still one of the best pieces of modern fantasy I've read, and I'd still encourage people to go and read it.
For those who don't know, the story is about a school teacher who goes on honeymoon to the Tower of Babel, which is this massive structure with dozens of different layers, each of which has its own distinct culture. He loses his wife in the crowds and makes his way up the tower in search of her.
I picked it up after seeing it recommended by people whose opinions I trust both on Goodreads an on /r/fantasy (reddit's fantasy discussion board) and because the author always makes great contributions to discussions on /r/fantasy. The final straw was when I saw that he had chosen "Papa Won't Leave You Henry" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and "Wave of Mutilation" by Pixies as the theme songs for two of his characters.
Anyway, into the review:
The book is well paced. It drew me in quicker than I expected and kept me interested all the way through.
The premise is intriguing, by which I mean the Tower of Babel is fascinating to read about, and the worldbuilding is handled well (there are no massive info-dumps, you learn about the Tower at a pace that is slow enough to feel natural without being too frustrating).
I thought the prose was very good, which is quite an important aspect for me. It wasn't overly dense, flowery, or descriptive, but every now and then I'd come across a particular turn of phrase which made me pause in appreciation. It was a bit like Ursula Le Guin's writing in that way, although her style is a bit simpler. If I could improve the book in any way I'd probably make the prose a bit denser, as the Tower is a fantastic setting to explore, and I imagine that it would be even more amazing to read about if it was written in a style similar to that of The Book of the New Sun or Gormenghast. Both of these books have brilliant settings, and, when combined with their prose, they instilled in me a great sense of wonder which I felt was so close to happening in Senlin Ascends. This is a minor point, however, and one based on personal taste. The book would probably lose some of its accessibility and wider appeal if it was written in this way.
Characterisation may have been this book's strongest aspect. The majority of the focus is on Thomas Senlin, who was a truly fantastic protagonist. He is likeable yet flawed, which is what a protagonist should be, and the development of his character over the course of the book was superb. He begins as a stuffy, pedantic, self-important little man, and it was very satisfying watching him develop into a better, wiser and more capable person. None of the changes felt unnatural, and they were unnoticeable at the time, but by the end he's a very different man to who he was at the beginning. The side-characters are very good as well. Bancroft manages to give each of them a complex and compelling personality in a relatively short amount of time.
I fully intend to pick up the sequel, and its nice to know that the third installment of the tetralogy should come out later this year.
8.5/10
Update August 2017: Looking back I think I praised this book slightly too highly. It hasn't left that much of an impression on me (which is how I tend to measure the greatness of a book), and a 9/10 would put it among my all time favourites, so I'm knocking it down to 8.5/10. That's still a great score, and this doesn't mean that it was any less of an enjoyable read. It's still one of the best pieces of modern fantasy I've read, and I'd still encourage people to go and read it.