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A review by bex_knighthunterbooks
In Ascension by Martin MacInnes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a hard book for me to review - I can come up with lots of things I didn't like, and very few I did, but ultimately I did enjoy my reading experience and appreciated what it was trying to do.
This is near future sci-fi, but definitely fits closer with literary genre-conventions. While the mysteries are profound and intriguing, I got the impression quite early on that this book is not keen on giving us all the answers. It also takes liberties with keeping us at a remove from any action or excitement. Written in 3rd person past, and with very little dialogue, so much of the book feels almost 'slice-of-life'. We get a lot about the main characters childhood trauma and subsequent difficult relationships with her family, but very little about how she feels being a part of world-changing events.
Leigh, our main character is also pretty unlikable and lacking some depth (although her characterisation was saved in part for me by the switch to her sister's POV who could see all her flaws). The story felt kind of dreamy and empty, with Leigh not seeming to have my agency of visibility of what's going on.
I did find it quite easy to read though, with generally simple sparse writing and the occasional poetic part. The pacing felt very slow, but also contained quite choppy jumps.
For me I think what I enjoyed most was how this felt like an original take on sci-fi stories of scientific discovery, and space exploration, and I had no idea where the story would go next. My favourite section was the sea expedition towards the start, which was incredibly atmospheric. I can see a lot of similarities to 'Our Wives Under the Sea', but I think that was much more accessible (shorter too!), and kept the tension all the way through beautifully.
This is near future sci-fi, but definitely fits closer with literary genre-conventions. While the mysteries are profound and intriguing, I got the impression quite early on that this book is not keen on giving us all the answers. It also takes liberties with keeping us at a remove from any action or excitement. Written in 3rd person past, and with very little dialogue, so much of the book feels almost 'slice-of-life'. We get a lot about the main characters childhood trauma and subsequent difficult relationships with her family, but very little about how she feels being a part of world-changing events.
Leigh, our main character is also pretty unlikable and lacking some depth (although her characterisation was saved in part for me by the switch to her sister's POV who could see all her flaws). The story felt kind of dreamy and empty, with Leigh not seeming to have my agency of visibility of what's going on.
I did find it quite easy to read though, with generally simple sparse writing and the occasional poetic part. The pacing felt very slow, but also contained quite choppy jumps.
For me I think what I enjoyed most was how this felt like an original take on sci-fi stories of scientific discovery, and space exploration, and I had no idea where the story would go next. My favourite section was the sea expedition towards the start, which was incredibly atmospheric. I can see a lot of similarities to 'Our Wives Under the Sea', but I think that was much more accessible (shorter too!), and kept the tension all the way through beautifully.