Senlin Ascends: Book One of the Books of Babel

An astounding work of imagination aptly supported by a terrific narrative. Senlin Ascends is the first of four planned books in the Tower of Babel series. The Tower of Babel is an ancient biblical story about a tower intended to reach heaven and which explains all the different languages in the world. Bancroft takes this ancient tale and kind of tweaks it and embellishes it more than a little bit.

Still set in the land of Ur with ancient cities like Sumer, the story is one where the tower with walks one quarter mile thick was built, but it is also a world of steam trains,airships, cybertronic arms,and other things. It is a series of interconnected fantasy worlds where imagination runs utterly wild. You can feel distant echoes of Douglas Adams with his hapless journey and a golden guidebook, Burroughs’ Barsoom with its mighty airships and sword battles, and Alice in Wonderland rabbit holes where each level is revealed as you climb to the next one.

But what makes this story roar is not it’s ancient steampunk fantasy worlds, but it’s narrative with the odd anti-hero, a schoolmaster who loses his wife on their honeymoon to explore the world’s greatest and most astounding wonder. And, all the questions raised by the journey. What’s real and what’s not? Who’s a friend and who’s just playing you? Is there anyone you can trust? Who’s running this diabolical show?

I found that the writing was superb. It just captures you and won’t let go.

Sadly all the planned volumes in this series have not yet been written. Get to it, Mr. Author.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Senlin Ascends is an absolute tour de force, exceptional in every respect. I can hardly believe what I just read.

The setting is captivating, original and endlessly imaginative. Every character is lovingly developed, distinct and (most importantly) interesting, no matter how minor a player they are. The prose is astonishing - every metaphor and simile lands, and the imagery is so vivid that I experienced that rare (for me) joy of conjuring each scene in my own mind as smoothly as if I were watching a movie. The Tower is its own character central to everything, mysterious and alien and yet at the same time an inevitable reflection of the baser parts of human nature. The protagonist both grows and is diminished by the tower's influence, just as he should.

I can't fault it. I always find something to fault, even in the novels of my most beloved authors. This one is something else, man. I understand that the author has recently taken up with a Big 5 publisher and with the correct marketing I genuinely believe this novel could end up being huge. I recently said that if Bancroft hasn't had a movie offer within the next 5 years I'll eat my shoe, and I hold to it.

This book was amazing. A very creative, original concept that was brilliantly written. No time to give a detailed review; I'm getting book 2 right after I finish this. Quit thinking about it and just buy it already.

*Original review on Goodreads & My Blog*

I'm going to go with 3 stars for now. I'm not sure if it was all of the hype around the book, the book itself, or my mood. I'm at a crossroads and not sure how I really feel.

The world that Senlin is surrounded in is full of crazy, weird things. Magical and deceiving. There are rich characters and wonderful scenes. But somewhere in there I felt bogged down for a little bit.

I'm going to revisit this book again and see if I can find all of the wonder that half the world did.

Happy Reading!

Mel ❤️

I came to this book at the recommendation of Mark Lawrence. I didnt know what to expect, but I did not expect to be so effortlessly swept away.

Senlin Ascends is an absolute triumph in story telling, but to explain why would spoil the experience for others. Yes its a cop out but I'm fine with that.

All I can do is recommend this book to anyone and everyone. If you enjoy stories about utopian societies that turn out to be far more dystopian (ie the Bioshock games) then I think you will love this

It is well written with semi-good main character development, a unique and semi-interesting story, but the farther I've read the more I barely care about any of the characters, including the semi-likable protagonist, nor a plot careening from one weird situation to the next weird situation. I'm about 40% in and it's been a slog since half that, enough so that I'm putting it aside for now. What I've thus far read makes me sure I won't want to continue into the series.

A fantastic read. Adventure, mystique, and very funny. Thomas Senlin is the man, but the Stone Cloud stole my heart.
Cheers Mr. Bancroft! No doubt the movie will not be nearly as good as the book. When can we expect Volume II?

I came to this book at the recommendation of Mark Lawrence. I didnt know what to expect, but I did not expect to be so effortlessly swept away.

Senlin Ascends is an absolute triumph in story telling, but to explain why would spoil the experience for others. Yes its a cop out but I'm fine with that.

All I can do is recommend this book to anyone and everyone. If you enjoy stories about utopian societies that turn out to be far more dystopian (ie the Bioshock games) then I think you will love this

It is well written with semi-good main character development, a unique and semi-interesting story, but the farther I've read the more I barely care about any of the characters, including the semi-likable protagonist, nor a plot careening from one weird situation to the next weird situation. I'm about 40% in and it's been a slog since half that, enough so that I'm putting it aside for now. What I've thus far read makes me sure I won't want to continue into the series.

A fantastic read. Adventure, mystique, and very funny. Thomas Senlin is the man, but the Stone Cloud stole my heart.
Cheers Mr. Bancroft! No doubt the movie will not be nearly as good as the book. When can we expect Volume II?

I struggled to finish this one...as I mentioned, it started out very well with nebbishy Senlin and his newlywed bride headed to visit the mysterious Tower, and there was a real sense of discovery and foreboding hovering below the surface. However, as the titular Senlin ascended the Tower, my interest level with the book descended. Although Mr. Bancroft is a fine writer and lays out some memorable descriptive prose at times, I felt there just wasn't much happening throughout large portions of the book, and too much of it fell into familiar patterns. We only see a few levels of the famed Tower, and though there were the beginnings of some interesting ideas there, much of the goings-on seemed to be mysterious and quirky just to showcase the author's cleverness, rather than portraying any real menace or danger (the surreal goings-on reminded me at times of Terry Gilliam's movie Brazil, but Senlin Ascends lacks that movie's inspiration and doesn't translate as well in print).

There was also the obligatory badass female fighter, which is a trope I feel has become extremely overused in weird fiction these days, and Senlin himself is problematic - he's obviously designed to be a weak, naive protagonist who gradually finds his strength, takes control of his life and causes us to root for him, but I just found him annoying most of the time and couldn't bring myself to care about him much.

All in all, I was a little disappointed in this one. Still, Mr. Bancroft obviously has a lot of talent, and I felt this concept had the potential to be really interesting, so I plan to cautiously check out the other volumes in the series to see if things improve along the way.

Freshman effort, full of tiring and boring analogies and descriptions that don't support or enhance the story. Senlin lacks any kind of normal emotions or even intelligence, which is especially hard to swallow given he is a head master. Disappointing waste of my money and time.

Senlin and his new wife, Marya, have decided to visit the fabled Tower of Babel for their honeymoon. The vast tower, miles wide and unfathomably tall, is divided into many different levels or "ringdoms", each level controlled by a different force and fulfilling a different function. Reaching the tower, Senlin loses his wife in the crowds and desperately tries to find her. This requires him to begin an ascent of the tower, searching for clues to her whereabouts and learning more about the powers that control it...and learning more about what he is capable of.

Senlin Ascends is the first novel in a trilogy called The Books of Babel, followed by Arm of the Sphinx (out now) and The Hod King (working title, due next year). This is fantasy, but not quite as you may know it. It's a steampunk romance with airships and sky-pirates. It's a character-focused slice of the New Weird. It's a Biblical allegory (...maybe?). It's a science fiction novel set inside a Big Dumb Object created by peoples unknown for scientific purposes (...perhaps?). It's a black comedy of manners, a dashing adventure, and a devastating deconstruction of people, places and tropes. It's what you'd get if China Mieville and Christopher Priest collaborated on a novel and both brought their A-game, and it was then adapted for film by Studio Ghibli. It's quite possibly the most striking debut work of speculative fiction published in the last decade.

Senlin Ascends is the story of a man who visits the Tower of Babel - which may or may not be "our" mythological tower - on honeymoon only to lose his wife. He ventures into the miles-wide, miles-tall tower in search of help, only to find most people indifferent to his plight and out to rob or enslave him. Initially he proceeds with optimism and reason, but as he suffers repeated setbacks he becomes more willing to manipulate and deceive people to achieve his ends. At key moments he realises the danger of what he is becoming and resolves to find his wife and escape before the tower batters him down from the man of integrity he used to be.

In the course of this first novel, Senlin only ascends the lower four (of over forty) ringdoms of the tower. Each ringdom is an impressive feat of worldbuilding, complete with its own rulers, function and cast of characters. The Basement is a place of squalour and robbery. The Parlour is a bizarre place where guests have to take part in insane plays for the amusement of its rulers. The Baths is a vast spa resort where deadly politics play out and Senlin is blackmailed into becoming an art robber. New Babel is a collection of docks and markets where people toil in labour. Each location is painted in rich detail, each fulfilling a function that Senlin tries to grasp (and, late in the novel, manages to do so in an intriguing moment of revelation about the tower's purpose) and each being compelling enough for entire novels to be set there.

What makes Senlin Ascends work so well is a combination of literary ambition - Bancroft's prose is evocative, exciting and occasionally beautiful - with a relentless pace. Chapters are short and punchy, Senlin's adventures rich and compelling, and Bancroft peppers the book with comic interludes, excerpts from quite ludicrously misleading tourist guides to the tower and, later on, Senlin's own journal about what is going on. A supporting cast of players is subtly put in place, ranging from the redoubtable painter Ogier to the fantastically violent warrior-woman Iren to Edith, a fellow lost traveller who inadvertently runs afoul of the tower's harsh and arbitrary justice system. There's also a genuinely unsettling and terrifying villain, of sorts, in the Red Hand, a literate and erudite enforcer with a tremendous capacity for violence. The supporting cast is small, but fantastically well-drawn.

The novel builds over the course of its reasonable, focused length (350 pages) to an action-packed climax which sets the scene wonderfully for Arm of the Sphinx.

In another universe, Senlin Ascends, which was originally published in 2013, would have already won the Campbell, Hugo, Nebula and Arthur C. Clarke Award. In this one, however, the author chose to not only self-publish it, but self-edit it as well. He did exactly the stuff that you're not supposed to do as a self-published writer and has done with tremendous skill, restraint and self-awareness. To date self-publishing has given us some very fine light adventure novels from the likes of Michael J. Sullivan and a reasonably strong epic fantasy from Anthony Ryan, but now it has given us SFF's first genuinely evocative work of self-published literature (that has broken through to mainstream attention, anyway). It may mark a serious turning-point in the field.

Senlin Ascends (*****) is available now in the UK and USA. The sequel, Arm of the Sphinx, is already available.

Incredibly boring, I see what the author was trying to achieve but in my view fell well short. Some moments of good writing are unfortunately lost in the minutiae of uninspiring characters that I ended up not caring if they lived or died. I read this on the recommendation of another author whose books I enjoy, he is obviously seeing something I am not, as I am not in any way interested in a sequel.

I guess any book that calls up comparisons to Kafka, (a vast faceless bureaucracy with undisclosed rules), and Douglas Adams, (a wildly inaccurate Tower Guide very reminiscent of the Hitchhiker's Guide), deserves the reader's attention. This book has a slight early steampunk feel that gets stronger as Senlin proceeds, but that is appropriate not only for the story but as a description of the book itself. It often feels cobbled together from lots of different pieces, bits, ideas, notions, plots, moods and styles, and the result is elegant and fascinating, although sometimes a bit clunky.

Since this is the first in a four book series I imagine that the plot will continue to develop beyond Senlin's search for his missing wife. That's probably a good idea, but for me the plot wasn't all that important. On the one hand this is a travel/adventure novel. On the other hand, and more rewardingly, all of that travel and adventure allows for a multitude of set pieces. Some just run a paragraph or two, some extend for a few pages, and some command multiple chapters. These pieces reflect what Senlin sees, feels, and experiences in the Tower and are wildly inventive and colorfully and convincingly described. The effect, as I noted, is attractive and compelling, and makes for a fine and satisfying entertainment. An excellent find.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

It seems like everyone is catching on a little late to The Tower of Babel series, including me. The first book was published over five years ago but hasn't really garnered a ton of notice until recently. Much of that has to do with the usual trials and tribulations that many self-published authors face when putting their books out there in the market. These authors have to work twice as hard just to get their books to stand out in the vast sea of published material. Josiah Bancroft is one such author who has apparently gotten the word out, so much so that he has even landed a publishing deal with Orbit. As a result, Senlin Ascends is now the talk of the fantasy world with many readers putting it at the top of their favorites list. So to say that I was more than eager to crack this one open and get started would be an understatement. And any book that Mark Lawrence practically begs people to read is enough for me to want to find out more.

Senlin Ascends takes place in a well-constructed world where airships and steam engines are normal modes of transport. In the center of this amazing setting stands the famed Tower of Babel, a tower so incredibly tall that the top cannot be seen from its base. It is also recorded in The Everyman's Guide to the Tower of Babel that the tower actually took over 1,000 years to construct. Enter Thomas Senlin, a newly-married school headmaster who believes that climbing to the top of the tower would be the ideal honeymoon activity for he and his wife Marya. The catch is the tower possesses a myriad of secrets, dangers, and seedy layers, or ringdoms, that make the journey more than just a little treacherous for a mild-mannered bookish type such as Thomas. Things then go very wrong when almost immediately Thomas loses Marya in the cacophony and chaos of the immense crowd of humanity fighting to push through the tower. It is now incumbent on Thomas to search for his wife amidst the throngs, even if it means being thrust into extreme peril, for the tower isn't for the faint of heart. Thomas thought he knew what he was signing up for, but the truth of the matter is far scarier and complex than even he imagined as he struggles to discover what has become of Marya. Thomas must overcome his built-in timidness if he has any hope of succeeding in his quest. It is only when he begins to explore the inner-workings of the tower that he fully realizes just the sort of predicament he has gotten himself and his wife into. Each ringdom is unpredictable and unique in its own right and Thomas on more than one occasion is put in a position to fight for his very survival. The ultimate question soon becomes, can he find Marya before it is too late? And if he does manage to find her and survive, will he ever be the same after what he has seen?

There are a number of things that I particularly enjoyed about Josiah Bancroft's debut novel Senlin Ascends. First, the world-building is simply brilliant. Bancroft does an amazing job of creating this world inside a world with the tower. As the different layers of the tower are uncovered, the reader is treated to some fascinating characters who only serve to deepen the mystery of what the tower was intended for and why it was built. Make no mistake, this is a novel of layers just like the tower. The deeper you go, the more nuggets are revealed to you and I was blown away by just how engrossed I became with the story. What impressed me the most though was the quality of the writing. Usually a new author takes a few books to finally hit his stride, but Bancroft writes like a seasoned author who already has multiple Hugos under his belt. So did Senlin Ascends live up to expectations? I would have to say yes, without question it did and then some. What we have here is an instant fantasy classic that belongs on everyone's shelf to be picked up and read over and over. The good news is that there is more of this to devour as book 2 - The Arm of the Sphinx has just been released in paperback and book 3 is close on the horizon. I recommend The Tower of Babel very highly. If you are looking for something a little different but superb, this one will definitely scratch that itch.
Posted by Nick T at 1:26 PM No comments:
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MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2018
Welcome to Out Of This World Reviews!
So after taking a long hiatus from my own blogging to contribute and write reviews for a number of different fantasy blogs/websites, I've decided that I'm going to start from scratch and launch a brand new personal book review blog. It has been a while since I did this but I am a book reviewer, that's what I do. I also enjoy sharing my opinion about books with the general reading public. I feel like I'm performing a service to both the reader who wants to spend their money on quality books and also the author who may need a signal boost to help get the word out. The impetus behind the decision to fly solo again is frankly, I wasn't happy with the timeliness (or lack thereof) of my reviews being posted on these other websites. There were times when I would submit a review and wouldn't see it published for a month or longer. Needless to say for someone who loves to pump out reviews as quickly as possible, it got a bit frustrating. After a while I figured it would just be best to have control of the pace that I read and review and also be able to publish my reviews immediately after I write them. So here goes. Hope you enjoy the blog and see some value from the book reviews that I will be publishing here. If you love fantasy and scifi books as much as I do, I think you will.

What a brilliant book! Senlin Ascends is action-packed with a surprise on each page, and I had a really hard time putting this one down.

This book is so cleverly and carefully created. This is the story of Thomas Senlin, a headmaster in the small town of Ur, as he and his wife journey to the magnificent Tower of Babel to spend their honeymoon there together. Unfortunately, Senlin inadvertently loses his wife in the outskirts of the Tower, and must begin his own journey up the Tower on his own to find her and bring her home. The craziest--and coolest--part of this book, obviously, is the Tower of Babel itself, an extremely tall building of sorts with various 'ringdoms' making up each tier of the tower. Each 'ringdom' is entirely different from the last and filled with any number unknown variables; it is entirely unpredictable, despite a handy book guide that Senlin has used to study the Tower for years that has turned out to be, well, not so handy.

Senlin himself is a truly delightful, compelling protagonist that undergoes so much growth in this book in so many ways. He learns that you can't necessarily trust everyone, but that you have to trust some people. He learns that you can't always believe everything you read and hear. Senlin is a quick-witted, somewhat conservative figure that wants to experience many exciting things in his life, but he always cares about people and strives to be a good person.

I love imaginative books like this that make up something so incredibly bizarre and use it in an inventive and entertaining manner. This book was filled with quirky, unique, and rather clever characters along the way, all of which brought something very useful and important to the story. I really liked that Bancroft not only included many details and characters, but that each and every aspect of his story was purposeful. There was nothing added in just to add length to the pages or expand unnecessarily. His world-building is really well-done and I loved cracking open this book to get whisked away into the wild world of the Tower. The only minor issue I had with this book was that the end felt a bit... jumbled and crazy and I felt a bit confused at times, but I'm not sure if that's just my fault for getting easily confused, so I don't really blame Bancroft for that. Rest assured, Senlin Ascends will not once bore you!

From start to finish, Bancroft employs a simple yet also intricate method of storytelling that will completely draw you in and make you constantly yearn to know more about Senlin an the Tower of Babel itself. If you're looking for something unique, adventurous, witty, and imaginative--look no further, because you have arrived at your destination here at the Tower.

Overall, I've given Senlin Ascends four-and-a-half stars!

I could absolutely gush about this book. At first, the use of adjectives seemed a bit too free-flowing, but the perfection of Bancroft's similes and metaphors won me over.  Even though it is a bit early on, one of my favorites remains, "the crowd was like a jelly that congealed around them." 

No matter the rule, there will always be an exception - somewhere, somehow, in some minute and side-glanced manner. Bancroft's move from self-published to Orbit Books shows this to be true. 

Bancroft has a way with words. He builds the pace, mounting ever fasting toward this transcendent transformation that, for a time, the reader becomes so entrenched in the development of the main character and the impossibly convoluted mess of the Tower that its point hardly matters at all. 

The main character, Thomas Senlin, has all the dry wit, clever observational skills, and keen sense of morality of the iconic Bilbo Baggins. A man happy with his life - he finds an out of the ordinary trip for pleasure to spiral into a life-altering new norm which he desires to escape while thriving out of the necessity. Such is his heroism. One of need and not of a desire to be so. Similar to the greats, in my mind. 

I plan to order the next book in the series. There are a number of strings not tied up at the end of the first book, so don't expect to have even half your questions answered. With a complex plot and realistic characters, I'm excited to see where this series goes!

Steampunk usually has a Victorian England-ish setting and rests on a premise like “this is what the world would be like if Babbage had actually built the clockwork/steam computers he invented.” This steampunkish book goes much farther back for our point of divergence…apparently in this world God never stopped the construction of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11) and it has become the pillar (or possibly sinkhole) of culture and civilization.

In this world we meet Senlin, a young idealistic schoolmaster reminiscent of Voltaire’s Candide in his optimism and naivete (with a side order of smug fussiness). He arrives at the Tower with his new wife and his trusty Everyman’s Guide to the Tower of Babel (a book almost but not entirely unlike The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). The honeymoon quickly descends into a Kafkaesque nightmare as he is separated from his wife and begins working his way up the Tower in hopes of finding her.

For the sake of spoilers, I won’t tell any more of the plot or setting since exploring the surreal hodgepodge world of the Tower with it’s stacked “ringdoms” is part of the fun. Let’s just say that as Senlin ascends the tower, his idealistic vision of the Tower as a shining beacon of culture and his bright-eyed trust in humanity go in the other direction.

For all that, I didn’t find this to be a grindingly depressing book. The author has a light, slightly sarcastic touch and has you rooting for Senlin as he becomes a sadder, wiser man. The book does not offer much resolution to the main plot (there appears to be plenty more Tower to ascend), but I enjoyed the journey enough that I’m not even mad…I’m glad there’s much more to come of this fascinating world.

Very inventive, well-written, but the book lost its charm for me as I realized I was reading the first of a three or four book series. Hadn't known that to begin with, my bad I guess. Okay if that's what you're looking for, but realizing the plot was going to be stretched on and on made the vivid brutality less palatable. There's friendship and loyalty too, of a sort. I started out thinking Senlin's lost wife was the heart of the plot, but she is more of a MacGuffin, an excuse for exploring the world Bancroft has created and for Senlin's extended adventures.

I went on somewhat of a journey with Josiah Bancroft’s Senlin Ascends. When I first read the description on the back of the book, my immediate reaction was: “Oh, I hope this isn’t another case of a fridged partner.” Because ugh — but it sounded really cool, so I decided to give it a try anyway. And while Marya disappears, which is Senlin’s motivation to progress up the Tower, she is no damsel, from the glimpses we have of her, has agency of her own and hopefully become an active character in her own right in future books. And in the end, I'm glad I took that chance, because I had a great time with it.

I loved the idea of the tower with its ascending levels and distinctly different atmospheres. The narrative reminded me a lot of Dante’s Inferno, the first part of the Divina Commedia. Like Senlin, Dante goes in search of his beloved, though his Beatrice is indeed dead and to be found in heaven. To reach her in heaven (Paradiso) he must go through both hell (Inferno) and purgatory (Purgatorio), guided by the Roman poet Virgil. In Inferno, they traverses the nine circles of Hell, which cover Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. In Purgatorio they climb the Mountain of Purgatory, which serves to purge Dante from his (seven mortal) sins and prepare him to enter Heaven. Bancroft’s Tower of Babel seems to have merged that upward motion into going through the circles of hell, but the journey certainly changes Senlin.

The world building was very interesting. I loved the not-quite-steampunk vibe it had with the trains, steam engines, and all of the experimental industrial-feeling elements. In a way the Tower’s structure also reminded me of the worlds in Weiss and Hickman’s Deathgate Cycle. Like the worlds in that series, each level is built around a theme — or a sin if you keep to the Inferno analogy — and thus having the “world” be shaped by that conceit. In The Parlor for example, all the world’s a stage quite literally, meaning that almost everyone found on that level is acting their part in the play that is the Parlor.

Obviously, the levels aren’t mapped one to one onto the circles of Hell. However, as Dante learns a valuable lesson in each circle, each level Senlin has to conquer, also conquers something in himself. For example, The Parlor teaches him not to be too prejudiced and judgmental about who people are based on where they are from and what they do. The Baths’ level is all about looking beyond the surface and that people are not what they seem and do what needs doing. And perhaps most transformational is New Babel; here our timid hero learns to fight and scheme, with bare knuckles if necessary. But he also learns how to trust and to forgive.

All of this means a lot of development in Senlin’s character. At first he was somewhat unsympathetic and uptight, but each level peels away his layer and he becomes more human. His love for Marya becomes more tangible and they are shown to truly be in love. The flashbacks in which we truly meet Marya are lovely and she comes through quite clearly. I loved seeing Marya, not just through Senlin’s eyes, but the artist’s Ogier as well. It is through Ogier that we see Marya on her own and her strength and determination to get back to her husband and to go home.

The one critique I’d level against the narrative is that all of the secondary characters are there to teach Senlin something, whether about the world or himself. The only one beyond Senlin who doesn’t fit that mould is Marya. But all of the other ones, Ogier, Tarrou, Adam, Edith, Iren, Goll, and even Voleta can be seen as teaching aides for Senlin, even if they are also fun and interesting in their own rights.

Overall, I really enjoyed Senlin Ascends and I hope to at one point read the rest of Thomas Senlin’s story and to see if Marya, like Dante’s Beatrice, will come to meet him in the next instalment and hopefully accompany him home. Senlin Ascends is the first book in Josiah Bancroft’s The Books of Babel and is available in paperback. Its sequel, Arm of the Sphinx, was published last week and the final book The Hod King is expected come December.

This book was provided for review by the publisher.

What can I say about this deservedly hyped novel that just recently got picked up by a traditional publishing house?

Well, that until you read something yourself, you won't know if the hype is real or just rubbish. In Senlin's case, the book is an engrossing read that can be at times both wonderful, deslusional and even at times terrifying.

This sordid vacation trip that went haywire all began because Thomas Senlin didn't feel up to the challenge of shopping for lady's underwear for the awaited hotel romping in The Baths. There you go, the guy is too prudish to make sense and too engrossed in what he believes other people see of him as the great community bookworm. Instead, his eyes really start to open when the reaches the Parlor and realizes they dumped him into the socially awkward butler role. He always had a different view of himself and after realizing ushers with just one quick glance had instantly typecast him into an undesirable supporting role that is incapable of doing anything, he starts to realize the Tower is beginning to change him. He needs to develop street smarts quickly in order to survive this Tower filled with treacherous crooks and gangsters.

I don't wish to spoil the individual "perks" of the 4 first ringdoms. It's part of the fun of the book as we see Thomas desperately chasing after the desertic illusion of his wife that always seems to vanish in a cloud of white crumb.

However, as I read the book, it reminded me of an old dystopian SciFi book from the 1930's called "Brave New World". As tourists flock to the individual levels reveling at its treats while they gleefully part with their money for cheap entertainment, Senlin and the reader see each level for what they really are. I kept on recalling the comments from Brave New World about one place a harbor of lunacy, the other a guesthouse of insanity. From the merry go rounds of the basement to the make believe of the Parlor and Baths, we soon see the ringdoms for the slums or outright false illusions that they truly are. Thomas doesn't want to cause a revolt against the system of paid and unpaid employment of this hellhole, he just wants to rescue Marya before she starts to believe that he abandoned her.

A second thought that kept on coming into my mind as I read this book was a pleasant and yet terrifying experience of my childhood. I grew up at a time where a local (and very large) park had a small amusement park and featured all sorts of odd rides. From a huge metallic tobogan slide without rails so that you could easily fall over 50 feet to your death (or in the least end up with some nice blisters on your hands), odd games with asbestus coverings to jump through that were tearing apart, and finally, the infamous tunnel of time. I loved going inside of the tunnel of time over and over again. Basically they shove you inside of a maze with plywood walls, carpeted floors where you cannot see anything. You are surrounded in a terrifying claustophobic space of complete darkness. No trapdoors for the staff to rescue you if you freak out and get a panic attack either. Kids these days are too pampered in my opinion, they don't know what they are missing. Anyhow, you had to crawl left, right, left, up, down etc etc etc. It was a 3D maze where time falls to a standstill and you have to use your wits to get out. The closest thing today that I have experienced a similar (but less cool experience) was when I visited the secret basement beneath Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto Japan. The monks built a smaller maze where you walk through it. Oh, and there is also something somewhat similar in Xenses Park in Playa del Carmen Mexico called the Xensatorium (the final part of that maze features really creepy recorded music inside of a dark & damp cave).

Anyhow, this book just kept on reminding me about those pleasant memories that would have frightened more than one person out of their minds.

Now, is the book perfect? No it isn't. I kept on getting confused regarding the usage of electricity. The book highlights it's a rare commodity but you don't get to truly appreciate the scope of its existence and Thomas's arousal of the technology. 90% of the time you don't know if they use candles or lightbulbs. I read the old kindle edition so it was of little surprise that there are several scenes where the text claims that Adam still has two eyes. A minor blip that was likely fixed in the professionally edited trad published paperback.

While I really enjoyed this sordid vacation where everything possible went wrong that highlights the evil of mankind, it didn't fully make me hungry to read nonstop like other books have. Perhaps it isn't any fault of this book per se. I tend to like Young Adult novels more and while Senlin Ascends has 3 older teenage characters, they are vastly mature for their years and we don't see the story from their POV.

The book was a vastly fun rollercoaster read and I'll try to find the way to save 90 MXN to buy a digital copy of the second novel to read it sometime.

Boring! Did not finish. I thought the story was going to be very good based on the many five star reviews, but it gets boring fast and the main character does not interest me in the least, nor the others. Not for me!

I've never reviewed anything before, but after reading this wonderful self-published book I felt compelled to do whatever I could to help it find an audience. (Like many other people just discovering it, I first learned about it thanks to the Pornokitsch review from author Mark Lawrence's Self-Published Fantasy Book-Off.)

Bancroft's prose has a beautiful, dream-like lyricism that draws you in immediately, and his writing is bursting with quotable moments of insight. It's also an incredibly weird book with a wholly unique premise. His Tower of Babel is full of curious wonders, but every whimsical delight carries a foreboding shadow. There's an overwhelming sense of wrongness permeating the place, and the milquetoast Senlin is forced to come to grips with the horrors of his imagined paradise as he ascends the Tower. You can't help but empathize with this seemingly unremarkable protagonist as he faces down the Tower with nothing but his wits in his quest to find his lost wife. And for all its dark themes, Senlin's wry observations lend an undercurrent of subtle humor that provides hope in the midst of darkness.

What's really remarkable is that a book of this delicate literary beauty also manages to be so page-turningly propulsive. For all its stylized language and thoughtful digressions, once the Tower has Senlin in its grip the story just hurtles along. I read it in two sittings, and the only thing that kept me from reading it in one go was my body's inconvenient need for sleep.

The fact that this book isn't hugely successful is surprising; the fact that it doesn't have a publisher is criminal. The ebook is available for the price of a cup of coffee. There's no reason not to go buy it immediately.

This highly praised indie book series has recently been picked up by Orbit! After that news, and seeing the first two beautifully sitting on my shelf for far too long, I decided I wanted to experience this self published series before the year was over, but now I just want all the books immediately, because Senlin Ascends is a literary masterpiece.

“The Tower of Babel is most famous for the silk fineries and marvelous airships it produces, but visitors will discover other intangible exports. Whimsy, adventure, and romance are the Tower’s real trade”

Senlin Ascends is unlike anything I've ever read before. The basic premise seems easy enough: A headmaster that works at a school in a very small and far away village, has newly married a girl who compliments him perfectly. Senlin is a man of planning, habit, and always following the rules, while his new bride, Marya, follows her own beat completely and just wants to see the world. Senlin is also obsessed with a mysterious tower that is far, far away from him and Marya's village. So, what better place for them to honeymoon than the tower that he's been obsessing over his whole life. I mean, Senlin has a guidebook, and he always follows the rules, what could go wrong?

“the Tower is a tar pit. Once you put a toe in her, you’re caught forever. No one leaves. No one goes home.”

Yet, we soon find out that inside the Tower of Babel there are completely different worlds living and dwelling inside each level, or maybe I should say functioning inside each level. And, yes, I said Tower of Babel, like the bible story you probably grew up hearing at least once about why we speak so many different languages. Basically, after the Great Flood happened, a bunch of people came together and agreed to build a tower that would touch Heaven itself. God, realizing what they are attempting, scatters them all around the world and makes them all speak different languages, hence our world today. Yet, obviously, the higher in the tower you are the closer you are to God and Heaven.

Okay, so now you guys know sort of what the gist of the Tower is and sort of what it looks like, but I'm sure you're reading this review to find out about the story. Oh, my friends, this story is a treat to any book lover who happens to stumble upon this tale. It's mystery after mystery, surprise after surprise, whimsical new steampunk world after whimsical new steampunk world.

“Not a solitary soul will help you here. The good souls don’t have the means or mind for it, and the bad souls will only bleed you dry.”

As Senlin is ascending the Tower, this book will constantly lead you to believe something, and you will, with your whole heart, but it will end up being so completely different. And the book will do this over and over again, but it will never feel forced or gimmicky, but it will always surprise you. I'm not sure any author I've ever read has been capable of doing that before, and, again, this is a debut novel by a self published author. (Which is why we need to support indie authors and find more hidden gems like this little masterpiece.)

And the writing is so fantastic. It's entrancing and addicting, while also being one of the most immersive works I've ever read. Especially the baths, like, I'm still halfway convinced that I was there in my own little pinecone like shelf, watching everything play out through the streets of that city. This story reads like you're in a lucid dream that you're not sure you want to wake up from. Yet, it still feels like you're seeing everything through somewhat of a haze. Again, this tale is glorious and unlike anything I've ever read in my many years of reading.

“It is easier to accept who you’ve become than to recollect who you were.”

And Senlin as a character was wonderful to read about, too. Seeing the Tower shape him into what he needs to be, is worth its own review. I mean, the Tower changes everyone, but Senlin always stays true to his caring self that loves to learn and to teach others and it makes him flourish. Senlin's journey is nothing short of beautiful. I also loved the Tower itself, and how it is so much bigger than anyone realizes. I loved Senlin's theory and I can't wait to ascend the next levels with him.

“The Tower is only as tall as the man that climbs”

The side characters that Senlin meets along his journey are also nothing short of exquisite. Iren, Goll, Tarrou, Edith, Adam, Ogier, they were all such wonderful additions that truly shaped this story into something remarkable that leaves me with a loss for words. I could read side story after side story about each of these individuals and their time spent in the Tower.

At this point, I also believe that Josiah Bancroft could very well just be a genius for crafting this complex tale that is so entrancing yet easy to follow. The only negative thing I can really say is that this book does end, and I mean it ends somewhat abruptly, and if you don't have the next book, Arm of the Sphinx, on hand, you are probably going to cry. If you're looking for a fast paced adventure, with a completely addicting story, with some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read, that is unlike anything you've ever read, please give Senlin Ascends a try.

Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late January.

The title character, a worrisome, slightly flappable (like a put-upon Bilbo) headmaster named Thomas Senlin enters the cylindrical cities of the Tower of Babel with his good-natured, newlywed wife, Marya, and quickly loses her in the fray of a bustling marketplace. We're treated to cute flashbacks of their courtship and simple villager lifestyle amid Senlin searching frantically for her throughout the three familiar levels of the Tower before glimpsing her face in streetside painting. Its artist, Ogier, relates how she posed for him before looking for Senlin with the help of a mysterious Count. Upon learning this, Senlin bands together a ragtag crew, changes his name to Tom Mudd, and captains an airship called the Stone Cloud (just in time for the start of book #2 of this series).

Thomas Senlin and his new bride, Marya, set off on a honeymoon to the tower of Babel. Senlin had saved and planned for this journey his entire career as a headmaster, drawn to the tower through the promises of an infamous guidebook. Climbing the tower of Babel would be his greatest ambition. However, when Marya suddenly goes missing it triggers of a number of unlikely events where Senlin’s world turns into turmoil. His quest to find his wife begins by searching the many streets, tents and restaurants, where he meets several men who may be able to help him, only to find out these people are not as honest as they seem and he must make the journey alone. After several days of searching for Marya, he must start from the bottom of the tower and work his way up. He meets many friends and enemies along the way in a new world where the rules are different and he must survive a number of fatalities to survive.

I found the writing to be beautifully crafted with many remarkable, imaginative and breathtaking scenes. Bancroft combines a gripping story with strong characterizations while maintaining an adventurous plot with outlandishly secondary characters ‘and a mild-mannered hero who is forced to step up his game. I look forward to the second instalment.

My Ranking: 4.5 Stars

Senlin Ascends

Honeymoons are reserved for newly married couples to spend time in a special place getting to know each other. But, when Senlin and Marya embark on their special trip little do they know that certain events would transpire changing the dynamics and complexion of their life together forever. Senlin is a headmaster and teacher at a school and whose life is very rule oriented, regimented and organized. His new wife is more daring, likes adventure and would love to put some spark into their new marriage. Senlin decides to take his bride to the Tower of Babel for their special honeymoon vacation in order to learn more about the Tower and its history. Throughout their train ride to the tower we learn more about the structure, the landscape and both characters. But, circumstances change and they are forced to alight the train and have to walk to their destination. Arriving at the market place they encounter numerous vendors and Senlin reminds his wife to keep her money safe, not talk to beggars and make sure he can see her at all times. Wearing this strange red hat on her head makes it easy for him to spot her in case they separate. But, when Marya requests to go and purchase a special dress from a vendor, preferably something "Scandalous," to hang out on her laundry line when they return home, something happen that would change everything. What would you do if you looked away from someone and in that split second they were gone? Two pieces of luggage and the next time he looks down hers is gone and so is she. Wandering for two days and asking the many vendors is they saw his wife while making purchases from each one to insure they would answer his questions, he learns nothing until he meets a young man named Adam and then things just might change. But, they don't instead this young man who befriended him robs him of his money and some other personal belongings. Meeting yet another man while purchasing a new suit, he learns more about the people within this place, their lack of honesty, the fact that he cannot trust anyone and Senlin is truly on his own. Yet, finds himself in unique situations that most would never encounter when looking for a missing wife.

Entering the Tower he seeks the Parlor not realizing that this particular area was what most would call a theater but in reality was not. Groups of people paid a certain amount of money to become actors and spectators in a play with a plot that was contrived by some and acted out by many. Strict rules must be adhered to, possessions relinquished and stored and the events would certainly make you wonder how if at all he was going to find his wife without proper motivation and help. Constantly sidetracked, distracted and disoriented Senlin's actions were definitely unique to him and his memories of Marya, their courtship shared with readers helps you learn more about his placid and regimented life and personality making you wonder why she married him. Just how she wandered out of sight with that red hat makes you wonder if she disappeared on her own or if something really did happen to her. No one made contact with him. Senlin seems to be wandering through life, making simple decisions and has not realized that he just might need to reinvent himself and man up before all is said and done.

As a headmaster he is in charge of his students and is a leader. As a husband he approached his role in the same way. But, when things appear to deviate and not go according to his prescribed plan, Senlin seems to falter.

The Tower of Babel as described so vividly by the author, the bazaars, the vendors and the people come alive taking the reader along with Senlin through the many tents, streets and restaurants. Greed, betrayal, corruption and fear run through the plot as one man goes in search of his wife with many obstacles in his way. Visiting the basement of the Tower would emit odors, smells and tastes that would turn anyone's stomach sour. Some of the scenes described will make you wonder just how he did not get truly sick just from the musty air and dirt. The Parlor presents these faux plays and the bath societies are perfectly described.

As the play begins within the Parlor the cast of characters play their made up roles but something happens, one man snaps as he takes on the role so seriously that he becomes one and more than the same with the fictitious character he is playing. The jealous husband whose wife has taken up with his accountant learns more than just a hard lesson as Senlin and the woman playing Mrs. Mayfair, Edith work together to get away from a madman. The end result is startling. The play takes on a dangerous feel and an alliance forms between Edith and Senlin winding up detained in the Tower hoping to finally get released. The fast pacing of the play, the death of two characters, the coldness of the attendants in charge and the stark contrast of the receptionist whose role was more of customer service than taking down the information for the investigation, you begin to wonder what is real and what is pure fantasy.

Throughout the novel the author flashes back to Senlin's life before this happens. We learn more about his life as a Headmaster, his love of the Tower of Babel, the lessons imparted to his students and his courtship and marriage to Marya. Before Senlin can assert his efforts to find his wife he has to rise above himself and begin to change who he is in more ways than one. From a mild mannered and rule conscious headmaster he needs to transform himself into more like a modern day assertive man with stronger beliefs and goals. But, there is much more as Senlin befriends two painters and one just might have the answer to what happened to his wife but first he requires a favor one that would be dangerous and yet when you read how he hopes to execute his plan along with the second painter it is quite clever. But, will he succeed or will the guards arrest them both? As the plan unfolds and Senlin hopes that the guard present while he pretends to be a journalist writing an article on this valuable painting literally lets his guard down, we learn more about the painter who created the work, how he hoped to create enough of a diversion to switch the real painting with a forgery and hopefully learn more about his wife's disappearance. Would the painter come clean and tell him the truth about his wife? Was this just another deceitful plan to get Senlin to help someone and wind up with nothing?

Senlin learns the fate of his wife and what he decides to do next would change the course of his life. Meeting several people along the way and realizing one who misrepresented himself and was responsible for his wife's disappearance he sets off for New Babel with the aide of the painter, Ogier. Meeting once again with Finn Goll he is employed in order to earn wages, which he hopes will provide the funds to find his wife. At the start of each chapter the author shares quotes from Senlin's own book: Everyman's Guide which are quite insightful and sets the tone for what is to come within that chapter. Added in we learn what Marya was really doing throughout her short visits to the Tower, how she became entwined with Ogier and was in a sense duped into believing this other man would help her find Senlin. Going to New Babel was his next destination and working for Finn Goll part of the solution. Keeping a log or a journal that is dated is the author's way of allowing readers to hear Senlin's thoughts and understand his every move as he reunites with Adam Boreas and learns what really happened to his luggage and much more. Trust no one: Good point!

Learning more about Adam, his dealings and then coming back to Senlin you see changes in both men and wonder just where this journey will finally take all of the characters. The exchanges are quite interesting as the author leads Senlin on a new course as more of a leader than a follower. Working together with Adam proves fruitful to a point. Each one trying to save another person but what will the end result be and just how far will they go to attain their goals? Remember: the Commissioner for stealing something wants Senlin and Adam has an entirely different quest.

The tower of Babel was designed to satisfy the spirit of man. Looking at a picture of the magnificent tower you see so many interesting images of this structure that was intended as a religious building hoping to expose the mystery of the heavens as well as the greatness of God. The distinct and vivid colors, the amazing architecture and the height of these towers in this illustrations helps bring this entire story to life. Debts, conscriptions, deceits, lies, thieves, loyalties, friendships and one man whose life changed and might never be the same. Just whom can he trust? What is the ultimate price or prize he needs to pay to find or get back his wife? Will he ever find her or is someone leading him around hoping he will either go home, give up or worse?

When all of the players intertwine and the bounty is set who will win and who will wind up at the hand of the Commissioner and his men? What happens when Edith reenters the picture? Can she be trusted? An ending that has so many curves, twists and deceits you won't believe the end result. Just what lies beneath the floors of the Tower of Babel? The Parlor where you become someone else and a structure that holds more secrets than most liars, cheaters and thieves. Who is behind this entire plot won't be revealed until the second book: The Books of Babel BookII: Arm of the Sphinx comes out. What happens next is in the hands of our author and of course the captain if the Stone Cloud. One interesting novel filled with extensive research and definitely a plot that will keep you glued to the printed page until you learn the explosive and dramatic ending. The Parlor: What role would you like to play?

I enjoyed this book. It had the feel of steampunk but in a novel setting. The character development is good as is the action. I found the story well paced and an overall pleasant read and it was at times, hard to put the book down. On the other hand, I felt that the book had two weaknesses. At times the book descended onto melodrama, only relieved through changing the scene. The other is that the world-building seemed overly contrived. Nonetheless, I recommend this book for fans of the genre.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for reviewer purposes.

The world-building in this novel is fantastic. Bancroft carefully sets up the chaos outside of The Tower and the brutality inside of it, while also developing characters who are forced to change with their surroundings. I have a few issues with the whole "damsel-in-distress" trope that the author leans on a bit too heavily, but he almost makes up for it with a couple badass female characters. My favorite part of this novel, though, is the fact that you absolutely cannot trust any of the characters, with the exception (maybe) of the narrator.