Name: Senlin Ascends
ISBN: 9780316517911

Josiah Bancroft

The first book in the word-of-mouth phenomenon debut fantasy series about one man's dangerous journey through a labyrinthine world. "One of my favorite books of all time" - Mark Lawrence The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel in the world. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of luxury and menace, of unusual animals and mysterious machines. Soon after arriving for his honeymoon at the Tower, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, Thomas Senlin, gets separated from his wife, Marya, in the overwhelming swarm of tourists, residents, and miscreants. Senlin is determined to find Marya, but to do so he'll have to navigate madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassins, and the illusions of the Tower. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just endure. This quiet man of letters must become a man of action. The Books of BabelSenlin AscendsArm of the Sphinx

Senlin Ascends

George

"The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel of the Silk Age. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of airships and steam engines, of incredible animals and mysterious machines. While honeymooning in the Tower of Babel, Thomas Senlin loses his wife. A mild-mannered headmaster of a village school, Thomas Senlin is drawn to the Tower by scientific curiosity and the grandiose promises of a guidebook. It seems the perfect destination for a honeymoon. But soon after arriving in the Tower bazar, Senlin loses Marya in the crowd. Before he can find Marya, Senlin must first discover himself. Senlin's search for Marya carries him through madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassination, and the long guns of a flying fortress. But if he hopes to find his wife, he must do more than survive. This quiet man of letters will have to become a man of action."--P. [4] of cover.

Olga Vogel

Ouf. This would be quite a controversial review. On the one hand, that was one of the greatest narratives that I’ve yet encountered in books about weird cities. Very richly painted world, with well-thought, picturesque details. On the other hand, this resembles - not by plot, but by spirit - the Gormenghast. Which is also awesome, no kidding, but still I can’t get it through my system. The feeling that the story of Senlin gave me is just the same: the world is such a morbid place that no matter what one does, even for a good reason, the consequences are nightmarish. There’s simply no hope. Everything is twisted in such a bad way that there is no chance for a hero to stay a hero and not become the most powerful monster in the cage instead. And even in this way of life, there is no hope. So - yes, a beautifully written book but an unbearably dreadful story.

Sade A

Buddy read with Bookish Buddies
When i started this book last year, i couldn't connect with Thomas Senlin. His stoicism was off putting especially considering how dire his situation was so i put it aside. However, after reading Around the World in Eighty Days and enjoying it, i could kinda relate Senlin to Mr. Fogg. That been said it was definitely easier the second time around getting into this book (second time's a charm i guess).

This book opens up with Senlin and his wife Marya going on their honeymoon to the Tower of Babel. If the Tower existed today, it'll probably be up there as one of those places you just have to see before you die. Barely hours into what should be the happiest time of their lives, shit hits the fan..What you have next are Senlin's attempts to fix this major disaster.

This book is an easy enough read with a really engaging plot which is definitely a huge plus for me, you're not stumbling over words or trying to decipher some hidden meaning in the writing, the plot moves along swiftly although the period where Senlin was at the baths did kinda drag a bit. I absolutely loved how sinister the book is. It might not look it and the blurb really doesn't come right out to say this but this book definitely throws some serious punches. 
It wasn't OMG AMAZING but it was definitely right up there as a really good book. Looking forward to reading what i can only hope will be a worthy conclusion to these series.

Rachel Kanyid

This was a wild ride. One of the most fun, light hearted fantasies I have read in a long time! Can't wait to pick up the next.

Jack Harrison

Fantastic world-building, with a captivating cast of characters that all manage to get swept into this grand ascent. Every floor of the Tower is an inventive new playground for the story.

I'll be starting the second book as soon as I can get hold of it.

Hana 

Kelly Johnson

It was good. It was written well enough that I had to know what happened. But the author, didn’t fulfill what was promised on the back of the book. Or what was promised on the beginning of the book. So that was disappointing. I might give the next one a try.

Danny Engström

Starting slowly and then picking up the pace, kind of like a steam train.
Great innovative Fantasy.

Celeste Richardson

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

“What if?” questions make for the most interesting stories. What if you could attend a school that could teach you the mysterious art of magic? What if dragons were real? What if we’re not alone in the universe? What if swords could talk, and their sass could not be contained? Or, in the case of this book, what if God never destroyed the Tower of Babel and it became the center of civilization? 

Bancroft did a wonderful job weaving his tale of Thomas Senlin, a school Headmaster venturing to the Tower for his honeymoon with his lovely, plucky wife, Marya. Within minutes of leaving their train, the newlyweds are separated in the sea of humanity cresting around the foot of the Tower. Senlin Ascends is the story of Thomas Senlin’s mad search for his wife as he enters the Tower and progresses further up and further in. Each “ringdom” presents new challenges for Senlin and new philosophical conjectures to be mused upon by the reader. And each new leg of Senlin’s journey exposes a new, darker, and more disturbing view of the Tower lauded as the center of civilization.

What determines a person’s worth? Their wealth? Their name? Their relationships? Their position? What is the meaning of life? Is it to live rough and drink much and just endure until the end comes? Is it to become someone else, to fill a role until you can’t tell where it ends and the “real” you begins? Is it to frolic and mingle and bask in your station while gloating over and pitying those less fortunate? When you live a world above the rest of the population, can you continue seeing them as equals, or do they become something less than human in your eyes? All of these questions and more filter through the mind of the reader as they follow Senlin’s ascension through the Tower.

Besides the philosophical bent of the book, my favorite aspect of Bancroft’s story was his main character, Thomas Senlin. When we first meet Senlin, he is self-conscious, nervous, absentminded, naïve, snooty, and quite honestly helpless. But when faced with the loss of his wife, Senlin adapts. He more than changes; he metamorphoses. We watch Senlin endure hardships beyond his imagining and, slowly but surely, become an entirely new creature. But unlike many of those changed but the Tower, Senlin doesn’t putrefy; he flourishes. Senlin becomes driven, focused, clever, and confident, all while maintaining a stunning optimism completely opposed to life in the Tower. He manages to make friends when none are meant to be found. His growth is some of the greatest character development I’ve read in any book. Side characters, such as Adamos, Edith, Tarrou, Oglier, Iren, and even Finn Goll are all well fleshed out and grow throughout the story. Though she is missing for a larger portion of the novel, Marya is a lovely character whose many facets are revealed nicely through flashbacks. As the story progresses, her relationship with Senlin makes more and more sense, and the love he has for her becomes more real and poignant as he fights his way through the Tower in search of her. I’m hopeful that Marya will be a greater presence in the second volume of the trilogy, because I loved everything I read about her.

I enjoyed the book immensely, though I do feel it was a bit overhyped. The character development, as stated previously, was beyond reproach. The Tower itself was a wonderful setting, new and interesting and nuanced. But the pacing of the story left something to be desired, stretching the plot too thin in places. I also felt frustrated at the lack of an ending, though I know this is the first in a trilogy and can see where Bancroft did attempt to provide some sort of resolution. But besides the poor pacing, Senlin Ascends was a fantastic read, and felt truly unique, for which I couldn't give less than 4.5 stars. I will most definitely be reading the rest of Bancroft’s work.

A buddy read with the lovely weirdos over at BB&B!

Michelle García

THIS.TOOK. ME. SO. LONG. It was pretty good, it took me a minute to get into it but it enjoyed it. The descriptions are pretty long and the plot moves at a really steady pace so it was a bit hard to remain focused. I can't wait to read the next one tho

Ashutosh

This was a constant recurrence on my Goodreads feed, and I just wanted to find out what's the hype. And I definitely understood why it was the case after reading it. 

At first the premise and the plot seemed really easygoing and less complex. The pacing of the story is almost the same throughout the book, but just when you start to feel comfortable, things start getting chaotic. And I think that's what makes this book so good. As the story proceeds , the characters, the world-building, the stakes, start to get complex. 

Thomas's character is easily likeable, even though his decision making gets him into troublesome situations, it still feels relatable at times. The consideration should be based on how he struggles through such amazingly different environment and how losing his wife leads to discovering himself. The character development is one other aspect that does the job really well. Although, at some instances the story felt dragged, but towards the end it made sense. 

So, overall this book is really good in terms of an introduction to a series, it has all the top-notch elements of fantasy, even though it lacks magic system. However, it also proves that a good fantasy story doesn't need a magic system. 

A must-read for sure.

'One of my favourite books of all time' - Mark Lawrence 'I'm wildly in love with this book' - Pierce Brown DISCOVER THE EXTRAORDINARY DEBUT THAT HAS GOT EVERYONE TALKING Mild-mannered headmaster, Thomas Senlin prefers his adventures to be safely contained within the pages of a book. So when he loses his new bride shortly after embarking on the honeymoon of their dreams, he is ill-prepared for the trouble that follows. To find her, Senlin must enter the Tower of Babel - a world of geniuses and tyrants, of menace and wonder, of unusual animals and mysterious machines. And if he hopes to ever see his wife again, he will have to do more than just survive . . . this quiet man of letters must become a man of action. 'Brilliant' - Publishers Weekly 'I loved it' - Django Wexler 'An engrossing intoxicating delight' - Forbidden Planet 'An extraordinary debut that is well worthy of the hype. A beautifully written, highly engaging page-turning masterpiece' - Fantasy Book Review 'Thomas Senlin is the most unlikely yet likeable hero since a certain hobbit rushed out of Bag End leaving his second breakfast half-finished and entirely unwashed-up' - Fantasy Faction

Fraser Simons

3.5 rounded up. 
There’s a lot I like about this book, especially how conflicts and consequences come to fruition here. The setting is vibrant, as are the characters. The only thing I think didn’t work for me was the pacing. It felt like a really long book just because of its structure. There’s quite a bit of quirky things that may test your ability to suspend your disbelief. But once the internal logic of the uncanny things are divulged, things start to clip along nicely.

Sarah Escorsa

· Well Well Well This Didn't Go Quite As Planned Surprise Surprise Buddy Read (WWWTDGQAPSSBR™) with My Dearest of Wives, The Ex Noob, The New Noob and The Girl with the Mostest Awesomest Name Ever ·



💀 DNF at 69%. 256 pages that felt like 10,589. Go me.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars. Yeah, I'm generous like that.

➽ Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I DNFed read this one wrong.

➽ Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that this overhyped book is one glorious masterpiece of originality and creativity (view spoiler)[
  a little. Gotta admit I kinda liked the beer-me-go-rounds and stuff. Had they been whisky-me-go-rounds, I probably would have rated this book 4 stars. At least. But they weren't. So I didn't. Ha.
 (hide spoiler)], wackiness (view spoiler)[
  ever heard of Tom Holt, people? Right. Thought so. Move along, Clueless Barnacles, nothing to see here
 (hide spoiler)], darkness and grittiness and goredom (view spoiler)[
  

  
 (hide spoiler)], excitement (view spoiler)[
  zzzzzzzzzzz
 (hide spoiler)], and general awesomeness (view spoiler)[
  
 (hide spoiler)].

➽ Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I should be kicked out of Goodreads for being so damn contrary all the time and callous enough to dare voice my mistaken, incorrect, faulty, erroneous opinion. Such outrageously revolting behavior should NOT be tolerated! I should be profoundly, deeply, acutely ashamed of my little self for not fully appreciating the wonderful wonderfulness of this wonderfully wonderful specimen of self-published literature. And, I deserve to be severely, intensely, thoroughly, seriously, vigorously punished for my lack of discernment (view spoiler)[preferably by either Daniel Faust, Mad Rogan or Caleb Shepperd. Thank you. 

 (hide spoiler)].

And you know what else I know? That I didn't because it wasn't so I won't be and I'm not but do I still want to be? Hell yeah ← need a decoder for this one? That's so sad, I am momentarily out of stock.

» And the moral of this I DNF Therefore I Am Crappy Non Review (IDTIACNR™) is: there is a slight possibility that I might possibly not be entirely enthused by the idea of reading the next instalment in this most wondrous series. But hey, you never know, miracles happen sometimes. I mean, I could also unexpectedly turn out to be slightly overwhelmed by the need to stay the hell away from book 2. Never say never and all that crap.

» And the other moral of this I DNF Therefore I Am Crappy Non Review (IDTIACNR™) is: come one, Edward, let's bail.





[Pre review nonsense]

I loved this book. I really did. It's just that it didn't love me back. Damn, it sucks so much to be me sometimes.



The world might be falling apart, but Groucho Marx will always save the day. Always.

►► Full I'm as Excited at the Thought of Writing this Crappy Non Review as I Was While Reading this Book Yay Crappy Non Review Yay (IaEatToWtCNRaIwWRtBYCNRY™) to come.

Interesting book genre of steampunk.....
Wasn't sure I would enjoy this book but the journey of the main character is very interesting.
Hmmm.....So glad I tried something new!

Heather Harrington

I went into this with pretty high expectations since everyone seems to love it, but sadly, I'm in the minority of people who don't understand the hype. I'm usually a fan of quest stories, so I thought I'd love following Senlin as he tries to find his missing wife, but I was so bored. The entire plot felt like a meandering Sunday stroll. There were some exciting bits, but they were few and far between. I also didn't like any of the characters, so I didn't care what happened to them. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a letdown.

Nickie Mohler

This was not what I expected. Not in a bad way though. I knew it was a fantasy about a tower and that was about it. I wasn't expecting Senlin. His character was so refreshing. He's not a well-built bad ass, he's just a regular guy. Quite nerdy in fact. I too am a nerd, so I loved him. I am excited to continue the series.

Simon Harrison

The first book in the word-of-mouth phenomenon debut fantasy series about one man's dangerous journey through a labyrinthine world. "One of my favorite books of all time" -- Mark Lawrence The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel in the world. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of luxury and menace, of unusual animals and mysterious machines. Soon after arriving for his honeymoon at the Tower, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, Thomas Senlin, gets separated from his wife, Marya, in the overwhelming swarm of tourists, residents, and miscreants. Senlin is determined to find Marya, but to do so he'll have to navigate madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassins, and the illusions of the Tower. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just endure. This quiet man of letters must become a man of action.

Seth Swinney 

A breath of fresh air. A unique plot and setting with fantastic writing. I will definitely be continuing in the series. 

Anastaciya

2021 upd - liked it even more on reread. So witty, with brilliant writing, and so many quotable moments

2018 - It was a hard read for me, but I started enjoying the book toward the end, and I am actually curious about the tower now. shall read the next book, but not right away.

Melea Mullican

3.86 on CAWPILE

I can see the love for this book. Most people don’t like the prose, but I loved it. Very Tolkienesque. However the main character never had much depth until the very end, and the plot meandered. I would have loved to spend more time with Senlin and his wife in the tower together before she’s lost. Maybe I would have given more of a crap about finding her. As it was, I felt more connection to one of the characters he first meets in the tower than her. 

Overall not a bad read. The ending picked up a bit so I think I’ll give book 2 a try.

Sally Salinas

Ben Nathan

Really interesting world with a story that is paced wonderfully. The only issue is that it does feel like only the start of a story and not self-contained at all, but that's just a personal preference on first books in series. Looking forward to the other books.

Anyaconda

I freaking loved this book! It's different from all I've read before. I immediately got my hands on book 2 and pre-ordered the Hod King 🤩

Rowan Jones

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