Name: Ascension
ISBN: 9780008505813

Nicholas Binge

A mind-bending speculative thriller in which the sudden appearance of a mountain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean leads a group of scientists to a series of jaw-dropping revelations that challenge the notion of what it means to be human.

Ascension

Lindsay

There’s no such thing as starting fresh: new beginnings all contain the old ones bundled up inside of them. Starting fresh means not having a history anymore; it means not having an identity.

Apiecalypse Jen

Two young fish are swimming along and an older fish passes them swimming the other way and says “morning boys, how’s the water?” And after he’s moved beyond them the one young fish says to the other “what the hell is water?” 

A mind-bending speculative thriller in which the sudden appearance of a mountain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean leads a group of scientists to a series of jaw-dropping revelations that challenge the notion of what it means to be human An enormous snow-covered mountain has appeared in the Pacific Ocean. No one knows when exactly it showed up, precisely how big it might be, or how to explain its existence. When Harold Tunmore, a scientist of mysterious phenomena, is contacted by a shadowy organization to help investigate, he has no idea what he is getting into as he and his team set out for the mountain. The higher Harold’s team ascends, the less things make sense. Time moves differently, turning minutes into hours, and hours into days. Amid the whipping cold of higher elevation, the climbers’ limbs numb and memories of their lives before the mountain begin to fade. Paranoia quickly turns to violence among the crew, and slithering, ancient creatures pursue them in the snow. Still, as the dangers increase, the mystery of the mountain compels them to its peak, where they are certain they will find their answers. Have they stumbled upon the greatest scientific discovery known to man or the seeds of their own demise? Framed by the discovery of Harold Tunmore’s unsent letters to his family and the chilling and provocative story they tell, Ascension considers the limitations of science and faith and examines both the beautiful and the unsettling sides of human nature.

A Novel

Wingyan Chan

I'm not usually into science fiction, but this one was so ominous... This book is like if annihilation and interstellar had a son.

LIMEKI 

         I read this insane book a few years ago about a house that…um…changes.  It was called House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, and it might have been one of the most bizarre books I have ever read.  Of course, I devoured it and had an intense desire to have a sit-down chat with Mr. Danielewski, if only to determine if he was ok.  I have often wondered if those who pen these bizarre books are harboring some trauma, or maybe they create their oddities with some pharmaceutical assistance.  Whatever causes these stories, they’re at least intriguing, though sometimes they fall a bit short when it comes to the actual story.

            This book is almost a combination of the aforementioned House of Leaves and Stephen King’s The Dome, except that it is set on an Everest-esque mountain that showed up in the middle of the ocean like it was a pop-up restaurant in downtown Los Angeles.  The cast of characters needed some work, in my less-than professional opinion.  Harold, the main character, was whisked away to said mountain by some shady characters, never given the entire reason why his involvement was necessary.  There he meets the remainder of the team that will attempt to ascend the peak, including his ex-wife, with whom he is still in love.  So immediately I get the feeling I’m in for a romantic adventure story, however, it becomes readily apparent that Harold is harboring his own internal trauma.  It was that trauma, unfortunately, that truly led me to dislike this book. 

            The story itself would have been interesting if it was just the team against the mountain, but Binge had to add in the love story gone wrong.  But Binge didn’t just add that in, Binge dragged it out like he was digging a moat around the biggest castle on the planet.  My interest in this story waned every time Harold’s terrible past was brought up, and I frequently wanted to punish my kindle because the full story had yet to be revealed.  It was incredibly frustrating, which unfortunately overshadowed the rest of the story. 

            By the time I got to the end, I was so done with the whole thing, I didn’t even care about the origin of the mountain, which should have been the best part!  It could have been one of the most talked about science fiction/horror novels of 2023, instead it was just another dude battling his demons. 

Kristen Claiborn

         I read this insane book a few years ago about a house that…um…changes.  It was called House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, and it might have been one of the most bizarre books I have ever read.  Of course, I devoured it and had an intense desire to have a sit-down chat with Mr. Danielewski, if only to determine if he was ok.  I have often wondered if those who pen these bizarre books are harboring some trauma, or maybe they create their oddities with some pharmaceutical assistance.  Whatever causes these stories, they’re at least intriguing, though sometimes they fall a bit short when it comes to the actual story.

            This book is almost a combination of the aforementioned House of Leaves and Stephen King’s The Dome, except that it is set on an Everest-esque mountain that showed up in the middle of the ocean like it was a pop-up restaurant in downtown Los Angeles.  The cast of characters needed some work, in my less-than professional opinion.  Harold, the main character, was whisked away to said mountain by some shady characters, never given the entire reason why his involvement was necessary.  There he meets the remainder of the team that will attempt to ascend the peak, including his ex-wife, with whom he is still in love.  So immediately I get the feeling I’m in for a romantic adventure story, however, it becomes readily apparent that Harold is harboring his own internal trauma.  It was that trauma, unfortunately, that truly led me to dislike this book. 

            The story itself would have been interesting if it was just the team against the mountain, but Binge had to add in the love story gone wrong.  But Binge didn’t just add that in, Binge dragged it out like he was digging a moat around the biggest castle on the planet.  My interest in this story waned every time Harold’s terrible past was brought up, and I frequently wanted to punish my kindle because the full story had yet to be revealed.  It was incredibly frustrating, which unfortunately overshadowed the rest of the story. 

            By the time I got to the end, I was so done with the whole thing, I didn’t even care about the origin of the mountain, which should have been the best part!  It could have been one of the most talked about science fiction/horror novels of 2023, instead it was just another dude battling his demons. 

You know that Mountain of Madness episode of the Simpsons? It’s a lot like that (right down to where is that mountain in all the other episodes?) except it is as serious as a heart attack and it has a lot of dimensional and physics theory for the hard science fiction fans. Weird in a lot of great ways. And having once been married to an Aussie I will say, they kinda nailed a specific type of ‘straya dude too. Classic slow reveal of a story within a story typical of the thriller genre. If you liked “Annihilation” and it’s weird tower/hole you will love it’s mountainous step-sibling, Ascension.