Senlin Ascends

Josiah Bancroft

Aug 2017 · Sold by Orbit

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

I couldn't finish it. The prose was good and the author clearly had a good sense of Senlin's character, but the world was too bizarre for me to suspend disbelief. It was like Alice in wonderland meets dystopian 1984. Strange things kept happening that everyone thought was normal, but actually made no sense. Like why was there no government? Why no police? Why has no one conquered this area and introduced laws, at least surrounding the tower? I just couldn't get engaged.

A detailed and fantastic new universe has been created which brags of pirates on oceans of air, unexpected heroes, and characters from the entire spectrum of mankind with all revolving around and in the Tower.

I'm not sure what it is yet, but there's something here that makes me want to read again and never stop.

About the author

Josiah Bancroft is the author of five novels, a collection of short fiction, and numerous poems. His books have been translated into eight languages. Before settling down to write fantasy full-time, he was a college instructor, rock musician, and aspiring comic book artist. When he’s not writing, he enjoys strumming a variety of stringed instruments, drawing with a growing cache of imperfect pens, and cooking without a recipe. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Sharon, their daughter, Maddie, and their two rabbits, Mabel and Chaplin.