If you are looking for a mind-bending science fiction read, you should add Ascension to your TBR. This one questions faith, science, and belief. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
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.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: ableist comment, suicide
The premise of Ascension is intriguing – a mysterious mountain that appears out of nowhere? But Binge delivers a story that only builds. It feels like we’re going on this psychological journey with Harold. As we not only start to uncover the secrets behind this mountain, but also behind Harold. All those memories and inner confessions we hide from the depths of ourselves. With a frame narrative it evokes the atmosphere of the Gothic, of surviving the trauma and being irrevocably changed.
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While Ascension begins with mystery, it quickly shifts into a story which dives into faith and science, choice and fate. Readers are exploring these questions of unreliability and loneliness. Ascension examines humanity and ambition. It’s a story that’s difficult to explain. And throughout it’s a survival and discovery story. If you love the idea of an introspective science fiction genre bending story, you have to pick up Ascension. Find Ascension on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.