Rave Review: "Ascension" by Nicholas Binge

Quick Summary

Type: Novel

Genre: Horror, science fiction, thriller

Back Cover: "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."

Read Time: 2 days

Rating: 5 stars

Review

I think I just like sci-fi thrillers. This book had an interesting premise, and the opening really piqued my interest - I immediately wanted to know how Harold had ended up in the asylum.

First, I want to point out the things that bothered me because I never got an answer to some questions. Harold asks repeatedly who recommended him for the job, but that is never answered. My bet is John, but once he was dead, couldn't they have told him that? I wish that question had been answered. I also would have liked to know exactly which letters Harriet originally received. In the 'foreword', Ben (the brother) says the letters made no sense, but the first three published made plenty of sense. That suggests that Harold sent the last three letters, but how if he was already locked up? Wouldn't the asylum have seen that and realized he was sending a letter to his family? I was a little confused about that.

But beyond that, I loved the book. It was fun, it was a little scary at time, the important characters (with one notable exception) were well fleshed out, and I just really enjoyed myself. I thought in particular Neil's character was well-written, even though (actually, because) he wasn't fleshed out. I remember thinking at some point 'why aren't we seeing more of Neil?' and by the end, I had my answer and I loved my answer. The truth of the universe is something I really like to think about, and so to see a book in the wild with that as a 'truth' is something I loved to see.

And finally, while I thought Bettan was a douchebag, I have major respect for him for ruining Neil's plan and killing himself (using his free will and being his own man) to prevent the fourth-dimensional beings from messing with humanity. Respect.