Ascension

A Novel

By: Nicholas Binge

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY VULTURE!

"You've gotta read Ascension by Nicholas Binge. Old-school creepy. . .five-star horror."—Stephen King

"Smartly paced, deploying twists and turns strategically to keep the reader moving. . . The ideas are big and the journey is a whole lot of fun."—The New York Times

"[An] excellent page-turner. . . a macabre, escapist pleasure for the thoughtful set.”—The Wall Street Journal

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 revelations that challenge the notion of what it means to be human

The only way out is up. . .

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 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.

©2023 Nicholas Binge (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

A New York Times Editors' Choice Pick

"[Ascension] is smartly paced, deploying twists and turns strategically to keep the reader moving. . .Binge's crisp prose moves well between science fiction concepts, Gothic terror and fast-paced action sequences. . . For fans of well-wrought science fiction and cosmic horror scares, Ascension is worth the climb."—The New York Times Book Review

“A heady mix of wildly imaginative, action-packed storytelling and probing philosophical examination of—quite literally—the meaning of life….[Ascension is] full of frenetic action and packed with twists and turns, gun fights and villains, but it’s also a sustained reflection on the limits of being human."—The Chicago Review of Books

"A lovingly retold version of a classic horror thriller, but with more humanity and real emotion; it is the story of a broken man and what redemption looks like in the real world. . .[an] excellent page-turner. . .Ascension is thoroughly recommended—a macabre, escapist pleasure for the thoughtful set.”—The Wall Street Journal

Moments of Interest

Interesting and/or exciting moments were scattered too infrequently throughout a rather needlessly prolonged story. I would not recommend this story to others. It’s definitely not a page-turner but I don’t regret reading it.

Did not really meet expectations.

The book was ok. I don’t regret reading but I wouldn’t read again or recommend. The story was very similar to Annihilation. The narrator was not very good. Especially, when he was trying to do other voices.

Interesting story despite flaws

Great narration and a generally interesting story. Some huge flaws in mountaineering. I just wish the author had spoken to some mountaineers and changed a couple things to make the story mountaineering part plausible.

Barely lovecraftian

I was told this was Lovecraftian and it barely tries to be. Even when you try to appreciate the story for what it is, it's slow and boring. The main character is such a coward and pushover it feels like my testosterone is leaving my body listening to this.

Feels like Ive read this before

The story in general was giving me "annihilation" vibes. Its more horror than sci-fi. A god enough read and one of those books that frankly could be a better movie than the book.

Gripping and Intruiging story, even if you may have heard it before…

Clearly drawing on the inspirations of “At the Mountains of Madness” and “Annihilation” we still get to experience a gripping and intruiging story that once the climb started it was impossible to put down.

The narrator was a little bothersome for me as he struggled to have multiple voices for different characters creating a ln imperfect transition from the first person narration to conversation.

Overall- if you enjoyed At the Mountains of Madness, this is a great read.

Was hoping for more

It was ok overall, but the narration could’ve been better. I like the story and the inclusion of some big questions. However, there was very little payoff. If you take on some of life’s big questions, there should at least be an attempt at addressing them. Can’t just bring them up and let them hang there.

Fantastical silliness

I’m not sure how or why I finished this book. Some parts aren’t bad. I guess I was looking for something else. This wasn’t it.

what a waste of my hearing.

This was written with far too many plot holes and not tied to science or good writing. this is a pile of........and the most stupid ending since the Bible.

Too bad

I tried getting into this. Was genuinely curious to see where the story was headed once the characters began their climb. But the narration, use of dialects in particular, was highly distracting. Took me out of the experience.