Senlin Ascends Book Review: An Incredibly Original Fantasy Adventure

Senlin Ascends

Senlin Ascends is a fantasy/science fiction/adventure novel that I’d recommend to anyone on the hunt for a book that’s totally different from anything else out there. It’s a wonderfully unique first entry in a four-book series, and if the next three titles are as good as this one, I’ll be thrilled.

The story is set in a steampunk-type world where the biggest attraction is a massively large tower that reaches so high into the clouds that no one even knows how many stories tall it truly is. Each of the tower’s levels (or rings) is completely distinctive from the others and each ring almost functions as a unique, city-sized environment, complete with different governments, rules, and types of inhabitant. Travelers visit the towers as a tourist attraction (only typically reaching the outside market or bottommost levels).

The protagonist of Senlin Ascends, an awkward headmaster named Senlin, is one such tourist. Senlin is from a small town and has ventured to the tower on his honeymoon with his wife, Marya. Soon after arriving, however, the two become separated from one another. Senlin will need to ascend the rings of the tower as he searches for his missing love.

The book acts as an epic adventure with Senlin, as well as a fun character study. On the topic of characters, author Josiah Bancroft introduces us over the course of the novel to a fantastic cast. There are some diverse, outstandingly interesting people Senlin encounters, and I found myself really enjoying them.

Bancroft’s writing style I found to be unique and almost poetic at times. He definitely has a way with words that lends itself to this type of story.

Senlin Ascends has many different elements to it. It’s darkly funny at times and intense at others. Once I got into it after the first few chapters, I was thoroughly enthralled.

Grade: 9/10

Arm of the Sphinx

Even though it picks up shortly after where we left off in Senlin Ascends, Arm of the Sphinx is a very different novel than that first book. For most of Senlin Ascends, our protagonist is traveling through the tower and going on what feels like mini adventures before everything comes together at the end. In Arm of the Sphinx, we’re already starting out with our core cast of characters, and the story also feels more linear.

Sure, Senlin’s goal has always been to find his wife, Marya, but now, in this second book, he feels a lot less directionless in his pursuit than he did earlier. Arm of the Sphinx is broken up into three different parts, with parts I and II, titled The Stone Cloud and The Golden Zoo, making up about half the novel.

This half of the novel focuses on the crew of the Stone Cloud, Senlin, Edith, Adam, Voleta, and Iren, as they attempt to find a means to enter Pelphia, the fourth ringdom, where they suspect Marya is. While I enjoyed these parts, I felt like the story wasn’t quite as fast paced as it had been earlier when Senlin was climbing the tower’s rings.

The third part of the book, The Bottomless Library, is when Arm of the Sphinx really kick everything into another gear. Part III is further broken down into sections concentrating on specific crewmembers, with two sections not featuring Senlin at all. It very much demonstrates how this has transitioned from a book with a strong, central character we’re following into an overall ensemble adventure.

I thought this part was fantastic. I greatly appreciate how distinct, but equally interesting all members of the crew are. In this section, we also learn a lot more about the mysterious Sphinx and the history of the tower. It’s nice to see that Bancroft is paying off the story as he goes, instead of just letting our questions about the tower and what’s going on continue to mount.

The book definitely becomes weirder when we’re introduced to the Sphinx, and characters like Byron (who’s great) and the librarian, but I enjoy just how out there everything is – reading this one is definitely a unique experience. While I liked the second half more than the first, I still very much enjoyed this follow up to Senlin Ascends. 

Grade: 8.5/10

This post will be updated with future book reviews in the series as I finish reading them!