Ratings29
Average rating3.2
NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2023 BY GOODREADS AND ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY 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 jaw-dropping revelations that challenge the notion of what it means to be human 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.
Reviews with the most likes.
Synopsis: 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?
Thoughts: From the outset, the novel had me captivated and managed to sustain my interest until the last page. The prose was finely crafted, and the intricate blend of science, theology, and emotional depth was compelling. The narrative choice of framing the story as letters to a young relative felt somewhat forced and lacked a clear direction or purpose. Some of the characters felt formulaic, though one could argue that certain roles necessitate specific personality types. To be candid, only a handful of characters resonated with me, and the main players fell short of making a lasting impression. The conclusion, however, left me puzzled. It's unclear if even the editor fully grasped the intended outcome, as it could have benefited from some refining. Despite these critiques, the book offers a riveting experience, and I'd recommend it. Just be prepared for an ending that's open to interpretation.
Ik heb de laatste tijd echt pech met de sci-fi boeken die ik uitkies.
Ik zag keihard uit naar dit boek en was ervan overtuigd dat het me van mijn sokken ging blazen, maar uiteindelijk viel het tegen, ondanks het opwindende uitgangspunt en een aantal coole ideeën (ik vond bijvoorbeeld het fragment over heilige bergen en hoe die in quasi al onze mythologieën en religies voorkomen heel intrigerend). Helaas ontbrak het in de uitvoering, ik vond het veelal saai en bepaalde onthullingen bleken op het randje af belachelijk.
Ik zie in andere recensies veel opmerkingen over de verteltechniek en ik kan de algemene consensus hierover alleen maar bijtreden, gezien dit ook één van mijn eerste opmerkingen was toen ik het boek begon.
Het verhaal wordt verteld aan de hand van extreem gedetailleerde brieven die ons hoofdpersonage naar zijn tienernichtje schrijft, en zowel het niveau aan details als de ontvanger zorgden dat dit helemaal niet geloofwaardig overkwam. Het zou waarschijnlijk beter hebben gewerkt als een persoonlijk dagboek of als brieven aan zijn zoon, waardoor de onthulling van zijn dood meer impact zou hebben gehad.
Wat me ook stoorde was het inconsistente gebruik van eenheden. Dit zou een internationale wetenschappelijke expeditie moeten zijn, dus het gebruik van het Brits-Amerikaans maatsysteem voor bijvoorbeeld afstanden voelde echt onnatuurlijk voor mij. Dit is misschien wat muggenzifterig, maar kijk, ik ergerde me er aan.
En als dat mijn enige probleem was geweest, dan had ik daar zeker over kunnen kijken, maar uiteindelijk heb ik me vooral verveeld in dit boek en voelde ik me geen enkel moment emotioneel geïnvesteerd. Het teleurstellende en onbevredigende einde bezegelde de deal van een flauw, tegenvallend boek voor mij volledig.
Contains spoilers
I slogged through this book so you don't have to.
I've had this one on my to-read list since its publication I think, and as luck would have it, one of my regular library patrons had just finished reading it and was dropping it off at our swap shelf. I asked if they liked it, and they hedged a bit and finally committed to a half-hearted "....yeah?" And with that rounding endorsement, I decided to give it a go.
It's a mess. First off, the story is told through letters the main character sends to his niece. Highly, highly detailed letters he manages to pen with exact dialogue, scene movement, and adult topics to his kid (at the time) niece, between highly dangerous/incredibly wild scenes climbing a dangerous mountain. That took me right out of it, as I couldn't suspend belief enough to accept it.
Second, while the actual mountain climbing story starts out intriguing, it's really only for the first third or half or so before things start getting crazy weird and hard to follow. Even now, having just finished the book, I'm not really sure about that ending. There's actually a neat idea in here, if the author could've stuck with it and didn't lay so hard on the monsters on the mountain plot.
Third, and I'm putting this in spoilers, (character/plot spoilers here) the guy's name being a reverse of "i am alien"? Really? My eyes rolled super hard at that one. Why would an alien bother?
Dunno, definitely not my cup of tea. I gave it a star for the intriguing premise and interesting beginning, but it falls hard on its face not far in.