This was very descriptive and interesting to read. I really liked all the footnotes throughout. Even though it dealt with unusual circumstances, it was written well enough to picture everything. Characters were well developed and I enjoyed their stories.

Action-packed story about a group of selected scientists, former military personnel, and an experienced climber who embark on a trek of knowledge. An enormous mountain randomly show up in the middle of the ocean, and our group of explorers are the second elite group to attempt the summit.

This book is nicely paced, and the mystery of the mountain compelled me to keep reading. Harold’s backstory added a humanizing touch, and gave the book more of a layer to it. I’m still pondering how it all fit together.

An exciting, tense, cosmic horror filled adventure as a man attempts to climb a towering mountain that has mysteriously appeared in the ocean. The dread starts to build from the very beginning and doesn't let up as the conditions of their adventure worsen. A good read for cosmic horror fans.

I do not normally read a lot of sci-fi but I found this book entertaining enough. It is well written with excellent pacing and enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested.

Enjoyed this book from start to finish! Recommend this all my sci-fi and thriller lovers!!

This takes you on a journey right from the beginning and the plot twists are great!

This book was ok, a fun read with a lot of potential. I fear the author took himself too seriously, and some connections between characters weren't adequately explained.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy is not a genre I normally gravitate to but I got a good feeling from the intriguing cover art and premise of the story. A massive mountain appears out of nowhere and is located out in the middle of the ocean. Where did the mountain come from? How could the world not know it was there? What awaits at the summit?

This was a fun read! Author Binge does a delicate balancing act as he zooms in to the tortured inner life of the protagonist and then zooms out to consider the many ways people make meaning of life - religion, predestination, science, nihilism, and everything that's unknowable.

My only minor quibble is that some of the action on the mountain seems repetitive. At some points, it feels like It's all snow, harsh winds, fights, apologies, rinse/repeat. But I was down for the ride the vast majority of the time.

I will be recommending this book to my library patrons and look forward to checking out Nicholas Binge's future work.

I'm not really a horror fan, nor a serious reader of science fiction, so when a friend recommended Nicholas Binge's Ascension to me, I was hesitant. It took getting through the first preamble of the book—one told in letters by a physicist who has been recruited to investigate the surprise appearance of the largest mountain in the world—for me to get hooked. But then, man, I was all the way hooked. Binge has such a gift for propulsive storytelling. You can feel the creeping sense of dread, the unrelenting cold, the gnawing anxiety and guilt from the mountaineering party. Yes there's some creepy stuff in there, plus a whole pile of space-time ideas that feel a bit slippery to hang on to, but none of that really matters in the face of what's an un-put-down-able thriller. I canceled plans on a Saturday night to finish reading it, and have pushed this book into the hands of multiple people. Nicholas Binge, I've got my eye out for whatever you're writing next.

I really enjoyed Ascension; it was a heavy dose of sci-fi mixed with horror. I liked reading about Harold and his team's trek up the mountain, as more and more went wrong the higher they went.

Ascension, while definitely science fiction, seems to fit better into the horror genre. I think had I gone into the book thinking this, I would have been a bit more receptive. That being said, I did like the book and enjoyed the overall story. The book carries strong themes of faith which could potentially turn off some readers. The characters are interesting and the heavy science element brings a wonderful element. I also enjoyed that readers are kept in the dark through the story. Some of this has to do with the way the book is written.

The story is told primarily through a series of letters from the main character to his niece, Hattie. While they take a format of a letter, in reality, they are more akin to journal entries. Binge often slips into an almost narrative format at times. This generally includes character dialog and action. At times, this caused me to be a bit confused. Regardless, I really enjoyed the book. It's strange, intriguing, and kept me guessing.

Ascension by Nicholas Binge is a science fiction novel about a top-secret scientific expedition to figure out what caused a mountain to mysteriously appear in the middle of the ocean.
Harold Tunmore is a scientist who is asked to help figure out why this mountain has suddenly appeared. The group will scale the mountain in an effort to reach the top. However, as the group climbs higher, the more strange occurrences come to pass. The questions slowly transforms from "Can we make it to the top?" to "Should we?"
This was absolutely riveting. I was so caught up in this story and these characters.

When a mountain almost twice the size of Mt. Everest mysteriously appears in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a group of scientists and military personnel are sent to investigate in this riveting sci-fi thriller by Scottish author Nicholas Binge.

Harold Tunmore, a renowned former doctor turned physicist, is found alive but not mentally well residing in a psychiatric hospital by his brother Ben who presumed Harold to be dead decades before. Harold is forever changed by life-altering events he experienced as part of the research team sent to explore the colossal mountain in 1991.

Written mostly in an epistolary style as letters from Harold to his niece, Ben’s daughter, Harriet, the reader learns how he and his team were sent on the expedition and the wild and terrifying adventure that ensued. Through these letters, the reader discovers what caused Harold’s mental instability and his harrowing journey to the summit of the mysterious mountain. This perfectly paced novel is not only an atmospheric and intensifying thriller with a complex main character and strong character development, but it also has a side story of love and loss told through reflections of Harold’s life before the expedition.

The novel gently tackles themes of religion and the possibility of a higher power. It covers heavy topics including the long-debated Science vs. Faith argument. Rather than the author subjecting his readers to his own personal views didactically, he presents various perspectives from both sides leaving the reader to decide for themselves. “...some greater being has put this mountain here, something beyond the realm of our comprehension. I am sure of that now. Whether it is Got or not, as I have been taught about Him, I cannot say. Part of me feels that explanation is a little too simplistic, a little too straightforward”. p. 244

Throughout the book, the reader is offered answers to the question of the purpose of life and how our place in the world is affected by those around us. “...That’s what life is. A constant climb. Eternal growth. The continual battle against entropy. It doesn’t matter what the destination is, or what’s at the top; all that matters is that you keep climbing. That's what it means to be alive, Harold. That’s what it means to be human.” p. 311

This haunting and thought-provoking psychological suspense with a sprinkle of cosmic horror belongs on the shelf alongside the likes of Jeff Vandermeer, H.P. Lovecraft, and even Andy Weir.

“The only way to live in the present, is to embrace the past, to use it as a seed to grow the future”. P. 290

In Ascension, Nicholas Binge tells the story of Harold Tunmore, a physicist who is recruited to join an expedition to investigate a mysterious mountain that has appeared in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The mountain is unlike anything anyone has ever seen before, and as Harold and his team climb higher and higher, they begin to uncover its dark secrets.

The book is told in the form of letters that Harold writes to his niece, Hattie. This format gives the story a sense of intimacy and urgency, as Harold struggles to make sense of what he is experiencing. The letters also allow Binge to explore Harold's inner thoughts and feelings, which are complex and often contradictory.

Ascension is a gripping and suspenseful read that will keep you guessing until the very end. It is also a thought-provoking book that explores the nature of science, faith, and the human condition. If you are looking for a book that will challenge your beliefs and make you think, then Ascension is definitely worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley and Riverhead Books for the chance to review this advance copy. Ascension publishes on April 25, 2023.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early release.

Harold is presumed to be dead by his family until he is found in a psych ward. He is found with letters that tell a story that is hard to believe. A mountain appears out of nowhere in the Pacific Ocean and a team of researchers, Harold being one of them are sent to traverse the mountain and study it. While on the mountain strange things start to happen, time is not what it seems, unlikely creatures appear, and tensions between researchers invoke arguments and fights.

The story switches between what is happening on the mountain and Harold’s past, I was more interested in the story of the mountain than I was in the past. The pace of the book moved slowly at times when Harold was stuck recounting the past. Interesting read with a surprising twist at the end.

A science fiction thriller that kept me guessing.

The book has an awesome premise and when I started reading, I admit I was confused, as i wasnt quite sure what this mans brother had to do with a mysterious mountain appearing but it all made sense in the end. Well it kinda made sense. First, the idea of the whole book being written as letters was really cool and it really showed the progression of the symptoms and his journey. I actually really loved the whole idea of Harry's brother publishing his letters and leaving it up to the public to decide what to make of this story. I can just imagine the pandemonium that unleashed. I thought this was a really well done novel, that explored a lot of themes.

I have mixed feelings about this. I have to say the set-up is intriguing but it all feels like a lost episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. But I liked ST:TOS. Characters can behave cartoonishly, the action can be repetitive and confusing, and the ending feels like a B-movie version of the psychedelic ending of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The epistolary format often feels forced but is redeemed a bit toward the end. Still I enjoyed it. If you’re into a thrilling sci-fi novel with some metaphysics thrown in, try it. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ebook ARC.

Told primarily in the form of letters written by Harold to his niece, Harriet, Ascension records Harold's journey up a mountain that has appeared in the middle of the ocean. Within the story of the ascent we also get the Harold through some of his memories which he recounts to his niece through the letters.
A little bit sci-fi, a little mystery, a little thriller, this novel managed to weave it all together for an enthralling story.
Difficult to review without giving anything away, and really it's best enjoyed as it unfolds, but it was a fantastic read.

Speculative fiction is always a bit of a gamble, and while the messaging and allegory of this novel was sound; the slow build was kind of hard to get through. The character de-evolution as the novel progressed seemed to stagnate and stop about midway through the book, which for a speculative fiction piece using it's characters to question societal tropes, seemed counter-intuitive. While it was a good book, I don't think it was great; and would warn people, if you don't like allegory stay away from this novel.


https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/86143998-allison-willey

Ascension will be the biggest WTF watercooler thriller of the year and is essential reading for any fan of the films Annihilation and Interstellar or the TV series Lost. People will be discussing and debating this book all summer long, and for good reason: It's as stunningly cinematic in its action and suspense as it is in its fascinating dissection of faith vs. science (something it approaches with an incredibly refreshing nuance). As such, it's also going to spark some heated differences of opinion, all of which will make "Have you read Ascension yet?!" one of the key questions of 2023. There are twists that will make some readers gasp and others roll their eyes, but what's undeniable is Binge's swiftness and dexterity in building the world of Harold Tunmore, the mysterious mountain, and the disarming oscillation between his memories and his future. It's a wild ride of a book, and a provocative one at that, with a resonant message that will be difficult to forget: "Whatever is going to happen, it's going to happen... It's up to you to decide how you make that count. How beautiful you let that be."

This book is being talked up and talked about for great reasons. Worth all the press it's receiving. Science fiction is a hard sell in our little libraries, but this one actually seems to cross the boundaries and push the limits and should appeal to broader audiences.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.