Senlin Ascends (Books of Babel)

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Azrayne

Irenicus did nothing wrong
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Senlin Ascends (The Books of Babel Book 1) eBook: Josiah Bancroft: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store

While honeymooning in the Tower of Babel, Thomas Senlin loses his wife, Marya.

The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel of the Silk Age. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of airships and steam engines, of unusual animals and mysterious machines.

Thomas Senlin, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, is drawn to the Tower by scientific curiosity and the grandiose promises of a guidebook. The luxurious Baths of the Tower seem an ideal destination for a honeymoon, but soon after arriving, Senlin loses Marya in the crowd.

Senlin’s search for Marya carries him through madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassination, and the long guns of a flying fortress. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just survive. This quiet man of letters must become a man of action.


I'm really not sure how to describe this one. There's a definite steam-punky vibe, although that isn't the focus. A bit of Diana Wynne Jones/Susanna Clarke style Britishism, although I wouldn't put it in the YA category. Maybe a little Jules Verne.

Anyway, it's pretty unique, which is refreshing with how much copy-paste bullshit there is being pumped out right now, and it's a fucking good read. The first time in months that I've picked a book up and just plowed through cover to cover (so to speak). A really intriguing setting wrapped around some excellent character development.

My only complaint is that I started it thinking it was a single novel, for some reason, and was disappointed when I got about half way through and realized it was actually a trilogy and I wouldn't be getting any conclusion at the end, although luckily the second book came out earlier in the year. Hopefully the author won't drag it out or leave people hanging.

Anyway if you're bored and after something different, check it out. It's dirt cheap and well worth the cost of entry.
 

Ritley

Karazhan Raider
15,698
34,169
For $3 I'll give it a try. If nothing else the premise is definitely unique
 

Kovaks

Mr. Poopybutthole
2,354
3,142
Just finished this series, and can't reccomend enough, it is a wild ride that I really enjoyed. The world building and characters really drew me in. Bancroft build a roller-coaster of hope and dispare that kept me guessing and rooting for our unlikely heroes.
 

Kharzette

Watcher of Overs
4,857
3,473
My author friend recommended this to me (author of what remains of heroes) and I really liked the series.
 

Void

Experiencer
<Gold Donor>
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10,989
(author of what remains of heroes)
Not to derail this thread, but I always like supporting "local" authors so I went to look for this on Amazon. Apparently I bought it in 2015, so I'm assuming someone pimped it here and I went ahead and bought it. According to Goodreads I never read it though. Will try to remember to check out both these series when I finish my current batch of mediocre but strangely addicting shitrpg books.
 
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Kharzette

Watcher of Overs
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It was probably me! I think I wrote about it in "what did I just read". It has that kind of rich flavoury text you can cut with steak knife.
 

Void

Experiencer
<Gold Donor>
9,374
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It was probably me! I think I wrote about it in "what did I just read". It has that kind of rich flavoury text you can cut with steak knife.
I hope that doesn't mean we get a description of every doily on the table of the room they pass through on the way to a more important room. I like my description Black Company style: sparse.
 

Kovaks

Mr. Poopybutthole
2,354
3,142
I hope that doesn't mean we get a description of every doily on the table of the room they pass through on the way to a more important room. I like my description Black Company style: sparse.
It is descriptive but not overbearing so, I don't like too much either, one of my biggest complaints about the boom I read before these, I found d it enhanced the story by fleshing out the crazy world. That being said he might have described ba doily or two
 
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