There has to be something about Ascension Island that makes it such a good fit for a book title. Last summer, I read Ascension, a 2021 novel by Oliver Harris: A well written spy novel (mostly) set on said island. Then earlier this summer, I got all excited when I realized that something that sounded like a science fiction novel was nominated for the 2023 Booker price. One-click shopping worked wonderfully and here I had “Ascension” by Nicholas Binge on my Kindle. Only Ascension was never nominated for the Booker price - “In Ascension” by Martin Macinnes was. A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do: Even with ebooks I find it hard not to read (or finish) them once bought. Hence the double feature: Ascension and In Ascension. (I will spare you a review of Oliver Harris’ Ascension.)
Ascension by Nicholas Binge
Ascension packs a gripping adventure (monsters included), a family drama, and - in its apparent resolution - a well-tried science fiction theme into a series of letters written by Harold Tunmore, genius scientist who disappeared many years ago and only re-appears for the briefest moment in the book. Not much of a spoiler here: His short re-appearance merely provides the background for the bulk of his letters to be discovered.
I won’t say too much about the back-story here other than that there is a lot of pain and trauma involved that gets uncovered through the letters directly, but more importantly through experiences, flashbacks, and conversations during the main plot as described in these letters.
The main plot focuses on a 1991 expedition to a mountain in the sea (yeah - this review is full of references to other books: The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Naylor is another recent sci-fi release). A mountain, higher than Mt Everest, that one day appeared in the middle of the ocean. Harold Tunmore, our letter writer, joins an expedition to explore the mountain after an earlier attempt to climb the mountain ended in disaster with his ex wife being the only survivor. And disaster is again what the team finds as they try to climb the mountain: It is not only physical exhaustion and the cold that drive them to their limits (and beyond). Time itself seems distorted, people lose their minds in fear, despair, and distorted reality, and a straight line on the mountain might move people around in circles. Then there are the monsters - weird tentacled beings that seem to believe the mountain to be their territory to defend - and appear to operate on a biology foreign to earth.
There is a lot to the adventure story and it makes for a fascinating read. Sometimes a map of the mountain would help - but then how do you draw a map of a mountain that appears to constantly change shape and continues to degrade your mental abilities. What makes the book stand out though is how this big adventure is mixed with a back-story of love and hurt, a family story of untold secrets, and a story of the absolute will to explore the unknown.
To quote the NY Times’ review: “Binge’s collection of devices may feel familiar to science fiction fans.” It does. But that isn’t really a problem because Binge cleverly applies re-mixes seen somewhere else and weaves them into a grandiose story that is well worth reading.
And in case you wonder why Ascension qualifies as a science fiction novel: It is not only because it is a fiction novel about a scientist… But you have to find the rest out for yourself.
In Ascension by Martin MacInnes
It is not often that science fiction novels get nominated for highbrow book prizes: The Booker website lists only 8 science fiction novels as having been shortlisted in the history of the prize. So of course, I had to read this and finally did after making way to the end of Ascension (the Nicholas Binge version).
In Ascension follows Leigh, a Dutch biologist on a journey from the ocean to the stars. Drawn to water from an early childhood as the daughter of a math professor and a flood control engineer, Leigh specializes in marine biology and as a young researcher embarks on a research expedition into the Atlantic, where an unbelievably deep trench has been discovered. No monsters here this time around, but a mystery nonetheless, at a time when other scientific break-throughs promise a new frontier in science and space exploration.
Her work in the Atlantic later leads Leigh into a top-secret research center in the US where she needs to make a decision between following her passion for advancing science or supporting her aging mother - a family story mostly told through phone conversations with her sister. Despite her sister’s efforts to convince her to come home, Leigh focuses all her energy on working on her algae research - research that ends up taking her on a journey to the edge of the solar system and deep into earth’s history. The book then switches perspective, looking at events through the experience of Leigh’s sister who is trying to come to terms with what has happened, before coming - quite literally - full circle.
In Ascension is a fascinating story - although one that can be confusing at times. I also had to forgive a few early seemingly esoteric fits of key people in the story: As you go through the book, the story begins to make more sense while nicely weaving in a fascination for earth’s fragile eco-systems and an awareness of the risks of climate change without taking the moral high-ground. And - not to spoil too much - while both Ascension and In Ascension are very different books, their endings actually share some similarities.
If you do not typically touch a science fiction book (or want to sneak it into somebody else’s reading list), just pretend this is merely a Booker-shortlisted novel. If you are into science-fiction, take joy in the recognition for the genre and know that being shortlisted for a prestigious literary award is not incompatible with a good sci fi story.
Thumbnail via hotpot.ai.
You can find my full reading list over at goodreads.