Our book club book pick this month is Ascension by Nicholas Binge.
Mountains don’t just appear out of nowhere… do they? In this mind-bending sci-fi tale, they do! And our protagonist, Harold, is part of a group of scientists sent to study the mysterious geographical feature that’s suddenly popped up in the Pacific Ocean.
It’s massive - bigger than any other mountain on earth. But as Harold and the team start climbing to the top, it’s not just the scale of the mountain that’s baffling, but the strange way that time moves there, and the unsettling effects the trek has on the team. As Harold ascends, he can feel the mountain changing him, and he must unlock the pain of his past in order to hold onto his humanity.
Ascension plays with science, religion, and philosophy in a thought-provoking sci-fi adventure tale. The story is told in epistolary form, dictated through the revealing letters Harold writes to his niece, Harriet. It’s an interesting device that plays into the time-confusion aspect of the novel.
If you want to read Ascension with your book club, (or just want some questions to think about after reading it), here are a couple questions to get you started (very light spoilers):
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Humans are repeatedly compared to ants throughout the story. What was the author saying about the human perspective?
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What was the significance of Harold's "box?"
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Two characters make it to the top. What are the traits these two characters have that allowed them to survive?
I’m not a particularly fast reader, but I blew through this book, and I thought the time-travel element was handled nicely, in a way that wasn’t overly confusing, technical, or distracting. The story had a fast pace and a cinematic quality. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s eventually turned into a movie!
What did you think? Comment below!
If you loved this book, check out Dissolution, also by Nicholas Binge.
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