Release Date: April 25th 2023
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Pages: 320
Find it on: Goodreads. Waterstones.
Source: I received an E-ARC of this book via Netgalley
Rating: 4/5 stars

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, a scientist of mysterious phenomena, 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.

Review

I really love books that feature an expedition or climbing a mountain and creepy things start happening (I just love Michelle Paver’s books!) so when I read the premise for Ascension it sounded like exactly my cup of tea. Told through a series of letters our protagonist writes to his niece, the story follows scientist Harold Tunmore as he’s invited on an expedition to explore a mountain that has appeared in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. On arrival strange and mysterious things start happening and the higher they go the more questions arise. Can Harold and his team unravel the mystery of the mountain and will they make it out alive?

This book has such a compelling premise and it is executed so well. I really enjoyed the way the story was told in letters and Binge’s writing was so easy to get lost in. The story is paced well and Binge does an amazing job of slowly increasing that sense of unease and paranoia as the expedition climbs higher. There were certainly some really tense, creepy moments and more than a few that sent a shiver down my spine.

Ascension is quite a quick paced book that incorporates science fiction, thriller, and horror elements that make you not want to look away. Our main protagonist Harold is a really complex character, dealing with grief and the loss of everything he once knew. I really liked seeing the dynamics between the characters change as they realised just how much danger they were in.

Binge does a great job of keeping the reader guessing and I was never really sure where the story was going to go. Ascension is a gripping page turner and one that I did not want to put down. Ascension is a hugely enjoyable read and I am looking forward to reading more from Nicholas Binge in the future.