Senlin Ascends

Thomas Senlin, a small-town headmaster, travels with his new wife Marya to honeymoon at the Tower of Babel - a vast structure of unknown height containing countless ringdoms. Within hours of arriving at the chaotic Tower port, Senlin loses his wife in the crowd and must venture into the Tower to find her. Each level of the Tower operates as its own kingdom with distinct rules, cultures, and dangers. Senlin navigates these environments while searching for Marya, transforming from a naive tourist into someone who can survive the Tower's challenges. The story follows his ascent through various ringdoms as he uncovers the Tower's inner workings and encounters both allies and adversaries. This steampunk fantasy combines Victorian sensibilities with surreal worldbuilding and clockwork technology. The Tower itself functions as both setting and central mystery, its true nature and purpose remaining unclear as Senlin works to understand its mechanisms and power structures. The narrative explores themes of identity and adaptation, questioning how environment shapes character and whether change necessarily means loss of self. Through Senlin's journey, the story examines the tension between individual will and institutional power.

Readers celebrate the book's originality and worldbuilding, with many comparing the Tower of Babel setting to works by Kafka, Borges, and Calvino. The prose receives frequent mentions for its literary quality without being pretentious. Readers highlighted: - Complex character development of Thomas Senlin - Each level of the tower having distinct rules and societies - Balance of whimsy and darkness in tone - Detailed descriptions that don't slow the pacing Common criticisms: - Slow start in the first 50-100 pages - Some found Senlin too naive initially - Romance elements felt forced to certain readers Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (37,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (3,800+ ratings) LibraryThing: 4.1/5 (900+ ratings) One reader noted: "It reads like Terry Gilliam directed a Jules Verne novel." Another said: "The world-building is intricate but never gets in the way of the story's momentum."

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🎪 The author, Josiah Bancroft, originally self-published Senlin Ascends in 2013 before it was discovered by fantasy author Mark Lawrence and subsequently picked up by Orbit Books. 🏗️ The Tower of Babel in the novel was partly inspired by the 1916 Woolworth Building in New York City, which was once nicknamed "The Cathedral of Commerce." 📚 The protagonist Thomas Senlin's profession as a headmaster was influenced by Bancroft's own experience as a teacher in New Jersey. 🎭 The theatrical elements throughout the novel draw from Bancroft's background in theater and performance poetry. 🖋️ The entire Books of Babel series was completed before the first book was traditionally published, allowing for intricate plotting and foreshadowing throughout the story.