The novel is smartly paced, deploying twists and turns strategically to keep the reader moving ... Binge’s crisp prose moves well between science fiction concepts, Gothic terror and fast-paced action sequences. Some of the supporting characters, including, frustratingly, Naoko, remain as thin as the upper atmosphere. But the ideas are big and the journey is a whole lot of fun.
In classic old-school adventure style ... Ascension is a lovingly retold version of a classic horror thriller, but with more humanity and real emotion; it is the story of a broken man and what redemption looks like in the real world. Plus, of course, tentacles ... It would be hard to deliver an ending that satisfies all the curiosity built in the first 95% of this excellent page-turner; there’s a reason that the heroes in these kinds of stories tend to go mad, rambling on vaguely about horrors incomprehensible to the mind of men ... And yet Mr. Binge does actually try to explain everything that happens, and why. He deserves credit for the spectacular chutzpah of the attempt, but I will leave it to the reader to judge how successful it is ... Thoroughly recommended.
The doomed expedition that drives Harold mad is akin to H. P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness ... An expert story of creeping dread and cosmological horror.
The incredible premise of this superlative science fiction thriller from Binge... gains credibility through the adroit presentation of the main narrative through letters and the pitch-perfect characterization of the brilliant lead.
At its best, the book is a cross between Journey to the Center of the Earth and Heart of Darkness. But it needs a less whiny protagonist to serve its mega-reflections on the meaning of life and the future of mankind and doesn't do enough with supporting characters.
