Senlin Ascends: Book One of the Books of Babel

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This is the fourth and final book of the series. Fortunately, the book begins with a brief recapitulation. Referring to the fourth book: “[I] … shall hitherto attempt to puff upon the dwindling coals of your enthusiasm for a tale that, like the besotted guest who has begun to drape upon the drapery, departs not a moment too soon!” Even with the recap, this book doesn’t work as a standalone, way too much has happened in the Tower of Babel and a new reader would be missing a lot. Reviewing this one without letting out squeals of delight might be a bit difficult. Yeah, I loved it. Thomas Senlin is the school headmaster of a fishing village called Isaugh in the speculative land of Ur. Having recently wed his fiancee, Marya, he has decided to take his new wife on a honeymoon to the world’s largest and most spectacular destination: The Tower of Babel. In our own earthly mythologies, the Tower of Babel is a structure from antiquity built to reach the heavens, and thus God. In rage at the audacity of humans, God takes away humanity’s collective ability to understand one another, thus giving us the mythical explanation for why there are so many languages in the world. The Tower of Babel in Bancroft’s imagination might carry such metaphysical weight, but it is no myth to Thomas Senlin. It is a very solid, unimaginably huge structure that dominates the land- and mindscape of the world’s people. First, and most of all, I enjoyed Edith. Remember me writing that this series is not about Senlin? That’s because this final book proves it. Edith is the main protagonist of the series, not Senlin. It had been Senlin’s quest from the very beginning till the very end, but it was only Edith and due to Edith that they succeeded in that quest and, arguably, it was Edith who grew and rose the most during the series. Senlin's and Edith's brief romance also left a bitter feeling for me. She's been used and thrown out like rubbish for whatever mediocre reasons. Meh!

Age-Gap Romance: Senlin and Marya have about ten years between them. They first met as Senlin first took over teaching duties at the village school.

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And then: The glimpses into the many of the sixty-four ringdoms, one more preposterous than the other, made me wish we spent ten more volumes gallivanting around. Yes, I just quoted the book and no, I've never done that in a review before... But it's beautiful and romantic and charming, and I'm fairly certain this was the point I fell in love with the book. The prose is often poetic, and Senlin's awkwardness is charming and fun. Without even meaning to I found myself reading it like I was narrating it in my own head, and that worked brilliantly because I'm quite good at a slightly posh voice when I want to do one. But I Read a Book About It: Senlin and Marya are lured to the Tower by the Everyman's Guide to the Tower of Babel. Everywhere he looked now he saw groups of people roped together. Any movement through the crowd was made more difficult by the web of leashes. Why had the Guide neglected to mention that little nugget of wisdom? Bring a good rope. The first part of “The Fall of Babel” catches up with Adam, who discovers an interesting and bizarre world on the proverbial penthouse – a world obsessed with art, where everyone inexplicably knows who he is. Senlin meanwhile, must find a way to stop Luc Marat’s destructive plan, and avoid getting caught in the crossfire – as Edith and the crew of the “State of the Art” are trying to catch Hod King before it destroys the Tower.

The Fall of Babel is not just a title; it is a state. A state where the quality of the series ends up. I really hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of these characters and this world, because honestly I think this series is too special for this to be the end. She wouldn’t abandon us,” the older replied in a tone that suggested this was a well-tread argument between them. From its beginnings, literature has been preoccupied with the unusual, the remarkable, and the intriguing. It has depicted great feelings, great deeds and great characters, probably in the belief that the works of writers should go beyond the everyday, the ordinary, the obvious. Yet, there is no shortage of writers who have had the courage to go against this model. It was not so much a question of a rebellion as of recognising that the everyday, the ordinary and the obvious can be fascinating, that the apotheosis of the average can be delightful. The scope of Senlin's saga and the cast of characters expand in Arm of the Sphinx. Publishers Weekly's starred review claimed that the second installment "not only matches but adds to the notable achievements of the first". [7] A review on Barnes & Noble's Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog compared Bancroft to "a master craftsman building a workshop around himself". [8]

Senlin is determined to find Marya, but to do so he'll have to navigate madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassins, and the illusions of the Tower. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just endure. The entire cast of characters is also wonderful. Senlin, Edith, Adam, Byron, and all the others have distinctive, entertaining personalities and have grown tremendously from where they started. Senlin's arc over these books has been excellent: his growth from a diminutive school-teacher into a confident and impassioned leader while still retaining his core morality and principles. All while navigating the Tower of Babel, an entity notorious for grinding people down into shells of what they once were.