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Senlin Ascends
425 pages
A fussy academic navigates a surreal, towering labyrinth of steampunk madness, shedding his innocence to survive.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a beautifully intricate, slightly menacing clockwork mechanism. It begins with a fussy, Victorian-esque charm, lulling you into a false sense of whimsical security before plunging you into a surreal, Kafkaesque nightmare of bureaucratic absurdity and steampunk grit. The prose is an absolute delight—erudite, wry, and meticulously polished, perfectly mirroring the protagonist’s initial rigidity. As you ascend through the bizarre, distinct layers of the world, the atmosphere shifts from wondrous to deeply claustrophobic and perilous. It is a story about the violent shedding of innocence, rewarding readers who love watching a rigid, mild-mannered academic slowly forge himself into a pragmatic survivor. It will thoroughly enchant fans of bizarre, atmospheric world-building and reluctant, deeply human heroes.
- Mood
- surreal
- claustrophobic
- wondrous
- kafkaesque
- Tone
- wry
- erudite
- satirical
- earnest
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- loss of innocence · facade of civilization · pragmatism vs idealism · lengths we go for love
- The writing
- Elegant, meticulously crafted, and slightly Victorian in its fussy charm, laced with wry observations.
- The arc
- A rigid, naive academic is systematically stripped of his comforting illusions, forging himself into a desperate but capable survivor.
- Who it's for
- Readers who delight in bizarre, intricate world-building, elegant prose, and watching a deeply reluctant, mild-mannered hero rise to impossible occasions.
Content notes
- kidnapping
- violence
- slavery and indentured servitude
- psychological manipulation
About the book
"The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel of the Silk Age. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of airships and steam engines, of incredible animals and mysterious machines. While honeymooning in the Tower of Babel, Thomas Senlin loses his wife. A mild-mannered headmaster of a village school, Thomas Senlin is drawn to the Tower by scientific curiosity and the grandiose promises of a guidebook. It seems the perfect destination for a honeymoon. But soon after arriving in the Tower bazar, Senlin loses Marya in the crowd. Before he can find Marya, Senlin must first discover himself. Senlin's search for Marya carries him through madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassination, and the long guns of a flying fortress. But if he hopes to find his wife, he must do more than survive. This quiet man of letters will have to become a man of action"--
Description from Open Library.
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