Despite my mileage varying on certain aspects of the novel itself, all of the elements coalesced into something wondrous and satisfying in the end. Throughout this final book, I cared about certain characters more than others, found some story threads more compelling than others, and preferred the quieter, more contemplative moments to the dizzying action sequences and set pieces.

Bancroft’s prose continues to possess a unique flavor with dashes of charm, wit, biting humor, and heart that are unmatched by others in the genre. With the final page turned and the curtain now closed, I’m happy to report that The Books of Babel is one of the greatest fantasy series I’ve ever read. Series: The Books of Babel #4 ( Series Tracker) While his features were separately handsome enough, taken altogether they seemed a little stretched and misplaced.Title: The Fall of Babel (November 9, 2021) She certainly hadn’t married him for his looks. He made fifteen shekels a week, for an annual salary of thirteen minas it wasn’t a fortune by any means, but it was sufficient for a comfortable life. He imagined she had married him because he was kind, even-tempered and securely employed. She tolerated his long hours of study and his general quiet, which others often mistook for stoicism. She was good-tempered and well-read thoughtful, though not brooding and mannered without being aloof. He only recently married the beautiful, talented and lively Marya, described as: Senlin is the headmaster of the only school in the small town of Isaugh, a man ‘at the edge of things,’ a man of reserved judgement who looks on his fellow residents as uneducated and treats them somewhat like children, to their mild disdain. We can spend all day discussing its Victorian influences and steampunk elements, but at its core, this is (the beginning of) a story of a husband doing everything in his power to find his wife. Senlin Ascends is an excellent novel that doesn’t fall into any one genre checkbox. What did I come up with during those few days? Then again, maybe it’s the sort of read you need a few days to process. Perhaps Senlin Ascends is one of those rare novels which excel so completely at surprising and thrilling many of its readers that words all of a sudden elude you. This book is an excellent read, the kind whose characters live with you well after you’ve put it down for good. I’ve had some trouble putting my thoughts in order where Senlin Ascends, the first book in Josiah Bancroft’s Books of Babel series of four, is concerned.

Tower of babel josiah bancroft