That isn't to say he's the only interesting character. He’s alone in this, and it seems that the whole Tower is against him. A modern-day Bilbo Baggins, with no wizard or band of dwarves to aid him. He is a headmaster, and wants no part of the adventure thrust upon him. He very quickly finds the Tower to be nothing like what he was promised, and he’s so angry that he might write an angry letter to whomever is in charge. He wants to find Marya, and leave as quickly as possible. It is better to glance than gawk.”Ĭharacters: The second thing you’ll notice is the eponym Senlin. The apparent ease Mr Bancroft has in painting details so vivid, of sketching characters so detailed and deep, of delivering dialogue so smart and snappy, god damn it made me jealous sometimes. It is clever, poetic, and for someone aspiring to be a writer, extremely annoying. It’s as if you’re sitting by a fireplace, cup of tea or brandy in hand, while the story is being told by a dapper gentleman sitting in a comfy chair. Prose: The first thing you’ll notice about this book is its prose. Senlin has no choice but to journey up the tower in search for her. After getting off the train into the market surrounding the tower, it doesn’t take long for the term ‘tourist trap’ to become all too literal and for Marya, Senlin’s wife, to go missing. For Thomas Senlin it sounds like a perfect place for his honeymoon. Every level is a Ringdom, each intricate and unique, yet also with a subtle uncanniness to them. The Tower of Babel is a behemoth, built in the middle of a desert, a man-made marvel of technology and civilization. “Never let a rigid itinerary discourage you from an unexpected adventure.” Fantasy fan or not, this book is a must-read. I don’t want to throw hyperboles around, but by heck I’m gonna, because this book is deserving. A book seemingly destined to drown in self-publishing limbo, it returned from the dead by the power of word of mouth (and a deal with a traditional publishing house). I’ve never seen a book’s reputation sky-rocket as quickly as it did with Josiah Bancroft’s debut novel and the subsequent sequels.

Marya senlin ascends