Book Review: Ascension, by Nicholas Binge – The New York Times

ASCENSION, by Nicholas Binge

Mountains have long loomed over humanity, both physically and in our imaginations. The home of gods and demons, they are simultaneously sacred and as any viewer of alpine climbing documentaries can attest hostile. Theyre ideal settings, in other words, for horror-tinged speculative thrillers, including Nicholas Binges Ascension.

The novel, Binges second and the first to be published in the United States, opens with a mystery. Harold Tunmore, a genius physicist, vanished decades ago, leaving a series of bizarre letters in the possession of his brother, Ben. When Ben is alerted to Harolds presence in a psychiatric hospital, he finds his brother alive yet seemingly driven mad by his experiences. More of Harolds letters are there, too. No one can read them, Harold warns. If we should know what we are. That night, Harold burns himself alive.

This intriguing frame narrative is the first puzzle of many. The rest, and the bulk of the novel, are delivered in the form of Harolds collected letters. Harold, an engaging narrator, describes being recruited in 1991 by a well-funded yet shady organization to explore an inexplicable phenomenon: A mountain far larger than Everest has appeared in the middle of the Pacific. How does nobody know this is here? Harold asks. Until a couple months ago, it wasnt, he is told. Harold is coaxed along by the scientific enigma and a personal one: Waiting on the giant rock is his ex-wife, Dr. Naoko Tanaka, who is the last survivor of the previous expedition.

Harold joins fellow top scientists from various disciplines, as well as a few gun-toting military types. Their mission? To climb the impossible elevation. This mountain it rejects language. It renders it impotent, Harold writes. All that exists in its place is an utter disbelief. And what they find is equally unbelievable: Microbes that defy scientific understanding. People who develop ESP. Time that becomes elastic. And tentacled creatures stalking the frozen crags.

Believe it or not, I havent spoiled the book. These are only a sample of the mountains secrets. Although the characters ascend, mysteries accumulate like a snowball rolling downhill. Harold contains his own traumatic secrets that spill out in flashbacks. The novel is smartly paced, deploying twists and turns strategically to keep the reader moving. Between reveals, characters theorize about extra dimensions, alien life and the meaning of existence. We also get more than a few references to the mythical climber Sisyphus.

Binges 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.

We have discovered either something very new, or something very old, Harold writes. What is this mountain? Is it from another time? Another planet? Another universe? The only way to understand is to keep climbing and see how the various mysteries are tied together at the novels somewhat rushed peak.

Granted, mysteries arent necessarily surprises. Binges collection of devices may feel familiar to science fiction fans: brilliant but troubled scientist, doomed expedition, tesseracts, tentacled monsters. Many readers will be reminded of recent films like Interstellar, Annihilation and Arrival, or, better yet, the boundary-pushing works by Jeff VanderMeer and Ted Chiang that the latter two were adapted from. Others will think of H.P. Lovecrafts tales of eldritch monsters inhabiting impossible structures.

But familiarity, done well, can be a great literary pleasure. Ascension deploys popular-for-a-reason conceits with an intriguing setting and memorable scenes. Even with recognizable puzzle pieces, the complete picture is as unique as the vast mountain at the books center. For fans of well-wrought science fiction and cosmic horror scares, Ascension is worth the climb.

Lincoln Michel is the author of the story collection Upright Beasts and the novel The Body Scout, which the Book Review named one of the best science fiction or fantasy books of 2021.

ASCENSION | By Nicholas Binge | 344 pp. | Riverhead Books | $28

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Book Review: Ascension, by Nicholas Binge - The New York Times