Senlin Ascends

I've gotten an ARC from [a:Benedict Patrick 15139422 Benedict Patrick http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1487193678p2/15139422.jpg] back in around November or so. In one of my emails to him I remember mentioning how the amazing covers of his books really did help to get me interested, which is always a good thing for an indie author trying to gain popularity. This book is another great example for that; don't judge a book by its cover, but shit, good art always inspires me to pick it up. Interesting art comes with an interesting story in this case. It's... not easy to talk about this one without giving things away and taking away from the weirdness that I think you should experience for yourself. Thomas Senlin is not a great person. He's the headmaster of a school in a little fishing village, which also makes him the only teacher there. His manners are stiff, he doesn't care about anything grandiose and boring things fit him perfectly. We can call him anxious and a coward. Still, the lovely Marya marries him and even with their differences, they are happy. Their honeymoon takes them to the amazing Tower of Babel, this gigantic complex of everything fun you can just imagine. It would have been cool if they didn't get separated in the market around the tower, which leaves Senlin having to be brave, resourceful and smart to find her again. When I think of this book, I have to say that it is not for people who are not in for something different. It has a style that makes the whole thing feel like a bit of a dream, it's whimsical and horrible and just... something else. Personally I found it interesting, but I know it wouldn't be for everyone. Which is all fine, of course, I think it's great that a new author (and already a poet) is willing to take this risk. Not necessarily the easiest to read in places, but I find it worth the effort. Flawed characters are also my thing. I'm so tired of perfect people, especially ones who are somehow always morally perfect and just need to be better than everyone, because it makes their deeds weightless; you know that even if they do things wrong, it will turn out that they were actually right from the very beginning, you just didn't see it. Senlin is lovely, because he avoids this. Not a bad man, not really. Not hero material either. By the end you will see him becoming much bolder, ready for adventure and more and more equipped to fulfil his mission. Again, I have no idea how to describe it. Just give it a go, it really does deserve more attention, as it's something different and it could be a pretty great choice for people who are looking something out there and refreshingly different in the fantasy genre. Definitely going on to read the second book in the series and if it keeps this up I'm going to be excited about the book to come in the rest of the series, as I think there will be some interesting conclusions and great ideas about the whole tower system, which just started to happen at the end of this one. Good night and learn to enjoy your home sweet home instead!