The novel “Ascension” by Nicholas Binge was published for the first time in 2023.
When Ben Tunmore discovers that his brother Harold is still alive and locked up in a mental institution after disappearing and being presumed dead for many years, he’s determined to understand what happened to him. However, getting answers from someone who only speaks seemingly nonsense is difficult. Harold’s suicide leaves Ben and his remaining relatives devastated.
Ben Tunmore discovers a series of letters written by Harold and addressed to Harriet, Ben’s daughter, whom he loved. What he recounts in those letters often seems nonsensical, the product of a sick mind inventing absurd conspiracies. Ben decides to make the contents of those letters public so that anyone who reads them can decide if the events Harold recounted during a secret expedition to a mountain that appeared in the Pacific Ocean actually occurred.
Nicholas Binge appears to have drawn inspiration from some genre works that have become classics in the development of “Ascension.” It’s almost entirely an epistolary novel based on letters written by Harold Tunmore, except for the foreword and afterword, written by his brother Ben. It contains elements of hard science fiction connected to physics and biology, but the tone is of cosmic horror. In particular, if you have read “At the Mountains of Madness” by H.P. Lovecraft, you will notice various similarities.
The story of the expedition to the mysterious mountain that appeared in the Pacific Ocean is developed by Nicholas Binge through a series of mysteries. The harshness of the environment at increasing altitude represents only the immediate danger. Everything that comes after is much worse in a series of events that ultimately determine, among other things, the physical and mental condition in which Ben Tunmore finds his brother Harold. The narrative is intense and dramatic, but in my opinion, it also has a few problems.
From the beginning, it’s stressed how Harold Tunmore is supposed to be brilliant, and in some cases, the people he meets and who know him by reputation are in awe when they meet him. Frankly, from his behavior, he seems like a man with some difficulty relating to others, but this eccentricity may have nothing to do with intelligence. Harold’s actions during the expedition don’t prove great intelligence. Among his problems are some connected to religion, but his reflections on faith and science struck me as rather trivial. His personal story, which he gradually reveals over the course of his letters, seems more suited to a tear-jerking melodrama.
Harold Tunmore addresses his letters to his niece Harriet because she’s the only relative with whom he has formed some kind of personal relationship. When he writes those letters, Harriet is a young girl, yet Harold writes to her not only about the horrors he encounters on the mountain but also about intimate moments he spent with his wife.
The expedition is set up by mysterious figures, and Harold Tunmore is recruited by two soldiers whose superior officer wants to be called the Warden. The information about the mountain is all top secret, and the Warden reveals virtually nothing to Harold, who is nevertheless intrigued enough to get involved. It feels like a parody of a spy story, which luckily gives way to dramatic events very quickly.
I believe that to fully appreciate “Ascension,” you need a suspension of disbelief great enough to immerse yourself in Harold Tunmore’s story without too many qualms. In this way, you can focus on the mountain’s mysteries, provided you don’t get distracted by the protagonist’s personal story, which includes the problems that led to the end of his marriage.
The progressive revelations offered by Harold Tunmore, with their surprises and twists, are the best part of the novel. Some elements may be inspired by Lovecraft, but in my opinion, Nicholas Binge offers a well-crafted plot that he develops in a personal way. If the novel had focused on this part, without all the various digressions, it would have been intriguing, but perhaps too short by today’s standards.
To put it very simply, your appreciation for “Ascension” might depend on how you view the question of why Sisyphus kept pushing the boulder up a mountain, knowing it would roll back down every time. If you think it’s a punishment from Zeus and any other consideration is irrelevant, you might find this novel boring. On the other hand, if you find Nicholas Binge’s reinterpretation of the myth interesting, you might enjoy it. You can find it on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
