In Ascension
Martin MacInnes
An astonishing novel about a young microbiologist investigating an unfathomable deep vent in the ocean floor, leading her on a journey that will encompass the full trajectory of the cosmos and the passage of a single human life. Leigh grew up in Rotterdam, drawn to the waterfront as an escape from her unhappy home life and volatile father. Enchanted by the undersea world of her childhood, she excels in marine biology, travelling the globe to study ancient organisms. more
512 pages, Paperback
First published Black Cat
3.85
Rating
3726
Ratings
713
Reviews
Martin MacInnes
7 books 228 followers
Martin MacInnes lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. His debut novel, Infinite Ground (2016), won the Somerset Maugham Award. His second novel, Gathering Evidence (2020), led to his inclusion in The National Centre for Writing/British Council's list of ten writers shaping the UK's future. His third novel, In Ascension, was published in February 2023.Community reviews
Longlisted for Booker Prize 2023 Book 4/13Well, I could not get into this literary SF. I tried the audio version and I could not follow the (boring to me) plot. And it barely touched the science when I gave up. The writing did not grab me either. There are many friends here on GR who loved this novel, admired the structure and the writing so I am sure there is something in it and I somehow missed it. more
Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023Okay, so let's celebrate our tolerance for ambiguity: This ambitious sci-fi story is a possible Booker winner, it's very well crafted - and I didn't enjoy it one bit. I applaud MacInnes for writing an eco novel that shows how human beings are part of a larger, mysterious, and beautiful natural system, it's one of the few Booker entries that at least somehow relate to current political issues. In the world depicted, climate change has accelerated. Enter our protagonist, marine biologist Leigh: Growing up in Rotterdam with a violent father who despaired over his job keeping the rising tides at bay, adult Leigh first joins a mission that researches a vent apparently three times deeper than the Mariana Trench - Leigh specializes in the research of unicellar algae, one of the oldest sources of life. Then, Leigh is recruited to join a secret space mission that aims to find out about mysterious irregularities - the algae are supposed to provide food and be part of the intended research. more
At 35, I was supposed to start having seizures. Thanks to a mutated gene, my body does not process the amino acid commonly found in meat. However, long before the geneticists got their hands on me, I knew I didn’t feel good eating meat and became a pescatarian (a person who eats fish and is a vegetarian). So, trust me—I believe in the power of greens. Research indicates that looking at green for as little as 2 seconds can boost creativity. more
I'm fairly certain I'm not the right reader for this novel. In Ascension is getting a lot of love from readers here, and that is a good thing. The book is finding its people, and that's sooooo important. I'm not one of them, though I'm truly open to hearing from those who had a different reading experience. The first two thirds of this novel are very heavy on scientific detailing, exposition, and techno-babble. more
89th book of 2023. 4. 5. A stunning novel: epic in scope and almost cinematic in execution. Anyone who likes Interstellar will like this. more
4. 5I don't know what I've just read, and I don't have nearly enough answers, but I really did love it. Exactly my kind of SF - it's like Interstellar meets Arrival, meets Jeff VanderMeer. If you like any of those I can't see how you wouldn't love it. I've read Martin before with Infinite Ground, which I have to say sticks in my mind as one of the most infuriating books I have ever read. more
An intriguing start; the way the author writes science fiction about the present and the past, how it seeks out mysteries in the depths of the ocean rather than in the sky. Unfortunately, I don't think it lived up to its promises. I lost interest very quickly. Perhaps certain events didn't leave the expected impression on me. Or maybe I'm just surprised that the hype didn't materialize. more
#12 of the 2023 Booker longlist for me to read - and now ranked . #1 :-O. Color me as surprised as anyone - even though I'd read and enjoyed Macinnes' first novel, Infinite Ground, sci-fi is SOOOO not my genre, that I wasn't expecting to like this quite as much as I did. I know this has been probably one of the more polarizing of the Booker nominees, with many complaining that it is slow and boring - but I devoured the 496 pages in two days, which, even given my reading prowess, is extremely fast for me, indicating just how rivetted I was. Some have also complained that the rest of the book doesn't fulfill the promises of the first oceanic exploration section - but I thought each chapter actually built on what had come before, became more and more exciting/enticing as it went along, and the circular return to the ocean in the final coda was just exquisitely right. more
Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023I was not really aware of MacInnes before the Booker longlist was announced, but I found this one rather impressive. I am not a great reader of sci-fi, but this one mixes genre and literary tropes to produce a compulsive story set in the near future, which poses fundamental questions about the nature of life and humanity. It is hard to say more without spoilers, so I won't say more about the plot. more
I read a newspaper review prior to picking this up that described this as a book about boredom and waiting, and that “MacInnes does lassitude and boredom very well”. The reviewer meant that as a compliment, if you can believe that. Oh boy, should I have headed that warning. In Ascension follows a Dutch marine biologist, Leigh, who first comes into contact with a mysterious ocean anomaly as a student and then later works as a contractor for a shadowy international space agency developing an algae protein source for long range space travel. She then gets picked as an astronaut, sent out to investigate an equally mysterious space anomaly. more
Unpopular opinion time. I really wanted to love this, but I was often bored. As much as I appreciated the writing (lucid, precise), basically the entirety of Leigh’s story – more than 80% of the book – feels like exposition. We are close to her, yet she is still a blank slate. I think In Ascension would appeal to anyone who loved The Moonday Letters, and vice versa, as I came to the same conclusion about both: each book is impressive in its worldbuilding and vision as a work of speculative fiction, but frustratingly sterile and lacking in anything recognisable as real emotion. more
Like Arrival or Interstellar, but more slow and with more daddy issuesYou could only see, essentially, the world as you know itWe follow Leigh, apparently from Rotterdam but measuring her life in feet and Fahrenheit. She is a marine biologist who has the luck of not one but two incredible experiences. The didactic start about Rotterdam, the VOC and the waterschappen (a. k. a. more
I didn't hate this book, but I think its moments of brilliance were far outweighed by its flaws. For me, the brilliance mostly lay in the crafting of individual sentences and moments of vivid description, especially as relating to nature, the environment, and I thought the final final chapter was beautifully rendered. I can see why this book was nominated for a literary prize. It's not like the author can't write. But reading his work felt like playing a slot machine. more
4. 5 - An ambitious, intelligent and beautiful science fiction novel by an author who is not afraid to take on big themes. I hope it will be on many prize lists this year (edit: it made the Booker longlist, yes. ). Leigh grows up below sea level, in Rotterdam. more
This book forced me to focus on one book at a time. What power. Some things went over my head, and sometimes I was in over my head, but overall, this was a fascinating piece of science fiction (a genre I don’t read all that often). The best sections were the ones where Leigh was on part of a voyage (sea and space): “Endeavour” and “Neurus. ”For now, 5 stars, could be 4 or 4. more
I found both of Martin MacInnes' previous novels so incredible that I deliberately saved In Ascension until the weekend. I knew that it would be impossible to put down after starting to read, and so it was. Earlier this evening I tried to explain to my Mum what is so distinctive and special about his writing. It's something about his ability to capture the vertiginous wonder and terror of life at all scales, from bacteria all the way up to the whole ecosystem of the Earth. He writes ecologically, somehow, despite human characters and plots that follow them. more
Sprawling epic literary science fiction that traverses the depths of oceanic trenches to the far reaches of the solar system. Protagonist Leigh is a microbiologist who has written a thesis on algae and its connections to primitive lifeforms. Due to her expertise, she earns a role on the submarine Endeavor, exploring the ocean’s floor, where a thermal vent deeper than any previously known is being studied. Initially they are told they are analyzing possible mining opportunities, but it is soon evident that their research has to do with the origins of life, and their exposure to the mysterious glowing lights cause side-effects, including loss of consciousness. After her experience on the maritime expedition, she works on determining if the algae they discovered can be used as a source of food. more
A heavily philosophical sci-fi eco-thriller that is intergalactic but not stellar. 3. 5 stars. more
My God, this was magnificent. A hard SF novel – think ‘Bewilderment’ by Richard Powers, but as written by Kim Stanley Robinson – that is not afraid to go for good old-fashioned sense of wonder. That ending: numinous, ambiguous, terrifying, jaw-dropping. Full review to follow. more
DNF @ 63% Pseudo-literary and derivative. I’m marking it as read because this book is probably 200 pages longer than it needs to be, with all the repetitive flashbacks and interminable lectures. Leigh sounds like a YA protagonist masquerading as an adult. Sorry, not sorry. I continue to be underwhelmed with this year’s Booker longlist. more
Since 'In Ascension' will be published in the US in February 2024. , I just wanted to remind everyone it's a great book. With thematic similarities to Interstellar and an atmospheric counterpart to Arrival and The Martian, In Ascension is one of the most mesmerizing books I've read. In Ascension is 500+ pages long and encompasses many different ideas and themes. Seeing many negative reviews about this book saddens me. more
Živo me zanima hoće li jedan ovakav mek saj faj uzeti Bukera. Kontam da je preblizu žanru za tako nešto i da je širi izbor svakako uspeh, ali biće zanimljivo ispratiti. Malo je gadno „upozoriti“ na ovu knjigu, jer time se ipak nešto o njoj otkriva (a naslovnica – i to kakva. – dovoljno je sugestivna), ali kontam da je vredno pomena – ako neko mrzi nerešena pitanja i manje-više simboličan razrešetak, In Ascension nije knjiga vredna čitanja. A ako neko voli onu tanku ivicu između neverovatne lepote (a u nastavku i naše prirode) i zaprepašćujuće jezivosti svemira, plus ne smetaju mu pasusi i pasusi i pasusi (i pasusi. more
There’s a quote on the back cover from Karen Joy Fowler (I’ve no idea who that is. ): “I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that was as profound and moving at every scale …”. With the greatest of respect, she’s obviously not very well read. This book somehow manages to be not moving AT ALL. Completely devoid of emotion, despite a promising plot line. more
DNF at 20% the writing is beautiful, but its not enough to make up for a story that is so sorely lacking in interesting character dynamics. ive just hit a point in the novel where my patience has run out; beautiful writing can only engage me for so long before i start craving an actual story. more
In Ascension was the only book out of Booker line up that stood out to me. The reviews were polarising to say the least. How did I feel about it. I really really enjoyed it. Sci fi is not my favourite genre but this book blends scifi with eco fiction, deep ocean voyage to deep space travel to family bonds to solitude and philosophy and creates a surreal hybrid of sorts which at some points took my breath away. more
4/5 stars “A family is a group of strangers with a destructive desire for common nostalgia. ”Spanning from the vastness of space and the abyssal deep-sea, to the claustrophobia of a tormented childhood in a small home in the Netherlands; In Ascension may be the most ambitious novel I’ve read all year. Paralleling the macro with the micro, MacInnes takes on the classic central sci-fi questions of “where did we come from and where do we go from here. ”, and answers them on a human-level as well as a personal one for our protagonist. Our story begins in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where we meet young marine biologists Leigh Hasenbosch. more
DNFThis book is trying very hard to be intellectual but honestly, it's just boring. Also, this author should really research childhood trauma and ptsd or get into therapy. . more
In Ascension is one of these head-scratching novels where my feelings towards it have swung widely from "this is sensational " ( Part 1 ), to "why is there so much excitement about algae" ( Part 2 ) to can we just get into space already (Part 3) and then finally "Huh . " However, it's sticking with me somehow. I find myself mulling over the big questions, the origin of life on earth, Panspermia, the Femi Paradox, just how deep that vent went and most importantly is this going to make it on the Booker shortlist. I think that this is a book that is going to frustrate serious readers of science fiction because there isn't enough world-building or fleshing out of some of these ideas. There are slow-moving sections about caring for an ageing mother ( I liked these parts but I can see how for some they might not work ) and ALOT of pre-departure futzing around . more
I have never spent so much time actively ANGRY at a fictional novel. If you had a rough childhood or a bad relationship with your parents, I would NOT recommend this book. (I wouldn’t recommend it at all, honestly. )I cannot figure out if the author really holds these toxic beliefs about childhood trauma or if he just wanted characters who did – and you can’t tell because no characters in the book provide any healthy counterpoint, reflection, or guidance to the narrator’s warped internal dialog. I found myself both viscerally and intellectually hating Leigh’s whole family. more
This was wonderful, and the perfect book for me right now: propulsive and readable, easy to pick up at the end of a long day studying and stressing about the chaotisism of being in a new job at a very large and very disorganised company, but simultaneously immersive and intellectually rigorous enough to facilitate somewhere cosily distracting for my mind to go once it had eventually found some time to set aside for MacInnes’ fluid storytelling, a place it would then remain (after its brief escapist fix) while it tried to settle down to get some sleep. In Ascension is a great example of the kind of storytelling that inspires a multitude of fan theories and I’d absolutely love to tell you about what I think might be happening towards the end of the book, but that wouldn’t be fair on readers who haven’t got there yet. In any case, I’m sure there are many people who have much clearer thoughts than my own, so I’ll resist. All I’ll say about the plot is that In Ascension represents yet another evolution of the 2001: A Space Odyssey story, establishing itself nicely in a long line of successful 2001 derivatives, an illustrious line which culminates, most recently, with Interstellar, Ad Astra, and (to no small extent) Annihilation. In fact, I take In Ascension’s existence as yet more evidence that, by writing 2001, Arthur C. more