A review by brookeklebe
In Ascension by Martin MacInnes
5.0
I love this book.
As an extremely picky reader with a lot of jaded feelings towards fiction, I seldom find works with characters and concepts that speak to me but I genuinely felt changed after reading In Ascension. I found MacInnes's writing to be exceptional and never tone deaf, corny, or obnoxious. I wholeheartedly cared for the characters in this book and was fully committed to understanding whatever it was that I could about the main character, Leigh, and their family. I was gutted by the book's resolution and having to part ways.
Despite being branded as science fiction, I would argue that this book is so much more. It is an incredibly slow burn with major emphasis on the main character's internal relationship with themself as well as their external relationships with family and the people they meet along the way.
My biggest gripe about this book was simply that I am not someone with a very science-y brain, nor do I care much about topics in science, especially biology. With much of this book being filled with conversation about science related topics, it was easy to find myself zoning out or bored. I do not feel like this is necessarily a flaw, but I do think it is something that will deter certain readers. This is not an action packed book filled with super entertaining adventures or crazy events that will keep you on your toes, but it is an incredibly thought provoking and moving piece of writing that I would genuinely encourage the right reader to consume.
I'll be thinking about this one for a very long time.
As an extremely picky reader with a lot of jaded feelings towards fiction, I seldom find works with characters and concepts that speak to me but I genuinely felt changed after reading In Ascension. I found MacInnes's writing to be exceptional and never tone deaf, corny, or obnoxious. I wholeheartedly cared for the characters in this book and was fully committed to understanding whatever it was that I could about the main character, Leigh, and their family. I was gutted by the book's resolution and having to part ways.
Despite being branded as science fiction, I would argue that this book is so much more. It is an incredibly slow burn with major emphasis on the main character's internal relationship with themself as well as their external relationships with family and the people they meet along the way.
My biggest gripe about this book was simply that I am not someone with a very science-y brain, nor do I care much about topics in science, especially biology. With much of this book being filled with conversation about science related topics, it was easy to find myself zoning out or bored. I do not feel like this is necessarily a flaw, but I do think it is something that will deter certain readers. This is not an action packed book filled with super entertaining adventures or crazy events that will keep you on your toes, but it is an incredibly thought provoking and moving piece of writing that I would genuinely encourage the right reader to consume.
I'll be thinking about this one for a very long time.