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★ A New York Times Editor’s Choice Pick

★ A Sunday Times “Best Sci-Fi Books of 2023” Selection

★ A Goodreads “Most Anticipated Books of 2023” & “Most Popular Books of 2023” Selection

★ A Washington Post “Best New Books of April” Selection

★ A Polygon “Science Fiction and Fantasy We’re Most Excited For in 2023” Selection

★ An Entertainment Weekly “Best In Upcoming Fiction” Selection

★ “Incredible. . .Pitch-perfect. Binge elevates this above similar genre fiction.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

“The novel is smartly paced, deploying twists and turns strategically to keep the reader moving… Binge’s crisp prose moves well between science fiction concepts, Gothic terror and fast-paced action sequences…. The complete picture is as unique as the vast mountain at the book’s center. For fans of well-wrought science fiction and cosmic horror scares, “Ascension” is worth the climb.” —The New York Times

“A vertiginous tale of discovery, horror and weird, time-bending phenomena… [ASCENSION] provides well-sustained tension and some excitingly wrought scenes of violence.” —The Financial Times

“If you think this sounds a whole lot like H.P. Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness,” well, yes. “Ascension” is a lovingly retold version of a classic horror thriller, but with more humanity and real emotion; it is the story of a broken man and what redemption looks like in the real world. Plus, of course, tentacles…. [an] excellent page-turner… “Ascension” is thoroughly recommended—a macabre, escapist pleasure for the thoughtful set.” —The Wall Street Journal

“A heady mix of wildly imaginative, action-packed storytelling and probing philosophical examination of—quite literally—the meaning of life…. It’s full of frenetic action and packed with twists and turns, gun fights and villains, but it’s also a sustained reflection on the limits of being human… It offers a profound consideration of where our true power lies. Ultimately, it’s worth the climb.” —Chicago Review of Books

"Ascension is a pastiche of august influences. The epistolary structure is borrowed from Dracula. The doomed expedition that drives Harold mad is akin to H. P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness. . . .Binge earns his place among these literary lights with an expert story of creeping dread and cosmological horror."—Booklist

"A cross between Journey to the Center of the Earth and Heart of Darkness. . . An entertaining SF thriller."—Kirkus

“Thrilling. . .full of exploration and intriguing thoughts about the true nature of life on Earth. . .An exciting story where the undiscovered wonders of Earth prove as exciting as those out in the galaxy.”—Library Journal

“An accomplished and clever speculative thriller that explores the limits of human knowledge — it is no surprise that it has been optioned for a film.”—The Sunday Times

“Binge’s eerie speculative thriller looks both outward at the edges of scientific understanding, and inward at the meaning of responsibility, remorse and the human capacity for salvaging mercy from tragedy.”—The Washington Post

“ASCENSION delivers…. Gripping and intriguing.” —Daily Mail, ‘New Year, New Reads: Novels To Devour In 2023’

“Literary nightmare fodder like Scott Smith's The Ruins and Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation” —Entertainment Weekly, ‘Spring 2023 Book Preview: 15 titles to shake off the winter blues’

“You gotta read Ascension by Nicholas Binge. Old-school creepy. Think Dan Simmons… a wonderful novel… five-star horror.” —Stephen King

“A rollicking good read. Playful, inventive, and vivid, with addictive narrative drive. Astonishingly accomplished.” —Lionel Shriver, internationally bestselling author of We Need To Talk About Kevin

“ASCENSION is a science fiction mystery that uses a classical concept, but with a beating heart. Both the science and the suspense are perfection, all held together by a robust emotional core. I enjoyed it immensely.” —Tade Thompson, Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of Rosewater and Far from the Light of Heaven

“Impossible to put down. A real page turner. Binge is an author to watch.” —Richard Swan, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Justice of Kings

“Binge's ASCENSION exerts an irresistible pull, setting not only a scientific search in motion but also a transcendent quest to unravel mysteries of existence and human meaning. Suspenseful yet also deeply contemplative in turns, this is a novel that spins the mind and asks us to step with it into the unworldly.” —Pitchaya Sudbanthad, author of Bangkok Wakes to Rain

“Binge has written a profound and elegiac story that examines science, faith and the concept of humanity itself - what it means to live and die, to yearn and strive, and all the spaces in between. I will be thinking about this one for a long time!” —Sunyi Dean, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book Eaters

“A scintillating speculative mystery, a harrowing survival adventure, and a stirring love story--Nicholas Binge's ASCENSION is a mountain of a novel. I was whipping through the pages until I reached its peak.” —Katie Williams, author of Tell the Machine Goodnight

“This generation’s Life Of Pi or Atonement… I loved it.” —Shauna Lawless, author of The Children of Gods and Fighting Men

"Ascension is a thrill ride of a novel that kept me reading well past my bedtime” —Michael Mammay, author of the Planetside series.