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Ascension
Librarian note: Alternate cover edition for ISBN - 9781304294678
College freshman Ryon Lux has unknowingly started a journey that his prodigious mind is ill equiped to fathom. Between dealing with the consequences of his impressive intellect, and an ethereal voice attempting to guide his behavior, Ryon can see that his experience is unique. How many others could have heard the whispered voice demand the creation of immortality? Who else might fulfill the request?
Beyond Earth, after decades of immortality, Ryon is led toward a remarkable discovery. But the existence of the galactic civilization known as the Assembly dwindles in comparison to the most compelling secrets of the universe. When Ryon is told that consciousness is its own partition of reality, as intwined through all of us as time and space, and that it is possible to leave your corporeal body, he discerns the true source of the disembodied voice from his youth, and he begins to seek his own path to Ascension. He must succeed before Parthix, ageless enemy of the Assembly, or all could be lost to the most dangerous being known to exist.
Sometimes it's best to let your mind wander.
College freshman Ryon Lux has unknowingly started a journey that his prodigious mind is ill equiped to fathom. Between dealing with the consequences of his impressive intellect, and an ethereal voice attempting to guide his behavior, Ryon can see that his experience is unique. How many others could have heard the whispered voice demand the creation of immortality? Who else might fulfill the request?
Beyond Earth, after decades of immortality, Ryon is led toward a remarkable discovery. But the existence of the galactic civilization known as the Assembly dwindles in comparison to the most compelling secrets of the universe. When Ryon is told that consciousness is its own partition of reality, as intwined through all of us as time and space, and that it is possible to leave your corporeal body, he discerns the true source of the disembodied voice from his youth, and he begins to seek his own path to Ascension. He must succeed before Parthix, ageless enemy of the Assembly, or all could be lost to the most dangerous being known to exist.
Sometimes it's best to let your mind wander.
337 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2013
1 person is currently reading
319 people want to read
About the author
J.S. Barrett
1 book3 followersJ. S. Barrett was born and raised in a small rural town near Greenville, South Carolina. He attended Clemson University and received a B.S. in Biological Sciences, and shortly after graduating decided to pursue a career as an author. Currently, Mr. Barrett lives in Greenville, SC where he spends the majority of his time either writing or pursuing his other passion, mixing cocktails.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 19, 2014
I would first like to thank the author for sending me a copy of this book. I loved this book because it was full of action and adventure. This book was so intriguing that I didn't want to put it down. J.S. Barrett is such a creative and a great writer.
July 23, 2016
Ascension is an ambitious debut novel by J.S. Barrett. It is ambitious in the sense that it includes details of numerous contemporary and futuristic technologies, delving into details of several scientific disciplines. The book also takes on the concept of godhood, referring to it as ascension. It is a concept that is somewhat common in various cultures and recent sci-fi works, like Stargate. There is also love, death, war, and a number of other major dramatic features to the book.
The story centers on Ryon Lux, a superhuman messianic guy who discovers a cure for cancer, then is able to suspend aging. After that he helps develop nano-technology, then faster-than-light technology. Eventually he stumbles onto the concept of ascension itself. Along the way he deals with ascended beings and normal enemies vying for this godlike power.
The book starts off pretty slow. It is hard to see where the story is going until you reach the 40% mark. While the pace quickens it is still pretty deliberate. Barrett gives plenty of detail, which breaks up the momentum of the story at times, but this clears up as you reach the latter half. The climax and ending are a little unusual, but interesting.
Ryon Lux is a likable character but you don't really get to know him that well. He essentially plays the role of a Jesus Christ, producing miracles and doing the impossible for all mankind, guided by a supernatural entity: a voice that guides him throughout his life. When it is time to ascend Lux must prepare to sacrifice his corporal life and move onto his destiny.
The Lux character has a fascinating trek but a few things took away from the experience. His family is a little too good to be true, it is a perfect set of people surrounding him. Even his friends are dynamite people with no realistic flaws, weaknesses, or quirks of their own. The dialogue between them is one dimensional, mostly expressions of love and affection. It got a little sappy for me. The real interesting dialogue is between Ryon and the alien species he meets once he travels to the stars. This is where the story really gets good. But like I said, it comes late.
The story is reasonably executed and leaves some loose ends for a sequel. I am not sure where one could go with a sequel, or how it will be as big as the first one. For a first-time author to take on so many serious and deep topics is pretty impressive. He did his research fairly well. I caught a few mistakes, but I'm guessing the vast majority of readers wouldn't catch them, or care. I think Barrett certainly has a knack for sci-fi and I look forward to his future novels.
The story centers on Ryon Lux, a superhuman messianic guy who discovers a cure for cancer, then is able to suspend aging. After that he helps develop nano-technology, then faster-than-light technology. Eventually he stumbles onto the concept of ascension itself. Along the way he deals with ascended beings and normal enemies vying for this godlike power.
The book starts off pretty slow. It is hard to see where the story is going until you reach the 40% mark. While the pace quickens it is still pretty deliberate. Barrett gives plenty of detail, which breaks up the momentum of the story at times, but this clears up as you reach the latter half. The climax and ending are a little unusual, but interesting.
Ryon Lux is a likable character but you don't really get to know him that well. He essentially plays the role of a Jesus Christ, producing miracles and doing the impossible for all mankind, guided by a supernatural entity: a voice that guides him throughout his life. When it is time to ascend Lux must prepare to sacrifice his corporal life and move onto his destiny.
The Lux character has a fascinating trek but a few things took away from the experience. His family is a little too good to be true, it is a perfect set of people surrounding him. Even his friends are dynamite people with no realistic flaws, weaknesses, or quirks of their own. The dialogue between them is one dimensional, mostly expressions of love and affection. It got a little sappy for me. The real interesting dialogue is between Ryon and the alien species he meets once he travels to the stars. This is where the story really gets good. But like I said, it comes late.
The story is reasonably executed and leaves some loose ends for a sequel. I am not sure where one could go with a sequel, or how it will be as big as the first one. For a first-time author to take on so many serious and deep topics is pretty impressive. He did his research fairly well. I caught a few mistakes, but I'm guessing the vast majority of readers wouldn't catch them, or care. I think Barrett certainly has a knack for sci-fi and I look forward to his future novels.
March 12, 2015
This is a good book. It's easy to read and doing it is lots of fun. But somehow there are some things that I missed. Some parts of the book look as if they were cut, to have a smooth development it would have taken at least a hundred pages more than it has. In a chapter we are here and then... voila! everything of the background has changed.
The paralelism between ascension and some spiritual concepts like nirvana are a little tough, and the way they develop in the book is tough too.
If you are a hard fan of science fiction, this is a must have. But if you tend to be a little impatient, you maybe should start at chapter nine. Chapters 1 to 9, and chapters 10 and forward are like two completely different books.
The paralelism between ascension and some spiritual concepts like nirvana are a little tough, and the way they develop in the book is tough too.
If you are a hard fan of science fiction, this is a must have. But if you tend to be a little impatient, you maybe should start at chapter nine. Chapters 1 to 9, and chapters 10 and forward are like two completely different books.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews