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Ascendance
The location is a planet in outer space inhabited by antagonistic species.
The night Seeni died, the fault line reappeared. The existing equilibrium between men and women, the antagonistic species that inhabit Elone began to crumble. If a clash happens, how long would it last? What would remain? Who? How many? Were they heading for a time like the last days on Earth?
As each side regroups along the Fence, Maya, a woman’s consciousness from twenty-third century Earth, reveals the past intertwined existence of men and women. Would knowledge of their shared past change the course for the future?
Delving into ideas of divergence, immortality and consequent new social constructs, Ascendance is set in a world that represents a possible, and not a dystopian future.
The night Seeni died, the fault line reappeared. The existing equilibrium between men and women, the antagonistic species that inhabit Elone began to crumble. If a clash happens, how long would it last? What would remain? Who? How many? Were they heading for a time like the last days on Earth?
As each side regroups along the Fence, Maya, a woman’s consciousness from twenty-third century Earth, reveals the past intertwined existence of men and women. Would knowledge of their shared past change the course for the future?
Delving into ideas of divergence, immortality and consequent new social constructs, Ascendance is set in a world that represents a possible, and not a dystopian future.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
324 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 13, 2018
Overall Verdict:- Good concept but lacks the gripping element
A simple but wavy work of art cover depicting man and woman in front of a purple advanced city and a colophon having a dialog just enough to get you interested; it had been some time since I read sci-fi and "Ascendance" seemed like an ideal candidate.
“Ascendance” is a futuristic tale that speaks of a possible scenario where Men and Women no longer need each other and have left Earth to live on another planet Elone. They live separately on different sides of a wall which has been erected as a result of two major battles, ignoring each others’ existence, till one woman goes missing near the wall and Men become target of suspicion, which leads to war like chaos on both the sides.
The novel is written in third person narrative and in switching perspective of Men and Women in alternate chapters. Be it cloning, AI systems, advanced medical science, mode of travel or even the houses, the author has seamlessly captured the lifestyle of the characters. Use of alternate terms like ‘Zac’ for planet years or ‘nex’ for death sets the proper tone of a science fiction, as to how the world transitioned from one planet/perspective to other. However, too much time is taken to set the plot, and there are times when it drags. Men seem more like dwarves, more advanced in weaponry and a little aggressive by nature. Women are more like as elves, comparatively more technically advanced in rest of the fields than men, less aggressive of the two, but more mature in taking decisions. Every now and then its highlighted that men and women are essentially the same, but it fails to be properly captured in essence of this book.
As far as characters go, Maya plays her part flawlessly as a woman’s consciousness. But alas, the same cannot be said for rest of the characters, who fail to leave a lasting impression. Aryan has limited presence and executes his role aptly. Ime and Iwe stick around but again do not leave the desired impact as they could had. By the time Radul and Ultor start to make an impact, its nearly the end of the book leaving a huge gap for their potential. Personally, I felt no characters except these two had traits that set them unique other than their circumstances (with the exception of Maya and Aryan).
The story line has a lot of potential but lacks the gripping element. “Maya’s story” is a well written chapter. The world of Women is captured superbly, but personally I felt that more effort could had been made on getting insight of the Men’s world.
For Sadhna Shanker’s well attempted sci-fi which imbibes some well-thought philosophy as well, my overall rating would be 3/5.
Detailed Review Link - http://chevusread.blogspot.com/2018/0...
A simple but wavy work of art cover depicting man and woman in front of a purple advanced city and a colophon having a dialog just enough to get you interested; it had been some time since I read sci-fi and "Ascendance" seemed like an ideal candidate.
“Ascendance” is a futuristic tale that speaks of a possible scenario where Men and Women no longer need each other and have left Earth to live on another planet Elone. They live separately on different sides of a wall which has been erected as a result of two major battles, ignoring each others’ existence, till one woman goes missing near the wall and Men become target of suspicion, which leads to war like chaos on both the sides.
The novel is written in third person narrative and in switching perspective of Men and Women in alternate chapters. Be it cloning, AI systems, advanced medical science, mode of travel or even the houses, the author has seamlessly captured the lifestyle of the characters. Use of alternate terms like ‘Zac’ for planet years or ‘nex’ for death sets the proper tone of a science fiction, as to how the world transitioned from one planet/perspective to other. However, too much time is taken to set the plot, and there are times when it drags. Men seem more like dwarves, more advanced in weaponry and a little aggressive by nature. Women are more like as elves, comparatively more technically advanced in rest of the fields than men, less aggressive of the two, but more mature in taking decisions. Every now and then its highlighted that men and women are essentially the same, but it fails to be properly captured in essence of this book.
As far as characters go, Maya plays her part flawlessly as a woman’s consciousness. But alas, the same cannot be said for rest of the characters, who fail to leave a lasting impression. Aryan has limited presence and executes his role aptly. Ime and Iwe stick around but again do not leave the desired impact as they could had. By the time Radul and Ultor start to make an impact, its nearly the end of the book leaving a huge gap for their potential. Personally, I felt no characters except these two had traits that set them unique other than their circumstances (with the exception of Maya and Aryan).
The story line has a lot of potential but lacks the gripping element. “Maya’s story” is a well written chapter. The world of Women is captured superbly, but personally I felt that more effort could had been made on getting insight of the Men’s world.
For Sadhna Shanker’s well attempted sci-fi which imbibes some well-thought philosophy as well, my overall rating would be 3/5.
Detailed Review Link - http://chevusread.blogspot.com/2018/0...
August 20, 2018
[Detailed book review is available at: https://thinkerviews.com/books/englis...]
Do you love to read SciFi novels? If yes, then you will find Ascendance - an interesting book by Sadhna Shanker.
The default impression of a Sci-Fi in a majority of readers' mind is all about robotics, time travel, aliens and wars between people from earth and outer world. And, thus most of the writers follow the same path. Of course, they will write what is going to be sold. So, we were quite curious about this book, especially, we wanted to explore that whether it follows the typical path for SciFi, or brings in something new.
The Plot:
So, let us take a bird's eye view of the book plot.
Somewhere far in the universe, there is a fictional planet, where the human beings are living in distant future. The earth had its tough time , mainly because of the rise of artificial intelligence, and the way humans have milked the natural resources. So, keep their existence intact, humans had found the planet and inhibited two societies there. On this planet, Elone, these two societies are living in complete isolation from each other!
The things were working fine, till a tragic incident happened. In a part of Elone, a person was taken (taken is the word for death on Elone)! It was a rare incident. Since many years (again, the unit of measurement is not year) no one was taken. And incident it was the same day when a new creation (a birth) was happened!
And, thus starts the journey to investigate the murder. And we are introduced to many characters, incidents, facts and much more. I will suggest you to explore it by reading the book :).
Views and Reviews:
The book is a complicated read on the first glance. When you start reading you are taken (not in the meaning of the word in Elone’s dictionary, of course ) to a new world. But once you start reading the segment which explores the other part of Elone, and exploring the story of Maya, you will find it interesting and all the dots seems getting connected.
There is a glossary given at the end of the book. I will suggest you to read it first, so you can understand various alien terms. If footnotes are used in the book, the reader could find it very easy to link to those terms.
It is not easy to create a new world and terminology. One require to imagine the things and then wave it with possibilities and probabilities. The author did it quite well. The book remains true to its genre.
Here are some interesting lines from the book:
Maya, it will take a long time before we can figure out the technology that is needed for humans to travel such long distances and stay alive. People who actually live long enough to go there cane name it, whenever they reach. I am simply going to call it Earth’s clone, let us say, E-lone.
Summary:
A little complicated thriller which takes you to the fictional world. It reminds me of The Matrix film(s). Overall a joyous ride which you can take if you have a flair to pay attention while reading.
I would give it around 7.5 stars out of 10.
Do you love to read SciFi novels? If yes, then you will find Ascendance - an interesting book by Sadhna Shanker.
The default impression of a Sci-Fi in a majority of readers' mind is all about robotics, time travel, aliens and wars between people from earth and outer world. And, thus most of the writers follow the same path. Of course, they will write what is going to be sold. So, we were quite curious about this book, especially, we wanted to explore that whether it follows the typical path for SciFi, or brings in something new.
The Plot:
So, let us take a bird's eye view of the book plot.
Somewhere far in the universe, there is a fictional planet, where the human beings are living in distant future. The earth had its tough time , mainly because of the rise of artificial intelligence, and the way humans have milked the natural resources. So, keep their existence intact, humans had found the planet and inhibited two societies there. On this planet, Elone, these two societies are living in complete isolation from each other!
The things were working fine, till a tragic incident happened. In a part of Elone, a person was taken (taken is the word for death on Elone)! It was a rare incident. Since many years (again, the unit of measurement is not year) no one was taken. And incident it was the same day when a new creation (a birth) was happened!
And, thus starts the journey to investigate the murder. And we are introduced to many characters, incidents, facts and much more. I will suggest you to explore it by reading the book :).
Views and Reviews:
The book is a complicated read on the first glance. When you start reading you are taken (not in the meaning of the word in Elone’s dictionary, of course ) to a new world. But once you start reading the segment which explores the other part of Elone, and exploring the story of Maya, you will find it interesting and all the dots seems getting connected.
There is a glossary given at the end of the book. I will suggest you to read it first, so you can understand various alien terms. If footnotes are used in the book, the reader could find it very easy to link to those terms.
It is not easy to create a new world and terminology. One require to imagine the things and then wave it with possibilities and probabilities. The author did it quite well. The book remains true to its genre.
Here are some interesting lines from the book:
Maya, it will take a long time before we can figure out the technology that is needed for humans to travel such long distances and stay alive. People who actually live long enough to go there cane name it, whenever they reach. I am simply going to call it Earth’s clone, let us say, E-lone.
Summary:
A little complicated thriller which takes you to the fictional world. It reminds me of The Matrix film(s). Overall a joyous ride which you can take if you have a flair to pay attention while reading.
I would give it around 7.5 stars out of 10.
October 23, 2018
For all the science – fiction readers out there, author Sadhna Shanker brings to you a world where the whole setting is foreign and the population segregation bizarre. Set in a location in outer space, the men and women form the antagonistic species that inhabit this planet called Elone in complete isolation from one other. Here, the planet’s name seems to be a play of word ~Elone ~ that is, being alone in an electronically powered system. And, that is actually what the book is based on: a World where there is a boundary between men and women that hinders free interaction between the two sexes. It is a place where men and women do not need each other for copulation and reproduction. These species lives separately and are ignorant of each other’s existence. Thus, Divergence or Variation from the dominant social structure is one of the matters worked on the book.
This system is threatened when a woman is believed to be taken by Men on the other side of the Fence. The base of the book is based on who has done this crime and if it will lead to a devastation parallel to the one Earth faced several years ago.
Initially, I was unable to understand the situation, which changed gradually as Maya’s story proceeded. One mistake I do not want other readers to commit like me is to go through the book without looking at the glossary in the end section of the book. So, I request all the interested readers to please consult the glossary if you find a word or concept alien to you. Let me tell you that in this planet “taken” means death and “creation” is birth or a new born. I found these use of terminologies like the Fence, “Zac” or “Nex” or even numberings like “Chronicle – ii, Page nz23 as well as the utilisation of the “Tag” intriguing that contributes to the sense of being in an alternate world order. Although I must add that I can see the way our World is going towards the way a Tag works. About the characters, other than that of Maya and Aryan, no other characters showcase unique attributes whose absence was much felt. Also, although the storyline gripped me right from the beginning as the author presented the Women’s world, I missed a better insight into the domain of the Men.
“Ascendance” relies more on philosophical evaluation rather than action – packed occasions. It has a whodunit factor that answered to the thirst for mystery in me; but the book encourages more on perceiving the world and its subject, where you can’t help but compare Elone to our Earth sooner than later.
Mostly I find Sci – fis to be based on time travels, extra-terrestrial monster attacks or maybe alien invasion. So, I was curious as to how the author promulgates her unique concept. I liked the premise of the book as well as the cover and the overall build of the book. The buttery touch of the covers is an added bonus in the whole package.
According to the author, “Ascendance” is not a tale of the dystopian world order but represents a perceived possibility of the future of the people of Earth. The readers have to read and decide how far that statement is true.
This system is threatened when a woman is believed to be taken by Men on the other side of the Fence. The base of the book is based on who has done this crime and if it will lead to a devastation parallel to the one Earth faced several years ago.
Initially, I was unable to understand the situation, which changed gradually as Maya’s story proceeded. One mistake I do not want other readers to commit like me is to go through the book without looking at the glossary in the end section of the book. So, I request all the interested readers to please consult the glossary if you find a word or concept alien to you. Let me tell you that in this planet “taken” means death and “creation” is birth or a new born. I found these use of terminologies like the Fence, “Zac” or “Nex” or even numberings like “Chronicle – ii, Page nz23 as well as the utilisation of the “Tag” intriguing that contributes to the sense of being in an alternate world order. Although I must add that I can see the way our World is going towards the way a Tag works. About the characters, other than that of Maya and Aryan, no other characters showcase unique attributes whose absence was much felt. Also, although the storyline gripped me right from the beginning as the author presented the Women’s world, I missed a better insight into the domain of the Men.
“Ascendance” relies more on philosophical evaluation rather than action – packed occasions. It has a whodunit factor that answered to the thirst for mystery in me; but the book encourages more on perceiving the world and its subject, where you can’t help but compare Elone to our Earth sooner than later.
Mostly I find Sci – fis to be based on time travels, extra-terrestrial monster attacks or maybe alien invasion. So, I was curious as to how the author promulgates her unique concept. I liked the premise of the book as well as the cover and the overall build of the book. The buttery touch of the covers is an added bonus in the whole package.
According to the author, “Ascendance” is not a tale of the dystopian world order but represents a perceived possibility of the future of the people of Earth. The readers have to read and decide how far that statement is true.
September 12, 2018
Overall Verdict:- Good concept but lacks the gripping element
A simple but wavy work of art cover depicting man and woman in front of a purple advanced city and a colophon having a dialog just enough to get you interested; it had been some time since I read sci-fi and "Ascendance" seemed like an ideal candidate.
“Ascendance” is a futuristic tale that speaks of a possible scenario where Men and Women no longer need each other and have left Earth to live on another planet Elone. They live separately on different sides of a wall which has been erected as a result of two major battles, ignoring each others’ existence, till one woman goes missing near the wall and Men become target of suspicion, which leads to war like chaos on both the sides.
The novel is written in third person narrative and in switching perspective of Men and Women in alternate chapters. Be it cloning, AI systems, advanced medical science, mode of travel or even the houses, the author has seamlessly captured the lifestyle of the characters. Use of alternate terms like ‘Zac’ for planet years or ‘nex’ for death sets the proper tone of a science fiction, as to how the world transitioned from one planet/perspective to other. However, too much time is taken to set the plot, and there are times when it drags. Men seem more like dwarves, more advanced in weaponry and a little aggressive by nature. Women are more like as elves, comparatively more technically advanced in rest of the fields than men, less aggressive of the two, but more mature in taking decisions. Every now and then its highlighted that men and women are essentially the same, but it fails to be properly captured in essence of this book.
As far as characters go, Maya plays her part flawlessly as a woman’s consciousness. But alas, the same cannot be said for rest of the characters, who fail to leave a lasting impression. Aryan has limited presence and executes his role aptly. Ime and Iwe stick around but again do not leave the desired impact as they could had. By the time Radul and Ultor start to make an impact, its nearly the end of the book leaving a huge gap for their potential. Personally, I felt no characters except these two had traits that set them unique other than their circumstances (with the exception of Maya and Aryan).
The story line has a lot of potential but lacks the gripping element. “Maya’s story” is a well written chapter. The world of Women is captured superbly, but personally I felt that more effort could had been made on getting insight of the Men’s world.
For Sadhna Shanker’s well attempted sci-fi which imbibes some well-thought philosophy as well, my overall rating would be 3/5.
A simple but wavy work of art cover depicting man and woman in front of a purple advanced city and a colophon having a dialog just enough to get you interested; it had been some time since I read sci-fi and "Ascendance" seemed like an ideal candidate.
“Ascendance” is a futuristic tale that speaks of a possible scenario where Men and Women no longer need each other and have left Earth to live on another planet Elone. They live separately on different sides of a wall which has been erected as a result of two major battles, ignoring each others’ existence, till one woman goes missing near the wall and Men become target of suspicion, which leads to war like chaos on both the sides.
The novel is written in third person narrative and in switching perspective of Men and Women in alternate chapters. Be it cloning, AI systems, advanced medical science, mode of travel or even the houses, the author has seamlessly captured the lifestyle of the characters. Use of alternate terms like ‘Zac’ for planet years or ‘nex’ for death sets the proper tone of a science fiction, as to how the world transitioned from one planet/perspective to other. However, too much time is taken to set the plot, and there are times when it drags. Men seem more like dwarves, more advanced in weaponry and a little aggressive by nature. Women are more like as elves, comparatively more technically advanced in rest of the fields than men, less aggressive of the two, but more mature in taking decisions. Every now and then its highlighted that men and women are essentially the same, but it fails to be properly captured in essence of this book.
As far as characters go, Maya plays her part flawlessly as a woman’s consciousness. But alas, the same cannot be said for rest of the characters, who fail to leave a lasting impression. Aryan has limited presence and executes his role aptly. Ime and Iwe stick around but again do not leave the desired impact as they could had. By the time Radul and Ultor start to make an impact, its nearly the end of the book leaving a huge gap for their potential. Personally, I felt no characters except these two had traits that set them unique other than their circumstances (with the exception of Maya and Aryan).
The story line has a lot of potential but lacks the gripping element. “Maya’s story” is a well written chapter. The world of Women is captured superbly, but personally I felt that more effort could had been made on getting insight of the Men’s world.
For Sadhna Shanker’s well attempted sci-fi which imbibes some well-thought philosophy as well, my overall rating would be 3/5.
August 3, 2018
What will you call a situation where men and women known as different species live on the same planet divided from each other with an opaque fence, never to interact or know one another?! Birth is termed as "creation" which is done through cloning. A place which has a hugely advanced technology...no disease...no deaths...no past...and no pain. Basically, everything which can harm their existence ceases to exist. Peace comes at a price.
Is this dystopian sci-fi or utopian...or both...or just a blur image of the dystopia hidden behind the facade of the utopian world!
Suspense revolves around an unlikely event that takes place on Elone, and how the story unfolds in the attempt to unravel the mystery. Maya, the woman's conscience, and her music play a vital role in building this tension.
To me, this novel is existentially terrifying, mysterious and philosophical...all at the same time. These elements help keep the reader glued to the book as the story progress towards its end.
It's an intriguing novel where the author forces its reader to comprehend the world as a question.
Is this dystopian sci-fi or utopian...or both...or just a blur image of the dystopia hidden behind the facade of the utopian world!
Suspense revolves around an unlikely event that takes place on Elone, and how the story unfolds in the attempt to unravel the mystery. Maya, the woman's conscience, and her music play a vital role in building this tension.
To me, this novel is existentially terrifying, mysterious and philosophical...all at the same time. These elements help keep the reader glued to the book as the story progress towards its end.
It's an intriguing novel where the author forces its reader to comprehend the world as a question.
May 25, 2018
Read The Full Review Here: https://poesyinchrysalis.wordpress.co...
REVIEWED BY SOHINEE DEY
I am not much of a science fiction reader. It could be the reason that there aren’t enough science fiction books written by Indian authors compared to Romance or it could be because thinking of a time in the future where things would change so much doesn’t hold much interest to me. Frankly, science fiction and fantasy contradicts with the reality for me. But then, we never know where science would lead us in the future.
Ascendance, written by Sadhna Shanker and published by Rupa Publications is a dystopian science fiction set in the 23rd Century, portraying a time with imperfect societies and where people exhibit deep social control, when life can be operated with a tag and when people would be free of the current social ethos.
The story is mostly set in a planet named Elone in the outer space inhabited by antagonistic species. There’s a boundary called Fence which separates these inhabitants from the other world. A person called Simi is found missing when the others couldn’t track her and she is later found to be dead. Her death causes a fault line to appear which indicates the lose of balance between the men and women in Elone. Iwe, the scientists and the other inhabitants try to find a way to recover from the damage for they fear if a clash happens, what would happen to the people.
Then there’s a connection with Earth where Maya, a woman’s consciousness from 23rd century Earth holds the knowledge of the shared past of the men and women who once lived on Earth.
The book is not gender biased as it might seem at first glance, it shows a possibility in the future when none of the genders, male or female would be required to couple or reproduce for babies. Cloning is a possibility in the future.
Ascendance also deals with immortality on a scientific level and not in a spiritual way. There are ideas of divergence and new social constructs.
The characters have special abilities and names that would particularly suit in the future. The language is easy to understand. The narration is in third person and has science, information and technology written all over it. Even though the cover is simple, I really liked it. It has a aesthetic appeal to it. The writing style of the author is really impressive. She has created this whole new world with different species and has combined fiction with science to create this dystopian world.
The storyline is absolutely original, something which I have never read before. It’s crisp and fresh and so unlike the ones that I have read previously.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As I have already said that I am not really a big fan of science fiction. This particular genre is not my cup of tea and I am afraid that I’ll always be hesitant to try out this genre. But for readers who do like Science Fiction and I know that there are many out there, they would really like this book.
POESY IN CHRYSALIS RATING : ⭐⭐⭐.5 / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
For more reviews and bookish posts, follow my blog at www.poesyinchrysalis.wordpress.com. For review enquiries, write to me at query.sohinee@gmail.com
REVIEWED BY SOHINEE DEY
I am not much of a science fiction reader. It could be the reason that there aren’t enough science fiction books written by Indian authors compared to Romance or it could be because thinking of a time in the future where things would change so much doesn’t hold much interest to me. Frankly, science fiction and fantasy contradicts with the reality for me. But then, we never know where science would lead us in the future.
Ascendance, written by Sadhna Shanker and published by Rupa Publications is a dystopian science fiction set in the 23rd Century, portraying a time with imperfect societies and where people exhibit deep social control, when life can be operated with a tag and when people would be free of the current social ethos.
The story is mostly set in a planet named Elone in the outer space inhabited by antagonistic species. There’s a boundary called Fence which separates these inhabitants from the other world. A person called Simi is found missing when the others couldn’t track her and she is later found to be dead. Her death causes a fault line to appear which indicates the lose of balance between the men and women in Elone. Iwe, the scientists and the other inhabitants try to find a way to recover from the damage for they fear if a clash happens, what would happen to the people.
Then there’s a connection with Earth where Maya, a woman’s consciousness from 23rd century Earth holds the knowledge of the shared past of the men and women who once lived on Earth.
The book is not gender biased as it might seem at first glance, it shows a possibility in the future when none of the genders, male or female would be required to couple or reproduce for babies. Cloning is a possibility in the future.
Ascendance also deals with immortality on a scientific level and not in a spiritual way. There are ideas of divergence and new social constructs.
The characters have special abilities and names that would particularly suit in the future. The language is easy to understand. The narration is in third person and has science, information and technology written all over it. Even though the cover is simple, I really liked it. It has a aesthetic appeal to it. The writing style of the author is really impressive. She has created this whole new world with different species and has combined fiction with science to create this dystopian world.
The storyline is absolutely original, something which I have never read before. It’s crisp and fresh and so unlike the ones that I have read previously.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As I have already said that I am not really a big fan of science fiction. This particular genre is not my cup of tea and I am afraid that I’ll always be hesitant to try out this genre. But for readers who do like Science Fiction and I know that there are many out there, they would really like this book.
POESY IN CHRYSALIS RATING : ⭐⭐⭐.5 / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
For more reviews and bookish posts, follow my blog at www.poesyinchrysalis.wordpress.com. For review enquiries, write to me at query.sohinee@gmail.com
May 28, 2018
The Originality of the idea at its core, alone, makes this one a must read. Then you also get the Vehicle of a whodunit riding on the road of Sci - fi ; and the road is going through a multi layered ecosystem of a forest of Philosophy.
You also get to explore the commentary on the pathetic state of our society which as a 'social fact' aides our ascriptive identities overpower our rational behaviour... Gender is the ascriptive identity the manifest function of the book wraps around... but you could replace it with any other...like Religion and the results could be as interesting... and that latent function of the plot/book ,for me , is it's biggest triumph..
The visual detailing in the book is meticulous.You can easily imagine what Elone would be looking
like.Too many characters and their non-conventional names initially act as irritants but when you realize that nomenclature itself has a rationale to it(For Example...Iwe on Gynake Side vs. Ime on Men's Side) then the naming system also starts to make a lot of sense.For me, the spirit of the Book is conveyed best by two characters...First one Seeni and second aptly named Maya ...That, we are a species that is essentially curious and inquisitive yet we intentionally suppress most of that inquisitiveness and that we lust for immortality but we are driven by mortality to action, are beautiful dichotomies brought out through these 2 characters.
You get an utopian solution at the end of a dystopian premise........ or is it the other way around...???This book avoids the trap of adrenaline of 'action' and wants you to embrace dopamine of wisdom
Maybe then,some Director with right amount of budget and understanding of the layers of this product can give us a cinematic experience that is equivalent to 2001,a space Odyssey or Interstellar...
4.5 Stars... half deducted to empathise with the guys left on Elone. 😊
You also get to explore the commentary on the pathetic state of our society which as a 'social fact' aides our ascriptive identities overpower our rational behaviour... Gender is the ascriptive identity the manifest function of the book wraps around... but you could replace it with any other...like Religion and the results could be as interesting... and that latent function of the plot/book ,for me , is it's biggest triumph..
The visual detailing in the book is meticulous.You can easily imagine what Elone would be looking
like.Too many characters and their non-conventional names initially act as irritants but when you realize that nomenclature itself has a rationale to it(For Example...Iwe on Gynake Side vs. Ime on Men's Side) then the naming system also starts to make a lot of sense.For me, the spirit of the Book is conveyed best by two characters...First one Seeni and second aptly named Maya ...That, we are a species that is essentially curious and inquisitive yet we intentionally suppress most of that inquisitiveness and that we lust for immortality but we are driven by mortality to action, are beautiful dichotomies brought out through these 2 characters.
You get an utopian solution at the end of a dystopian premise........ or is it the other way around...???This book avoids the trap of adrenaline of 'action' and wants you to embrace dopamine of wisdom
Maybe then,some Director with right amount of budget and understanding of the layers of this product can give us a cinematic experience that is equivalent to 2001,a space Odyssey or Interstellar...
4.5 Stars... half deducted to empathise with the guys left on Elone. 😊
June 4, 2018
‘The earth will get destroyed one day,’ we have heard this statement several times in our lives. But how? Some say that it will get submerged in the water; many say that the sun will disappear and the planet will turn as cold as Pluto, and there are a thousand more assumptions to this question. But my instincts say that it will be the technology that will end the life on the earth, and the people living on it will either die or go to some other planet. Even NASA says that life outside earth seems to be possible.
With all these questions raging in my mind, luckily I came across this book. When I read the synopsis on Amazon Kindle, I instantly realized that this book will clear some of my doubts regarding the relationship between humankind and technology. As I read more, flitted more pages, I came to know that this book is about human race that goes on some other planet in the space. So, this book is not about aliens or space fight but about humans on some other planet where everything is same like the earth except a few things, like there are three moons and people lust after immortality, and men and women live separately like enemies across the fence. The points of conflicts in this novel are very interesting but I am not going to reveal them.
But coming to my questions, yes the book helped me to understand what kind of future our beloved earth can see if we, humans, stick to technology like morons.
The novel is part dystopian, part sci-fi, part general fiction. Well, I must say that the writer’s writing style, narration techniques, converging of plots, sweeping of characters and vocabulary – all is lollapalooza.
After finishing the book, I re-checked the meaning of ‘Ascendance’ and I realized that the title is the best thing of this book.
There is a lot more in the book, read the full review here: http://www.keveinbooksnreviews.in/201...
With all these questions raging in my mind, luckily I came across this book. When I read the synopsis on Amazon Kindle, I instantly realized that this book will clear some of my doubts regarding the relationship between humankind and technology. As I read more, flitted more pages, I came to know that this book is about human race that goes on some other planet in the space. So, this book is not about aliens or space fight but about humans on some other planet where everything is same like the earth except a few things, like there are three moons and people lust after immortality, and men and women live separately like enemies across the fence. The points of conflicts in this novel are very interesting but I am not going to reveal them.
But coming to my questions, yes the book helped me to understand what kind of future our beloved earth can see if we, humans, stick to technology like morons.
The novel is part dystopian, part sci-fi, part general fiction. Well, I must say that the writer’s writing style, narration techniques, converging of plots, sweeping of characters and vocabulary – all is lollapalooza.
After finishing the book, I re-checked the meaning of ‘Ascendance’ and I realized that the title is the best thing of this book.
There is a lot more in the book, read the full review here: http://www.keveinbooksnreviews.in/201...
August 5, 2018
When the author gifted me this book she mentioned, "Hope you enjoy reading it". Wow, did I enjoy reading it? It was riveting stuff. Must confess that it didn't make much sense in the beginning as one found it difficult to relate to what was going on but as the story unravels and once the "connect" is discovered, the characters grow on you. The story centres around the the "two species" (men and women) that "had fallen apart once their reproductive dependencies had vanished". The war of "ascendancy" takes over as the two species try to outwit each other. The author attempts to convey that the "Men and women are engaged in an evolutionary dialectic that is rooted in biology". One may not totally agree with this hypothesis but once you accept it, even this "futuristic" tale appears to be a realistic one. Finally the women species outwit the men as they leave for "greener pastures" as the "creatures" call men are about to execute their annihilation plan.
A book worth reading and worth keeping
A book worth reading and worth keeping
October 1, 2018
Sci-fi genre is that one genre in which most of the characters, settings and situations are the figments of imagination. Seldom the situations are relatable but most of them are flights of fancy. However, we all love this genre because it gives us a chance to escape the usual hackneyed routine and chaos of life. ‘Ascendance’ is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller that aims to make your jaws drop with its plotting and mysterious sequences.
Read complete review here: http://aliveshadow.com/category-bookr...
Read complete review here: http://aliveshadow.com/category-bookr...
August 20, 2018
Detail Review: http://bodhisattwapalreview.blogspot....
REVIEW: So the main plot is on an outer space planet named 'Elone' where men and women live like separate species and do cell propagation to create 'Creation'. The whole story narrates their cause of leaving Earth, their life in Elone, the newly come problem and the overcome and ascendance. No more talk, I don't want to spoil the story line.
Basically the novel is a sci-fi but the best part is that after reading few pages you will be drowned on this magnificent world and the plot will seem to be more real. And then comes the victory point, unlike popular sci-fi, the experienced author didn't tell a fantasy story, but she told a story that really can be happen in the distant future. That is how a sci-fi should be. I have come across a lot of Sci-fi movies and books, and it will be not an exaggeration to declare that it is the best till now. Her thought and concepts are not only gigantically amazing but so real. The novel deal with some brilliant things like Gender issue, future sexuality, cloning, merging, cell propagation etc. The whole description were so much scientific. A great study before writing is evident.
It is a literally winner too. The writing style is apt and really poetic in some portion. She created an absolutely mesmerizing setting all around. The characters were perfectly written with different moods and motive. The story was greatly gripping and thrilling too.
But I still have two very minor questions and requesting the author to answer.
Firstly what happened to Odef at last?
And secondly if Elone is perfectly fine to support life, why any different species(unearthly) had not been born there automatically.
But these are my personal asking. No problems with the overall story progression.
So the magical start, steady middle and a brilliantly fine finale makes it a clear winner. The author never supported a particular gender and showed the win of humanity at last. And I am recommending it to everyone because it is a beautiful book and more than a brilliant sci-fi novel.
Absolutely loved it.
OVERALL RATING: 5/5
Thanks a lot to the author and Rupa Publication for the review copy.
REVIEW: So the main plot is on an outer space planet named 'Elone' where men and women live like separate species and do cell propagation to create 'Creation'. The whole story narrates their cause of leaving Earth, their life in Elone, the newly come problem and the overcome and ascendance. No more talk, I don't want to spoil the story line.
Basically the novel is a sci-fi but the best part is that after reading few pages you will be drowned on this magnificent world and the plot will seem to be more real. And then comes the victory point, unlike popular sci-fi, the experienced author didn't tell a fantasy story, but she told a story that really can be happen in the distant future. That is how a sci-fi should be. I have come across a lot of Sci-fi movies and books, and it will be not an exaggeration to declare that it is the best till now. Her thought and concepts are not only gigantically amazing but so real. The novel deal with some brilliant things like Gender issue, future sexuality, cloning, merging, cell propagation etc. The whole description were so much scientific. A great study before writing is evident.
It is a literally winner too. The writing style is apt and really poetic in some portion. She created an absolutely mesmerizing setting all around. The characters were perfectly written with different moods and motive. The story was greatly gripping and thrilling too.
But I still have two very minor questions and requesting the author to answer.
Firstly what happened to Odef at last?
And secondly if Elone is perfectly fine to support life, why any different species(unearthly) had not been born there automatically.
But these are my personal asking. No problems with the overall story progression.
So the magical start, steady middle and a brilliantly fine finale makes it a clear winner. The author never supported a particular gender and showed the win of humanity at last. And I am recommending it to everyone because it is a beautiful book and more than a brilliant sci-fi novel.
Absolutely loved it.
OVERALL RATING: 5/5
Thanks a lot to the author and Rupa Publication for the review copy.
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