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Ascent
When terrorists target an American airforce base with a nuclear bomb, Kelly Wells races to find her sister in a nearby office block, desperate for them to be together in their final moments. At the same time, a handful of others fight their way through a panicked city to reach the building-frantic to make it to loved ones before the device ignites less than fifty miles away.
In the frozen instant of the detonation, Kelly, her sister and three strangers are locked in that moment and trapped in the offices. But they are not alone. An ancient god from the deepest pits in the earth has woken and knows their most private secrets and guilt. Now, horror takes the form of their darkest dreams to draw sustenance from their terror, and the beast stalking them will dine well.
Because everybody is afraid of something.
In the frozen instant of the detonation, Kelly, her sister and three strangers are locked in that moment and trapped in the offices. But they are not alone. An ancient god from the deepest pits in the earth has woken and knows their most private secrets and guilt. Now, horror takes the form of their darkest dreams to draw sustenance from their terror, and the beast stalking them will dine well.
Because everybody is afraid of something.
- GenresHorror
Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2017
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Luke Walker
76 books76 followersLuke Walker has been writing horror and dark thrillers for most of his life. His horror titles include the new novel Burn as well as The Ninth Circle, Winter Graves, The Nameless, The Day Of The New Gods, The Mirror Of The Nameless, The Kindred, Pandemonium and The Dead Room and others. Several of his short stories have been published online and in magazines/books. His speculative thriller Terminal State, written under the name Rob Harrison, is out now. Luke's next novels Chaos and The Fall will be published by Baynam Books Press.
Luke's Bluesky page is @lukewalkerwriter.bsky.social
Sign up to his newsletter at
https://substack.com/@lukewalkerwriter
Or find him at https://lukewalkerwriter.wordpress.com
He is forty-eight and lives in England with his wife and cat.
Luke's Bluesky page is @lukewalkerwriter.bsky.social
Sign up to his newsletter at
https://substack.com/@lukewalkerwriter
Or find him at https://lukewalkerwriter.wordpress.com
He is forty-eight and lives in England with his wife and cat.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 2, 2017
A handful of people are stuck in the hell that has become Greenham Place, after what they think is an explosion that may have ended the outside world. But that's not the worst of it. Something has been unleashed inside this tall office building, and it's after them. Will they survive? You'll have to read Ascent to find out!
Rod, Alex, Simon, Kelly and Dao were all strangers to each other before the explosion. Now, they may be all that's left of humanity. What I liked most about this story was how the characters were each introduced and how they got to know each other. Unfortunately, whatever was released into Greenham Place got to know them too, and it used that knowledge to torture them all.
I thought this story was beautifully told-the author took the time to develop each character and then tailored the horror to each one. Everybody has secrets, whether they be something that happened to them, or something they did to someone else. Now imagine a creature that could use all that and twist it around-using it to insert wedges between people, to make people hallucinate, or even just to guilt them to death-how can you defeat that? Maybe you can't?
I LOVED the ending of this book, but I imagine it might be a problem for some. As an American, in light of our current political problems, and the problems that other...unstable countries present not only to us, but to the world, it was easy for me to fill in the blanks. I think that helped the story to become more personal to me and I liked it that much more as a result.
My only complaint was that I thought the term "legging it" was a bit overused, but hey, if this stuff was going down anywhere near me, I would be legging it the hell out of there too.
More of a psychological horror story than anything else, (don't worry-there's plenty of bloody gore to go around too), Ascent was an impressive and imaginative story and I highly recommend it!
Available tomorrow everywhere, here: Ascent
*I was provided an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*
Rod, Alex, Simon, Kelly and Dao were all strangers to each other before the explosion. Now, they may be all that's left of humanity. What I liked most about this story was how the characters were each introduced and how they got to know each other. Unfortunately, whatever was released into Greenham Place got to know them too, and it used that knowledge to torture them all.
I thought this story was beautifully told-the author took the time to develop each character and then tailored the horror to each one. Everybody has secrets, whether they be something that happened to them, or something they did to someone else. Now imagine a creature that could use all that and twist it around-using it to insert wedges between people, to make people hallucinate, or even just to guilt them to death-how can you defeat that? Maybe you can't?
I LOVED the ending of this book, but I imagine it might be a problem for some. As an American, in light of our current political problems, and the problems that other...unstable countries present not only to us, but to the world, it was easy for me to fill in the blanks. I think that helped the story to become more personal to me and I liked it that much more as a result.
My only complaint was that I thought the term "legging it" was a bit overused, but hey, if this stuff was going down anywhere near me, I would be legging it the hell out of there too.
More of a psychological horror story than anything else, (don't worry-there's plenty of bloody gore to go around too), Ascent was an impressive and imaginative story and I highly recommend it!
Available tomorrow everywhere, here: Ascent
*I was provided an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*
November 5, 2019
I have to say I like that it’s an older male character who gets tormented with his weight and his thoughts of overeating and drinking–it breaks a stereotype quite nicely. Also, each person’s fears have stages and layers. I thought Kelly’s got drawn out a bit too far and started being more frustrating than teasing, but by and large it works. Since the creature trapping the five is feeding on fear, it also makes sense that it does its best to prolong the events rather than rushing to kill everyone off. After all, it just went to some lengths (presumably) to keep them alive for this.
There are a bunch of little details that never entirely add up for me. There’s a weird thing where a bunch of relevant dates related to their fears line up perfectly, but there’s no reason given as to why that’s somehow important. I mean, why would an anniversary matter to this being that’s supposedly older than the Earth? I also never understood why sometimes the streets outside look normal to the trapped five (ie, people go about their business as usual) and sometimes it’s completely deserted. I never entirely understood what the deal was with Simon kind of having fears in his past, but not, and if so, why did the creature include him in this? There’s also a late-arriving ally that goes entirely unexplained, and the ending was kind of out of left field and left a lot of room for interpretation. Even after Kelly’s reveal I never understood why her guilt manifested as fear of a certain person.
The characters are interesting, though. The events are scary and suspenseful. The action gets a little confusing when things heat up, but the general beats are good. I’d be curious to see what Walker would do with a couple more books under his belt.
Content note for lots of gore as well as some pedophilia.
Consider my rating a 3.5
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/11/r...
There are a bunch of little details that never entirely add up for me. There’s a weird thing where a bunch of relevant dates related to their fears line up perfectly, but there’s no reason given as to why that’s somehow important. I mean, why would an anniversary matter to this being that’s supposedly older than the Earth? I also never understood why sometimes the streets outside look normal to the trapped five (ie, people go about their business as usual) and sometimes it’s completely deserted. I never entirely understood what the deal was with Simon kind of having fears in his past, but not, and if so, why did the creature include him in this? There’s also a late-arriving ally that goes entirely unexplained, and the ending was kind of out of left field and left a lot of room for interpretation. Even after Kelly’s reveal I never understood why her guilt manifested as fear of a certain person.
The characters are interesting, though. The events are scary and suspenseful. The action gets a little confusing when things heat up, but the general beats are good. I’d be curious to see what Walker would do with a couple more books under his belt.
Content note for lots of gore as well as some pedophilia.
Consider my rating a 3.5
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/11/r...
June 3, 2017
Try and imagine looking out of a window and seeing the world end in a flash. One moment everything is trundling along as normal, and the next your entire world has irrevocably changed. Would you be immobilised by a crushing despair or driven into immediate action. In Ascent by Luke Walker a small group of people, Kelly, Simon, Rod, Dao and Alex experience that exact scenario.
One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this novel is the internal journey that each character takes. As the narrative unfolds the survivors move from their initial shock and confusion, through disbelief, until finally they manage some sort of acceptance. Each of them must try to find a way to embrace the new reality they now find themselves in. To a degree, it doesn’t even matter what is happening outside the building. The world could be smouldering in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion or be perfectly normal. That is no longer really relevant. This story is all about what is happening to a small group stuck inside their little bubble of existence. The choices they make, the paths they choose to follow, will determine if they live or die.
The horror in Ascent tends more towards the psychological rather than the physical. Don’t get me wrong, there are some epically gory moments, but those feel more like an aside to the main plot. Each of the characters experience very personal visions of what is going on inside the building. These nightmares are drawn directly from their own lives and it is a very effective plot device. Anyone reading the book will be able to easily appreciate the emotional toll that the group are having to deal with. Shame, fear, anger and helplessness are all things that we’ve experienced at one point or another. Walker’s writing directly targets those feelings and draws them out. Of all the characters I think I found it was Rod’s story that was the most harrowing.
Location is a key factor in this novel. Greenham Place has a claustrophobic quality that feels almost palpable. From the way the building is described, it was easy to picture some huge imposing monolith. You can imagine the structure giving off a malevolent almost brooding vibe. Trapped in such a hideous environment, as everything you know and love disappears, there is little doubt this could push anyone over the edge into madness.
I think I was expecting something a bit more overt when I started reading this novel. I was pleased to discover however that Luke Walker’s writing is far subtler than that. Ascent is more than just your standard by-the-numbers horror. I kept finding myself going back to thinking about how I’d react in that situation*. The characterisation does a great job of exploring the full gamut of emotions. Ordinary people facing extraordinary situations is always fascinates me so I was quickly engrossed in the plot.
There is a certain amount of ambiguity regarding the end of the novel. Some readers will likely find this a little off putting but I think it worked well. The author allows the reader the opportunity to come to their own conclusions regard this story’s final scenes. I enjoyed being able to take my own interpretation from how events play out.
Fair warning, there are some particularly dark moments in Ascent. There have been other books I’ve read where I’ve felt that the author has taken the detail on certain topics too far. In this instance however, the author does a good job of handling some genuinely difficult subject matter with a delicate touch.
In conclusion, I’d recommend Ascent to anyone who enjoys their horror dark and deliciously sinister.
*For the curious amongst you – I’d likely make a hideous error of judgement within the first five minutes after the explosion and either fall out of a window or down a lift shaft.
One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this novel is the internal journey that each character takes. As the narrative unfolds the survivors move from their initial shock and confusion, through disbelief, until finally they manage some sort of acceptance. Each of them must try to find a way to embrace the new reality they now find themselves in. To a degree, it doesn’t even matter what is happening outside the building. The world could be smouldering in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion or be perfectly normal. That is no longer really relevant. This story is all about what is happening to a small group stuck inside their little bubble of existence. The choices they make, the paths they choose to follow, will determine if they live or die.
The horror in Ascent tends more towards the psychological rather than the physical. Don’t get me wrong, there are some epically gory moments, but those feel more like an aside to the main plot. Each of the characters experience very personal visions of what is going on inside the building. These nightmares are drawn directly from their own lives and it is a very effective plot device. Anyone reading the book will be able to easily appreciate the emotional toll that the group are having to deal with. Shame, fear, anger and helplessness are all things that we’ve experienced at one point or another. Walker’s writing directly targets those feelings and draws them out. Of all the characters I think I found it was Rod’s story that was the most harrowing.
Location is a key factor in this novel. Greenham Place has a claustrophobic quality that feels almost palpable. From the way the building is described, it was easy to picture some huge imposing monolith. You can imagine the structure giving off a malevolent almost brooding vibe. Trapped in such a hideous environment, as everything you know and love disappears, there is little doubt this could push anyone over the edge into madness.
I think I was expecting something a bit more overt when I started reading this novel. I was pleased to discover however that Luke Walker’s writing is far subtler than that. Ascent is more than just your standard by-the-numbers horror. I kept finding myself going back to thinking about how I’d react in that situation*. The characterisation does a great job of exploring the full gamut of emotions. Ordinary people facing extraordinary situations is always fascinates me so I was quickly engrossed in the plot.
There is a certain amount of ambiguity regarding the end of the novel. Some readers will likely find this a little off putting but I think it worked well. The author allows the reader the opportunity to come to their own conclusions regard this story’s final scenes. I enjoyed being able to take my own interpretation from how events play out.
Fair warning, there are some particularly dark moments in Ascent. There have been other books I’ve read where I’ve felt that the author has taken the detail on certain topics too far. In this instance however, the author does a good job of handling some genuinely difficult subject matter with a delicate touch.
In conclusion, I’d recommend Ascent to anyone who enjoys their horror dark and deliciously sinister.
*For the curious amongst you – I’d likely make a hideous error of judgement within the first five minutes after the explosion and either fall out of a window or down a lift shaft.
January 13, 2018
DNF: Honestly, this book was not for me. I found that it started well, as the reader was thrown into the middle of the action, but I could not get past the middle which seemed to drag out with no real end in sight.
The story: a group of adults are stuck in a building following a possible explosion and are faced with their demons.
I liked the premise of this book, but it unfortunately did not deliver for me. I felt that once the characters were stuck in the building, the events were repetitive and their individual demons didn’t exactly attack them in very different ways. Their conversations were the same time and again; we have to get out of here - but my son! - let’s sit and think about a plan...
After the group went outside and saw the people outside, and realised their fate, I found it difficult to continue and pushed on an extra 80 pages. This part really threw the book off track for me, and I got increasingly bored as no clues were found. The most interesting part is when one of the women realised who Rod’s demon is, which I’m sure got explored later on, but when it was quickly dismissed for the time being, I felt that something had been missed.
Things I liked:
The descriptions and use of language; this book is very well written. I liked the premise of the narrative and feel as though if I had pushed through it may have clicked and I might have started to enjoy it. I did like the characters and the suggestion of a connection between them all, but until the arid revelation, there has been nothing bringing this to fruition other than the coincidental dates of their terrors.
I just couldn’t keep going with the slow plot and lack of discovery or explanation.
Thank you to Luke Walker for sending me a free copy in return for an honest review.
The story: a group of adults are stuck in a building following a possible explosion and are faced with their demons.
I liked the premise of this book, but it unfortunately did not deliver for me. I felt that once the characters were stuck in the building, the events were repetitive and their individual demons didn’t exactly attack them in very different ways. Their conversations were the same time and again; we have to get out of here - but my son! - let’s sit and think about a plan...
After the group went outside and saw the people outside, and realised their fate, I found it difficult to continue and pushed on an extra 80 pages. This part really threw the book off track for me, and I got increasingly bored as no clues were found. The most interesting part is when one of the women realised who Rod’s demon is, which I’m sure got explored later on, but when it was quickly dismissed for the time being, I felt that something had been missed.
Things I liked:
The descriptions and use of language; this book is very well written. I liked the premise of the narrative and feel as though if I had pushed through it may have clicked and I might have started to enjoy it. I did like the characters and the suggestion of a connection between them all, but until the arid revelation, there has been nothing bringing this to fruition other than the coincidental dates of their terrors.
I just couldn’t keep going with the slow plot and lack of discovery or explanation.
Thank you to Luke Walker for sending me a free copy in return for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews