Ascending

League of Peoples #5

by James Alan Gardner

Oar is the last of her kind -- a resident of the so-called "planet of no return," once the Admiralty's dumping ground for undesirables and those who had become expendable. Oar's transparent body is indestructible. Yet the mind it houses grows weary and will soon surrender to the catatonic torpor that has already claimed the others of her genetically altered human race. But Oar cannot sleep, not yet. There are powerful forces seeking her destruction for reasons unknown. There are old allies who need her assistance and a true history that must be revealed. There is much Oar must accomplish before the "apathetic hibernation" overcomes her, though time is decidedly her enemy. Together with her friend, Admiral Festina Ramos, she must find her final destiny ... and in a vast and volatile universe, destiny is never a sure thing.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Space

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Raised in Simcoe and Bradford, Ontario, James Alan Gardner earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.

A graduate of the Clarion West Fiction Writers Workshop, Gardner has published science fiction short stories in a range of periodicals, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Amazing Stories. In 1989, his short story "Children of the Creche" was awarded the Grand Prize in the Writers of the Future contest. Two years later his story "Muffin Explains Teleology to the World at Large" won an Aurora Award; another story, "Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream," won an Aurora and was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo Awards.

He has written a number of novels in a "League of Peoples" universe in which murderers are defined as "dangerous non-sentients" and are killed if they try to leave their solar system by aliens who are so advanced that they think of humans like humans think of bacteria. This precludes the possibility of interstellar wars.

He has also explored themes of gender in his novels, including Commitment Hour in which people change sex every year, and Vigilant in which group marriages are traditional.

Gardner is also an educator and technical writer. His book Learning UNIX is used as a textbook in some Canadian universities.

A Grand Prize winner of the Writers of the Future contest, he lives with his family in Waterloo, Ontario.

Reviews

[Squeaky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am such a one as would like to see more of Oar.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Wacky space opera, with a rather enjoyably pulpish feel, narrated in an exagerratedly adolescent and quite engaging voice. What's it about? Oar Saves the Universe, of course -- plus weird aliens and stuff." -- Rich Horton, from an old Usenet post

Rich's capsule is fair and accurate. I enjoyed the book -- an engagingly-silly diversion. "B", maybe even "B+." Or maybe not -- the ending was a bit much. As is the Pollisand, the headless, clairvoyant, pedantic magical Superthing.

Review written circa 2005. I have absolutely no memory of the book, here in 2018.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humpback whale, a honeybee, and Pando walk into a bar....

Ok, not really, but the experience of reading this sure makes me feel as if that's a real joke, and that I'm going to get a punchline at the end. Several diverse truly alien beings, plus Festina Ramos, are having an adventure. More Sense of Wonder than either thrills or even What If, and I'm enjoying the heck out of it.
---
Done.
I'm so glad that I have the series and can reread them at some point.
This does have something like a punchline; a nice efficiently told satisfactory ending, that also leaves me wanting to read 'what next' because there surely is going to be some more adventures!

"Having a perilous adventure is always better than comatose safety. Always."

"... other races are following them into the darkness. On their best days, they long to be truly alive... But they are physically incapable of pushing themselves past the emptiness."

"We are all built in ways we would change if we could--we are flawed or damaged or broken by forces beyond our control. In the end we are limited creatures who cannot exceed our boundaries... but here is the other half of the truth: our boundaries are never where we think they are... prove you are more than you think."

[Baal Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I wasn't sure if I liked Oar's perspective, with her constant bragging about her own greatness combined with her childlike attitude, but ultimately I found the approach entertaining when contrasted with the behavior of the characters, and the story was engaging enough to let me overlook the flaws. I continue to like Gardner's creativity when it comes to aliens, and the fact that they don't behave in ways that humans might be expected to behave.

[Genna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was completely addictive. If you like organismal biology and anatomy, this is the book for you. I fell in love with Expendable but my favorite character in this book was the male Zarrett, Nimbus. This book is narrated by Oar and I thoroughly loved Oar in Expendable. Her narration and childish mind constantly makes you laugh. The suspense keeps you turning the pages. I'd recommend this book to anyone. I'm not a huge reader of sci-fi but James Alan Gardner is an amazing author.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This held up well. Oar is hilarious

[Anonymole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basic test [yes/no:]: Would I recommend you read this book or not. Was it worth the few hours spent reading it? Am I pleased that I spent the time reading it? --- Yes ---

[Metaphorosis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Oar, one of a human variant bioengineered by an alien species, has come back to life after a crushing fall from a building and 4 years of rest. Not that Oar herself ever doubted she'd survive, of course. How could she not, being as beautiful and accomplished as she is? But apparently there are folks not quite as enthused about her being alive as she is.

Review
I’ve enjoyed the  League of Peoples series, and this book is one of the strongest of the group. It brings back the delightful Oar (“My name is Oar. An oar is an implement used to propel boats.”) as well as Festina Ramos, and has an intriguing plot with a largely satisfying ending.

Oar was introduced in the Expendable, first book in the series, but met a terrible end. Except, she’s not dead after all (she has a firm belief that she can’t be killed), and is the narrator of this book. You have the feeling that Gardner had a lot of fun writing this book from her perspective, and it’s equally fun to read. And, despite Oar’s constant, outrageous claims, he’s done an excellent job of letting us see the truth behind them – not only about Oar, but about the supporting cast as well.

There’s a mystery (or several) in the book, and it builds up to some major issues. But it all makes sense and it’s satisfying, in a way that SF books don’t always pull off. My only complaint about it, really, is that a number of the key issues come into focus only quite late in the book. It feels like half of the book is Act I, another third is Act II, and just the remainder is Act III. While a lot of the key issues are set up and hinted at throughout the book, they’re very much peripheral until they end, when they suddenly leap to the front of the stage. I’d have liked to see a better balance.

And there’s one very strong hint at a secretive character’s identity. I don’t recall whether this is explained in later volumes, but I hope so.

If you’re a fan of thoughtful adventure SF, you’ll enjoy this. I urge you to start at the beginning of the series (skip Commitment Hour), but this works as a standalone as well. I recommend it strongly.

[Booknerd Fraser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always enjoy a League of Peoples/Festina Ramos story. This one broadens the scope of things. Only two more to go.

[Althea Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gardner was a new author for me, with this book. To me, this novel suffered a lot due to the fact that it seemed like the author couldn't decided whether he wanted to write a tongue-in-cheek, funny farce or a serious sf adventure. The result was something that can't really be taken seriously, but isn't really funny, either.
The narrator is Oar, the last (conscious) woman of her kind - a woman made of transparent glass, who looks, we are told "llike a digital effect." She is also incredibly self-absorbed, naive, and childlike. It turns out that there is a plot-related reason for her character flaws, but reading a story narrated by this incredibly tiresome character gets, well, tiresome.
Oar is worried bout succumbing to the problem all her people have succumbed to 'Tired Brain Syndrome'. Around the age of 50, they get tired, confused, and just go to sleep. People though Oar was dead, but she is not, and now an interplanetary team including her friend Festina Ramos has showed up - but another group wants to kidnap her as well - and a mysterious alien who is always associated with terrible disasters has appeared to her as well, offering her a cure in return for her cooperation with an unspecified plan.... the story is rather unmemorable.

[Kevin Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has probably one of the most unique coming of age stories I have EVER read. The main character acts like a twelve year old girl. Fortunately a funny character who starts off selfish but adorable and grows into a good strong hero.
For a full review of this book check out my video.
For a look at the series as a whole check out this video.

[Hien · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book in Gardner's "Expendable" universe. It's absolutely hilarious. Even the chapter titles are funny. It's about a transparent girl (literally). Her people has flesh that's transparent and she thinks opaque people are terribly ugly. She's not very smart but she thinks she is. She somehow gets pulled into events far greater than her.

[Sarahdactyl ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mistakenly (in my earlier reading years) read this book from the League of Peoples series out of order. This one is book 4. I am going to backtrack and read the rest though because this book was fantastic.

Science Fiction at its' best. ♥

[Juliana Rew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the character Oar! She appears in several of Gardner's books, all in the excellent League of Peoples series.

[Will Caskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best. Sci fi. Ever.

It is told from the point of view of Oar from Expendables. If that doesn't convince you I don't even know what to say.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, for the record I read all of these books way back in the day and am going through them for the second or third time. I love the whole concept of the League or Peoples, and Gardner does a great job of making the universe both plausible and entertaining.

This story is the bees-knees. You're basically getting the whole story through Oar (If you don't know who she is, go read book 1 before you read this!). The story is a relatively serious one with classic, big scifi kind of implications, but it's all through the eyes of a creature with the mental maturity of a... hmmm... I'd say a 12 or 13 year old spoiled girl. Does that sound like it would get old? It really doesn't. It's a rip-roaring good read, from start to finish.

[Kate Kulig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Astonishingly well-written and I appreciate the challenge Gardner set for himself in writing a whole novel for this character.

But I don't like Oar. Gardner has the childlike attitude perfect, unfortunately that means Oar has the ego of a child and maybe it's me but I found it very annoying after a while. The new characters and the new races were interesting, but if I read the phrase "Faithful Sidekick" one more time, I was going to scream.

[Perry Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only rate it 4 stars because the writing at the end seems rushed and not as polished as the first 300+ pages.

The story is unique and interesting, however, and makes me think I should read the rest of this series. James Alan Gardner's style of writing is such an easy read and the chapters even have subchapters that make you want to keep going, especially in this book where Oar (who is always fun) is the POV.

[Andrew Brooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review may be unfair... I've loved previous volumes of this series... I just couldn't take the prospect of an entire novel written in the perspective of the SUPREME Archetype Of Conceited Ditz that is apparently where this is going.
Yes the character made for some fun dialogue in one previous volume, but there's only so much of her I can take

[Emily VA · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 120 pages were a bit slow / hard to get into (too much Oar), and then the next 240 were a joy (Festina finally showed up). Some very funny (laugh out loud) bits, and in some ways hard to believe it wasn’t written today.

[Zeta Syanthis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't initially like Oar in the first book, so it took me a while to get into this book. But that said, the payoff, holy cow. This book grabbed me in a way I never expected, and helps close some plot holes in interesting ways!

[Bananules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very odd book. This is the only one I have read of this series. Overall it was a good read, but I found the main character to be irritating at times. The story was interesting though.

[Brian Gaston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a very good series by Gardner and this is a strong book in the series.

[RF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great novel

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's pretty cool to have a book written from the point of view of an alien life form named "Oar." She's witty and fun to read.

[Carolyn F.]

I got to page 35 and when they were talking about being swallowed and splashing in saliva, I said enough is enough. I just ate lunch. Did not finish, no rating.

[Forrest Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A confusing read, but a fascinating one!

[Onionboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a great read. At first it seemed a little off, but I soon slipped into enjoying reading a story from a naive character's point of view. The middle bogged down just a little, but it really came together with a very satisfying ending.

The story would sound very bizarre if I were to try to summarize it, but it works well.

[Tim Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

_Ascending_ is another outstanding installment in Gardner's increasingly excellent League of Peoples science fiction novel series, books ultimately featuring the recurring heroine Festina Ramos but starting with the second volume in the series, _Vigilant_, told from the point of view of another character. Though a follow-up to both _Vigilant_ and the previous installment in the series, _Hunted_, _Ascending_ is most clearly a sequel to the original volume, _Expendable_.

In _Expendable_, the reader was introduced to a Technocracy-wide conspiracy of corrupt and criminal admirals, the "Planet of No Return" known as Melaquin, the transparent glass-like human-form sentient beings that inhabit it, and most of all the irrepressible Oar, the self-style superb and gorgeous (but also endearingly child-like and arrogant) heroine of the first book (in her mind Ramos is her sidekick). Thought dead at the end of _Expendable_ to the grief of Ramos, we find that she is not dead after all when agents of one of the corrupt admirals, in an attempt to deal with the fallout of Ramos' investigations of the Navy, comes across her on a "clean-up trip" to Melaquin. What follows is a grand adventure starring (and told from the point of view) of Oar, one that involves vast conspiracies (or as Oar would right it, Vast Conspiracies), Powerful Enemies, and a Gorgeous Heroine with Her Faithful if Not Particularly Attractive Sidekicks.

A very enjoyable book, Gardner answers many of the questions raised by _Expendable_, such as who created the obviously artificial glass-like transparent race on Melaquin, why they live underground, and why despite being basically immortal they generally retire to tomb-like structures at around age fifty due to "Tired Brains." We also get some nice follow-up to events in _Hunted_ and are introduced to new alien races, notably the Zarett (sentient living ships, ultimately lovable despite being Gross and Excessively Gooey), the Cashlings (once powerful race in decline, self-absorbed and immature to a breathtaking degree, in what was probably a comment on today's culture, a race that embraced "[i]dle entertainment...[a] deadened inner emptiness, reinforced by a self-righteous conviction that there was no more worthwhile way to live"), the Shaddill (a mysterious elder race that has shaped the universe of this setting to a surprising degree), and the Pollisand (is he one individual or an entire race?). Oar take on things was frequently hilarious and I loved her little footnotes describing what things really meant, at least in her opinion. If you liked the previous installment in the series you will love this one.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm conflicted about Ascending. On the one hand, the story started in Expendable continues directly, with more space action and investigations into the deepest sins of the League of People, on the other hand I Am Not Such As One Who Thinks Oar Is Cute.

Four years after Expendable, Oar wakes up on Melaquin, healed by ridiculously advanced technology, just in time to be picked up by a biological spaceship named Starbiter crewed by Uclod, a semi-criminal information broker trying to get some advantage out of the shambles left the death of Admiral York in the previous book. Oak and Starbiter run from the Shadhill (sp? something like that), an even more ridiculously powerful race. They meet up with Festina Ramos, and over the course of the story it turns out the the Shadhill are responsible for uplifting most of the local races, and also responsible for ensuring their slow but inevitable degeneracy through concealed flaws in their technology, and a campaign of distracting scientific research into the problems.

It turns out that the Shadhill used to rule the local area about 5000 years ago, until most of their race uplifted. Now there are only two left, and they're afraid to abandon the project. Oar saves the day, fulfilling a mission given to her by an even more ridiculously advanced alien.

The setting moves along quite a bit, and there are some cool ideas, but at the end of the day, I don't like Oar at all as a narrator, and that knocked it down a star.