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WORK TITLE: Senlin Ascends
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.thebooksofbabel.com/
CITY: Philadelphia
STATE: PA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
http://www.thebooksofbabel.com/blog-1/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; wife’s name Sharon.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and educator. Has taught at college level. Member of the band, Dirt Dirt.
AVOCATIONS:Cooking, playing music, drawing.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Josiah Bancroft is a writer and educator based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has worked as an instructor teaching college courses. Bancroft is also a musician in the band, Dirt Dirt.
Senlin Ascends
Senlin Ascends is Bancroft’s debut novel and the first in his “Books of Babel” series. The book’s protagonist is Thomas Senlin, a school headmaster who lives in a small town and has recently married a woman named Marya. For their honeymoon, Thomas and Marya decided to travel to the Tower of Babel. The Tower is a massive structure that is impossibly tall. It is surrounded with colossal walls and is teeming with people. Those with knowledge of the outside world understand that visiting the Tower can be risky, but the naive Thomas and Marya set off on their journey without worry. However, Marya disappears before she and Thomas even enter the city. Thomas is desperate to be reunited with his new bride. He must navigate the complex society of the Tower, its political turmoil, crime, and drug abuse along the way. Thomas becomes a target of the group that runs the Tower, but he also meets quirky supporters who offer to help him find Marya.
“Bancroft succeeds in creating a baffling world … in which pursuit of instinct and love, dedication, and shared sacrifice can overcome barriers,” commented a Publishers Weekly contributor. Another writer in Publishers Weekly asserted: “This novel goes off like a firework and suggests even greater things in the author’s future.” Regina Schroeder, reviewer in Booklist, remarked: “The pacing seems slow … but it allows for in-depth development of the setting.” A Kirkus Reviews critic suggested: “The lush setting holds the reader through a slow start, but once the plot gets going, it ticks along with the tight precision and artistry of a well-wound watch.”
Arm of the Sphinx
Thomas returns in Arm of the Sphinx. Now calling himself Captain Tom Mudd, he has still yet to be reunited with Marya. He has been working with his friends, Edith, Iren, Adam, and Voleta, to find a way to access the place where Marya is being held. Thomas and each of his four friends take turns narrating sections of the novel. Their crew has been disappointed in their attempts to enter part of the Tower. However, a new opportunity arises that may allow them to finally gain access. This opportunity may prove to be dangerous, but Thomas soldiers on, regardless. Along the way, he meets a slave organizer, who may be able to topple the corrupt leadership of the Tower.
Writing on a self-titled website, Dorian Hart praised multiple aspects of Arm of the Sphinx. Hart commented: “First, the sentence-crafting is every bit as good as in Senlin Ascends. Bancroft’s sublime artistry with imagery and metaphors is on full display, making the story a joy to read on its lowest level.” Hart added: “Where Senlin Ascends was a single sparkling jewel, Arm of the Sphinx is more like a high-end jewelry store. It feels sprawling, its narrative expanding in unexpected directions but never quite flying out of control.” Dan Smyth, critic on the Elitist Book Reviews website, suggested that the book featured “rich description that doesn’t get in the way of the story and enhances every aspect of it to the fullest extent; constant movement in the plot and pacing, development of our several characters in the best ways possible. The author is one that just understands how to relay character and emotion.” Smyt described Arm of the Sphinx as “a fun, engaging story that continues the story of Tom Senlin while he seeks to be reunited with his wife; a good entry, suffering only from what one might call some very simple newbie mistakes.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, November 15, 2017, Regina Schroeder, review of Senlin Ascends, p. 35.
Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2017, review of Senlin Ascends.
Publishers Weekly, October 30, 2017, review of Senlin Ascends, p. 63; November 18, 2013, review of Senlin Ascends, p. S24.
ONLINE
Books of Babel Website, http://www.thebooksofbabel.com/ (March 19, 2018), author profile.
Dorian Hart Website, https://dorianhart.com (September 10, 2017), Dorian Hart, review of Arm of the Sphinx.
Elitist Book Reviews, https://elitistbookreviews.com/ (June 15, 2017), Dan Smyth, review of Arm of the Sphinx.
About Josiah Bancroft
Josiah Bancroft's fantasy-adventure series is published by Orbit Books (US/UK). Before settling down to write fantasy novels, Josiah was a poet, college instructor, and aspiring comic book artist. When he is not writing, he enjoys playing post-pop music with his band, Dirt Dirt, drawing chalk pictures on his office wall, and cooking pub curry for his wife, Sharon. He shares a home with her and their two rabbits, Mabel and Chaplin, in Philadelphia.
QUOTED: "The lush setting holds the reader through a slow start, but once the plot gets going, it ticks along with the tight precision and artistry of a well-wound watch."
Bancroft, Josiah: SENLIN ASCENDS
Kirkus Reviews.
(Dec. 1, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Bancroft, Josiah SENLIN ASCENDS Orbit (Adult Fiction) $15.99 1, 16 ISBN: 978-0-316-51791-1
In his debut novel, Bancroft takes readers into a steampunk world revolving around the great attraction and
mystery that is the Tower of Babel--a colossal structure rising up into the heavens that devours the unwary
with intrigue and danger.
One such unwary is Thomas Senlin, a school headmaster from a small fishing village, whose rosy ideas of
the Tower lead him to honeymoon there with his young bride, Marya. But the two villagers are unprepared
for the "big city"--especially a city so capricious and indifferent as the Tower turns out to be. Thomas loses
track of Marya before even making it inside the Tower's gargantuan walls, and from there he begins his
desperate quest to find her within the Tower's heights. The naive and awkward headmaster is thrust into a
world of treachery, drugs, hedonism, art, theft, airships, political feuding, soul-numbing violence, and above
all secrets--secrets that he begins to see form a whole and a clue to the Tower's true nature. Will Thomas be
able to keep his soul as he learns the Tower's often deadly rules, or will he simply be one more person
broken by the Tower? (The true import of Thomas' quest won't be found here--there's a sequel coming,
naturally.) Through it all, Marya seems to drift just out of his grip--but in her place, Thomas painstakingly
assembles a ragtag team of allies and friends, if friendship can ever be true in a place where loyalty is just
another currency and the powers that be have placed a price on Thomas' head.
The lush setting holds the reader through a slow start, but once the plot gets going, it ticks along with the
tight precision and artistry of a well-wound watch.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Bancroft, Josiah: SENLIN ASCENDS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A516024597/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=58190e7b.
Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A516024597
QUOTED: "The pacing seems slow ... but it allows for in-depth development of the setting."
3/3/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1520127383000 2/5
Senlin Ascends
Regina Schroeder
Booklist.
114.6 (Nov. 15, 2017): p35.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Senlin Ascends.
By Josiah Bancroft.
Jan. 2018. 524p. Orbit, paper, $15.99 (9780316517911).
This series opener follows the transformation of judgmental headmaster Thomas Senlin, tourist, into
something entirely different. He and his new bride, Marya, begin on their honeymoon, traveling to the
fantastic Tower of Babel. Almost immediately, Marya is whisked away by the crowds. As Thomas journeys
through the drama and pitfalls of the tower, from the beer pits of the first level to the theater of the second
and beyond, he learns that perhaps the world is more complicated and messy than he'd thought. Senlin is
something of a bumbling rube, which allows the reader to learn about the world as the lead character does.
The Tower of Babel holds great promise: there is clearly more going on there than meets the eye, even as
Thomas becomes aware of more and more of its nuances. The pacing seems slow--there is a long, long
buildup as Thomas tries to find any trace of Marya and a whirlwind conclusion leading into the next phase
of Senlin's story--but it allows for in-depth development of the setting.--Regina Schroeder
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Schroeder, Regina. "Senlin Ascends." Booklist, 15 Nov. 2017, p. 35. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A517441784/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=58af24a2.
Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A517441784
QUOTED: "This novel goes off like a firework and suggests even greater things in the author's future."
3/3/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1520127383000 3/5
Senlin Ascends
Publishers Weekly.
264.44 (Oct. 30, 2017): p63.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Senlin Ascends
Josiah Bancroft. Orbit, $15.99 trade paper (448p) ISBN 978-0-316-51791-1
Bancroft's brilliant debut fantasy, first in a planned series, stars the eponymous Thomas Senlin, a provincial
schoolmaster. Thomas and his wife, Marya, honeymoon at the Tower of Babel, a notable tourist attraction.
No one knows how high the tower is, as its upper stories are hidden behind a permanent fog, and many
other things about it are also mysterious and dangerous. Upon losing Marya in the massive crowd around
the tower's base, Thomas begins to climb in the hope of meeting her again. Every one of the tower's
staggeringly original individual rooms, many of which have their own cultures, could make a setting for a
novel all by itself, and the suspenseful plot and cleverly handled side characters add to the surfeit of riches.
The relationship between Thomas and Marya is touching, well-established, and, most importantly,
egalitarian. At once steampunk and epic, surreal and yet grounded in believable logistics, this novel goes off
like a firework and suggests even greater things in the author's future. Agent: Ian Drury, Sheil Land
Associates. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Senlin Ascends." Publishers Weekly, 30 Oct. 2017, p. 63. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A514357759/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=dc4d5e6d.
Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A514357759
QUOTED: "Bancroft succeeds in creating a baffling world ... in which pursuit of instinct and love, dedication, and shared sacrifice can overcome barriers."
3/3/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1520127383000 4/5
Senlin Ascends: Book 1 of the Books of
Babel
Publishers Weekly.
260.47 (Nov. 18, 2013): pS24.
COPYRIGHT 2013 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Senlin Ascends: Book 1 of the Books of Babel
Josiah Bancroft. CreateSpace, $13.99 paper
(370p) ISBN 978-1-4825-9095-1
The honeymoon trip of Thomas Senlin and young bride Marya becomes a nightmarish plunge into the
darkest of unknown territories in this engaging, multilayered mystery/adventure. Senlin, a headmaster and
teacher, wants to fulfill his dream of climbing the mysterious, though widely venerated, Tower of Babel, but
Marya vanishes from the teeming bazaar at its foot. In this debut novel, Bancroft turns Senlin's search for
Marya into a clash of naive belief and hard-earned experience. Encountering indifference and mockery,
Senlin forges links with others who have lost family members or otherwise are victims of oppression. In a
medley of bizarre, intensely imagined scenes, Bancroft evokes the tormented world of Kafka's Josef K. as
Senlin evolves from a standoffish academic to a morally committed participant in the problems of others.
Repeated early references to Senlin's reliance on The Everyman' s Guide to the Tower of Babel suggest that
his dilemma is an encapsulation of universal experience, a message underscored by the isolation of his
quest. Emerging clues about Marya's whereabouts lead Senlin to forge a pact with painter Philip Ogler, who
seeks to recover his own missing treasure. Bancroft succeeds in creating a baffling world that offers little
tenderness or hope, but in which pursuit of instinct and love, dedication, and shared sacrifice can overcome
barriers. If he sustains the tone of quirky menace in his planned sequel, the reader will find much to
applaud.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Senlin Ascends: Book 1 of the Books of Babel." Publishers Weekly, 18 Nov. 2013, p. S24. General
OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A351611743/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=1213d651. Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A351611743
QUOTED: "Rich description that doesn’t get in the way of the story and enhances every aspect of it to the fullest extent. Constant movement in the plot and pacing, development of our several characters in the best ways possible. The author is one that just understands how to relay character and emotion."
"a fun, engaging story that continues the story of Tom Senlin while he seeks to be reunited with his wife; a good entry, suffering only from what one might call some very simple newbie mistakes."
Arm of the Sphinx
Posted: June 15, 2017 by Writer Dan in Books We Like
Tags: Fantasy, Josiah Bancroft, Reviews by Dan Smyth 0
Early in my author-hopeful career, I attended a meeting for a local writer’s group where a middle-aged woman gave a presentation about writing character. Somewhere in the middle, she made a statement along the lines of, “If you want to change your point-of-view-character in the middle of a chapter, you must do it very carefully.” She then read an excerpt from a book she’d written that contained just such a change in point of view. When she’d finished reading from her book, I admit that I was completely flummoxed, as I didn’t understand at all how she’d been “careful” during the point of view shift. At the time, I was considerably too timid to raise my hand and tell her that she’d done it wrong and that, in fact, there was no correct way to do such a thing and not risk losing your reader’s attention. These days I highly doubt I’d be quite so demure.
ARM OF THE SPHINX is the second in the Books of Babel series by Josiah Bancroft, and is a continuation of the story that I came across while wandering through he fallout of the 2016 SPFBO hosted by Mark Lawrence. I bought the books on Mark Lawrence’s suggestion, reviewed the first one, and now find myself here.
This book picks up fairly quickly from where SENLIN ASCENDS left off. Tom Senlin, now going by the moniker Captain Tom Mudd, and his crew are searching for a way to get into the ringdom where Tom’s wife is being held, but they aren’t having any luck. As such, they’ve begun trying their hand at “gentlemanly piracy” (I laughed quite a bit over this notion), but are not having much luck at that either. Then, a contact within the single port of the tower that will still provide them a temporary berth leads to a single possibility: a ringdom that has long been sealed in the rock of the tower. Still he must try, and in so doing finds a man that seems to be organizing and leading the hods, or slaves, of the tower. And Tom believes it through the hod tunnels that Tom Senlin may yet find a path to his wife. But if he does, then the Sphinx will be sure to have a hand (arm?) in it.
I was really looking forward to getting into this book as soon as I finished SENLIN ASCENDS. That book was so much fun, and brilliantly written, and so different than so much of the other fantasy out on the market today. As I dove into ARM, I found the prose and pacing to be very similar to the first. Rich description that doesn’t get in the way of the story and enhances every aspect of it to the fullest extent. Constant movement in the plot and pacing, development of our several characters in the best ways possible. The author is one that just understands how to relay character and emotion, despite the fact that this is only his second (self-)published book. (Dang all these parentheses. Vanessa is going to get after me again…)
There were two aspects of the novel, however, that significantly detracted from the goodness of the book. The first you might have already guessed: point of view. Instead of the focused, driven, single (overwhelmingly) perspective of Tom Senlin we got in SENLIN ASCENDS, nearly every secondary character that calls Tom a friend got POV time, and there were even a few others that never even met the man. The main difficulty with this is that none of these various characters had anywhere near the motivation, drive, or persona of Tom Senlin, and so this diluted the story significantly. Additionally, there were egregious examples of head-jumping, which I just can’t abide. The fact that there was so much head-jumping, and the fact that I gave this book a “Books We Like” rating, should tell you just how impressive the book otherwise is. By the time I got to the end I was actually somewhat surprised at just how much I had enjoyed it because of this very issue.
The second issue that really made me lose some of my steam for the book was the ending. With the title of the book being “Arm of the Sphinx” I fully expected that Edith would be a focus of the story, and she was. In my opinion, her POV was the only one that was justified though, and she should have gotten considerably more attention in the story. All of the others but Tom could have been removed, and it would have made the books much the better. With all the resulting dilution of the story, however, the ending really kind of fizzled for me, and it ended up feeling very much like the second book in a trilogy, or more directly: a setup novel for the final book. Granted, it was only the ending that made me feel this way. So much of the adventure of the entire book was exactly what I’d been looking for. With a lot more focus and energy, this book could have been just as good as its predecessor.
A fun, engaging story that continues the story of Tom Senlin while he seeks to be reunited with his wife. A good entry, suffering only from what one might call some very simple newbie mistakes. Keep writing Mr. Bancroft. You’re going to be one of the good ones.
Recommended Age: 15+
Language: Similar to the first, very mild and very sparse
Violence: Gets somewhat violent, but not very gory
Sex: A very few mild references
QUOTED: "First, the sentence-crafting is every bit as good as in Senlin Ascends. Bancroft’s sublime artistry with imagery and metaphors is on full display, making the story a joy to read on its lowest level."
"Where Senlin Ascends was a single sparkling jewel, Arm of the Sphinx is more like a high-end jewelry store. It feels sprawling, its narrative expanding in unexpected directions but never quite flying out of control."
Book Review – Arm of the Sphinx, by Josiah Bancroft
Posted on September 10, 2017 by dorianhart
Having been delighted with Josiah Bancroft’s Senlin Ascends, I dove straight into its sequel, Arm of the Sphinx. Top-line verdict: it’s wonderful. I liked it nearly as much as the first book, which is to say that if forced to assign stars, I’d give it 4.9 out of 5.
AotS is a more complex book than its predecessor, and I expect my thoughts on it will be more rambling and less coherent, but here ‘goes. First, the sentence-crafting is every bit as good as in Senlin Ascends. Bancroft’s sublime artistry with imagery and metaphors is on full display, making the story a joy to read on its lowest level. I found myself stopping to take notes* on particularly lovely turns of phrase, which is not something I typically do while reading. All the praise I heaped on the author in my review of Senlin Ascends applies equally to Arm of the Sphinx.
The major departure of AotS is its ensemble-cast nature. While the first book’s narrative was almost exclusively limited to Thomas Senlin’s point of view, Arm of the Sphinx treats us to the thoughts and motivations of his entire crew. Bancroft bounces the narrative from character to character with vigor, such that I’d be hard pressed to call Voleta, Adam, Iren and Edith secondary characters at all. This is a book about a group of complex people with fascinating relationships, and in that sense represents a leap in energy level from the first book. (Oh, to be sure, there are secondary characters, fascinating ones bursting with mystery, but talking about them would spoil a bit more than I’m comfortable with.)
Where Senlin Ascends was a single sparkling jewel, Arm of the Sphinx is more like a high-end jewelry store. It feels sprawling, its narrative expanding in unexpected directions but never quite flying out of control. It did feel to me like the author couldn’t quite bring himself to commit either to 3rd-person limited or true 3rd-person omniscient narration, and I did find the head-hopping to be distracting at times. Changes in POV sometimes felt haphazard and unexpected. But the story’s willingness to break its single-lead-character shackles was more a strength than a weakness; it allowed the author to treat us a tale of wider scope and at the same time give us wonderfully detailed characterizations.
Of all the types of virtuosity on display in Arm of the Sphinx, my favorite was the author’s ability to present complex physical action with an almost uncanny clarity. I am reminded of a particular scene where [very minor spoiler] a character is trapped in a submerged boat by a monster, and the action could have been extremely confusing to follow in the hands of a less savvy author. But Bancroft made it so easy to follow the complexities of the scene, I never had to pause to reorient myself. All of his action sequences are like that – complex but clear. It’s a rare skill.
As the second book in a four book series, Arm of the Sphinx wraps itself up nicely while offering a clear segue into the next chapter. Some mysteries are answered while new ones are introduced. (What the $#@! is up with Byron?) And the ending, where [huge spoiler redacted], is a sharp splash of water to the face. I look forward to the third installment of the series (The Hod King) as much as I have looked forward to any sequel I can recall.
*A few of my favorite lines/passages:
“It raised a cry that was as forceful as a cannon and tuneful as a rusty hinge.”
“Dignity is entirely ephemeral; it is like the dust of a butterfly’s wing. Once shed, it is impossible to recover.”
“The air is redolent of parchment, glue, leather, and must. It is a soothing perfume. I wonder why. What is the appeal of this pulp and board technology? Books are seldom more than an author elaborating upon their obsession with the grammar of self-doubt. How superior are books to authors! Nothing believes in itself so much as a book; nothing is less bothered by history or propriety. “Begin in my middle,” the book says. “Rifle straight to my end.” What difference does it make? The book comes out of white, empty flyleaves and goes into the same oblivion. And the book is never afraid.”