Who Is The Author Of Senlin Ascends And Other Books?

Lately I’ve been thinking about how Josiah Bancroft manages to craft such a unique mosaic in 'Senlin Ascends' and the subsequent novels. He’s the author of the full Books of Babel quartet — 'Senlin Ascends', 'Arm of the Sphinx', 'The Hod King', and 'The Fall of Babel' — and his work often sits at the crossroads of speculative wonder and melancholic introspection. What fascinates me is the way Bancroft treats the Tower itself almost as a living character, a vertical city of competing cultures, hazards, and tiny mercies.

He first brought this world to readers through self-publishing before larger presses reissued the series; that backstory feels apt because the books themselves champion underdogs and oddities. I find myself returning not just for plot twists but for the atmosphere, the odd small rituals, and the way friendships form in claustrophobic, absurd settings. Those details linger with me long after I close the page.

I got totally sucked into 'Senlin Ascends' and then binged the rest — Josiah Bancroft wrote those. After that first book I kept finding neat echoes in 'Arm of the Sphinx', 'The Hod King', and the finale 'The Fall of Babel'. Bancroft’s voice is one of those rare blends: strange and whimsical, but with this steady moral core that keeps you rooting for little, stubborn people stuck inside monstrous systems.

Reading him felt like walking down a crooked, lantern-lit corridor where every door leads to something both beautiful and a bit cruel. If you like books that are imaginative without losing emotional weight, Bancroft’s your person. I still talk about his tower scenes when friends ask for something offbeat to read.

Quick fact: 'Senlin Ascends' and the rest of that sprawling Tower saga were written by Josiah Bancroft. He’s the creator behind the 'Books of Babel' series — starting with 'Senlin Ascends', followed by 'Arm of the Sphinx', 'The Hod King', and 'The Fall of Babel'. Bancroft originally self-published before the series was picked up more widely, which explains some of the raw charm and ambition in the worldbuilding.

If you haven’t read any of them, expect a mix of whimsical oddities and darker, more reflective moments; it’s not bubblegum fantasy. The Tower itself is practically a character, and Tom Senlin’s journey through its levels is what carries the emotional and thematic weight. Fans of inventive settings and character-driven plots tend to love these books, and I’m no exception — they’re some of the most imaginatively constructed fantasy reads I’ve gobbled up in recent years.

I'll keep this short and enthusiastic: Josiah Bancroft is the author of 'Senlin Ascends' and its sequels 'Arm of the Sphinx', 'The Hod King', and 'The Fall of Babel'. I discovered him when a friend shoved 'Senlin Ascends' into my hands and said, 'You’ll love the weird tower stuff,' and they were right — it hooked me fast.

Bancroft writes with curiosity and a touch of melancholy, balancing bizarre inventions and tender character moments. If you enjoy imaginative, slightly off-kilter fantasy that still cares about character growth, his books are a sweet, strange treat. I still recommend them whenever someone wants something different to read.

I've always loved recommending 'Senlin Ascends' to friends who want something that feels equal parts strange carnival and melancholy fable. The author is Josiah Bancroft, and 'Senlin Ascends' is the first book in his series 'The Books of Babel'. He continued the story with 'Arm of the Sphinx', then 'The Hod King', and completed the arc with 'The Fall of Babel'. Bancroft first put the world out there himself before larger presses picked up the series, which is part of how that raw, adventurous energy made it onto many bookshelves.

What really sticks with me about Bancroft's work is the voice and the architecture of his imagination. He builds the Tower like a character — every ring and market and grotesque parade feels deliberately lived-in and weirdly humane. The protagonist, Thomas Senlin, is both ordinary and quietly stubborn, and watching him be remade (and unmade) by the Tower is oddly satisfying. Bancroft's prose leans lyrical at times, Dickensian in its interest in oddball institutions and social layers, and occasionally baroque; yet there's also dark humor and surprising tenderness. If you like books that balance whimsy with real stakes — think inventive mechanical oddities, morally grey societies, and characters who change through pain and wonder — his books deliver.

Beyond the main quartet, Bancroft has kept engaging readers with extras, interviews, and the kind of writerly attention that makes fandoms sticky. For me, the series works best when you let it wash over you instead of hunting for tight explanations: enjoy the architecture, get tangled in the side shows, follow Senlin's stubborn heart. The books have a way of lingering; even weeks later I'll catch myself picturing a particular market or a line of odd contraptions, which is exactly the sort of lingering I want from good fantasy — it stays in the head and makes me smile.

I've got a huge soft spot for 'Senlin Ascends' — it was written by Josiah Bancroft. He’s the voice behind the whole Books of Babel series, which continues with 'Arm of the Sphinx', 'The Hod King', and the later entry 'The Fall of Babel'. I fell into the Tower of Babel world and kept surfacing for air between each volume, hunting for how Bancroft turned this mad, vertical metropolis into a place where characters feel real and bizarre politics and wonder exist side by side.

Bancroft originally self-published 'Senlin Ascends' before it caught fire and was picked up by a larger publisher, which feels fitting given how his story celebrates small, determined people against impossible systems. His prose leans toward the lyrical and the oddball; imagine a melancholic steampunk fairytale with bureaucratic nightmares and you’re close. I keep recommending these books to friends who like weird literary fantasy, and every reread reveals another small victory in his world-building — I still smile thinking about the Tower’s endless surprises.