Note: This review contains light spoilers for Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft.
After the explosive escape from New Babel, Thomas Senlin takes the alias “Captain Thomas Mudd” and begins a life of piracy aboard The Stormcloud. Consisting of the duplicitous Adam Boreas, his sister Voleta, the former Amazon of New Babel Iren, and his friend Edith Winters, Senlin relies on creative ploys to rob ships of larger size, but takes only enough to sustain them lest they devolve into total lawlessness. Yet, he also finds himself hallucinating frequently, believing he sees Marya alongside him as he undertakes his duties aboard ship, all while searching for a way into Pelphia, hoping he’s not changed so much that the real Marya would turn him away.
The Arm of The Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft is the continuation of Senlin Ascends as Senlin continues his search for his lost wife. Similar to the first book, multiple characters advise Senlin that the tower is a heartless place without morality and the only rules within it are self-interest, but in Senlin’s ability to inspire loyalty among his compatriots on The Stormcloud and other people he meets along the way, Senlin shows both an increased assertiveness and the ability to change the circumstances of the tower by showing individual instances of generosity to its inhabitants. It shows an increasingly developed character in Senlin, but it also poses an interesting question about how to change a larger system when the odds seem stacked against you, or you may not even be actively interested in changing it in the first place.
For Casual Readers
Readers who enjoyed Senlin Ascends would likely enjoy the second, as Bancroft develops the ideas he puts forward in Senlin Ascends more thoroughly and expands on the vastness of the ringdoms of Babel in the process. Additionally, Bancroft makes an interesting pivot in The Arm of The Sphinx the differentiates it from Senlin Ascends by expanding the focus of the characters to include more people. This showcases more perspectives on the Tower of Babel, on Senlin, and the depth of the narrative, but would appeal to readers who enjoy multiple perspectives in their stories, or were simply curious about the other characters mentioned in the first book.
For Writers
Bancroft’s Tower of Babel gets an expansion in this second novel, which makes it a useful tool for writers looking to delve into world-building. Book series are ideal for world-building efforts, but it requires some technical skill to ensure that readers feel the consistency from one book to the next, and Bancroft provides a useful example of this in The Arm of The Sphinx given how complex the world is and the steam punk elements he relies on to drive it.
Another element of the novel that would be useful for most writers is Bancroft’s ability to manage characters and their attendant perspectives. It’s necessary for most writers to manage their characters effectively if they want their book to be successful, but what’s striking about Bancroft isn’t that the characters are distinct, but that he creates detailed perspectives for each. Each character is so fully fleshed out and given their time in the light that a reader could be forgiven for confusing who the protagonist may be, especially as the objectives Senlin and his crew undertake begin expanding once they meet The Sphinx.
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Next Up: The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman
A Final Note
The Coffeehouse Creative is a place to flex creative muscle while working on other projects. That means that alongside book reviews, you’re likely to find:
Travel pieces that have brought joy the writer’s life
Reflections on writing and the life that it brings with it
Recommendations on marketing and management practices
Notes from a graduate student looking to survive the studies
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