Ascent [Paperback]

I seldom buy hard-cover fiction at full price. Having said that, I made an exception as the reviews of "Ascent" that I've seen or heard were uniformly enthusiastic - not that uniformity of opinion is a guarantee of anything. I purchased "Cloud Atlas" on a similar impulse, having forgotten that I grew weary of science-fiction by the age of 16, which was some time ago. But I've always been a bit of an aviation enthusiast, even if falling some distance short of the anorak-y, so I stumped up the full cover price for "Ascent".

It's as good as the reviews suggested, written in a sparse and transparent style that's completely appropriate to its subject matter. Jed Mercurio's decision (what a name!) to use technical vocabulary and associated acronyms without recourse to footnotes, glossary or explanatory digression is a bold move which may irritate some readers, but which only adds authenticity to what is, in general terms, a very convincing story.

Which makes a couple of plot points stand out as all the more implausible. Firstly, during air combat in Korea a pilot is said to have been hit in the leg by a ".22" bullet from another aircraft: yet another occurrence in the venerable tradition of the "minor flesh wound"... I haven't checked this out but it seems more than unlikely that such ammunition, more suitable for use on rats at close range, has ever been used in aircraft weapons. In early WW2, even the eight .303 guns used on some British fighters were quickly seen to be underpowered.

The second implausibility is the "push" which the hero imparts to his colleague's fighter after it runs out of fuel. Well, maybe. It's one way of generating a bit of necessary thrust to the plot, but it sounds absurd to me.

The characterisation of Yevgenii, the central character, is skilfully handled too. An essentially cold, orphaned individual, emotionally crippled beyond repair in an early childhood, is a difficult character for whom to create empathy, but the author pulls it off wonderfully, particularly in his evocation of Yevgenii's relationship with his almost equally damaged wife. It's hard to see many women readers being attracted to this novel on the basis of its overt subject matter, so it's a relief to see that at least one woman reviewer here has enjoyed what's liable to be seen as an archetypal "boys' book".

There are many other good things about the book. As an example of "counter-factual" fiction, frequently a doomed undertaking, it could hardly be bettered. Its handling of the human relationships within the Soviet military / scientific bureaucracy is both a convincing depiction of utilitarian callousness and an acknowledgement of human resilience and loyalty.

Despite minor criticisms "Ascent" is a brilliant novel which, like another reviewer, I could hardly bear to put down. I wish it had been a little longer.

The writer behind the brilliant "Cardiac Arrest" and "Bodies" shows here that he is more than a Robin Cook with grit. I had the feeling that Jed Mercurio might be a one-trick pony before I read this, but "Ascent" shows that the writer has breadth beyond expectations.

The book follows the career of Yefgenii Yeremin from bullied, abused Stalingrad orphan to pioneering cosmonaut via flying MIG15s in the Korean War. Yeremin spends his whole life achieving heroic feats but is always unrecognised due to the shadowy politics of Soviet Russia. He is everyman and nobody. A hero of his times yet utterly anonymous. His yearning for success in everything that he does is attempted merely as a challenge to himself. His actions right up to the lonely finale show that it is the deed that is important and not the recognition that goes with it. In a way this is a beautiful refutation of today's shallow instant celebrity culture. Whether Jed Mercurio meant this I don't know - but that's how it comes across to me.

The narrative is simply presented without complicating side plots making "Ascent" an easy and enjoyable read. It's style reminds me of anothe great book from late last year, Cormac McCarthy's The Road. It is a bleak portrait of human life, warts and all - I guess in that way it IS similar to "Bodies".

I'd highly recommend this book, it's a moving portrayal of one man's battle with his own demons to prove that he is the best. Great buy!

I was drawn to Ascent having read Jed Mercurio's rather brilliant first novel BODIES. I don't think I would have picked this book otherwise. I also saw NEWSNIGHT REVIEW where they did a huge rave and a great review in The Guardian.

Ascent surprised me in many ways. It is an incredible story - better even than Bodies and I read it in one sitting which I have never done before! It is a devasting story on so many levels but strangely up-lifting too. It should be on every book clubs' reading list and I am sure it will be one of those word-of-mouth award winners too.