Fantasy

The Fall of Babel

The Fall of Babel

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-28 09:57:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Josiah Bancroft
  • ISBN：0356510867
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Summary

The incredible final book in the word of mouth phenomenon fantasy series that began with Senlin Ascends。

"The "Books of Babel" are something you hope to see perhaps once a decade — future classics， which may be remembered long after the series concludes。" -- （Los Angeles Times）

As Marat's siege engine bores through the Tower， erupting inside ringdoms and leaving chaos in its wake， Senlin can do nothing but observe the mayhem from inside the belly of the beast。 Caught in a charade， Senlin desperately tries to sabotage the rampaging Hod King， even as Marat's objective grows increasingly clear。 The leader of the zealots is bound for the Sphinx's lair and the unimaginable power it contains。

In the city under glass at the Tower's summit， Adam discovers a utopia where everyone inexplicably knows the details of his past。 As Adam unravels the mystery of his fame， he soon discovers the crowning ringdom conceals a much darker secret。

Aboard the State of Art， Edith and her crew adjust to the reality that Voleta has awoken from death changed。 She seems to share more in common with the Red Hand now than her former self。 While Edith wars for the soul of the young woman， a greater crisis looms: They will have to face Marat on unequal footing and with Senlin caught in the crossfire。

And when the Bridge of Babel is finally opened， and the Brick Layer's true ambition revealed， neither they nor the Tower will ever be the same again。 Also by Josiah Bancroft: The Books of BabelSenlin AscendsArm of the SphinxThe Hod KingThe Fall of Babel

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Reviews

Scott Davidson ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Well this book is very disappointing。 I loved this series about until now。 The prose， World building， characters and stories have all been interesting and imaginative。 The prose is still there but doesn't lend itself well to the more action ordinated last book。 The main character Tom Senlin becomes a secondary character and there is very little conclusion to the story and mysteries raised in the books。This book first starts with a 200 page section on Adam which is pretty bloated and dull。 Honest Well this book is very disappointing。 I loved this series about until now。 The prose， World building， characters and stories have all been interesting and imaginative。 The prose is still there but doesn't lend itself well to the more action ordinated last book。 The main character Tom Senlin becomes a secondary character and there is very little conclusion to the story and mysteries raised in the books。This book first starts with a 200 page section on Adam which is pretty bloated and dull。 Honestly it good have been trimmed significantly or woven in amongst the other pov characters。The majority of the rest of the book focuses on Edith and crew squaring off against Marat， his Hod King machine and his wakemen。 Both are racing to get paintings that will reveal the combination to open a door in the Sphinx's lair。We get to see more of the ringdoms each with their own unique look and customs。 However the fight sequences which take place in these just don't work well and often found myself re-reading sections to understand what was going on。The book very much focuses on Edith who I really like as a character but Iren， Voleta and the rest are largely left with little to do but help in the fight scenes。 The majority of the characters are given very little conclusions to their character arcs apart from Edith who becomes the new Sphinx as the previous one dropped dead off screen。 Irene， Voleta， Adam， Ann， Byron get very little。 Tom and Marya's reunion is so disappointing。 There is no satisfying conclusion what was the Tower， who was the Brick Layer， how could they communicate with Voleta through time and how will Edith and Byron power their engines with no fuel。 The top of the tower being a spaceship when the setting has been steam punk came out of nowhere。 The way so many questions remain unanswered suggests another book may come out at some point。 。。。more

Jessie ，

Loved this series and think the author does such a great job in his pacing， humor， and portrayal of women， with the exception of the last half of this fourth book with Marya （felt more like the Mary/whore trope， with Marya as Mary）。 This final felt。。。 a little bloated。 The first of the series where I wasn't sad when it ended， but I recognize the challenge of coming back to a multi-book series and the pressure to up the game。 All in all， glad I read; won't read again。 5 for the pleasure that the Loved this series and think the author does such a great job in his pacing， humor， and portrayal of women， with the exception of the last half of this fourth book with Marya （felt more like the Mary/whore trope， with Marya as Mary）。 This final felt。。。 a little bloated。 The first of the series where I wasn't sad when it ended， but I recognize the challenge of coming back to a multi-book series and the pressure to up the game。 All in all， glad I read; won't read again。 5 for the pleasure that the series has brought and 3 for this particular book。 。。。more

Valeriya Lloyd ，

Excellent ending of the epic fantasy series。 I loved the ending！ After all adventures， loss， punishment， experience and discoveries these characters deserved such a finale。 The Books of Babel is absolute fantasy masterpiece on many levels。

Mitchell ，

I need time to absorb what just happened before I can review。。

Brett Swanson ，

I'm very torn on this final installment of a fantastic fantasy series。 I'm giving it 4-stars instead of 5 for two reasons。 The first is mostly my own fault。 Immediately after starting The Fall of Babel I found myself wishing I would have gone back and re-read the first three novels。 I even checked to see if my library had the audiobook available for Senlin Ascends， which they did not。 So I read a recap online and continued。 I quickly realized that， even with the recap， I didn't remember enough a I'm very torn on this final installment of a fantastic fantasy series。 I'm giving it 4-stars instead of 5 for two reasons。 The first is mostly my own fault。 Immediately after starting The Fall of Babel I found myself wishing I would have gone back and re-read the first three novels。 I even checked to see if my library had the audiobook available for Senlin Ascends， which they did not。 So I read a recap online and continued。 I quickly realized that， even with the recap， I didn't remember enough about these characters to be as invested as I should be。 It took me awhile to get back into the flow of each storyline。My second reason is the ending。 It was so。。。open-ended。 Bancroft may well have done this with the intent of continuing different stories in this world and with these characters。 And with that HUGE question left unanswered， I really hope that is the case。Regardless， this series is like nothing I've ever read。 I said it in my review of Senlin Ascends years ago， but Josiah Bancroft's vivid imagination in creating Babel， its inhabitants， and its variety of quirky machinery and detail is without equal。 Yet the passage that struck home the most to me was a very grounded statement by Thomas Senlin at the end of the book。 I unfortunately don't have a physical copy with me to quote it word-for-word， but it basically said that we as humans should enjoy the privileges we have while never forgetting that these privileges came from the ingenuity and education of those who came before。 We don't need to task ourselves with learning how absolutely everything works， but neither should we tell ourselves we are fine in our ignorance because we have everything we need already。 We never know when our resources could run dry。 Bancroft， through the mouth of his Headmaster， says it so much better than I summed it up here。Tl;dr - If you like fantasy， whimsy， fantastic characters， and adventure， read this series。 。。。more

Sabrina ，

The story continues just where we left of in book 3 （or rather with a quick and entertaining summary of what has happend so far in preparation for the story to continue）。 Edith and the others are abord the State of the Art， still taked with retrieving the Sphinxe's tokens from the Tower's ringdoms - and hopefully be faster than Luc Maratn。Meanwhile， Senline is right in the tick of it， working among the zealot hods under Luc Marat in the Hod King on its way to the top of the Tower。But before all The story continues just where we left of in book 3 （or rather with a quick and entertaining summary of what has happend so far in preparation for the story to continue）。 Edith and the others are abord the State of the Art， still taked with retrieving the Sphinxe's tokens from the Tower's ringdoms - and hopefully be faster than Luc Maratn。Meanwhile， Senline is right in the tick of it， working among the zealot hods under Luc Marat in the Hod King on its way to the top of the Tower。But before all that， the book also answers one burning question: what has Adam been doing all this time and HOW did the sparking man know so much about his life？The answers are quite interesting and end in more questions before the story moved on to Senline and then Edith and the others。I enjoyed the parts with Edith and the others the most， as I love the entire cast of characters and the interactions resulting from all their different point of views and attitudes。 All of them seemd to take up as much page-time as the others， and I never had the feeling that one of them has been neglegted。I was a bit confused with Senline's timeline， as his story seemd to jump a bit back and forth before it marched along the other story lines in the book。Just like the other books in this series， this one also does deal out some hard truths （sometimes in a very subtle way）。 The ending was 。。。 definitely unexpected and I could not have guessed where the story would be going。 While the book had some great resolutions for most of the characters， I pesonally did not like the final reveal about the Tower's purpose and the uppermost ringdom。 To me， it left me with too many new questions。 Nevertheless， I did enjoy most parts of this book greatly。 。。。more

Dianna ，

I have mixed feelings about this book。 It felt like 3 very separate stories mixed into one， and the characters only meet up in the final chapters。 I was really only invested in one of the three stories （Senlin's）， so I always lost a little interest whenever the POV changed to Edith and gang。**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**The novel has a slow start。 The first quarter （or maybe even a third？） of the book is dedicated to Adam's time spent on Nebos， the city at the top of the tower。 I wasn't super inter I have mixed feelings about this book。 It felt like 3 very separate stories mixed into one， and the characters only meet up in the final chapters。 I was really only invested in one of the three stories （Senlin's）， so I always lost a little interest whenever the POV changed to Edith and gang。**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**The novel has a slow start。 The first quarter （or maybe even a third？） of the book is dedicated to Adam's time spent on Nebos， the city at the top of the tower。 I wasn't super interested in his story， so it did drag a bit。 After being absent from the entire third book， I had kinda forgotten about him。 I was horrified to learn about how the Nebosans created short movies from people's eyes for their own entertainment。 What a gross invasion of privacy。 And what's worse is they have a piece of equipment that's used specifically to extract someone's eye。。。From Adam's story， I had a lot of questions around who the Brick Layer is。 Unfortunately most of them never got answered。 But more on this point later。The rest of the book is mostly spent switching between Tom's POV and the POV for various members on the State of the Art。 Tom is trapped on the Hod King with Marat， who believes him truly converted to his cause， all the while Tom is secretly planning to sabotage Marat's plans the entire time。 Edith and gang have been tasked by the Sphinx to go around and retrieve paintings from various kingdoms， and in the process run into the Hod King on multiple occasions。The rest of the story after Adam's portion is engaging enough， and slowly the story moves along， but I was left at the end with so many questions that I can't help but give this book 3 stars。 The finale of the book definitely raised more questions than it answered， which unless Bancroft is secretly planning for more books， makes no sense to me。 Who exactly was the Brick Layer and is he still alive？ It's made clear during Adam's story they he vanished before he was crushed to death， so where is he now？ I really thought he would make an appearance before the end of the story， but alas， that wasn't the case at all。 There were also mentions of multiple towers and I have so many questions around this as well， but this is only mentioned in passing and no further information is provided at all。I'm still confused what the Bridge of Babel is supposed to be。 Marat and gang collected enough paintings to unlock the door， but they never were able to open the lock。 The paintings were a major plot point throughout the series， so I'm disappointed they didn't get a proper resolution。 There was also a lot of mentions of the Nautilus and the Allomonia （which I assume is some dreadful monster that's currently in containment but should never be let out）， but again this plot point never went anywhere and we're left hanging by the end。The whole Tom/Marya/Edith love triangle was super unresolved as well。 Tom spends most of the book separated from both women， but after they all finally meet up again， there's barely any time for them to catch Tom up on what's happened， much less talk about feelings， before they have to split up again。 And Nebos' sudden departure from the tower and earth meant that Tom and Edith will never have that chance again。。。 Even Tom and Mary's story ends on a very open note。 There's a chance they'll get back together again， but Marya also mentions the rest of their lifetime might not be enough time for her to forgive him， so who knows？I was not a fan of Nebos suddenly turning into a giant spaceship and venturing off into space for 2 years to God knows where。 I was so confused initially when this happened， since it kinda came out of left field。 I really feel like there may be another book coming， since this one doesn't feel properly resolved at all。 And we can't even get answers from the only two people who have the answers， because we have no clue where the Brick Layer is and the previous Sphinx is dead。 What a way to end the book。。。 。。。more

Kate ，

Reading this book has been a bit of a rollercoaster and I want to think on it a bit before writing out my thoughts。 So the rating might go up or down we'll see Reading this book has been a bit of a rollercoaster and I want to think on it a bit before writing out my thoughts。 So the rating might go up or down we'll see 。。。more

Kate Kelmelis ，

Broke my heart。 After loving the series the ending just didn’t satisfy。 And I had to slog through 640 pages to find that out。

Stefan ，

Alas not the best book in the series。 The ending is a little lackluster and a bit too much out there with the rest of the novels。 It just feels like there are some leaps too far especially if you consider from where we started to where we ended up。 A lot of things make not quite sense and since I don't want to spoil anything you have to trust me。 Many of the conflicts from the earlier novels such as the hod， should have been a solvable problem by the "powers in charge" way before the start of th Alas not the best book in the series。 The ending is a little lackluster and a bit too much out there with the rest of the novels。 It just feels like there are some leaps too far especially if you consider from where we started to where we ended up。 A lot of things make not quite sense and since I don't want to spoil anything you have to trust me。 Many of the conflicts from the earlier novels such as the hod， should have been a solvable problem by the "powers in charge" way before the start of the novels。 Which is very much glossed over。 There are also pacing issues。 We have a really long front loaded story that doesn't intersect until the very end。 The bad guy（s） are barely competent， somewhat stupid and also underpowered vis a vis our heroes and also described as such。 There is one bad guy where we move "he is still a threat" to "here comes Johnny" to "dead" in within something 50 pages。Many of the questions and mysteries in earlier novels are never addressed or satisfactorily solved which also feels a little hollow。Having said all of that there is still a lot of great here。 The characters are good。 There are tense and funny moments。 I generally cared about most of them and we do have an ending。 I kind of think this is one of those novels that needed a little bit more time in the oven， like six months of polish， fixed pacing and a better climax and it could have been phenomenal。 Now it's just somewhere between good and ok。 。。。more

Cristina Menendez ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This series was one that I thorougly enjoyed from the beginning。 However， I can't help but feel this book was the weakest amongst the others。 Having read other reviews， I concur that the first 200 pages dedicated to Adam were a bore since he was mostly absent in the narration of the third book。 Maybe starting the final book with a continuation of the ending of the third book would have been a more enticing beginning。 For the most part， I enjoyed the plot but sadly can't come to fully accept the This series was one that I thorougly enjoyed from the beginning。 However， I can't help but feel this book was the weakest amongst the others。 Having read other reviews， I concur that the first 200 pages dedicated to Adam were a bore since he was mostly absent in the narration of the third book。 Maybe starting the final book with a continuation of the ending of the third book would have been a more enticing beginning。 For the most part， I enjoyed the plot but sadly can't come to fully accept the ending （not because of Marya and Tom's co-parenting situation） but because I didn't feel the correlation of Nebos being a supposed "spaceship" and what felt like to me unresolved issues， such as the other maybe existing Towers， Nebos's destination， if the crew would ever reunite or what in the end happened to the Tower of Babel。 I totally understand that some could never be answered but I can't help but feel like I was left with too many questions regarding the plot。 Overall， a great series with and incredibly imagined world and fully developed characters。 。。。more

Adara ，

This was a wonderful conclusion to an amazing story。 I started off unsure about what to expect， and I almost gave up on Senlin Ascends， but then the Parlor happened， and I was completely sucked in。 It's been a wild ride。 I loved every minute of these books， and I highly recommend them！ This was a wonderful conclusion to an amazing story。 I started off unsure about what to expect， and I almost gave up on Senlin Ascends， but then the Parlor happened， and I was completely sucked in。 It's been a wild ride。 I loved every minute of these books， and I highly recommend them！ 。。。more

Matthew Dale ，

Overall I would give this series a 3/5It started off brilliantly with Senlin Ascends， a book that I really loved and immediately upon finishing ordered the next two in the series。 However the rest of the series never really lived up to that early promise。 While the first book followed the likeable Thomas Senlin and his quest to reunite with his wife， the series widened in scope significantly and brought in a host of new POV characters， none of whom were as interesting as Senlin， with the possibl Overall I would give this series a 3/5It started off brilliantly with Senlin Ascends， a book that I really loved and immediately upon finishing ordered the next two in the series。 However the rest of the series never really lived up to that early promise。 While the first book followed the likeable Thomas Senlin and his quest to reunite with his wife， the series widened in scope significantly and brought in a host of new POV characters， none of whom were as interesting as Senlin， with the possible exception of Voleta。 The setting is a big selling point with this series - the Tower of Babel， a seemingly whimsical place of steampunk mystery with plenty of dark secrets hidden beneath the surface。 The setting was well utilised in the first book， with Senlin ascending through different levels of the tower， each having their own gimmick。 The answers to the tower's mysteries are。。。 somewhat answered？ in the final book， albeit in a way you will never see coming and in a way that is left incredibly open ended。 The series is also written in a very twee， PG style that isn't really my thing。 。。。more

Jana ，

What a disappointing conclusion to a wonderful series。 Mostly， because very little was actually concluded。 The book just seems to end out of no where without really explaining anything。 Things that were never explained: （view spoiler）[What was the point of Nebos？Where was Nebos going？Was there actually more than one tower？The origin of the tower。What happened to the brick Layer because he is apparently not dead。Do Senlin and Marya ever get back together？ （hide spoiler）]The worst part about this What a disappointing conclusion to a wonderful series。 Mostly， because very little was actually concluded。 The book just seems to end out of no where without really explaining anything。 Things that were never explained: （view spoiler）[What was the point of Nebos？Where was Nebos going？Was there actually more than one tower？The origin of the tower。What happened to the brick Layer because he is apparently not dead。Do Senlin and Marya ever get back together？ （hide spoiler）]The worst part about this is that this book is long and is boring and at times I found myself wondering why on earth I was having to read about Bryon cooking dinner when I was much more interested in what was going on elsewhere。 Also， what was the whole point of dedicating most of the book to a side plot with new characters that are just immediately killed off anyway？ That page space could have went to actually writing an ending。 This book truly loses its way and fails to shine in the ways that the previous books did。 。。。more

Melissa Ashbrook ，

I liked it。 I didn't quite *love* it as much as the others， but I still had a blast reading this conclusion to this eccentrically unique series :） I liked it。 I didn't quite *love* it as much as the others， but I still had a blast reading this conclusion to this eccentrically unique series :） 。。。more

Andrew ，

What a finish to a great debut series。 Thoroughly enjoyed the ride， even if I'm still wrestling with the end of a saga。 What a finish to a great debut series。 Thoroughly enjoyed the ride， even if I'm still wrestling with the end of a saga。 。。。more

Daren Molina ，

I loved the first two and really liked this one。 The ending was a bit “ehh…” though and I feel like I wasn’t super satisfied with how Senlin’s story ends。 Kinda like the Mass effect trilogy where the first two were amazing and then the final ending of part 3 just fizzles a bit。 Tower of Babel didn’t end that bad but I just felt like the third book started off so well with Adam’s story and then after that kinda was a little flat。

♥Dorina♥ ，

2。5* Disappointing ending to an amazing series…It was a very slow read for me， I remember the excitement when reading the other books and I kept waiting for it to come back。 It never did。 The conclusion was… satisfying？ Maybe？ But the action failed to spark any interest from me。 The only notable events were Voleta’s visions/meetings。I’ll just remember the first books fondly and forget this very boring affair。

Jake Bishop ，

So this is one of the most divisive books that I have ever read。 I guess I liked it a bit less than the other three， basically because I have some things I minorly didn't like， but I still enjoyed it quite a bit。So uh， here are the cons， that I guess make this a 1 star book？？？？？This book has more action than the first three。 I don't think Josiah Bancroft is good at writing action。 And I think he is good at writing basically everything that isn't action， so there is going to be a strong negative So this is one of the most divisive books that I have ever read。 I guess I liked it a bit less than the other three， basically because I have some things I minorly didn't like， but I still enjoyed it quite a bit。So uh， here are the cons， that I guess make this a 1 star book？？？？？This book has more action than the first three。 I don't think Josiah Bancroft is good at writing action。 And I think he is good at writing basically everything that isn't action， so there is going to be a strong negative correlation in this series between quantity of action， and how much I like it。 He goes very detailed， and blow by blow， but it just doesn't feel intense， or engaging。 I almost wish Bancroft just cut his losses， and decided to just write action like Tolkien did， and just summarize it。 This book doesn't have a lot of action compared to most fantasy books， but the action it had was kinda boring。（and the ship vs ship stuff is cool）con 2， the antagonists are kinda weak。 It has generally been a series more focused on the protagonists， with the tower itself almost being the antagonist for the first three books。 Unlike those in this book there is a group of people who were the antagonist， and they were just a leader who wasn't that interesting， with forgettable followers。Also some people hate the first 150 pages， I liked them。 Yes they don't follow the protagonist， yes it is bizarre， but hey， i'm a fan of MBOTF， and WoT， i'm fine with not following protagonists， and I like how bizarre this series gets。Ok， now positives， which is most things， because I like this series。The characters who aren't antagonists continue to be distinctive， dynamic， and they stand out。 The writing is really good， although there was a metaphor or two that wasn't clear because in this setting describing grass as emerald grass could mean really green grass， or emeralds that look like lawns。 I also quite liked the falling action， it had something that was insanely creative that I am currently learning some people hate。 I thought it was cool。Ya， I guess it is my least favorite of the 4， but it is in the same ballpark。7。4/10 。。。more

Aurien ，

I hope Josiah writes a continuation series because the way this ended leaves a lot to be desired。 I give the book 3。5 out of 5 stars but on the high side， hence why I’ve given it 4 stars instead of 3。 I enjoyed it， but the set-up of the book felt weird and the end to the main storyline （Senlin and Marya） was disappointing for me， to say the least。

Carrie Lange ，

While I appreciate the plot and characters a lot， I was just so bored reading this book。 Had I not read the first three， I would've given up partway。 I think it was the excessive $10 words and spending time that felt wasted with some characters。 The author also struggles to describe a scene （particularly an action scene） in a way that I can follow and picture， which didn't help。 While I appreciate the plot and characters a lot， I was just so bored reading this book。 Had I not read the first three， I would've given up partway。 I think it was the excessive $10 words and spending time that felt wasted with some characters。 The author also struggles to describe a scene （particularly an action scene） in a way that I can follow and picture， which didn't help。 。。。more

Florian ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A divise one to be sure。The first thing I haven't heard yet is that the title is kind of clickbait。 I thought "well， calling your book that， it kind of gives away what happens"。 Quite the opposite， actually。 Babel rises would've made a title， but then again， maybe too on the nose。But apart from that， I was having a lot of fun reading。 The presentation of these books is just too good。 The writing style fits the themes and the themes complement the writing styles。 Even though （and I am going to bo A divise one to be sure。The first thing I haven't heard yet is that the title is kind of clickbait。 I thought "well， calling your book that， it kind of gives away what happens"。 Quite the opposite， actually。 Babel rises would've made a title， but then again， maybe too on the nose。But apart from that， I was having a lot of fun reading。 The presentation of these books is just too good。 The writing style fits the themes and the themes complement the writing styles。 Even though （and I am going to borrow from another reviewer here） the prose utilizes a lot of dictionary rarities。 I would say it is a bit weaker than in The Hod King， but even then， I've marked a myriad of passages， more than in any book before it， I think。I really enjoyed the character work here as well， though there were some choices made that enraged me （Reddleman returning at the end， Senlins reunion and that he didn't really resolve things with Edith， instead referring to it as a "mistake"）。 But yeah， overall， the characters were well done。The highlight （apart from the prose） was once again the imaginativeness of this world。 The ringdoms that are introduced are all fantastic and intriguing。However， I think this is a faulty final book。 I like questions remaining open， but this is just。。。 it's too much。 Where are they heading？ What is becoming of the Tower now？Bancroft has said that he might return to the tower for a further installment and I surely hope so。Overall， still highly enjoyable and anything but a safe play。 。。。more

Annwyn Jensen ，

3。5 stars。 I was surprised， to say the least。 How could this be the final book？

Molly ，

The first 500 pages or so were just as enjoyable as the previous books。 The ending， however， took a sudden left turn that left me confused and unsatisfied。 Many of the questions about the tower and its origins that had been driving the series up until this point were not simply left unanswered， but further confounded by the bizarre turn of events in the final pages。 It felt like the author forgot that he was supposed to be wrapping up a series and instead started writing a whole new one。 Disappo The first 500 pages or so were just as enjoyable as the previous books。 The ending， however， took a sudden left turn that left me confused and unsatisfied。 Many of the questions about the tower and its origins that had been driving the series up until this point were not simply left unanswered， but further confounded by the bizarre turn of events in the final pages。 It felt like the author forgot that he was supposed to be wrapping up a series and instead started writing a whole new one。 Disappointing conclusion to an otherwise great series。 。。。more

Geena K ，

2/5Truly do not know how you could fumble a finale as bad as this。 Mr。 Bancroft can NOT keep getting away with this！！ The Plot : We’ve come so far from a man with a stick up his ass trying to find the woman who disappeared on him， it’s kind of astounding。 The focus in the final book shifts completely and I do appreciate the turn Bancroft took， this was no longer Senlin’s story （thank GOD）… Instead， I’d argue that The Hod King was a turning point and that this is Edith’s story （which is DESERVED！ 2/5Truly do not know how you could fumble a finale as bad as this。 Mr。 Bancroft can NOT keep getting away with this！！ The Plot : We’ve come so far from a man with a stick up his ass trying to find the woman who disappeared on him， it’s kind of astounding。 The focus in the final book shifts completely and I do appreciate the turn Bancroft took， this was no longer Senlin’s story （thank GOD）… Instead， I’d argue that The Hod King was a turning point and that this is Edith’s story （which is DESERVED！！！）。 This becomes even more apparent in the final instalment in the Babel series。 We start off with Adam， who we didn’t hear from at all in the last book， he comes across what appears to be a utopia where he’s the biggest celebrity。 Through Adam we’re introduced to a new cast of characters， some friends others not so much。We also mostly follow Edith as she desperately tries to keep the tower from exploding and making sure that Marat doesn’t usurp the Sphinx’s home and open the bridge to heaven or whatever。 Along with her we follow Iren and Voleta as they grapple with how to live with one another now that Voleta has irrevocably changed thanks to Reddleman’s revival of Voleta using the Sphinx’s medium。 Bancroft throws in some Byron and Marya POVs which add something to the story （love Byron tho， he’s my bestie！！）。 We’re occasionally made privy to Senlin’s situations with chapters that follow him as he serves Marat and schemes to stop him。Through all the POVs the different mysteries of the Tower are confronted and solved （not really）。 Which leads me to my issues with the plot。 After a gruelling 3 books we come to the last book in the Babel series only to be hit with like 30 more questions。 1。 （view spoiler）[ The whole thing of the Brick Layer finding a group of people who are labourers and bringing them to the tower to make them build a city for the very people who helped build the tower （The hods）… anyone else find that weird？ And how the descendants of those labourers look down on hods and it’s all very much a mess。。 also everyone in that city is inbred since they don’t allow outsiders in？ （hide spoiler）]2。 （view spoiler）[Literally don’t know what the hell happened in the last few chapters like the city turns into a spaceship when the bridge to heaven is opened（？） but it doesn’t open， and the Sphinx’s medium is some sort of fuel？ Reddleman and Marat both fall into the medium storm， and Marat dies but Reddleman ends up becoming the sentient voice in the city spaceship？？ In 2 years the spaceship will land somewhere and apparently there is more than one tower/spaceship？？ （hide spoiler）]3。 （view spoiler）[ We learn that the brick layer was “killed” when some pyramid was dropped on him， but we’re told there was a flash of light and it’s like possibly implied that he is alive… but that goes nowhere… （hide spoiler）]Like at the end I was left confused and unsatisfied， because rather than a conclusion this book felt like a set up for another series？？？ Actually， the whole 4 books felt like a set up for another series， like I’m fully expecting this man to come out with another series in a few years like “Hey remember Senlin！？” Anyways， I don’t know what I expected from this series， the only book I really enjoyed was Arm of the Sphinx。Also， no comment on the whole hod thing。。。 The Characters : 1。 Adam: Honestly， I did like what Bancroft did with his character and I think the only reason I can say that is because before this book his only personality was being a backstabber and also being a sacrificial lamb for Voleta。 In The Fall of Babel he’s given more range。 We see him come to realizations， and rage against the people of the utopian city， and drag them for their privilege。 I personally had fun reading his chapter， like yea it was disconnected from the previous book but I think it was a nice reprieve before we got into the meat of the Hod King nonsense。 BUT！ （view spoiler）[ I think the whole romance angle with Runa was underdeveloped and not needed… first off， introducing Runa in his part and speed running her relationship with Adam was just so lacklustre… like I love me a good romantic subplot but Senlin/Edith was better written than this。 Overall， loved Adam’s chapters， hated the romance like it simply was not believable and for some reason Runa was not like the Others but anyways （hide spoiler）]2。 Senlin: Let me take a moment and say， thank you to Mr。 Bancroft for not making him the focus of the last book， I’ve found that the longer we spend in his head the more insufferable he becomes。 Like good job on being like “Damn I’ll die for the cause” （the cause being stopping Marat from becoming a dictator or whatever） which like okay cool。 And idk I never liked him in the first place， he’s really only likeable when he’s around Edith but she makes anyone look better by association。 Anyways， let’s get into it:- （view spoiler）[ Honestly where he ends up kinda annoyed me， him and Marya have some sort of an open ending and it’s like “They’re different people compared to when they started this journey” which okay that’s understandable but he ends up in the utopian city spaceship alongside Marya， Adam， Olivet， and Voleta as a teacher for the hod children… like we’re letting him near the children AGAIN？ What if he marries another student of his bc of his estrangement from Marya （hide spoiler）]- Also， （view spoiler）[ this is for Senlin you rancid ass ugly ass fish looking ass white bitch！！！！ When he’s grovelling in front of Marya and apologizing for his “moment of weakness” for when he was into Edith and kissed her， like going on about how he was at his lowest and how he was disgusting for it… I was so insulted on Edith’s behalf like fuck you， you ugly ass bitch maybe you should have died in that metal death trap that Marat called a weapon of mass destruction （hide spoiler）]… Genuinely think if it wasn’t for Edith he wouldn’t have been a likeable character so that’s why like ugh， absolutely loathsome behaviour from him imo- ALSO！ （view spoiler）[ This is me making big accusations again but a part of me like damn was this book some sort of couples therapy for Bancroft， what was with the “cheating” arc with Edith and the sudden “let me repent” in the final with Marya anyways （hide spoiler）]3。 Voleta and Iren: I put these two together because that’s how Bancroft writes them， I loved Iren in this alongside her bestie Ann。 Voleta also goes through some development where she actually reflects on her actions and the consequences。 Her unlikely friendship with Reddleman was kinda sweet ngl， but it was nice to read Iren and Voleta grow as people separately but also kinda bittersweet to see them drift。 （view spoiler）[ Like I can’t believe Voleta in the spaceship and Iren and Ann are with Edith in the tower， like i’m telling you guys he’s gonna drop another series a la pierce brown style just watch… because it’s just so… anyways （hide spoiler）]4。 Edith: SAVING BEST FOR LAST BAYBBBEEEEEEEE！！ Honestly， Edith shone as she always does。 I thought it was interesting how Bancroft tried to be like “Edith isn’t perfect either！！ She’s violent and losing herself！！！” when Edith would find herself in despair because she would find the urge to kill the people putting the tower and her friends in danger。 Like girl you aren’t a freak for that！！！ You’re a human being！！ I believe she was one of the more well written characters， multi-faceted and likeable。 No one is more self-less and no one is more driven other than maybe Senlin， and that’s why they were each others silly rabbits and confidants until Bancroft decided they weren’t。 I just want Edith to be happy， and would love to read another series just based on her because I desperately want her to find happiness and peace！ 2 stars for her because she is the loml <3 - （view spoiler）[ As for her ending， I think it was interesting how she was set up to be the next Sphinx， and how Byron， Iren， Ann， and Senlin’s two lackeys make up her team… I don’t know if Edith would be the HAPPIEST holding up the Tower of Babel but I know that Edith fulfils her duty no matter what it is， and also think it would be hard for her to go back to her farm and kick her dusty ex-husband to the curb （hide spoiler）]- （view spoiler）[ Edith being the grown woman she is communicating her situationship with Senlin to Marya， and deciding to put her feelings second like… MAN…。。 In the end like I do get that Bancroft was like oh separation can alter your feelings and how you view relationships （with Marya and Senlin’s separation which spans 4 books， and Edith and Senlin… which is like half a book lawl）…。 but like sir you already did that with Marya/Senlin… why is Edith catching strays？？ Need her to find a partner that will truly love her （hide spoiler）]For the other side characters， Byron and Ann truly were enjoyable to read and their perspectives really did add a lot imo。 Marya's POV I suppose was Bancroft's last ditch attempt at fleshing her out so she's more than Senlin's manic pixie dream girl， thought it was interesting how none of her memories revolving Senlin were from the classroom （bc deep down Bancroft knows how fucking weird that is） but 90% of Senlin's memories about her were when she was in his classroom。 Do like how Marya was shown to be resilient in her own way， and her ending seemed appropriate （view spoiler）[ and Bancroft is NOT beating the mormon allegations like who wears a knee length khaki skirt bro lmskfsd but I digress （hide spoiler）]。As for the big bad known as Marat， kinda sad how he went from this complex villain like oh he’s for hod liberation but also he’s using them at the same time to install himself as a ruler for the tower to… this man has an inflated ego that Senlin prunes during his time under Marat and how Marat is manipulated relatively easily？ Like I thought he was playing 4D chess but no he lets Senlin into his inner circle way easy。 Like yea a lot of history’s dictators have been morons but given the last two books I expected more from the big bad。 ANYYYWAYYYYSSSSS， a lame ending… Edith Ascends series when 🗣 。。。more

Scott Shepard ，

A satisfying conclusion but not quite as good as the other books in the series。

Kevin P ，

The last book in the Books of Babel series was a bit of a slog。 Slow at times， but ultimately a satisfying conclusion to the story。 I'll admit， the resolution of the tower was a bit telegraphed， but it was certainty interesting and I would definitely recommend the series to anyone that asked。 The last book in the Books of Babel series was a bit of a slog。 Slow at times， but ultimately a satisfying conclusion to the story。 I'll admit， the resolution of the tower was a bit telegraphed， but it was certainty interesting and I would definitely recommend the series to anyone that asked。 。。。more

Sidra ，

While the earlier books in the series had me up late eagerly turning the pages， this one took me forever to read and just felt disjointed。 I was so lost in the first few hundred pages trying to remember what happened and why the pivot to the Adam story that I almost gave up， thinking I needed to reread the previous books。 The story jumped around quite a lot and unnecessarily so， and I didn't find the conclusion to be satisfying。 The series， otherwise， was wonderful， but this final chapter of Sen While the earlier books in the series had me up late eagerly turning the pages， this one took me forever to read and just felt disjointed。 I was so lost in the first few hundred pages trying to remember what happened and why the pivot to the Adam story that I almost gave up， thinking I needed to reread the previous books。 The story jumped around quite a lot and unnecessarily so， and I didn't find the conclusion to be satisfying。 The series， otherwise， was wonderful， but this final chapter of Senlin's story was disappointing。 。。。more

Sabrina ，

The Fall of Babel is the final novel in the The Books of Babel series。 While I utterly fell in love with this crazy， cool world and the crew of the most modern airship， this final book felt too long and at time even boring。 Maybe I did not have the necessary patience due to a lot of work， but every time， my attention was re-captured， the author started to describe a new level， moved to another POV that was currently doing nothing or went to description of technology that was above my imaginati The Fall of Babel is the final novel in the The Books of Babel series。 While I utterly fell in love with this crazy， cool world and the crew of the most modern airship， this final book felt too long and at time even boring。 Maybe I did not have the necessary patience due to a lot of work， but every time， my attention was re-captured， the author started to describe a new level， moved to another POV that was currently doing nothing or went to description of technology that was above my imagination。 Do not understand me wrong， I still enjoyed many passages， but overall， I expected more。 I also think， I missed Senlin， somehow， he just seemed to disappear from his own story。 。。。more

Joe ，

A very disappointing ending to a series that had such promise。 This book gives me the feeling that Bancroft was seduced by half baked political and social messages forgetting the simplicity and sense of wonder that made Senlin Ascends so fun to read。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Fall of Babel

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Fall of Babel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Fall of Babel&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0