In fantasy, looming towers are a staple, but we rarely see the intricate details of their inner workings. If you’ve ever wanted to deeply explore a world set within one of these iconic towers, Orbit has just the series for you. We’ve acquired Josiah Bancroft’s stunning and strange self-published, debut fantasy series, The Books of Babel, which begins with SENLIN ASCENDS. It has received some major praise from fantasy authors and fans alike. The series focuses on Thomas Senlin, a mild-mannered headmaster who quickly becomes lost in the massive and ancient Tower of Babel. Now, we’ll let some other folks do the talking:

“Senlin Ascends is one of the best reads I’ve had in ages . . . I was dragged in and didn’t escape until I’d finished two or three days later.”

—Mark Lawrence, author of Prince of Thorns

“Senlin Ascends crosses the everyday strangeness and lyrical prose of Borges and Gogol with all the action and adventure of high fantasy. I loved it, and grabbed the next one as soon as I turned the last page.”

—Django Wexler, author of The Thousand Names

“Bancroft succeeds amazingly in creating a baffling world that offers little tenderness or hope, but in which the 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.”

—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Senlin Ascends starts off with a bang, and it never slows down. With its breathtaking pace, this book will appeal to a wide variety of readers.”

—San Francisco Book Review

“This is an exceedingly rich book. A depth of imagination married with a poetic turn of phrase and an engaging cast of characters conspire to deliver an epic story soaring high above the clouds.”

—Fantasy Faction

“Whimsy, adventure, and romance are the Tower’s real trade.” – Everyman’s Guide to the Tower of Babel, I. V

The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel in the world. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of airships and steam engines, of unusual animals and mysterious machines.

Soon after arriving for his honeymoon at the Tower, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, Thomas Senlin, loses track of his wife, Marya, in the crowds. Senlin’s search carries him through madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassination, and the long guns of a flying fortress. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just survive. 

This quiet man of letters must become a man of action.

Orbit has acquired World English language rights in four books from Ian Drury of Sheil Land Associates Ltd., and the first book, Senlin Ascends, will hit shelves in early 2018. Follow Josiah Bancroft on Twitter and Facebook.