IN ASCENSION

Freya Miller narrates an adventure story with little action. Leigh, a Dutch marine biologist who is fascinated by the origin of life, has a remarkable experience while on an expedition to explore a newly discovered trench in the ocean. From there, she joins a long space mission on which she works to develop strains of algae for the crew's food. Miller portrays Leigh as introspective and totally absorbed in algal science and the mission's success. The few other characters are secondary and are depicted as such. In the last part, the point of view shifts as Leigh's sister and the daughter of the mission's leader compulsively seek answers to the sudden loss of contact with the mission. Miller bestows them with little personality. The mission is everything. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2023]