## [RT] Ascent Chapter Sixteen: Submersion

* Author: u/TheUtilitaria *
* URL: https://ascentuniverse.wordpress.com/2018/08/25/chapter-xvi-submersion/
* Score: 10

* Created: 2018-08-25T19:07:17

### Post:

[Link to content](https://ascentuniverse.wordpress.com/2018/08/25/chapter-xvi-submersion/)

### Comments:

> **u/TheUtilitaria** [+2]  (37 minutes later)
> 
> *I aten't dead. T*he next chapter should be up in a week (not in four months). This follows on from the events of [Chapter Fourteen](https://ascentuniverse.wordpress.com/2018/03/26/chapter-fourteen-convergence/). We get to learn some interesting things about [Acausal trade](https://agentfoundations.org/item?id=1465) and the importance of keeping the faith.

>> **u/VirtueOrderDignity** [+3]  (2 hours later)
>> 
>> I thought this was abandoned, happy to see you're keeping it going.

>>> **u/TheUtilitaria** [+1]  (2 hours later)
>>> 
>>> Well, so did I for a little while; I had a degree to finish! I'm curious - what did you think of this as a way of resolving Chapter 14's cliffhanger?

>>>> **u/VirtueOrderDignity** [+1]  (15 hours later)
>>>> 
>>>> I'd say it was very heavily implied, so not much of a cliffhanger really.

> **u/None** [+2]  (a day later)
> 
> [deleted]

>> **u/TheUtilitaria** [+1]  (2 days later)
>> 
>> That looks very interesting - the list of 'inspirations' for that webcomic are almost identical to the ones I would have written; Baxter, Reynolds, Banks etc.
>> What elements did you see as being common between them?

>>> **u/None** [+3]  (2 days later)
>>> 
>>> [deleted]

>>>> **u/TheUtilitaria** [+2]  (2 days later)
>>>> 
>>>> >The lost ancient human tech including Nano Machines and AI. 
>>>> 
>>>> I suppose that depends on your definition of 'ancient'. It was only as long ago as the Napoleonic wars are from our time!
>>>> 
>>>> For Stephen Baxter I would start with Proxima - its a standalone near-future novel and less insanely expansive than the Xeelee books. As for Iain Banks - the Player of Games out of the Culture books is the shortest, most self-contained and possibly the best. With Alastair Reynolds the Revelation Space series is still his best - just start at the beginning with Revelation Space.

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