In the opening pages of Christopher Walker’s debut novel, The Ascent, we meet John Atwater—a man whose life operates like clockwork. A skilled engineer and army veteran bearing the invisible scars of his service with an elite military group called The Undesirables, John has built his existence around predictability, discipline, and control. These aren’t mere preferences; they’re the scaffolding that keeps his anxiety at bay, the tools he uses to navigate a world that once shattered around him when he lost his parents at age seven. Walker introduces us to a protagonist who represents something deeply relatable: the human need for order in a chaotic universe.
What begins as a routine business trip to Scotland becomes anything but routine when John finds himself hiking through the Isle of Skye, following a guide who spins tales of ancient doors and mystical worlds. Within moments, John’s carefully constructed life implodes as he falls—quite literally—through a doorway in a mountainside, tumbling into Mhorelia, a realm where magic breathes in the air and creatures from myth walk the earth. This is where Christopher Walker’s storytelling truly ignites, and where readers discover that “The Ascent” is far more than a simple portal fantasy.
A World That Breathes and Bleeds
Walker’s Mhorelia is a triumph of world-building that feels both familiar and startlingly original. The author constructs his fantasy realm with the precision of an engineer—fitting, given his background—yet infuses it with the soul of a poet. Mhorelia exists as a circular island structured in ascending plateaus, each level presenting distinct climates, landscapes, and dangers. From the resource-scarce outer rim where the oppressed populace struggles to survive, to the Enchanted Lands at the summit where the tyrannical King Balloch hoards prosperity behind fortress walls, every geographical detail serves the story’s larger themes of inequality and struggle.
The creatures that populate this world transcend typical fantasy tropes. Denaros—towering, owl-like beings covered in shimmering feathers—serve as both majestic guardians and moral compasses. Stagglehorn provide transportation and companionship to those who earn their trust. Alterian, massive wolf-like creatures of unparalleled grace and ferocity, command respect through their very presence. Walker doesn’t simply describe these beings; he gives them agency, intelligence, and purpose within Mhorelia’s ecosystem. The widaps, climours, and brackoa that John encounters feel genuinely alien yet comprehensible, each contributing to a world that operates by its own internal logic.
The Fellowship of the Reluctant
The heart of “The Ascent” by Christopher Walker beats strongest in its character relationships. John’s companions on his journey form an unlikely fellowship bound not by prophecy or divine mandate, but by shared purpose and earned trust. Lorena, the fierce elf warrior with cascading red hair and a three-foot blade, initially greets John with suspicion and a weapon at his throat. Her evolution from skeptical leader to someone who places her faith in John’s abilities forms one of the novel’s most compelling arcs.
Twin elves Killian and Darian provide the story’s emotional anchor. Killian’s cheerful optimism counterbalances his brother Darian’s stoic wisdom, and Walker captures their dynamic with authenticity that makes their bond feel lived-in rather than constructed for narrative convenience. Melara, the black-clad warrior whose intensity masks deeper loyalties, and Leon, the enigmatic elf who speaks with stagglehorn and lives in self-imposed isolation, round out a cast that refuses to be reduced to archetypes.
Then there’s Kaigen—the purple-skinned shape-shifter who serves Balloch yet assists John, whose teleportation abilities and mysterious motivations create constant tension. Walker plays a masterful game with this character, keeping readers perpetually uncertain about his true allegiances while dropping breadcrumbs that suggest depths of tragedy and complicated honor beneath his sardonic exterior.
Action That Leaves You Breathless
Christopher Walker’s background in writing award-winning screenplays in the action genre shows in every combat sequence. The fight choreography leaps off the page with cinematic clarity, whether John is battling three attackers simultaneously in a test orchestrated by the denaros, navigating treacherous cliff paths while fending off ambushes, or engaging in tactical warfare that utilizes his military training.
What elevates these sequences beyond mere spectacle is Walker’s commitment to consequence. Characters sustain injuries that don’t magically heal between chapters. Exhaustion accumulates. Fear remains present even for the most skilled fighters. When John draws on his experiences with The Undesirables, it never feels like plot armor but rather hard-won expertise applied to impossible circumstances.
The Burden of Being “Chosen”
The concept of the Chosen One could easily devolve into tired fantasy cliché, but Walker interrogates this trope with surprising sophistication. John doesn’t want to be special. He wants to return home to his apartment, his routine, his carefully managed anxiety. The revelation that he’s supposedly destined to overthrow Balloch and restore balance to Mhorelia comes not as a call to adventure but as another trauma, another loss of control.
Throughout the novel, characters debate what “Chosen One” even means. Leon, the sage-like elf who has withdrawn from the fight, articulates a truth that resonates: no one accomplishes anything alone. John may have broken the magical seal on the door between worlds, but without Lorena’s strategic brilliance, Killian’s unwavering support, and Melara’s fierce combat skills, he would fail within days.
Walker uses this framework to explore how heroism emerges not from individual exceptionalism but from collective courage, how greatness requires vulnerability and the willingness to trust others—lessons John must learn to overcome both external enemies and internal demons.
Prose That Sings and Strikes
Walker’s writing style balances multiple registers with impressive dexterity. His descriptive passages achieve genuine poetry without excess. When John first encounters the denaros in a moonlit field, the scene combines visual splendor with mounting dread—shadows circling overhead, massive talons gripping soil, heads cocking in evaluation. The author knows when to linger on sensory detail and when to propel forward with urgent pacing.
Dialogue crackles with personality. Each character possesses a distinct voice: Kaigen’s sardonic wit, Lorena’s authoritative directness, Killian’s enthusiastic warmth, Darian’s measured thoughtfulness. The conversations between characters reveal backstory organically rather than through clunky exposition. Humor emerges naturally from character interactions rather than forced comic relief.
The action prose deserves particular praise. Walker writes combat with the clarity of someone who understands both the mechanics of violence and its emotional toll. Readers never lose track of spatial relationships or momentum during fights, yet the descriptions remain vivid and engaging.
Themes That Resonate Beyond Fantasy
Beneath the fantasy adventure, “The Ascent” by Christopher Walker grapples with weighty themes that give the story lasting impact. John carries multiple wounds—the childhood loss of his parents, whatever horrors he witnessed serving in The Undesirables, the anxiety that threatens to overwhelm him when control slips away. Walker shows healing as a gradual process enabled by connection with others, offering a nuanced portrayal of trauma and recovery.
Balloch’s rule over Mhorelia provides pointed commentary on how authoritarians maintain power—controlling resources, dividing populations, using fear as a weapon. The novel’s depiction of resistance against oppression feels relevant without becoming preachy.
Repeatedly, characters face choices between self-preservation and collective good. The bonds forged through shared suffering and mutual sacrifice form the story’s moral center. John’s journey requires him not just to fight but to lower his defenses, to risk being hurt by allowing others close. This emotional courage ultimately proves as crucial as his combat prowess.
The Verdict
Christopher Walker’s “The Ascent” announces the arrival of a fantasy author with serious talent. This debut fiction displays the confidence and craft of a seasoned novelist, building a world that invites extended habitation, creating characters that demand we follow their journeys, and delivering action sequences that would translate seamlessly to screen while maintaining the introspective depth that makes literature rewarding.
The novel succeeds most impressively in making its fantastical elements feel grounded in recognizable emotional truths. When John stands before an impossible challenge, we feel his anxiety as genuine psychological reality. When friendships deepen through shared danger, we believe in these bonds because Walker has invested the time to make them earn our investment.
For readers who’ve grown weary of fantasy that simply recycles familiar patterns, “The Ascent” by Christopher Walker offers something fresher—a portal fantasy that interrogates what it means to be thrown into circumstances beyond our control, an adventure story that insists courage includes admitting fear, and an epic that understands intimate character moments matter as much as sweeping battles.
For Readers Who Loved
If “The Ascent” by Christopher Walker captured your imagination, consider these similar fantasy adventures:
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss—for lyrical prose and a protagonist with a mysterious past
- Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson—for intricate magic systems and complex political intrigue
- The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch—for witty dialogue and found-family dynamics
- The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter—for visceral combat and themes of trauma
- Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames—for fantasy adventure with genuine heart and humor
- The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang—for character-driven fantasy exploring duty and sacrifice
Welcome to Mhorelia
“The Ascent” by Christopher Walker represents exactly the kind of ambitious, heartfelt fantasy that reminds us why we fell in love with the genre in the first place. Christopher Walker has constructed a doorway, much like the one John falls through on Isle of Skye, inviting readers to step into a world where magic and meaning coexist, where the journey up a mountain becomes a journey into oneself, and where the greatest battles are fought not just with blades but with the courage to remain open-hearted in a harsh world.
John Atwater begins his journey as a man armored against life’s uncertainties. By the novel’s conclusion, he has learned that true strength sometimes means setting that armor aside. It’s a lesson delivered through adventure, sacrifice, and the transformative power of genuine connection—and it makes “The Ascent” a fantasy debut worth celebrating.
The ascent awaits. Will you make the climb?
