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No longer available online - now in Men of the Otherworld
123 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2004
2 people are currently reading
1661 people want to read
About the author
Kelley Armstrong
293 books33.6k followersKelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
April 22, 2022
First read: Jan 2009 (in Men of the Otherworld anthology)
Re-read: April 2022
Rating: 4/5 stars
Story #4 in my chronological re-read of the Women of the Otherworld series.
Ascension is about Jeremy’s rise to leadership in the Pack and the challenges he faces along the way. Once again told from the point of view of Clay, it opens in 1972, with a ten-year-old Clay hunting with the Pack. This story follows directly on from Savage and picks up on some of the plot points from that novella. Malcolm, Jeremy’s father and all-round terrible person, is back and causing tension. There is a clear divide in this early 1970s pack between those that follow Dominic Sorrentino as Alpha (the Danvers family, Ross Werner and Dennis and Joey Stillwell), and those that are more aligned with Malcolm (the Santos family and Cliff Ward ).
Peter, the werewolf that left the Pack in Savage comes back. I really disliked the way this was handled by Jeremy. Despite this, Jeremy actually tries to help him cover up the crimes and get him back into the Pack. This framing of Peter as the victim and not those poor women does makes sense considering the time period and the fact that there are no female werewolves so they live in an entirely male-dominated world where women don’t have a role or a voice.
The details surrounding Clay’s are told here as well. It is a testament to how well written his character has been in Savage and Ascension that Armstrong is able to keep the readers on Clay’s side during these scenes.
The challenge for Pack leadership after Dominic’s death was brutal and tragic and left the Pack down to seven members (Jeremy, Clay, Jorge, Antonio, Nick, Peter and Ross). It sets the stage nicely for the first full length novel, Bitten. So far, the longest of the novellas has focused on the werewolves, with only small hints of the vampires and witches that also share the world. I am looking forward to the next novella, Demonology which focuses more on the magical side of the world Kelley Armstrong has created.
General trivia
- Clay’s broken arm and Guinea Pig dissection from Savage are referenced, along with Jeremy’s new role as Pack medic.
- The events surrounding Jeremy’s birth (in Infusion) come into play as Jeremy’s magical abilities inherited from his mysterious mother are brought to the fore. The strange symbols he has nightmares about sound like the same symbols that were present at his conception and birth.
- Malcolm trained Clay to fight.
- Clay went to a private high school at thirteen after being home-schooled by Jeremy up until that point (1975)
- Gregory (Dominic’s son) died when Clay was fourteen (1976)
- Clay graduated high school at seventeen and went to Syracuse University to study anthropology as an undergraduate and Columbia University for his postgraduate studies.
- There is a Pack history book called the Legacy, which is kept by the Alpha.
- Jeremy started selling his paintings when he was 32.
- Clay’s first car was a fifteen-year-old Chevy, his second was a black Mustang convertible.
Re-read: April 2022
Rating: 4/5 stars
Story #4 in my chronological re-read of the Women of the Otherworld series.
Ascension is about Jeremy’s rise to leadership in the Pack and the challenges he faces along the way. Once again told from the point of view of Clay, it opens in 1972, with a ten-year-old Clay hunting with the Pack. This story follows directly on from Savage and picks up on some of the plot points from that novella. Malcolm, Jeremy’s father and all-round terrible person, is back and causing tension. There is a clear divide in this early 1970s pack between those that follow Dominic Sorrentino as Alpha (the Danvers family, Ross Werner and Dennis and Joey Stillwell), and those that are more aligned with Malcolm (the Santos family and Cliff Ward ).
Peter, the werewolf that left the Pack in Savage comes back. I really disliked the way this was handled by Jeremy. Despite this, Jeremy actually tries to help him cover up the crimes and get him back into the Pack. This framing of Peter as the victim and not those poor women does makes sense considering the time period and the fact that there are no female werewolves so they live in an entirely male-dominated world where women don’t have a role or a voice.
The details surrounding Clay’s are told here as well. It is a testament to how well written his character has been in Savage and Ascension that Armstrong is able to keep the readers on Clay’s side during these scenes.
The challenge for Pack leadership after Dominic’s death was brutal and tragic and left the Pack down to seven members (Jeremy, Clay, Jorge, Antonio, Nick, Peter and Ross). It sets the stage nicely for the first full length novel, Bitten. So far, the longest of the novellas has focused on the werewolves, with only small hints of the vampires and witches that also share the world. I am looking forward to the next novella, Demonology which focuses more on the magical side of the world Kelley Armstrong has created.
General trivia
- Clay’s broken arm and Guinea Pig dissection from Savage are referenced, along with Jeremy’s new role as Pack medic.
- The events surrounding Jeremy’s birth (in Infusion) come into play as Jeremy’s magical abilities inherited from his mysterious mother are brought to the fore. The strange symbols he has nightmares about sound like the same symbols that were present at his conception and birth.
- Malcolm trained Clay to fight.
- Clay went to a private high school at thirteen after being home-schooled by Jeremy up until that point (1975)
- Gregory (Dominic’s son) died when Clay was fourteen (1976)
- Clay graduated high school at seventeen and went to Syracuse University to study anthropology as an undergraduate and Columbia University for his postgraduate studies.
- There is a Pack history book called the Legacy, which is kept by the Alpha.
- Jeremy started selling his paintings when he was 32.
- Clay’s first car was a fifteen-year-old Chevy, his second was a black Mustang convertible.
January 5, 2026
Pack life from Clay age 10ish-20ish, when Jeremy took over the pack, and all the details that led up to that point.
January 4, 2021
Interesting but I'm uncomfortable with Clay's violent behavior being framed as necessary.
February 2, 2018
I love these longer ones about Clay before he met Elena! I kinda hope we will get one from his POV when he meets her for the first time and everything that happened shortly after that.
A thing that I have noticed is that I feel much more connected to the characters than when I had only read Bitten. I'm not a werewolf type of girl, they don't attract me. And that was exactly the feeling that I had when I was reading Bitten. But after reading this short stories I'm really looking forward to read more about them!
A thing that I have noticed is that I feel much more connected to the characters than when I had only read Bitten. I'm not a werewolf type of girl, they don't attract me. And that was exactly the feeling that I had when I was reading Bitten. But after reading this short stories I'm really looking forward to read more about them!
January 27, 2024
This story held more interest for me, but again, it was description of events that had been summarised in Bitten. It would have been a more effective story if we had been presented with the current state of affairs in Bitten and the past been hinted at rather than briefly described.
Not to sound like a serial killer... but I think Clay went about his object lesson in the wrong way, and it wouldn't have been enough to produce the effect that it did from the Mutts. A few simple changes would have made it far more effective/horrific.
Not to sound like a serial killer... but I think Clay went about his object lesson in the wrong way, and it wouldn't have been enough to produce the effect that it did from the Mutts. A few simple changes would have made it far more effective/horrific.
August 1, 2017
Another excellent short story that takes place before the events in Bitten. This story covers the power struggles within the pack from when the old Alpha was alive and well, to how the next Alpha was chosen and ascended to to position. Excellent for understanding some of the internal conflicts and resentments that are at the core of the plot of first full book Bitten.
May 14, 2016
This is a great story for fans of the Otherworld series.
Ascension is a story to help you understand the werewolf world we are introduced to in Bitten. Past events that are vaguely touched upon in the series are explained in much more detail here. If you enjoy the Otherworld series then this is a fun read, although not essential to understanding.
Ascension is a story to help you understand the werewolf world we are introduced to in Bitten. Past events that are vaguely touched upon in the series are explained in much more detail here. If you enjoy the Otherworld series then this is a fun read, although not essential to understanding.
September 11, 2018
included in
Men of the Otherworld
re-read 3/1/2014
re-read 3/1/2014
July 25, 2012
Awesome!!! I loved reading the short little stories before the whole series :)
November 1, 2023
This is a complicated one… on the one hand I liked having the extra history about the pack leadership before Bitten, on the other I don’t think people will want to read a 100 pages novella with this pacing unless they absolutely adore the series. Even I found the pacing occasionally tedious, and the only thing that helped was of course Clay’s matter-of-fact pov, the writing, and seeing how some events mentioned in Bitten actually unfolded (especially Peter’s backstory of how he joined the pack back, or how Clay got his reputation with the Mutts)
I’d still say it’s worth the read but knowing how well Armstrong can tell a story with half that amount of pages I do think it didn’t need to be just as long? Honestly i’m pretty torn but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it so it’s still a 4 stars for me.
I’d still say it’s worth the read but knowing how well Armstrong can tell a story with half that amount of pages I do think it didn’t need to be just as long? Honestly i’m pretty torn but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it so it’s still a 4 stars for me.
December 11, 2017
Werewolf story. Clayton is happily living at Stonehaven while Jeremy teaches and trains him to live inconspicuously among humans. Most of the time their life is uneventful, except for the times when Jeremy’s father, Malcolm comes to visit. He’s one piece of work.
There’s some awkward peer situations when the pack gets together and a hard but necessary mutt solution, making for a very interesting, eye-opening story.
Footnote: 1) Ascension is spelled wrong in the book title: Asension.
Fave scenes: the elevator, the confrontation with Malcolm’s wolf, the mustang and Malcolm’s mistake.
There’s some awkward peer situations when the pack gets together and a hard but necessary mutt solution, making for a very interesting, eye-opening story.
Footnote: 1) Ascension is spelled wrong in the book title: Asension.
Fave scenes: the elevator, the confrontation with Malcolm’s wolf, the mustang and Malcolm’s mistake.
February 28, 2020
This short story was a great introduction to all members of the Pack, and then the split off factions of the Pack, and then the ultimate Pack that remained - all without having to resort to a (dreaded) family tree!
June 17, 2023
This short story read more like a continuation of Savage than as a stand alone. Wonderful world and character building for such a short story. Having read up through Jeremy and Jaime,s book in the Otherworld series, I really enjoyed getting the history of the pack now.
January 27, 2018
More history of Clayton and Jeremy's early years. Told from Clayton's PoV, learning to adapt and how he protected Jeremy, and the pack dynamics
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2019
Ascension –This one is how Jeremy became Pack Master and some of the inside things that led up to the present.
October 6, 2021
Clay's POV about Jeremy becoming alpha.
Heather's Notes
This book is really about the rest of Clay's childhood and Jeremy become alpha. It was nice to see how it all started with Clay and Jeremy
Heather's Notes
This book is really about the rest of Clay's childhood and Jeremy become alpha. It was nice to see how it all started with Clay and Jeremy
February 12, 2024
Jeremy's ascension to Pack Alpha 🥰
July 11, 2017
Part of Men of the Otherworld
Reread January 5th, 2017
Reread January 5th, 2017
July 7, 2013
Ascension is the continuation of Clayton's story of his adolescence, moving into adulthood. It begins in 1972, 5 years after the beginning of the previous novella Savage. In this novella we learn more about the wolf pack dynamics as the fight to become the new Alpha takes place, long before anything might happen to the current Alpha, Dominic. This battle pits father against son as Malcolm and Jeremy both vie for that position. Clayton continues with homeschooling until returning to the education system in high school where he excelled in his academics and got a full scholarship to university in which he plans to get his Ph.D. in Anthropology so he can work from home as Jeremy does.
I enjoyed this novella as a whole but found it hard to remember how much time is passing as I read it only a few pages at a time over more than a week (in between other things) and quite a bit of time was spanned in this story. For being shorter (only 116 pages) it was impressive in it's chaptered structure and the ending both wrapped up the events, gave clues to what will happen in subsequent stories and novels, and made the reader want to read more. As I have only read the first four novella/short stories of this series so far, I can only speculate what will happen next but from these hints Kelley Armstrong included in the last few pages of Ascension I only want to keep reading even more to more of the short stories and eventually the full novels as well. I do however wonder if I may be being set up for a fall when it comes to the novels as I am connecting with and wanting more of the characters I have met so far but there is a reason their stories were written and shared as short stories later...because readers wanted more of them than was included in the novels. Right?
I enjoyed this novella as a whole but found it hard to remember how much time is passing as I read it only a few pages at a time over more than a week (in between other things) and quite a bit of time was spanned in this story. For being shorter (only 116 pages) it was impressive in it's chaptered structure and the ending both wrapped up the events, gave clues to what will happen in subsequent stories and novels, and made the reader want to read more. As I have only read the first four novella/short stories of this series so far, I can only speculate what will happen next but from these hints Kelley Armstrong included in the last few pages of Ascension I only want to keep reading even more to more of the short stories and eventually the full novels as well. I do however wonder if I may be being set up for a fall when it comes to the novels as I am connecting with and wanting more of the characters I have met so far but there is a reason their stories were written and shared as short stories later...because readers wanted more of them than was included in the novels. Right?
March 17, 2018
A short story with more of Clays life in the pack. We learn ore about Malcolm, about Jeremy, and about pack life. Clay doesn't really think like a human, even though he is the only person in the pack who started life that way. At least at this point in the storyline. Finding out more about how he does think adds a lot of dimension to his character in Bitten. It adds quite a bit to the full length book that may not have been as clear without it. I love reading these little bits of backstory!
August 26, 2012
This short is about Jeremy's coming to power. How much that had to do with Clayton and how sick Malcolm was. I liked this one for the insiders look at Clayton's way of thinking but there were times when I was freaked out. Nonetheless I really enjoyed this one. I recommend this one to complete your Otherworld reading.
December 10, 2013
Great short story/novella of Clay's teenaged years, and events such as the "torture a mutt and take pictures so they're so afraid of me that they stay away from Stonehaven" and how Jeremy became alpha of the pack, and yeah, I really enjoyed it!
Read
June 10, 2013I loved all of the freebie back stories and I wish that I could copy them from my gosh darn palm to my iPod so that I could still read them without having to buy the larger book. Somehow, they were more fun in pieces.
April 26, 2011
Narrator: Clay
April 2, 2025
12/12/11 - 4 stars
04/01/25 - 3.5 stars, leaving at 4
04/01/25 - 3.5 stars, leaving at 4
March 7, 2012
Part of the Men of the otherworld title
April 15, 2012
I love Clay stories!
August 17, 2012
In Men of the Otherworld.
August 1, 2012
This is the story of Clayton's teenage years - going from protected to protector. It ends with the new Alpha being finalised.
October 13, 2012
I loved Clay's narration, and of course the story itself filled in a very important hole in the history of the Pack. I loved every word of it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews