Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
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- Create Date：2022-08-05 12:16:47
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：R.F. Kuang
- ISBN：0008501815
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Summary
A new dark academic fantasy by the New York Times bestselling author of The Poppy War
Traduttore， traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal。
Oxford， 1836。
The city of dreaming spires。
It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world。
And at its centre is Babel， the Royal Institute of Translation。 The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows。
Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian， Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift。
Until it became a prison…
But can a student stand against an empire？
An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R。F。 Kuang about the power of language， the violence of colonialism， and the sacrifices of resistance。
Traduttore， traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal。
Oxford， 1836。
The city of dreaming spires。
It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world。
And at its centre is Babel， the Royal Institute of Translation。 The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows。
Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian， Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift。
Until it became a prison…
But can a student stand against an empire？
An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R。F。 Kuang about the power of language， the violence of colonialism， and the sacrifices of resistance。
Reviews
nihaarika
，
I finished Babel last night and I have not been able to stop thinking about it。 The book has had a very deep-rooted impact on me。 Writing this review is going to be an immensely difficult job because I do not know if I have the words to summarise everything that this book was and the impact it will have on others。 So I'll begin by praising R。F Kuang's writing。 I have always been a huge fan of her writing style。 Her prose feels simplistic， yet incredibly magnetic。 It draws you into the story and I finished Babel last night and I have not been able to stop thinking about it。 The book has had a very deep-rooted impact on me。 Writing this review is going to be an immensely difficult job because I do not know if I have the words to summarise everything that this book was and the impact it will have on others。 So I'll begin by praising R。F Kuang's writing。 I have always been a huge fan of her writing style。 Her prose feels simplistic， yet incredibly magnetic。 It draws you into the story and immerses you in the world Kuang creates; it makes you feel so much at the same time。 If there had to be one book to represent the genre of dark academia， it would have to be Babel。 It is the best example of this genre， going well beyond the aesthetic setting and showing us the dark underbelly of what goes on in the walls of ancient institutions。 Babel portrays a rigorous culture of students studying exceptionally hard to specialise in their fields but also shows what happens when the pressure gets to them and the cracks being to appear。 The magic system of this book has， at its heart， language and translation。 It portrays a nuanced and complex picture of the evolution of words and how some words can have different meanings in the same language or how some words share the same origins in other languages。 I am personally not someone who has ever taken an interest in linguistics， but with the way Kuang wrote about the field， I was truly fascinated and I am going to be looking a lot more into this field。 I think of the four characters， Robin， Ramy， Victoire and Letty。 All of them band together， being misfits at Oxford。 Through their eyes， we get to see a variety of perceptions about Babel， about the work being done in the tower。 We get a full， all-around and incredibly complex picture of the going-ons of Babel， of privileges， of being needed at a place only because they need your hard work。 When Kuang described the loss of language， it hit home in ways I did not think。 What she writes about it in Babelis exactly how I feel when I think about Hindi， the language I was born with。 It is the manner in which Kuang portrays this， which elicited basically a visceral reaction from me。 I felt angry as I read this book， knowing the impact of British and European colonialism in my country and around the world。 This is the rightful kind of anger and it only grows as you read through， knowing how these rich colonial countries took everything from the poor countries they colonized。 And yet， they still wanted more。 More resources， more land， more of everything they wanted to take。 Babelis a book that will leave you thinking and questioning。 It will have an impact on you that will sink deep into your bones。 I will end by saying this; Babelis a book that everyone must read。 Thank you HarperVoyager for my e-ARC through Netgalley！ 。。。more
Taun
，
Going to let this sit for a day。。。 review to come。
laurel [the suspected bibliophile]
，
Welp。 I know what book is taking home all the awards for this year。Full RTC。 Maybe。 I dunno anymore。 All I know is that YOU SHOULD READ THIS DAMNED BOOK。I received an ARC from NetGalley
Sophia
，
Content Warnings: colonialism， racism， racial slurs， child abuse， misogyny， violence， deathWow。 How to even begin。 Babel is the low fantasy dark academia novel of my dreams。 This book is so exceptionally clever and fascinating。 Truly， this is one of those occasions where I truly wish goodreads had a six star option。After his mother's death， Robin Swift is taken from his home in Canton to live in London with a wealthy white man who raises him on languages so that he can grow up to study at Babel， Content Warnings: colonialism， racism， racial slurs， child abuse， misogyny， violence， deathWow。 How to even begin。 Babel is the low fantasy dark academia novel of my dreams。 This book is so exceptionally clever and fascinating。 Truly， this is one of those occasions where I truly wish goodreads had a six star option。After his mother's death， Robin Swift is taken from his home in Canton to live in London with a wealthy white man who raises him on languages so that he can grow up to study at Babel， Oxford's institute of translation。 Though Robin loves Babel and the rest of his cohort， his life is complicated by the appearance of a secret society dedicated to redistributing the magical silver bars Babel produces - sharing them with the colonised countries whose languages are used to create them yet who see no benefit from their use。Okay， so I could wax poetic about this book for DAYS。 I'm having no issue calling it my favourite read of the year thus far。 Allow me to rant about how much I loved it for a couple more paragraphs:At its core， Babel is a story about colonialism。 It's a deeply political book。 Kuang's exploration of the historical and political issues she includes in this novel is given deep care and consideration。 This is an exceptionally well researched novel， not only in terms of language （which is， naturally， a central tenet of the book）， but also in terms of its historical and sociological aspects。 The magic system？ SO good。 It fits the theme of the book so seamlessly， and the concept is absolutely fascinating。 When I first twigged what the system was - how the magic is created - I was momentarily in awe because man， that is just so smart！ Not to mention the amount of research and creativity that has clearly gone into the various examples of this type of magic we are given - I was just blown away。Characters。 Always a crucial part of any novel for me， and such a strong element in Babel。 Robin is such a great main character。 First off - making your MC a book lover is immediately a great way to make me love them。 But honestly， Robin's character development is just exquisite - we really see his growth as a young adult in a very compelling way。 He is complex and morally grey at times， but you can completely understand where he is coming from and root for him。 Victoire is also an amazing character， I loved her from start to finish。Yeah。 This book had me giggling， it had me sobbing， it had me staring at a wall in disbelief for five straight minutes （multiple times）。 It's certainly one that will stick with me。 I absolutely couldn't recommend it any more highly。 。。。more
Kartik
，
Babel reminded me of the classics and literature I had to study in my school days。 Yes， there was a lot of noteworthy ideas and discussions to be had but by god was it a challenge to get through。 First off， the person who wrote the marketing tagline， "for fans of The Poppy War" needs to be fired from their job。 This is nothing like The Poppy War。 The latter was an epic military fantasy war story while the former is an literary fiction-esque urban fantasy。 Going into Babel expecting something rem Babel reminded me of the classics and literature I had to study in my school days。 Yes， there was a lot of noteworthy ideas and discussions to be had but by god was it a challenge to get through。 First off， the person who wrote the marketing tagline， "for fans of The Poppy War" needs to be fired from their job。 This is nothing like The Poppy War。 The latter was an epic military fantasy war story while the former is an literary fiction-esque urban fantasy。 Going into Babel expecting something reminiscent of The Poppy War will just ruin the entire book for you。 That being said， even if I had gone in with correct expectations， I doubt my opinions would have changed all that much。 Let's start with my first problem: NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK。 Well， ok， that's not completely true， there is a lot of plot progression and activity in the last 100 or so pages of the book。 But the effort needed to get to that point was really taxing。 Yes the writing is very pretty。 And yes the magic system is incredibly inventive。 And yes the atmosphere is enticing but without a strong cohesive narrative tying it all together there's just nothing for me to latch on to。 I kept reading and waiting for the plot to go somewhere but ultimately it never did。 But a lack of a plot doesn't inherently mean a book is bad right？ A lot of people don't mind reading a "no plot， just vibes" book if the characters are compelling。 So， are they compelling？ Well。。。 The characters （and the world as a whole） just lacked any complexity or depth。 I actually laughed when I saw a review that said Babel has "a brilliant presentation of the found family trope"。 That's completely wrong。 These characters are not a found family。 A found family indicates a level of trust， rapport， and devotion。 Here， the characters keep things from each other， they never listen to one another， and every time we do see them talking to each other it always devolves into an argument。 But by far the biggest issue here was Letty。 At no point did she feel like a real person。 It was SO EVIDENT that she was just a mouthpiece for the author to get her beliefs across。 She's a woman which means she has some struggles in academia， but she's white which means she avoids the struggles that non white women face （so you can tell that the author has heard of the word intersectionality）。 She uses her experiences with sexism to guilt trip others into accepting her demands but also isn't aware of the privilege she has。 The narrative CONSTANTLY tells us that she's a racist and an ignoramus but it never actually shows her doing any of these things， which makes it extremely jarring when others accuse her of being bigoted， since there was no build up to it。 This is just the gist of the description and not an actual quote， but in one moment she would be described as "someone who makes a few off hand comments here and there but ultimately a kind soul" and then a hundred pages later Victoire and Ramy would be screaming at her about how she was unaware of their struggles with racism。 She was also just a weird character in general， at one point she discovers the others have been keeping a HUGE secret from her and I expected there to be some big blowout and argument。。。 But instead she just doesn't say anything and immediately forgives them。 If I learned that my close friends we're keeping such a secret from me， I would've said goodbye and broken all contact with them。 On a pure narrative level， I can kinda understand Letty's actions and beliefs but I ultimately can't fully appreciate them because it was so evident what the author was trying to do and I couldn't read about her without feeling like R。 F。 Kuang was breathing down my neck。 In fact this is a big issue with all the characters in general， it felt like they were written around a single defining characteristic rather than being given space for something more。 Here are all the characters summed up: Robin is the one who struggles with his biracial identity， Ramy is the one who hates the British， Victoire is the one who suffers so we can see the cruelty of colonialism， Letty is the one who's a privileged white woman and Lovell is the one who's a racist AND a hypocrite。 They're never given any dimension outside of this one attribute and it just starts to wear you down。 With regard to the world， there was， once again， a complete lack of any kind of nuance or complexity。 Without （trying to） spoil much， there is a war about to happen between two countries and all the people in the aggressor country are portrayed as evil， heartless， and cruel， while all the people in the victim country are shown as innocent， virtuous， and pure。 I'm not saying that all countries are heartless or all countries are good， what I'm saying is that such a simple dichotomy does not make for a rewarding reading experience。 To elaborate:While I was reading Babel， I was comparing it a lot to Flamefall （which is the second book in The Aurelian Cycle Trilogy） by Rosaria Munda since both deal with themes of inequality， revolution， and war。 And honestly if you want an example of these themes handled well go read Flamefall instead （but obviously read Fireborne first lol）。 I'm just gonna say it here Babel was just a less interesting and less compelling version of Flamefall。 Like in Babel， there's also a colonial empire antagonist in Flamefall too， and it would have been so easy for the author to depict everyone under that regime as cruel and evil。 But instead we actually see the day to day lives of ordinary people under that regime， how many people have different thoughts and beliefs and ideals and stakes。 In addition we are also shown the lives of people under the "innocent" country and how the government and its people constantly make mistakes and errors and poor choices。 This made for such a richer reading experience because we are shown the full stakes and complex actions of everyone involved， whereas in Babel， there exists no such complexity。 And yes， I know there were a few moments （in the end where everything was crammed in） where the characters began to question their actions， but that ultimately lead to nowhere。 The conclusive message of Babel basically seems to be "white people bad， everything sucks， and then you die" （which is honestly most of literary fiction in general lmao） and that's fine I guess。 Despite all of my above criticisms I will agree that it's a very smart book， and I know that every reader who picks it up will get something different out of it。 I'm happy for them but alas， t'was not for me。 I'm more than ready to read whatever epic fantasy Kuang comes out with next， but I think I'm gonna skip on her lit fic novels from now on。 Oh， and before I cast them out of my memory forever， fuck the footnotes。 。。。more
Khadidja
，
R。 F。 Kuang i am inside your walls
Dana Cartwright
，
Ah， I love a good resistance of an Empire。This is a 10/10 for me。 This book is THICC but I enjoyed every bit of it。 It’s super in your face about colonialism， racism， appropriation， and to be honest that was a huge draw for me。 It was such a satisfying journey to make me， a white woman， think about all the ways I benefit from the indentured servitude of others， let me feel icky about it， and then dazzle me with cool magic—but don’t stop feeling icky， we have a resistance to organize。The characte Ah， I love a good resistance of an Empire。This is a 10/10 for me。 This book is THICC but I enjoyed every bit of it。 It’s super in your face about colonialism， racism， appropriation， and to be honest that was a huge draw for me。 It was such a satisfying journey to make me， a white woman， think about all the ways I benefit from the indentured servitude of others， let me feel icky about it， and then dazzle me with cool magic—but don’t stop feeling icky， we have a resistance to organize。The characters were all interesting， and each had their own motivations and flaws。 The Oxford experience is well-explored， it’s clear even if you skip the intro that Kuang has lived it （or a modern version of it）。The linguistics and localization lessons are well done and interesting。 I loved that the magic system was built around these subjects， both praxis and practical。 I suppose if you’re a person who does not give a hoot about translation and localization， you’ll feel bogged down in these pages， but I hope at least you won’t feel caught off guard by them。 The book is called Babel， after all， with a big ol’ Tower on the cover。For any lover of languages or systems of magic， I fully recommend Babel。 It was a delight to read。 。。。more
Megan
，
Slow to start but a page-turner from about the 50% mark。 Exactly the historical fantasy you'd expect from an Oxford and Cambridge alum now at Yale working on a PhD in languages: intelligent， allusive， and supported by dozens of footnotes。 The author notes at the beginning of the book that the novel is both a love letter and break-up letter to Oxford。 She captures all the romance of the city of dreaming spires， the headiness of being a student at the most prestigious university in the world at th Slow to start but a page-turner from about the 50% mark。 Exactly the historical fantasy you'd expect from an Oxford and Cambridge alum now at Yale working on a PhD in languages: intelligent， allusive， and supported by dozens of footnotes。 The author notes at the beginning of the book that the novel is both a love letter and break-up letter to Oxford。 She captures all the romance of the city of dreaming spires， the headiness of being a student at the most prestigious university in the world at the height of the British empire… as well as the price paid for that intellectual preeminence and imperial wealth by exploited and enslaved nonwhite peoples。 And the continually maintained willful ignorance required by those in power to rationalize that privilege。There are a few narrative threads that remain loose at the end of the novel; it's never clear， for example， what the point of Sterling Jones' character is。 The ending also felt incomplete to me; I'd hoped we'd learn what happened after Robin's final action。 What were the reactions of Letty and the other Babel students/professors？ What were the short- and long-term effects on Oxford， England， and the British empire？ This doesn't appear to be the start of a series， so I guess we may never know。 。。。more
Brittany Damazio
，
The irony that I have no words to explain this experience is…。 hilarious to say the least。 But I shall try。 The writing was beautiful。 The setting was astounding。 The story sucked me in immediately and never let me go。 I finished this a while ago but wanted to wait until I had the right words to explain the beauty of this book， but I still can’t find anything worthy to say！ This is not the sort of book that would normally interest me， but after reading the Poppy War trilogy， I was so very excite The irony that I have no words to explain this experience is…。 hilarious to say the least。 But I shall try。 The writing was beautiful。 The setting was astounding。 The story sucked me in immediately and never let me go。 I finished this a while ago but wanted to wait until I had the right words to explain the beauty of this book， but I still can’t find anything worthy to say！ This is not the sort of book that would normally interest me， but after reading the Poppy War trilogy， I was so very excited。 If you love Dark Academia， READ THIS BOOK。 If you don’t， READ THIS BOOK。 This book was a masterpiece from beginning to end。 。。。more
larasbookcase
，
An absolute masterpiece from start to finish， R。F。Kuang has woven an intricate tale that kept me hooked from page one， blending dark academia and historical fiction seamlessly。 The issues raised in this book were thought provoking and harrowing to read， but important to do so as it's really opened my mind。 I assume （well， I'm desperately hoping！） that there will be a sequel！ An absolute masterpiece from start to finish， R。F。Kuang has woven an intricate tale that kept me hooked from page one， blending dark academia and historical fiction seamlessly。 The issues raised in this book were thought provoking and harrowing to read， but important to do so as it's really opened my mind。 I assume （well， I'm desperately hoping！） that there will be a sequel！ 。。。more
Lucy
，
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC。The Poppy War trilogy is one of my favourite series of recent times， so when I heard Rebecca Kuang was writing a book based on the academic world of Oxford， I was all in。 And this doesn't disappoint。 I think the comparisons to The Secret History and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell are very astute， particularly the latter - if you don't like JSaMN then you aren't going to like this。 You probably also need a vague interest （if not grounding in） li Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC。The Poppy War trilogy is one of my favourite series of recent times， so when I heard Rebecca Kuang was writing a book based on the academic world of Oxford， I was all in。 And this doesn't disappoint。 I think the comparisons to The Secret History and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell are very astute， particularly the latter - if you don't like JSaMN then you aren't going to like this。 You probably also need a vague interest （if not grounding in） linguistics as well， otherwise the text risks being pretty dense。But I loved it。 Kuang deftly entangles issues of colonialism and imperialism with language while also telling a compelling story。 Robin's story will be familiar to anyone who's tried to fit in with a system that blatantly privileges anything white and Western and exploits anything else to imperial advantage。 I also really liked the way Letty's story was dealt with and the way Kuang refused to make excuses for her behaviour。 This book definitely will not be everyone's cup of tea， but I think it's an excellent entry into the current canon of authors exploring the legacies of empire。 。。。more
Reader at Work
，
Review to come soon
Sylvie
，
Publish date: COMING SOON！ — August 23， 2022⭐️⭐️💫Robin Swift， orphaned by cholera in Canton， is brought to London by a mysterious benefactor， Professor Lovell， where he trains for years in Latin， Greek， and Chinese， in preparation for the day he will attend the Royal Institute of Translation （aka Babel） at Oxford University。 Babel is the center of silver-working， where enchanted silver bars keep England as the most powerful country。 As systemic racism， colonialism， and the increasing divide betw Publish date: COMING SOON！ — August 23， 2022⭐️⭐️💫Robin Swift， orphaned by cholera in Canton， is brought to London by a mysterious benefactor， Professor Lovell， where he trains for years in Latin， Greek， and Chinese， in preparation for the day he will attend the Royal Institute of Translation （aka Babel） at Oxford University。 Babel is the center of silver-working， where enchanted silver bars keep England as the most powerful country。 As systemic racism， colonialism， and the increasing divide between the wealthy and poor become more apparent to Robin， he must choose between the beautiful utopia Oxford provides and joining a revolution of change。 I am going to be in the minority when I say that I did not enjoy this book。 😬 Perhaps I’m not highbrow enough or intellectual enough but the book was incredibly long and way too slow for me。 While I enjoyed the plot premise and the astute commentary about systemic racism， unequal global resource hoarding， xenophobia， white privilege， and colonialism; and while the word etymology and meanings were interesting， I would have appreciated that part in less detail as well。 Read this book if you enjoy dark academia， have a passion for words， languages， or translations — and you are interested in reading a book with insightful commentary about social injustices。Thank you to @netgalley @avonbooks and @harpervoyagerus for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jenna Christine
，
Screaming crying applauding this book brought me to my knees and also made me want to curse this fucked up world and also want to save it at the same time？ Yeah it’s a good one。 A modern classic。 Okay I’m gonna go cry some more。
Beth Cato
，
I received an advance copy via NetGalley。Babel is a complicated work of fantasy， and requires a complicated review。 It takes place in an alt history 19th century， wherein the might of the British empire is being empowered through the strength of magic derived from the use of silver and linguistic word play。 The narrative primarily follows Robin， born and raised in China。 After his mother dies， he's taken in by a white Oxford professor and brought to England， where his linguistic skills are culti I received an advance copy via NetGalley。Babel is a complicated work of fantasy， and requires a complicated review。 It takes place in an alt history 19th century， wherein the might of the British empire is being empowered through the strength of magic derived from the use of silver and linguistic word play。 The narrative primarily follows Robin， born and raised in China。 After his mother dies， he's taken in by a white Oxford professor and brought to England， where his linguistic skills are cultivated with a goal of eventual education at the great tower known as Babel in Oxford。 As a work of research， this book is masterful。 Kuang knows languages， knows Oxford， and this is a novel that word geeks will delight in。。。 or like me， delight in to a point。 The book succeeds in channeling an academic voice， footnotes and all， and is a slog to read。 The plot isn't big on action， but on revelation。 The deep criticism of colonialism and empire-building is fascinating， educational， and quite often horrific， because it's very clear that everything is based on fact even if given a magical bent。 The characters are incredibly well-done， too， complex and real。 If you've read Kuang's other books， you know she handles the dark shades of people with deftness， and she does so again here。The book slowly yet surely built up to an ending that left me surprised only in that the major point of plot resolution was blatant very early on。 I expected it to go a different way but it didn't， leaving me feeling flat at the conclusion。 。。。more
Michelle
，
"One thing united them all – without Babel， they had nowhere in this country to go。 They’d been chosen for privileges they couldn’t have ever imagined， funded by powerful and wealthy men whose motives they did not fully understand， and they were acutely aware these could be lost at any moment。 That precariousness made them simultaneously bold and terrified。 They had the keys to the kingdom; they did not want to give them back。"Robin is brought from Canton to London under the tutelage of Professo "One thing united them all – without Babel， they had nowhere in this country to go。 They’d been chosen for privileges they couldn’t have ever imagined， funded by powerful and wealthy men whose motives they did not fully understand， and they were acutely aware these could be lost at any moment。 That precariousness made them simultaneously bold and terrified。 They had the keys to the kingdom; they did not want to give them back。"Robin is brought from Canton to London under the tutelage of Professor Lovell yo Babel。 Babel is a center for translation。 It is also the main source of silver， a magical element with many uses。To me， this book is basically in two parts （it's actually split into several mini books）。 The first part follows Robin and his classmates as they study translation。 This basically reads like an academic paper。 It is long and frankly a slog to get through。 I found myself flipping through as fast as possible。 It's clear that the author is an expert in this area。 If I was interested in translation at all I would probably find this interesting。 But I'm not and I didn't after The first few pages。 The second part is where things take an interesting turn。 That's where this book becomes more of a dark academia story with a taste of revolution in it as well。 So reviewing this story is tough for me because it didn't feel like one cohesive story。 Overall I'll give it 3。5 stars。Thank you netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
beverley ♡
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thank you harpervoyager uk for the arc， i already know this will be five stars luv
Mary
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Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC！ I'm not sure that I have the words to properly convey my thoughts about this book。 I found the magic system to be fascinating and grounded， but the heart of the book was/is the characters， the relationships and the focus on colonialism。 This book has dark academia vibes if you are into that， but it is not dark academia。 I wish I had better words， because I feel like this book deserves a lot of praise and attention。 This book is one that will st Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC！ I'm not sure that I have the words to properly convey my thoughts about this book。 I found the magic system to be fascinating and grounded， but the heart of the book was/is the characters， the relationships and the focus on colonialism。 This book has dark academia vibes if you are into that， but it is not dark academia。 I wish I had better words， because I feel like this book deserves a lot of praise and attention。 This book is one that will stay with me for a long time。 It's haunting and affecting， and I simply loved it。 。。。more
Cassy
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Who recommended this book to me: GR newsletter， intrigued by （but also wary of） comparison to Susanna Clarke
jelai
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rf kuang the woman you are。。。
Brenna Peirson
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Usually， when I love a book I will breeze through it in a week or so。 Babel took me about 2 months to get through， but not because I didn't enjoy it。 This story was so different from what I expected and I wanted to savor the story and the characters。 This book deserves to be savored。 The unique magic/science aspect of silver working and etymology creates a complex world around language， race， and colonialism。 I was recommending this book before I even finished it。 A must-read for those who enjoy Usually， when I love a book I will breeze through it in a week or so。 Babel took me about 2 months to get through， but not because I didn't enjoy it。 This story was so different from what I expected and I wanted to savor the story and the characters。 This book deserves to be savored。 The unique magic/science aspect of silver working and etymology creates a complex world around language， race， and colonialism。 I was recommending this book before I even finished it。 A must-read for those who enjoy fiction and nonfiction alike。 。。。more
TheEuphoricZat
，
I made the bold statement on my Instagram， that this book is one of the best books I have read in the last five years。 And I only say that because the themes covered in this book go beyond any other fantasy， fiction and non-fiction that I have ever read。 It does it in such a blatant way without hiding， coding or mystifying it。 I mean Kuang， really said， this is how we contribute and uphold to imperialism and white supremacy and that we are the only ones who can do something about it！I am 100% su I made the bold statement on my Instagram， that this book is one of the best books I have read in the last five years。 And I only say that because the themes covered in this book go beyond any other fantasy， fiction and non-fiction that I have ever read。 It does it in such a blatant way without hiding， coding or mystifying it。 I mean Kuang， really said， this is how we contribute and uphold to imperialism and white supremacy and that we are the only ones who can do something about it！I am 100% sure that my review will NOT do the genius of this book justice but I will try my best。 Before I start my review， I want you to hold the question below in mind; What role do people in diaspora play in promoting imperialism and white supremacy？I decided to divide this review into two parts; the first part will be a general review of the plot and characters; the second part will dive in a bit more into the themes presented and my general feelings about the book。Part OneBeginning in 1828， we meet Robin Swift sitting by his dead mother， he himself about to succumb to the Asiatic Cholera which is about to wipe out the whole of Canton， China。 He is saved by Professor Lovell using a silver bar。 Upon signing an agreement， Lovell takes Robin to London where he learns Latin， Greek and Chinese in preparation for the day he enrols in the Oxford University's Royal Institute of Translation （Babel）。London， in this speculative fantastical universe is a mechanical warhorse， with silver-works holding and running the entire city; which is why it is called the 'Silver City'- it is leading the world in imports， industry and technology。 But Kuang is quick to remind us of the dichotomy of the city; housing the richest rich and the poorest poor！We get to see what Lovell actually thinks of people， according to him Chinese people are "by nature， foolish， weak-minded， and disinclined to hard work" and his group of friends think that "obsession with abolition is a product of the British needing to at least feel culturally superior now that they've lost America" and they would be right， if only they saw the irony in calling African Kings tyrants when they are the ones stealing， raping and dehumanizing Africans。 In summary， Lovell is a piece of sh*t。 [Read the book for more breakdowns of his foolishness]。The years soon fly by with Robin learning all the languages and enrolling at Babel。 I could almost feel Robin's relief at being admitted to Babel， considering how suffocating living at Lovell's place was for him。 He meets his cohort （Ramy， Victoire and Letty） who become his only friends in Babel; majorly because they had very little time to socialise and when they did attend social events they felt like cattle propped up for sale （well except Letty; but I will get into that later）。With each class， lecture， test， semester and examination; they grow closer and they learn a lot more about languages， the power of translation and the role Babel plays in upholding （and in some cases creating and fuelling） British imperial expansion。 But before the realities of it become a conscious thought for Robin， he enjoys Babel （as there are other people like him who make up the studentship of Babel; children and students who have be yanked away from their country because of their knowledge of their language， to serve the Empire - the irony of it is not lost on me）。 That is until he meets Griffin Lovell （yes， Griffin is Professor Lovell's son and so is Robin）。 Griffin basically invites Robin to be a part of the Hermes society; a society that is against the empire， sabotaging the silver-working that forms the pillar of the empire's expansion and what it stands for。Robin is conflicted and that is expected， but soon he starts to help them out。 But the question is how long can he secretly help them from within Babel and how much does his contributions actually stop the expansion of the empire？！Now for his friends; Ramy （Ramiz Rafi Mirza） is from Calcutta and can speak multiple languages including but not limited to Arabic， Persian and Urdu。 He is Robin's roommate and the both of them share a special bond。 Ramy is fun， loving and in most situations he does not give a flying f**k！ I love him a lot。 Unlike Robin， his skin colour makes him an immediate target of derision and racism。 Then we have Victoire （Victoire Desgraves） born in Haiti but raised in Paris， she is a survival tactic on wheels， she had it a lot worse being Black and a woman （double homicide）， she was fun， strong and so kind-hearted。 I don't think I need to spell out the fact that even though slavery had been abolished in Britain by the time she started at Babel， she was till subjected to racism and dehumanization not just by people outside Babel but by some professors in Babel！ Then we have Letty （Letitia Price）， honestly I don't know where to start with her （This is my personal opinion but Letty really brought on the white woman Karen energy - You read the book and tell me I am wrong！）， as a girl who has not been appreciated by her father， she had to fight her way to Babel。 Similar like Victoire， she had to hide her femininity to fit into Babel; being overlooked and yes， the misogyny was on high alert at Babel。 She was fun， hardworking and loving。I， personally think that Letty was a good example of how white women fuel the patriarchy！ I mean her whole life she has been subdued and rarely had a voice of her own， you would think that she would understand her friends better。 Instead， it fuelled in her a need to be like the men in her life to prove that she was better than her brother， in so doing handing over the tools for the destruction of minority groups （Read the book and tell me I am wrong）。Overall this book had such a great cast of characters and I am not talking just about morality but diversity （not just skin colour and gender） but of thought。 Kuang does such a great job presenting this diversity that with each character you continue to question and reassess their contribution to the current state of the Empire。 Even the most racist and the most dehumanising character could not be excused as just that because you come to realise that dismissal does not equate to their non-existence。 And that existence contributes to the propagation of the Empire。Part TwoTypically when I read fiction， I tend to view the ideas and characters presented in the larger scheme of things。 Because no matter how hard we try to dichotomise literature， there is always truth in the fiction and fantasy。 I have broken down my thoughts on 4 main points; Migration & Diaspora: Take for example， the role people in diaspora （like myself） play in promoting Britain today。 We travel from our home countries for 'green pastures' （immediately insinuating that there must be something wrong in our countries [which in most cases there usually is; and it tends to be the fault of the west propagation in said countries] and that in some way Britain can offer us something that our countries can't; thereby selling the idea that Britain is better than our homes） taking our intelligence， resources， language， culture and identity and using that to fuel and push Britain's imperialism。 And this is me speaking in 2022; this is not a fantastical archaic construct but something that is happening today。 This is one of the reasons， I say Kuang is a genius。 This book obliterates the dichotomy; setting and blending history， current day politics by exploring the power of language。 Language， Capitalism & Imperial Expansion: Kuang said "Language is an infinite resource" and just like every other commodity， it is subject to capitalism and looting。 Take for example; Babel is an organisation， which has its own personal gains such as making silver works that will only last a while so that consumers can keep coming to ask for repairs， thereby making money; but they also create silver works with match pairs that can level an entire country， guns that fire so many rounds， ships that sail fast etc。 These match pairs that they use employ words from countries that they plan to use their products against。 They bring over students from all over the world to translate languages to English but that in itself is a "Betrayal。 Translation means doing violence upon the original， means warping and distorting it for foreign， unintended eyes"。 Imagine translating the sacred words of your people for the empire to use it against your home。I think the funniest （not really） part of this book was when the Chinese reverse uno-ed the British。 There's nothing that those Chinamen want， apparently， except opium"。 The British want China's Silver but the Chinese want nothing from the British; so they flood Canton with Opium， which the Chinese government is cracking down on; when the Chinese show their power and independence， the British cannot handle it！ It is the kind of political mind game I love it see。 I mean you can still see it today; with the Chinese great firewall and the tight grip that the CCP have over China; the West cannot！ Patriarchy & Eurocentrism: this book does a great job exploring not just patriarchy as a construct but how it is being upheld by eurocentrism。 Eurocentrism can be defined 'as an attitude， conceptual apparatus， or set of empirical beliefs （which means that there is a vast evidence of experiences to back it up） that frame Europe as the primary engine and architect of word history， the bearer of universal values and reason， and the pinnacle and therefore model or progress and development （Sundberg， 2009）。 Take for example Letty， her character was such a good portrayal of how Eurocentric white female fragility is employed as a tool to subjugate and 'enslave' people。 Sure she was going through a lot of things， some would argue that she was blinded by her pain and yes， I understand but it felt like her pain took priority over others。 She was quick to rely on her fragile helplessness when her voice and power as a privileged white woman was required。 She could not understand why her friends where not happy; she could not see that while slavery was abolished， her Black roommate was still not allowed to use the communal toilets; she mentioned all the charity and humanitarian works that are being done without considering that the need for those charities arose because of the empire。 Furthermore， she did not consider （honestly， she could not fathom） all the 'civilizing missions' aimed at making Aboriginals behave like proper Christians was a form of subjugation [Honestly， this is one of my issues with Christian missionaries who go into Indigenous communities where there presence is not wanted！]。 They believe they are the moral standard and everyone else need to follow。 It was all just confusing to Letty， and the patriarchy is banking on that confusion！ Slavery & The Bottom Line: They abolish slavery but still sell 'chattel' silver bars that are used in chaining slaves。 The call for abolition went on long before the emancipation act was published; so what did they do differently， what changed the mind of parliament。 It is definitely not because they had a change of heart or they gained some moral perspective， no， it is because it was hurting their bottom line。 Even when people took to the British public about the horrors they were experiencing "They needed to see how grotesque it was。 And even then， it took them decades to finally outlaw the trade" and why is that？！ because it had not hurt the bottom line enough！So when you consider all these， you realise that Griffin was right "Violence is the only language they understand， because their system of extraction is inherently violent。 Violence shocks the system。" - they took the language， silver and people with violence and it can only be reclaimed by violence （the only universal language they understand）。Hence， the title;BABEL OR THE NECESSITY OF VIOLENCE: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution。*Thanks to Harper Voyager for making an ARC of this book available to me！ 。。。more
Mahmuttcansd
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https://www。ucuzhizmetbul。com/ https://www。ucuzhizmetbul。com/ 。。。more
Ariana Weldon
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This chonky book took me the better part of half a month and all I can say is it was so worth it。 R F Kuang has done it again。 She gave us a rich world， admittedly built in an existing city but we'll ignore that， full of conflict， crisis， lovable characters you're cheering for and also packed it full of emotional turmoil。 The book starts slow with Robin adjusting to life in the UK after a tragic circumstance in Canton。 Of course he reaches Oxford， his goal that he has toiled for since arriving i This chonky book took me the better part of half a month and all I can say is it was so worth it。 R F Kuang has done it again。 She gave us a rich world， admittedly built in an existing city but we'll ignore that， full of conflict， crisis， lovable characters you're cheering for and also packed it full of emotional turmoil。 The book starts slow with Robin adjusting to life in the UK after a tragic circumstance in Canton。 Of course he reaches Oxford， his goal that he has toiled for since arriving in the UK with Professor Lovel， surely this is good news and the start of bigger and better things！ Certainly bigger。 Once in Babel， Robin finds his feet with his cohort Ramy， Victoire and Letty。 These four share so much in their time together and it is woven with complications that can only come from close friend's relying on each other， for better or worse in this case。 Within his cohort and the walls of Babel， Robin really finds his inner conflict of being Chinese in a British world and， like all foreigners in Babel， the constant spiel of 'But you're one of the good ones' dribbling out of British men's mouths。 The question is: Do you argue for your identity or don't rock the boat because everyone insists you should be grateful for what you've been given？ This question is where conflict really grows and the Hermes society gets its strength and that is wielded as a slow build and burn of successes and catastrophe at once。 The book focuses Robin Swift but the short interludes for Ramy， Victoire and Letty fill in some gaps that cannot be ignored。 They are wonderfully woven in to answer our questions 'What happened？ What did they do？ Wait， what？！'， giving extra context and background where you didn't think R F Kuang could fit anymore context and background。 You can see R F Kuang's scholarly ability shine throughout the book， her footnotes and detailed explanations of wording， history and historical figures only add to the richness of the story （I also learned a lot about things I may never use outside of a very intense pub quiz）。 I will admit that this sometimes does slow down the story and drag on in certain parts of the book but by the end you cannot imagine it written any other way。 It all pieces together to become a fantastic， and somewhat devastating， end to our new favourite characters。 。。。more
Kai Kelly
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I haven’t even read the blurb yet， and I just know that when this book is released I will be holed up in my room until I finish。
esme
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dnf for a second time at the 50% mark…。WILL TRY AGAIN WHEN ITS OUT IN AUGUST
Suppi
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i truly don't think i have the words to express how much i loved this book。 which in itself， is pretty fitting， considering what it's about。 i truly don't think i have the words to express how much i loved this book。 which in itself， is pretty fitting， considering what it's about。 。。。more
Claire
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I spent so much time wondering why this book wasn’t working for me。 I love dark academic books。 I love wizarding school books。 This magic system is interesting because it deals with words， but there was too much lecturing about etymology to the point where there might be a quiz later。 R。 F。 Kuang put all her creative energy into the magic components that she forgot the characterizations。 This book unflinchingly examines England's racism， colonialism， and sexism during the 19th century。 I respect I spent so much time wondering why this book wasn’t working for me。 I love dark academic books。 I love wizarding school books。 This magic system is interesting because it deals with words， but there was too much lecturing about etymology to the point where there might be a quiz later。 R。 F。 Kuang put all her creative energy into the magic components that she forgot the characterizations。 This book unflinchingly examines England's racism， colonialism， and sexism during the 19th century。 I respect Kuang for not having a problem making the reader uncomfortable with the ugliness of a time and place usually romanticized。 My problem is that when we first meet the characters that will be Robin’s friend group for the rest of the book， Robin narrates that one of them betrays him。 The book is not subtle about who it could possibly be。 After the halfway mark， when the book starts to pick up steam， I wondered if the betrayal would happen at this scene or maybe this scene。 Nope， it’s going to be this scene。 If there weren’t that line at the beginning， that betrayal wouldn’t have been so anti-climactic。 It confuses me。 As her world-building demonstrates， Kuang is a talented writer， but the characters were flat。This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review。 。。。more
Marisa Swann
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[ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review]Word by word — like brick by brick — are books born and tales told。 Words， while being the raw material of any story， do not just serve the purpose of narrating in Babel， they are the subject and currency of this world， making our reading experience an original and knowledgeable one。 Rebecca F。 Kuang creates a complex story where she reminds us of the power words hold and grant to those who master them。 More than tools [ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review]Word by word — like brick by brick — are books born and tales told。 Words， while being the raw material of any story， do not just serve the purpose of narrating in Babel， they are the subject and currency of this world， making our reading experience an original and knowledgeable one。 Rebecca F。 Kuang creates a complex story where she reminds us of the power words hold and grant to those who master them。 More than tools to express oneself， they can maintain or destroy the status quo just as bricks can build or be thrown。 A fantastic read where linguistics is accessible and truly magical。 A masterpiece of the dark academia genre。 。。。more
Katie
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