Fantasy

Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution

Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-27 09:54:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：R.F. Kuang
  • ISBN：0063021420
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Summary

Traduttore， traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal。

1828。 Robin Swift， orphaned by cholera in Canton， is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell。 There， he trains for years in Latin， Ancient Greek， and Chinese， all in preparation for the day he'll enroll in Oxford University's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation — also known as Babel。

Babel is the world's center of translation and， more importantly， of silver-working: the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation through enchanted silver bars， to magical effect。 Silver-working has made the British Empire unparalleled in power， and Babel's research in foreign languages serves the Empire's quest to colonize everything it encounters。

Oxford， the city of dreaming spires， is a fairytale for Robin; a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge。 But knowledge serves power， and for Robin， a Chinese boy raised in Britain， serving Babel inevitably means betraying his motherland。 As his studies progress Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society， an organization dedicated to sabotaging the silver-working that supports imperial expansion。 When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium， Robin must decide: Can powerful institutions be changed from within， or does revolution always require violence？ What is he willing to sacrifice to bring Babel down？

Babel — a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal response to Jonathan Strange & Mr。 Norrell — grapples with student revolutions， colonial resistance， and the use of translation as a tool of empire。

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Reviews

Allie ，

Babel， or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by RF Kuang， is a beautifully written， lyrical novel。 Set in an alternate 1830s Oxford where the art of translation creates magic， Babel explores language， magic， power， and colonization。 Kuang creates a rich cast of characters that you feel deeply about， loving them or hating them based on the character。 But all of them are fascinating， complicated characters in whom you become deeply invested。 Along wi Babel， or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by RF Kuang， is a beautifully written， lyrical novel。 Set in an alternate 1830s Oxford where the art of translation creates magic， Babel explores language， magic， power， and colonization。 Kuang creates a rich cast of characters that you feel deeply about， loving them or hating them based on the character。 But all of them are fascinating， complicated characters in whom you become deeply invested。 Along with a rich cast of characters， Kuang does a brilliant job of world-building and takes a familiar location and expands on it to fit in this new world version。 I could not put this book down; equality excited about what would happen next and what exciting new tidbit I would learn about etymology。 I highly recommend this book， especially to those who love Dark Academia。 5/5Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for an eARC of this book。 。。。more

Kelly ，

Fantastic book！ I devoured it in a day。 Very cleverly written， but I love anything by this author。

Eileen Mackintosh ，

I read an ARC provided by the publisher。 There is a release date of August 23， 2022。This was a relatively quick read for me even at 542 pages。 I will say I don’t think it needed to be quite so long but it was an engaging and thought provoking book。 It has many things I enjoy…。historical setting， lots about words and language， interesting characters and learning opportunities。 I am not an avid fantasy reader but the fantasy aspect of this story was easy on me and propelled the plot。 This is partl I read an ARC provided by the publisher。 There is a release date of August 23， 2022。This was a relatively quick read for me even at 542 pages。 I will say I don’t think it needed to be quite so long but it was an engaging and thought provoking book。 It has many things I enjoy…。historical setting， lots about words and language， interesting characters and learning opportunities。 I am not an avid fantasy reader but the fantasy aspect of this story was easy on me and propelled the plot。 This is partly a story about the British Empire and its expansion through its benefits gained by means of slavery in a variety of forms。 With four students as the main characters， one white and three people of colour， it is also partly a story about racism。 One line that will stay with me is: “It took him a moment to realize what it was that grated on him， and when he did， it would bother him constantly， now and thereafter; it would seem a great paradox， the fact that after everything they had told Letty， all the pain they had shared， she was the one who needed comfort。” #indigoemployee 。。。more

bee ʚïɞ ，

i feel like i’m gonna be too dumb to fully understand this but i’m gonna try， gosh damn it

Clara Lew ，

I knew I had to read this book when R。F。 Kuang said that Babel was basically a Kitay au。 I need more unhinged Kitay content！！ I knew I had to read this book when R。F。 Kuang said that Babel was basically a Kitay au。 I need more unhinged Kitay content！！ 。。。more

Kayle MacDowell ，

I’m usually such a fast reader but I wanted to cherish this book… it’s one of those that has left a mark on my soulThe queen of fantasy is now becoming the queen of dark academia… I absolutely fell in love with these characters and loved watching them find themselves。 I felt what they were feeling and could hear my heart rip when theirs did。 R。F。 Kuang brilliantly interweaves history and fiction。 This book is perfect for fans of the atlas six that also say f the man！！！！！

Rachelle ，

I’m kind of mixed on this book—on the one hand， I adored the magic system， the world was really cool， and I truly loved the look into the origins of words。 The academia part of this was spot on。I do feel like the characters themselves could have used some more development however， as did the secret society。 There were points where I was utterly confused by everyone’s motivations-and not in a “the author is purposefully trying to do this” kind of way—and didn’t quite understand the point of certa I’m kind of mixed on this book—on the one hand， I adored the magic system， the world was really cool， and I truly loved the look into the origins of words。 The academia part of this was spot on。I do feel like the characters themselves could have used some more development however， as did the secret society。 There were points where I was utterly confused by everyone’s motivations-and not in a “the author is purposefully trying to do this” kind of way—and didn’t quite understand the point of certain things。 While I did appreciate the academia side of things， I also feel like the characters and plot got sacrificed in a lot of ways in favor of that。 My other biggest frustration—and this is less this book in particular and more as a bigger problem in fiction as a whole—is that there was a similar theme based plot twist in this as there was in Poppy War， which ultimately made this very predictable。 But that’s a me thing probably and I doubt few people are actually going to notice/care about that。Overall， I did really enjoy this， and it was definitely worth the read。 。。。more

Skyler ，

Babel is a dark academia set in an alternate 1830's Oxford where translation and silverworking manifests magic。 Babel is an impressive work that focuses on themes of colonialism， oppression， academia， and racism。 When I first read the synopsis I was so excited for this book。 I love languages， so combining that with an indictment of colonialism and racism sounded like a story I would love。 Unfortunately， the story didn't quite work for me。 My biggest issue with the book was pacing。 The first 50% Babel is a dark academia set in an alternate 1830's Oxford where translation and silverworking manifests magic。 Babel is an impressive work that focuses on themes of colonialism， oppression， academia， and racism。 When I first read the synopsis I was so excited for this book。 I love languages， so combining that with an indictment of colonialism and racism sounded like a story I would love。 Unfortunately， the story didn't quite work for me。 My biggest issue with the book was pacing。 The first 50% of the book was slow。 It finally picked up after the halfway point， but by that time I was tired。 It also suffered from a lot of info dumping。 I had to really be in the right mood to pick this book up because reading it often felt like going to a linguistic class。 Kuang is obviously brilliant and you can tell that this book is inspired by her own academic background; it just sometimes seemed that she wanted to do so much and she didn't know how to do that without dumping so much information on the reader at one time。 One thing that Kuang excelled at in this book was not shying away from what she wanted to say about colonization， oppression， and racism within academia。 She wrote exactly what she wanted to say without hiding it behind flowery prose or metaphors。 Robin （the main character） and his character arc are other areas that really shined within the story。 He went from feeling like he needed to stay safely hidden within the comfort of Babel to openly defying the institution he thought was his home。 Overall， I liked this book and I think it's such an important story， but I didn't love it; however， if you look at other reviews I'm clearly in the minority。 If you like dark academia pick this up when it's released later this summer！ Thank you NetGalley， Harper Voyager， and RF Kuang for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more

Margaret ，

RF Kuang said everyone in this book will suffer for 500+ pages and you will thank me

Raynee ，

I would sell my soul for an arc of this book

Susana Zemlyakova ，

A beautiful， dark， and thought-provoking fantasy that explores coming-of-age， etymology， colonization， immigration， white supremacy， industrial evolution， and finally revolution。 This is not a light read at 560 pages and as some reviews suggest Ms。 Kuang takes a painstakingly detailed brush to Oxford and etymology -- but I ate this all up。 English is not my first language and learning English after learning Russian was challenge。 Why is laid pronounced like paid but said is pronounced like bread A beautiful， dark， and thought-provoking fantasy that explores coming-of-age， etymology， colonization， immigration， white supremacy， industrial evolution， and finally revolution。 This is not a light read at 560 pages and as some reviews suggest Ms。 Kuang takes a painstakingly detailed brush to Oxford and etymology -- but I ate this all up。 English is not my first language and learning English after learning Russian was challenge。 Why is laid pronounced like paid but said is pronounced like bread？ Why is the order of adjectives （which is an unspoken agreement）: opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose Noun？ The book dives into how the English language （through colonization） has evolved and absorbed languages。 The influence slang and class have on etymology。 But also introduces a magic system based on linguistic anthropology。 At the center of this， we have four incredible scholars from various backgrounds all eager to prove themselves for very different reasons。 As we learn more about Ramy， Robin， Victoire， and Letty， we learn how drastically different this group of friends is and how these differences reflect their upbringing， class， race， and also the current political climate。 Inevitably these differences lead to a rift amongst friends and also the sparks of revolution。 Which all culminates in betrayal， murder， and more。 I won't say more to not give any plot twists away。 However， if you are familiar with Ms。 Kuang's other series， The Poppy War -- you should not be surprised that this is not a light or romantic tale。 It is not nearly as graphic as The Poppy War which portrays （in a fantastical setting） some of the atrocities of the Sino-Japanese War。While great detail was added to Oxford， the universities， language and more I would have loved to see more development of some of the characters。 In particularly Victorie， whose past， projects， and feelings we discover in Act 4/5。 Alas I also understand why it was necessary to highlight/exaggerate some of the other characters given the novel is alreay over 500+ pages。 Finally， interwoven with the painstaking detail to is dialogue that ties it all together even with bits of humor。 And I'll leave you with this gem:‘You know，’ said Robin， ‘there’s a Chinese character， xiǎn，* which can mean “rare， fresh， and tasty”。 But it can also mean “meagre and scanty”。’ Ramy spat the truffle into a napkin。 ‘Your point？’ ‘Sometimes rare and expensive things are worse。’ Ps。 This masterpiece is a standalone。 A rarity amongst high fantasy。 That alone deserves recognition。 Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for an e-arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

fatima ，

this was absolutely insane i wouldn’t hesitate to call it the best book i’ve ever read

Marie -The Reading Otter ，

Review:https://pagestoexplore。blogspot。com/2。。。 Review:https://pagestoexplore。blogspot。com/2。。。 。。。more

minuyeva ，

RTC。 4。5

Terry Who ，

What an absolutely spectacular book。 While definitely not for everyone I adored every page of it。 As an acquired bilingual person （meaning that I’m not for a bilingual family， but I’ve acquired fluency in a second langhe outside of my home） this is the first time I read a book that sees language in the same way I do。 Language is not just worlds， it’s people， it’s community and it’s colture。 Language is not something you simply speak， you have to live a language to properly understand it， and thi What an absolutely spectacular book。 While definitely not for everyone I adored every page of it。 As an acquired bilingual person （meaning that I’m not for a bilingual family， but I’ve acquired fluency in a second langhe outside of my home） this is the first time I read a book that sees language in the same way I do。 Language is not just worlds， it’s people， it’s community and it’s colture。 Language is not something you simply speak， you have to live a language to properly understand it， and this is what Babel is about。 Babel is about the pain， the violence and the inaccuracy of translation。 It’s a book for every acquired bilingual person and for anyone that lives away from the colture in which they were raised。This is also a book for the amateur linguists out there， the language nerds that marvel at how words interact and play with each other。If you love language， all of babel’s 500 pages are an ode to it。 。。。more

Gretal ，

This was very good。 I keep typing out sentences， trying to translate my thoughts， but none can really capture what I want to say。 So I guess Iwill keep this review short and just conclude it with the fact that I highly recommend this。

Katie ，

I apologize in advance to everyone in my life that is going to have to listen to me for the foreseeable future because I will not be shutting up about this book。I am such a huge fan of The Poppy War， and this was a fantastic follow-up to that series。 It had so many of the aspects that I loved about R。 F。 Kuang's writing with the addition of a new range of characters and a sense of further refinement to her prose。 She has a way of creating these unique and fascinating magic systems that really tr I apologize in advance to everyone in my life that is going to have to listen to me for the foreseeable future because I will not be shutting up about this book。I am such a huge fan of The Poppy War， and this was a fantastic follow-up to that series。 It had so many of the aspects that I loved about R。 F。 Kuang's writing with the addition of a new range of characters and a sense of further refinement to her prose。 She has a way of creating these unique and fascinating magic systems that really transport you into the story， and Babel's world was no exception。 I love language and translation studies to begin with， and the way that Kuang used linguistic nuances to bring about this incredible magic was better than I could have ever hoped for。 She also handled the colonialist and classist implications of magic so well and married it into the world seamlessly。 All in all， I adored this book- a huge thank you to the R。 F。 Kuang and the publisher for the advanced copy！ 。。。more

Courtney ，

Holy fucking shit

skylar ，

4。75 starsdefinitely rfk's most ambitious book to date。 the world building is rich and the characters， even the hated ones， are complex and well written。 my only complaint is that the pattern of the book's plot is too similar to the poppy war series 4。75 starsdefinitely rfk's most ambitious book to date。 the world building is rich and the characters， even the hated ones， are complex and well written。 my only complaint is that the pattern of the book's plot is too similar to the poppy war series 。。。more

Kimi Loughlin ，

I haven't been this invested in a book in a log time。 Kuang's world of Babel is deliciously deep with well-researched and crafted translations。 I am obsessed with the idea that magic can exist between like words of different languages。 Kuang's examination of class and race in 19th century England shines a lot of light on our current world and her writing is utterly entrancing。 I couldn't recommend highly enough！ I haven't been this invested in a book in a log time。 Kuang's world of Babel is deliciously deep with well-researched and crafted translations。 I am obsessed with the idea that magic can exist between like words of different languages。 Kuang's examination of class and race in 19th century England shines a lot of light on our current world and her writing is utterly entrancing。 I couldn't recommend highly enough！ 。。。more

Julie ，

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the copy of Babel。 I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book in the beginning， but I was entranced by the beautiful writing that made the characters and places come alive。 This is an epic novel that covers many years and subjects。 At the heart is language， magic， politics， racism and misogyny。 Also epic because it was long and it took a while to get to the actual story。 Once I got into the story， I loved it。 The characters leapt off the page Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the copy of Babel。 I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book in the beginning， but I was entranced by the beautiful writing that made the characters and places come alive。 This is an epic novel that covers many years and subjects。 At the heart is language， magic， politics， racism and misogyny。 Also epic because it was long and it took a while to get to the actual story。 Once I got into the story， I loved it。 The characters leapt off the page and into my heart。 If you are looking for a great， immersive read， set some time aside to read this book！ 。。。more

Laura Boland ，

This book was everything I had hoped it would be， and so much more。 It broke my heart in half。 It's a phenomenal study of language， colonization and empire， with incredible world building and characterization。 I am full of anger， grief， and hope。 This book was everything I had hoped it would be， and so much more。 It broke my heart in half。 It's a phenomenal study of language， colonization and empire， with incredible world building and characterization。 I am full of anger， grief， and hope。 。。。more

Zarah Larsson ♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ，

literally cannot think of words rn to describe this book。 wow。 i am so broken。 it was so well written。 the vivid imaginery and descriptions， the fleshed out characters。 i cant。 wow。 that's all。 wow。 literally cannot think of words rn to describe this book。 wow。 i am so broken。 it was so well written。 the vivid imaginery and descriptions， the fleshed out characters。 i cant。 wow。 that's all。 wow。 。。。more

Amanda Belcher ，

There's so much I wanna say about this book but so much I need to process after finishing it at like 2:30 in the morning。 Review to come。This book is revolutionary in every sense。 I am a lover of dark academia and RF Kuang's work， so I've been highly anticipating this one （and definitely screamed when Netgalley gave me an arc）。 R。F。 Kuang is literally a genius。 She's allowed to emotionally damage me any day。The first half of this book is a bit dense with academic lectures at Oxford， learning the There's so much I wanna say about this book but so much I need to process after finishing it at like 2:30 in the morning。 Review to come。This book is revolutionary in every sense。 I am a lover of dark academia and RF Kuang's work， so I've been highly anticipating this one （and definitely screamed when Netgalley gave me an arc）。 R。F。 Kuang is literally a genius。 She's allowed to emotionally damage me any day。The first half of this book is a bit dense with academic lectures at Oxford， learning the etymology of words， etc。 Aside -- Have I ever told y'all about how I took a 300-level classics class my first semester of college because Word Origins sounded fun and it was *surprise* very difficult and a lot of Latin and Greek history？ Glad I scraped by in that class for my GPA's sake and also because it kinda prepared me for this book。 I felt like I was back in school while reading the beginning parts of this and while plot-wise it didn't initially grip me as much as I was hoping， I trusted the process and the book DELIVERED。 All this to say， if you start this book and you're unsure about it for those reasons， stick with it。 Trust。I loved these characters and was on the edge of my seat as their journey through academics at Oxford， secret societies， and colonial resistance。 This book flips the dark academia subgenre on its head and reclaims it in the best way。 This book is at the intersection of historical fiction and speculative fiction and combines them seamlessly。 There were a lot of race， class， and gender things in here that were informative and awful and enlightening and frustratingly similar to our world today。 As the book goes on， you will probably find yourself at the crossroads of chaotic good and evil and raging to burn it all down。I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from Harper Voyager and Netgalley。 Expected publication date is August 23。 。。。more

Martin ，

Five stars。 Absolutely five stars。 For me this is the best historical fantasy novel since Jonathan Strange。 The author is very anti imperialism-nothing subtle ， her principles are absolutely nailed to the mast。 I could compare Babel to The Magicians by Grossman， but I enjoyed this a lot more。 That the research put into translations is absolutely top shelf。 The historical settings ring true as well。 As a book seller this will be one of my favorite titles to recommend this year。 Can’t wait until i Five stars。 Absolutely five stars。 For me this is the best historical fantasy novel since Jonathan Strange。 The author is very anti imperialism-nothing subtle ， her principles are absolutely nailed to the mast。 I could compare Babel to The Magicians by Grossman， but I enjoyed this a lot more。 That the research put into translations is absolutely top shelf。 The historical settings ring true as well。 As a book seller this will be one of my favorite titles to recommend this year。 Can’t wait until it’s published。 。。。more

Adora ，

Actual rating: 3。5。 I struggled with this rating and some of my overall feelings a lot。 The elements I loved about this book， I loved so much。 I love the clear passion that shines through about translations， the premise and magic system， and the writing style。 It's just so easy to get invested in the worlds R。F。 Kuang creates。 A dark academic book that actually tackles the darkness properly: elitism， classism， racism， xenophobia， colonialism。。。 it's genius， and incredibly effective。 Robin is a s Actual rating: 3。5。 I struggled with this rating and some of my overall feelings a lot。 The elements I loved about this book， I loved so much。 I love the clear passion that shines through about translations， the premise and magic system， and the writing style。 It's just so easy to get invested in the worlds R。F。 Kuang creates。 A dark academic book that actually tackles the darkness properly: elitism， classism， racism， xenophobia， colonialism。。。 it's genius， and incredibly effective。 Robin is a strong character—although he’s very different from Rin in some ways， writing fascinating， flawed protagonists is clearly one of the author's biggest strengths。 For me， the problem is that I can’t say the same about the side characters。 Ramy， Victoire， and Letty all had potential， but they felt more like explorations on themes instead of real， complex characters。 I'm a character-driven reader， so my inability to truly get attached to these characters--and even more importantly， the friendships--was a big failing。 Letty probably got the most to do because of what she represented as a wealthy， ultimately privileged white woman。 And a lot of those explorations are interesting and make sense for the story。 The problem with that is two-fold: one， she gets more attention and page time than Victoire and maybe even Ramy， therefore spending more time on the white character。 And two， everything with her is extremely predictable， and therefore loses all emotional impact。 （view spoiler）[The only surprising thing about Letty's betrayal was that she initially supported the other three and went along with their plans。 It's clear that we were never meant to care about the friendships between everyone， and the author was making a different point about a more parasitic， needy relationship dynamic between Letty and the other three。 That's fine and fascinating， but felt unexplored。 Ramy and Victoire were the ones with any particular dynamic with Letty， since she wanted Ramy and was the closest to Victoire。 It felt sort of pointless to spend so much time on her when the POV character and author seemed to dislike her and feel indifferent at the same time。 （hide spoiler）] Victoire deserved a lot more from the narrative， and I wanted her POV to be explored。 She eventually got more in the last 30% of the book， but it still wasn't enough。 Overall， there was a lot of telling， not showing in the character arcs and relationship dynamics。 And I really don’t mind a lack of subtlety when it comes to directly talking about racism and colonialism—sometimes we don’t need vague fantasy metaphors！—but sometimes it felt as if the author were just writing out their thesis instead of having the characters discuss things in a more organic， realistic， and period-appropriate way。 There was also a very dull， repetitive section around the middle。 After the initial period of introducing the characters and the reader to life at Oxford， there was a constant stream of [describing a lesson] [describing how stressed the characters are] [telling but not showing us some group bonding] [describing another lesson] [Letty commits a microaggression and annoys everyone]The end of the book was excellently done， and brought things back to what R。F。 Kuang does best in terms of tying up certain plots while leaving others open-ended， heartwrenching decisions， and all-around great writing。 But it would've been even more impactful if I believed in the core friendships in the book， and felt stronger about Victoire， Ramy， and Letty， not to mention other， more minor side characters。 。。。more

Chelsea ，

Devastating。 R。F。 Kuang really loves breaking her characters and her readers。 The writing makes up for the devastation you experience while reading this book。 It will leave you enraged， educated， hopeful， depressed， numb， and in need of a hug。 Should I be writing this review immediately after finishing the book？ No。 But man， am I in my feels right now。 If the title alone doesn’t give you a hint， this is not going to be a light-hearted， easy to read， fun book。 It’s going to lay the foundations of Devastating。 R。F。 Kuang really loves breaking her characters and her readers。 The writing makes up for the devastation you experience while reading this book。 It will leave you enraged， educated， hopeful， depressed， numb， and in need of a hug。 Should I be writing this review immediately after finishing the book？ No。 But man， am I in my feels right now。 If the title alone doesn’t give you a hint， this is not going to be a light-hearted， easy to read， fun book。 It’s going to lay the foundations of history in a way that will make you think this is how it actually happened。 I found myself looking forward to all the footnotes for more facts or anecdotes on top of the jam packed story。 This is one of the most researched books I’ve ever read and while it feels almost heavy-handed and at times， pretentious at the beginning， it will leave you with a better understanding of injustice， imperialism， language， culture， just everything。 And you will thank it。 This is not a book that you’re going to see fun fanart and memes for， this is going to be a book that readers will recognize the thousand yard stare of others who have finished it。 You know the feeling after finishing the entire Poppy War saga？ Condense that into one standalone book。 Kuang is the first author who writes theme driven stories rather than plot or character。 There’s a feeling to her writing that moves the plot and characters forward that’s undeniably unique。 This book is going to change the genre and I’m going to shove it into so many hands over the coming years。 I can’t wait for the rest of the word to experience it。 。。。more

Nilufer Ozmekik ，

My grey cells on fire！ They are out of order because of information overload。 I never imagined there are so much to discover about the importance of linguistics！ Okay I take it back。 I knew it but the book absolutely made me remind of it！I haven’t read a book as intelligent， intellectual， unconventional， moving， unique as Babel for a long time。 This is an extraordinary experience to learn and understand more about the power of language， and it also represents exemplary criticism of colonialism， My grey cells on fire！ They are out of order because of information overload。 I never imagined there are so much to discover about the importance of linguistics！ Okay I take it back。 I knew it but the book absolutely made me remind of it！I haven’t read a book as intelligent， intellectual， unconventional， moving， unique as Babel for a long time。 This is an extraordinary experience to learn and understand more about the power of language， and it also represents exemplary criticism of colonialism， strikingly bold approach to class differences， racism， nationalism。 It feels like a stunning nonfiction perfectly blended in fantasy world and dark academia。 The character development is perfect。 Each of them are portrayed impeccably。 Robin Swift warms your heart with his kind heart， intelligence， testing his morality from the beginning: should he help the thieves just he’s done before instinctively at the risk of losing his opportunities he’s been provided。 Ramiz Mirza; quick witted， sharp， sarcastic， Indian， being targeted by privileged obnoxious students of Oxford because of his unique appearance。 Victorie， observer， extra intelligent， overqualified， tough， badass worrier fighting tooth and nail to survive。And Letty， most privileged and least likable character but slowly she gets under your skin and her straightforwardness， sharp comments deeply affect you。 Eventually you learn to resonate with her。 Four main characters are outsiders， chosen for improving their abilities to serve at Translation Institute of Oxford， in other name “Tower of Babel” ， the special place to protect entire silver talismans and very valuable manuscripts coming from all over the world to be translated in English。 Robin， Ramy， Letty and Victorie are specifically chosen because of their unique abilities with languages and their minority issues。 Robin and Ramy can not be Oxford men， they can only be men in Oxford。 The girls forced to live far away from the main campus， being treated unequally。 Robin’s immigration story， his move to London， his relationship with loveless Mr。 Lovell and the mystery about the boy who just replaced is one of the interesting storylines mashed up with other three characters’ story。 Overall: the entire complex execution is truly mind blowing！ If you like linguistics， politics， true history， this is perfect match for you！ Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts。 。。。more

Danielle ，

DNF at 46%。I wanted to like this。 I’ve already preordered it， and I was SO excited to get an early copy thanks to Netgalley！ But I just found this so dreadfully dull。 It’s much more a historical fiction than a fantasy， and although I enjoyed the characters and the vivid setting， the historical aspects and the constant babbling about translation and languages just bored me to death。Perhaps it’s my fault for not reading the synopsis closely and just hopping on the hype train， but this was just not DNF at 46%。I wanted to like this。 I’ve already preordered it， and I was SO excited to get an early copy thanks to Netgalley！ But I just found this so dreadfully dull。 It’s much more a historical fiction than a fantasy， and although I enjoyed the characters and the vivid setting， the historical aspects and the constant babbling about translation and languages just bored me to death。Perhaps it’s my fault for not reading the synopsis closely and just hopping on the hype train， but this was just not for me。 。。。more

USOM ，

（Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） Babel is a book that has completely written itself into my heart。 Even days after finishing I'm not convinced I've fully captured how much this book means to me or the full brilliance。 It is thought provoking to the very ends of the fiber of my being。 Haunted by the ways in which Kuang was able to simultaneously deliver a novel that provoked more critical thought than perhaps my u （Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） Babel is a book that has completely written itself into my heart。 Even days after finishing I'm not convinced I've fully captured how much this book means to me or the full brilliance。 It is thought provoking to the very ends of the fiber of my being。 Haunted by the ways in which Kuang was able to simultaneously deliver a novel that provoked more critical thought than perhaps my university education， while also being a deeply emotional story speaking to the violence of racism and imperialism。 As a former literature student who considered academia herself， Babel is a magnificent introspective story about the violence of academia and translation。 The ways in which racism is so deeply ingrained into the fabric upon which students sit。 All the inherent power imbalances between those who study， who are removed from the subjects they observe， and the very people who suffer within the spaces of their academic papers。 This elitist removal from having to speak to the consequences of their work and study， to the material conditions of poverty and colonialism。 Kuang is able to capture this exploitation with focused criticism and truly encapsulates the meaning of dark academia。As a POC， Babel has resonated deeply within my soul the experiences of insidious racist comments and the overt Orientalism and fascination with my own complicated homeland。 For me， reading this book inspired a deep rage born of empathy and a growing desire to watch the systems of racism and colonization burn。 To realize that radical change is required in a system which thrives on such drastic and cruel forms of violence and erasure。 It manages to address the very present and pervasive Orientalism inspired and created during this time period， and before， while also having the unique power of featuring characters that non POC may be able to observe， acknowledge their own biases， and take a moment to sit with the differences in these lived experiences。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0