Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
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- Create Date：2022-07-04 09:52:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：R.F. Kuang
- ISBN：0008501823
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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。
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。
Reviews
Büşra'M
，
The Poppy War üçlemesinin yazarının yeni kitabı， o üçlemeyi okudum ama ilk kitap hariç türkçesi çıktığında sonraki 2 sini tekrar okuyabilirim， çok aceleye getiripderinliği yeterince kavramadan seriyi bitiriverdim， güzelliğine yeterli hayranlığı veremedim için bendeki etkisi silik oldu。
Caitlin
，
You know that feeling when you stand under the night sky and look up at the infinite stars and universe and whatnot and realize with a sort of stunned awe how utterly tiny and insignificant you are in comparison？ This is how I felt reading this book。 To humbly stand beneath the absolute enormity that is R。F。 Kuang’s limitless， mega， mind-blowing talent， to not only get to bask in it， but learn from it， and ultimately be completely destroyed by it， was all-in-all an HONOUR， even when it hurt SO M You know that feeling when you stand under the night sky and look up at the infinite stars and universe and whatnot and realize with a sort of stunned awe how utterly tiny and insignificant you are in comparison？ This is how I felt reading this book。 To humbly stand beneath the absolute enormity that is R。F。 Kuang’s limitless， mega， mind-blowing talent， to not only get to bask in it， but learn from it， and ultimately be completely destroyed by it， was all-in-all an HONOUR， even when it hurt SO MUCH。 This is not an escape read， but rather an incredibly complex， challenging， game-changing book that does not suffer from the sheer magnitude of information and lessons and themes packed in， but instead THRIVES on them， in such a way that you cannot turn the pages fast enough， nor hide from what it is teaching you。An alternate-history fantasy this might be， but the unflinching way it seizes hold of topics of colonialism， racism， imperialism， exploitation， empire， systemic oppression， everything， and not only exposes this world’s past compliance and ignorance and crimes and failings regarding them all， but also absolutely thrusts them forward into our non-fantasy present-day with such a sense of immediate urgency and demand that we finally PAY ATTENTION， is honestly earth-shaking and illusion-shattering， as it should be， as it should have already been。The riot of emotions you experience from beginning to end。 Rage， heartbreak， horror， grief， guilt， anguish。 Not to mention the sheer scale of lessons learned regarding ignorance， indifference， privilege and more， and the unbearable cost of these when left unchecked， unacknowledged。 The hard truths it wakes you up to， or drives even deeper home if already aware of them。 So many staggering revelations， not the least of which being the reminder that clinging ignorantly and desperately to illusions about the goodness of humanity in spite of the enormity of harm and pain that perspective can cause and has caused to BIPOC people and communities for so very long， is delivered with merciless necessity and a fierce call to action for change。 OH the sheer， courageous， devastating defiance poured into every word of this book， into every inch of story， every pore of these characters that you will come to love SO MUCH leaves you breathless， gutted， and arguably an entirely different person than you were before reading。 I had to genuinely drop the book and stagger away from it at one point， feeling as if my entire soul had been gouged out of my body。 And don’t get me started on the magic system。 Aka silver-working， the magical manifestation of meanings of near-matching words lost across languages， powered by the act of translation， built and activated by stolen words - so intricate， so believable， so loaded with metaphor， I’d get so caught up in the very-real parallels of the narrative that I kept having to remind myself that this magic didn’t actually exist in our world， that this was where the fantasy genre stepped in。 Stunning， eye-opening。 OH the power of language。Before I started this， I was thoroughly warned of the emotional devastation of this book， which I cheerfully brushed off， citing that I’d just read Robin Hobb’s realm of the elderlings twice over， so there was nothing left in me to emotionally destroy。 I WAS WRONG。 THIS WILL BREAK YOU TOO， ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL， REGARDLESS OF WHATEVER LATEST BOOK HAS RECENTLY DEMOLISHED YOU。I truly can’t get over R。F。 Kuang’s brilliance， her absolute stunning genius。 I can’t wait to continue to both learn from and be utterly destroyed by her books for decades and decades and decades to come。 I keep wanting to call this one her masterpiece， but incredibly， I feel as if she is just getting started。 Whatever masterpieces are still yet to be written， I can’t even begin to imagine。 The fantasy genre - no， the entire literary world - is about to be taken by storm。 This book is a revelation， a revolution， all at once。“‘I didn’t think about it。 I simply didn’t think about it， for years， and years and years。’ …。’Only it builds up， doesn’t it？ It doesn’t just disappear。 And one day you start prodding at what you’ve suppressed。 And it’s a mass of black rot， and it’s endless， horrifying， and you can’t look away。’”“If the people could not be won over with words， they would be persuaded by destruction。”“The world has to break， he thought。 Someone has to answer for this。 Someone has to bleed。”“That’s just what translation is， I think。 That’s all speaking is。 Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they’re trying to say。 Showing yourself to the world and hoping someone else understands。” 。。。more
Kaitlin
，
Wow， if I could give this 1000 stars I would。 CW: Racism， Colonisation， Death， Sexism， Drug use， Suicide， Child abuse， Slavery， Toxic friendship， Suicidal thoughts， Classism， Misogyny， Racial Slurs， War， Bullying， and more。
Lori
，
"Babel" is such a uniquely crafted story， which I can best describe as dark academia meets science and historical fiction。 The novel is told from the perspective of Robin Swift， a boy of Chinese descent who is orphaned after the death of mother and taken to London by a mysterious Professor Lovell。 There， Robin is given a regimented training in Latin and Greek， as well as his mother tongue Chinese， all in preparation for his entry into Oxford's School of Translation， better known as Babel。 While "Babel" is such a uniquely crafted story， which I can best describe as dark academia meets science and historical fiction。 The novel is told from the perspective of Robin Swift， a boy of Chinese descent who is orphaned after the death of mother and taken to London by a mysterious Professor Lovell。 There， Robin is given a regimented training in Latin and Greek， as well as his mother tongue Chinese， all in preparation for his entry into Oxford's School of Translation， better known as Babel。 While Babel does indeed focus on language and translation， the school's focus lies in the mysterious art and science of silver-working， which takes a deep dive into the study of etymology to harness a strange magic。Robin befriends three other students in his school， Ramy， Victoire， and Litty， as all three spend their years at Babel。 Unbeknownst to the others， Robin stumbles across a mysterious group known as Hermes Society， which pilfers from the silver stores at Babel for the great good - or so he's led to believe。 As Robin continues to work with the group， he puts both himself and his time at Babel in danger， and is forced to confront his own truth and the history underlying both the school and the different countries and civilizations he only once studied from books。It's clear that R。F。 Kuang has done an extensive amount of research for this novel across language， the study of translation and etymology， and the history spanning Great Britain， India， China， and the economic and financial ties between these bodies of power。 Her strength as a writer is evident in the structured world-building， and her crafting of this version of Oxford and its construction of Babel。 There's a number of characters and backstories to keep track of as well， including not only Robin， but his friends， his true and adopted family， classmates， teachers。。。 it can at times feel overwhelming to keep track of them， but Kuang introduces them in a way that feels natural to the storyline and contributes to the overarching plot。I was pulled in from the first page and loved seeing the story unfold across the novel。 Definitely a recommended read that I'm sure many will come to enjoy after its release in August 2022！Thank you Harper Voyager for the advance copy of this novel！ 。。。more
Sarah
，
I'm usually not one for dark academia， but I heard R。 F。 Kuang plus linguistics plus magic and couldn't resist。 I was not disappointed。 This is such a good book！ Kuang's storytelling， is as always， beautiful and devastating and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it。 If you enjoyed The Poppy War trilogy， this is a must read。 I'm usually not one for dark academia， but I heard R。 F。 Kuang plus linguistics plus magic and couldn't resist。 I was not disappointed。 This is such a good book！ Kuang's storytelling， is as always， beautiful and devastating and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it。 If you enjoyed The Poppy War trilogy， this is a must read。 。。。more
Luisa
，
I was lucky to be able to grab the ARC from work and this is my first book by this author。 Poppy War is high on my TBR， but saw this sitting on the desk and grabbed it immediately。 There was so much right in this book but also some that I didn’t like。 I won’t talk about it yet because this book is not out， but I’ll be checking back in August to see everyone’s POV as well。
Christine Liu
，
R。 F。 Kuang wrote on goodreads that Babel is the most ambitious thing she’s ever written， and that means something because not only does she have two master’s degrees， she’s currently working on a PhD at Yale。 Babel certainly reads like a book that took blood， sweat， and tears。 It’s astonishing， vindicating， a story with a soul。 I really believe that it is a landmark work of fiction。It’s protagonist is young Robin Swift， a cholera-stricken orphan plucked from a bleak situation in southern China R。 F。 Kuang wrote on goodreads that Babel is the most ambitious thing she’s ever written， and that means something because not only does she have two master’s degrees， she’s currently working on a PhD at Yale。 Babel certainly reads like a book that took blood， sweat， and tears。 It’s astonishing， vindicating， a story with a soul。 I really believe that it is a landmark work of fiction。It’s protagonist is young Robin Swift， a cholera-stricken orphan plucked from a bleak situation in southern China by a white benefactor and installed within the hallowed halls of Oxford University to pursue the distinguished discipline of translation。 Over his four years of study， we watch as he forges friendships with a diverse circle of fellow language scholars and learns the skill of silver working， a type of magic that harnesses the power of shared meaning between words。The comparisons to a certain other book about a magical English school will be inevitable， but the similarities end there。 Imagine Harry Potter， but students of color are fully realized characters。 Imagine the know-it-all white friend gets called out for her privilege and her microaggressions。 Imagine the villain isn’t some shadowy bogeyman but colonialism itself。 This is a fantasy book for grown-up people。Kuang weaves an intricate story that is wholly absorbing， but she also infuses it with incredible nuance and empathy while tackling issues of systemic and internalized racism， of colonial legacies that pervade academia， of the insidiousness of exploitation masked in the rhetoric of free trade， and the question of whether true， meaningful change to the status quo can ever really happen without shock and violence。 。。。more
Victoria Justice
，
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for this early copy in exchange for a honest review。I will admit， when I first started reading this book， I could not get into it at all。 The first 2 chapters felt so slow and pointless to me， too heavy with information， that I was wondering why I was reading anymore。 But I pushed through， and by the time Robin reached Oxford， I was hooked。 The research gone into this book is evident on every single page。 There is so much detail， lots of translations fro Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for this early copy in exchange for a honest review。I will admit， when I first started reading this book， I could not get into it at all。 The first 2 chapters felt so slow and pointless to me， too heavy with information， that I was wondering why I was reading anymore。 But I pushed through， and by the time Robin reached Oxford， I was hooked。 The research gone into this book is evident on every single page。 There is so much detail， lots of translations from different languages， that it takes a while to get into a rhythm of reading it and taking it all in， but this is necessary as the subject matter is so weighted。 The writing is masterful。 There was so many passages which holds an incredible power to it and steeped in meaning and quotes I'll hold in my mind for a long time after finishing reading。 The characters are so well developed， so complex in nature。 They have an unpredictability to them that makes them feel so real and alive while reading that I wanted to meet them and become firm friends。 The plot is so well paced。 It's not a book to rush through， you have to saviour every word and page， right down to the dramatic ending that gave me goosebumps。 A fantastic book by a truly incredible author！ 。。。more
Jo Rawlins
，
What a clever exploration of language and political power。 An epic fantasy that is a real celebration of translation。 I felt the novel was more plot driven than character based。 I didn't ever feel I could visualise the characters although there were the most beautiful setting descriptions of Oxford。 I was reading some of this novel while on a trip to Oxford Museam and the stunning Pitts Rivers Museum。 Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC。 I was so excited t9 be approved and think What a clever exploration of language and political power。 An epic fantasy that is a real celebration of translation。 I felt the novel was more plot driven than character based。 I didn't ever feel I could visualise the characters although there were the most beautiful setting descriptions of Oxford。 I was reading some of this novel while on a trip to Oxford Museam and the stunning Pitts Rivers Museum。 Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC。 I was so excited t9 be approved and think all Kuang fans will absolutely LOVE this！ 。。。more
Cagatay
，
https://www。musterihizmetleri。online https://www。musterihizmetleri。online 。。。more
Christine Liu
，
R。 F。 Kuang wrote on goodreads that Babel is the most ambitious thing she’s ever written， and that means something because not only does she have two master’s degrees， she’s currently working on a PhD at Yale。 Babel certainly reads like a book that took blood， sweat， and tears。 It’s astonishing， vindicating， a story with a soul。 I really believe that it is a landmark work of fiction。It’s protagonist is young Robin Swift， a cholera-stricken orphan plucked from a bleak situation in southern China R。 F。 Kuang wrote on goodreads that Babel is the most ambitious thing she’s ever written， and that means something because not only does she have two master’s degrees， she’s currently working on a PhD at Yale。 Babel certainly reads like a book that took blood， sweat， and tears。 It’s astonishing， vindicating， a story with a soul。 I really believe that it is a landmark work of fiction。It’s protagonist is young Robin Swift， a cholera-stricken orphan plucked from a bleak situation in southern China by a white benefactor and installed within the hallowed halls of Oxford University to pursue the distinguished discipline of translation。 Over his four years of study， we watch as he forges friendships with a diverse circle of fellow language scholars and learns the skill of silver working， a type of magic that harnesses the power of shared meaning between words。The comparisons to a certain other book about a magical English school will be inevitable， but the similarities end there。 Imagine Harry Potter， but students of color are fully realized characters。 Imagine the know-it-all white friend gets called out for her privilege and her microaggressions。 Imagine the villain isn’t some shadowy bogeyman but colonialism itself。 This is a fantasy book for grown-up people。Kuang weaves an intricate story that is wholly absorbing， but she also infuses it with incredible nuance and empathy while tackling issues of systemic and internalized racism， of colonial legacies that pervade academia， of the insidiousness of exploitation masked in the rhetoric of free trade， and the question of whether true， meaningful change to the status quo can ever really happen without shock and violence。 。。。more
madi
，
There are books you love because there are entertaining， and there books you love because they are life changing， because they stay with you even after you’ve shelved them away。 Babel is one of the those books that will stay imbedded in your soul。 I gratefully got accepted for an arc of this beautiful book and there’s no doubt I will be re-reading it when it releases in August。 This book may be fiction， though it sheds a light on very real topics such as colonialism， racism， misogyny， and xenoph There are books you love because there are entertaining， and there books you love because they are life changing， because they stay with you even after you’ve shelved them away。 Babel is one of the those books that will stay imbedded in your soul。 I gratefully got accepted for an arc of this beautiful book and there’s no doubt I will be re-reading it when it releases in August。 This book may be fiction， though it sheds a light on very real topics such as colonialism， racism， misogyny， and xenophobia and Kuang isn’t here to sugar coat any of it。 The characters themselves are so beautifuly written I found myself falling in love with all of them。 Besides a choice few of course。 Babel has blown my standards for a good book out of the park， R。F Kuang just gets better and better。 。。。more
li。reading
，
Expect a full review and a video of me ugly crying soonTWs: Graphic: Racism， Colonialism， Death （including: Parent， Child）， Violence， Abuse （Physical， Emotional， Child， Domestic）， Xenophobia， Colourism， Classism， Misogyny， Racial Slurs， Suicidal Thoughts， Suicide， Murder， Body Image， Confinement， Slavery （off-page， heavily discussed）， Blood， Injury， Medical Content， Hate Crime， Bullying， Toxic Relationship， Gaslighting， Delusions/Psychosis， Mental IllnessModerate: Vomit， Alcohol， Fire， Starvatio Expect a full review and a video of me ugly crying soonTWs: Graphic: Racism， Colonialism， Death （including: Parent， Child）， Violence， Abuse （Physical， Emotional， Child， Domestic）， Xenophobia， Colourism， Classism， Misogyny， Racial Slurs， Suicidal Thoughts， Suicide， Murder， Body Image， Confinement， Slavery （off-page， heavily discussed）， Blood， Injury， Medical Content， Hate Crime， Bullying， Toxic Relationship， Gaslighting， Delusions/Psychosis， Mental IllnessModerate: Vomit， Alcohol， Fire， Starvation/WeightsMention: Bomb， Sexual Violence 。。。more
leynes
，
this might come in as a surprise to you but BABEL has become my most anticipated release of 2022 。。。 haven't read anything by kuang （yet） but the premise of this book sounds so fucking good？？？？ i'm not a dark academia girlie but damn， a book about languages， translation and the colonial history of academia itself？？？ sign me the fuck up。 also the uk cover is gorgeeee！ this might come in as a surprise to you but BABEL has become my most anticipated release of 2022 。。。 haven't read anything by kuang （yet） but the premise of this book sounds so fucking good？？？？ i'm not a dark academia girlie but damn， a book about languages， translation and the colonial history of academia itself？？？ sign me the fuck up。 also the uk cover is gorgeeee！ 。。。more
Paula
，
Me encantó， es realmente muy bueno y ya quiero que salga para tenerlo en físico si o si。 Increíble la manera de la autora para contar la historia， me dieron ganas de leer más libros de ella pero la ODIO por ponerme esa escena en particular al final， es mi nueva enemiga pública
Missy
，
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Babel was a 3。5 star read for me， but I rounded up; I hate dragging down the Goodreads score of good authors since I know how much it matters， and I do acknowledge that -- IMPORTANT NOTE！ -- that extra star could possibly be made up by my personal lukewarm taste for historical fiction。Fantastic things include:- The deep research （I could see how the fact that this is basically an etymology treatise disguised as a novel would turn some people off I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Babel was a 3。5 star read for me， but I rounded up; I hate dragging down the Goodreads score of good authors since I know how much it matters， and I do acknowledge that -- IMPORTANT NOTE！ -- that extra star could possibly be made up by my personal lukewarm taste for historical fiction。Fantastic things include:- The deep research （I could see how the fact that this is basically an etymology treatise disguised as a novel would turn some people off， but I loved getting elbow-deep in all of the academia）- The last 25% of the book， which ROCKED- The incredibly nuanced and thought-provoking themesHowever， I couldn't help but feel like the book's length could have been reduced by 25%， because the first 3/4 of the book just do not do heavy lifting。 I wish Acts 1 and 2 were not so long。 Mostly because -- this was the biggest disappointment to me -- the characters did not feel nearly as fleshed-out as The Poppy Wars。R。F。 Kuang really loves writing negative， dark， cynical character arcs， which is fantastic， because I love those too。 But in The Poppy Wars trilogy （in which the characters commit many more atrocities than in Babel）， it felt like the characters were living， breathing people who were evolving spontaneously and organically; every stage of their development was a different， fully-fleshed-out incarnation of themselves， eventually leading down a heartbreaking path。Whereas in Babel， it felt more like R。F。 Kuang knew where these characters were going to end up， and THAT version of the character was very fleshed-out， but there were really no stepping stones between Point A and Point Z。 Also， because the book was SO excited about Point Z， Point A wasn't nearly as fleshed-out。 There was the naïve， young version of the characters， then the disillusioned， embattled version of the characters。 Although I completely believed the transition -- it was a logical progression based on the characters' experiences in Acts 1 and 2 -- it nevertheless kind of felt like flipping a switch， which from an entertainment perspective is disappointing。 We read The Poppy Wars or watch Breaking Bad to sit in the glory of that transition; Babel didn't give us that。I think perhaps the characters' personalities felt "smaller" than in The Poppy Wars because Babel is more grounded and realistic， but in the end it just made Babel's cast feel less memorable。Although Babel's themes and ideas were SO strong， complex， and nuanced， the characters weren't as developed。 In The Poppy Wars， each character was definitely meant to represent a different idea about violence and governance -- but they ALSO stood as fully-formed people。 In Babel， imo， the cast DID eventually feel like fully-formed people， but not until the very ENDS of their arcs， which is part of why the last 25% is SO good。（That being said， the fact that the character setup in the first and second acts underwhelmed me did have ramifications for the end。 （view spoiler）[There were a lot of deaths in this book， （hide spoiler）] and although I was VERY interested in what they meant from a plot standpoint， none of these （view spoiler）[dramatic deaths （hide spoiler）] emotionally compelled me， because the book hadn't prepared me to be emotionally invested in these people。）A note on race， which unfortunately requires a spoiler warning; this is not an EXPLICIT spoiler， but it definitely implies some pretty major plot points:（view spoiler）[This book probably had one of the most scathing representations of a white female character I've seen， which was very interesting for me to read。 Kuang definitely wrote this character with a great deal of understanding and empathy; she's not just some scapegoat。 Babel acknowledges that it was hard to be a woman in this era， which felt generous， considering this character's arc and actions。 The themes that Kuang builds using this character are NOT flattering。 Babel makes thoughtful points about the intersection of whiteness and womanhood， yet reading this character caused me moments of discomfort that， as a white woman， I've never had to experience in other works of fiction。 It wasn't at all the same as， for example， misogynistic or shallow depictions of women in some TV shows; those， I can just laugh at， because women AREN'T sex objects or mommies who are meant to fix men。 There's no genuine points underlying those depictions， whereas Kuang IS making a point。 I really appreciated the opportunity to experience that sort of discomfort in fiction for the first time。 It was incredibly thought-provoking and really valuable。 （hide spoiler）]So， perhaps， here's the final verdict: I may have been way more entertained by The Poppy Wars， but Babel actually developed me as a person， a reader， and a consumer of media。 That is a huge compliment to this book。 。。。more
Auderoy
，
QUOTES:It’s violent work that sustains the fantasy。
Hilary
，
this will， undeniably， be the best book i read this yearfull review to come
Erin
，
R。F。 Kuang has crafted a truly unique， culturally resonant story with Babel。 Drawing on her love of historical resistance and her own experiences as a scholar of color at Oxford， this novel contemplates the legacy of language， power， trauma， empire， and identity。 In this alternate version of a burgeoning 1830s Britain， a young Cantonese orphan with the anglicized name of Robin Swift becomes the ward of a withdrawn Oxford translation professor。 Raised on a steady stream of classical languages， he R。F。 Kuang has crafted a truly unique， culturally resonant story with Babel。 Drawing on her love of historical resistance and her own experiences as a scholar of color at Oxford， this novel contemplates the legacy of language， power， trauma， empire， and identity。 In this alternate version of a burgeoning 1830s Britain， a young Cantonese orphan with the anglicized name of Robin Swift becomes the ward of a withdrawn Oxford translation professor。 Raised on a steady stream of classical languages， he is destined to matriculate at Oxford's most prestigious college: an institute of translation studies that operates at the nexus of imperial power。 Forced to acclimate to the expectations of elite academia， Robin learns the power at work in the college's central building， a glittering tower affectionately dubbed Babel。 Inside， scholars from around the empire create endless combinations of transliterated words， etching them into silver bars that then spread across British society。 These bars power railroads， create more efficient factory machinery， enhance drawing room decor， and cure illnesses， but they also reveal an inherent inequality -- their benefits disproportionately grace the wealthy， white Britons at the center of colonial expansion。 As Robin finds his footing at Oxford， reveling in the creature comforts of academia alongside his equally clever cohort， he begins to grapple with the reality of their work。 When he stumbles into the mysterious Hermes Society -- an underground collective of anti-imperialist revolutionaries hellbent on taking down Babel and the British empire itself -- he finds himself torn between his past and present， struggling to reconcile his morals with his academic aspirations。 As the stakes rise， Robin， and the rest of his cohort -- Victoire， Ramy， and Letty -- confront the legacies of imperialism and the shortcomings of non-violent resistance。 Babel is a remarkable novel that tackles so many themes: racism， diaspora， resistance， and the many forms that colonization takes。 In Babel （as in real-life）， it is not only tangible goods and physical spaces that are destroyed or co-opted for imperial gain， but entire cultures and languages。 Kuang deftly explores the unsustainable burdens placed onto marginalized peoples in predominately white spaces （like the academy）; the limitations of white feminism， the complicated reality of 'passing;' the slippery slope of revolutionary ethics。 5/5: Thought-provoking and richly detailed， Babel is a triumphant subversion of the popular 'dark academia' genre。 In the end， it poses a question that still resonates: when does love -- for an institution， a friend， a way of life -- [rightfully] curdle into something much more complicated？Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Laurie A Friedman
，
I absolutely loved this latest book from Poppy wars author R。F。 Kuang。 It has everything I look for in a book。 - well-written characters， a historical fantasy world that unfolds in the telling of the story and a wholly original magic/manufacturing/language system！ （I guess it wasn't really magic， though it often seemed like it was。 It was just the manipulation of language？ But it was definitely something new， which is hard to find。）She deftly wound politics into the storyline without allowing th I absolutely loved this latest book from Poppy wars author R。F。 Kuang。 It has everything I look for in a book。 - well-written characters， a historical fantasy world that unfolds in the telling of the story and a wholly original magic/manufacturing/language system！ （I guess it wasn't really magic， though it often seemed like it was。 It was just the manipulation of language？ But it was definitely something new， which is hard to find。）She deftly wound politics into the storyline without allowing the story to falter into lecturing or preaching， which seems to be a difficult task for many authors。 And the ending！ I would like to see more of what happens after。。。 not sure if this is meant to be a stand alone， but I would like to see if the events of Babel had a lasting effect on Oxford and London as the main protagonist， Robin， hoped，。。。ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kimberly
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My thanks to the author， R。 F。 Kuang， to Harper Voyages and to Goodreads Giveaway s for an Advance Reader's Edition of this book。 The writing pulled me into the story almost from the first moments。 The four main characters are written with such brilliance that they take form in your mind until the end。 Robin， especially， springs to life。 The knowledge and research into languages that is shown by the author is riveting。 This work will be released in August and， I believe， will be a huge hit。 I'm My thanks to the author， R。 F。 Kuang， to Harper Voyages and to Goodreads Giveaway s for an Advance Reader's Edition of this book。 The writing pulled me into the story almost from the first moments。 The four main characters are written with such brilliance that they take form in your mind until the end。 Robin， especially， springs to life。 The knowledge and research into languages that is shown by the author is riveting。 This work will be released in August and， I believe， will be a huge hit。 I'm going to read everything I can find by R。 F。 Kuang！ There's so much to say that I may come back and revise this review。 This is one of those few books that stays with you for a long time。 。。。more
Prish
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screaming crying shaking shivering throwing up rfk has once again thoroughly destroyed me i am never recovering from this goodbye
Dave
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Babel， which obviously takes its theme from the legendary biblical Tower of Babel where all the world was split into different languages so none of us could understand each other， is a fantasy novel that’s light on the fantasy elements。 Indeed， it might as well be viewed as a historical novel with some fantasy elements。 It has a feel in some ways like a Dickens novel with a little orphan boy （or is he an orphan？） being its central character。 It is brilliantly conceived and chock full of complex Babel， which obviously takes its theme from the legendary biblical Tower of Babel where all the world was split into different languages so none of us could understand each other， is a fantasy novel that’s light on the fantasy elements。 Indeed， it might as well be viewed as a historical novel with some fantasy elements。 It has a feel in some ways like a Dickens novel with a little orphan boy （or is he an orphan？） being its central character。 It is brilliantly conceived and chock full of complex themes which I will attempt to unpeel a bit here。As noted above， language， and more particularly translation， is at the heart of this novel。 It is set in 1830’s Britain， in a Tower of Babel in Oxford， the Center Of earthly knowledge where translators are brought from the far corners of the British Empire to translate。 Indeed， only a native speaker can truly understand a language。 You have to think in a language to truly understand it。 And， as the narrative points out， translation is more of an art than a science。 The author has really thought about this subject and that often there are no direct word for word translations。 Rather， different words are understood to mean different things in the contexts of the language。 Of course， here we get the great questions about what faithfully translating means。 Do you translate an ancient text in the manner it was written or do you make it accessible to modern readers？Why is all this intellectual Mumbo jumbo important to a fantasy novel？It’s because the fantasy element – run away if you would prefer to be surprised when you read the book – are silver bricks imbued with words of power， translated from one language to another。 These pieces of silver can make things work better， ships go faster， bridges stay together， machines pump better。 Sort of like the scrivenings in Robert Bennett’s Founders series。Here， Kuang takes things a step further and postulates that these silver bricks are the cause of the success of the British Empire， which pulls these languages from the four corners of its empire， then the mightiest in the world， a metaphor indeed for the goods and riches gathered from the colonial world。 But there are warnings。 The translations are only powerful for so long and then one must search further and further afield for more powerful translations， ones that are imbued with meaning。 Eventually though phrases from other languages become so part of English that translations are unnecessary and the translation bricks no longer have power。Why does Kuang seat the power to run empires in a university？ Here lies another theme which is that the ivory towers of knowledge are not necessarily independent， but are so often working hand in hand with the government and the military and are themselves engines by which the empire sucks in the colonial goods and processes them。 This has important implications for how honest intellectual thought is at universities and begs the question of who they actually serve。 Are they indeed independent or do they merely serve to continue to empower the elites？Which brings us at long last to the main characters of the novel， four young students， three of whom are brought from the colonial China， India， and the West Indies， and raised to pursue the study of language and eventually serve the Tower of Babel， the silverworking heart of the British Empire。 The story is told through the eyes of Cantonese-born Robin Swift， who is torn between the fate he was raised for – serving the Empire as a translator and the sense that the seating of all this power in Oxford is simply unfair and unjust。 Robin， like his companions， is at once honored to be invited to Oxford yet also feels that he will always be an “other，” a foreigner never fully accepted into British society and being used to benefit the Empire。 Here we get the themes of colonialism and revolution played out for us。Although there are indeed fantasy elements present in this novel， it is unlike a sword and sorcery novel。 Rather， it is a multi-layered， many-themed novel that makes the reader think。 A tremendous accomplishment！ 。。。more
Melissa Allen
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I am blown away。 I just finished this book last night and it's all I can think about。 First things first， I received an advanced copy of this title and am providing my honest feedback。 Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this copy。 Down to business- this is a book that will stick with you。 I am normally a fast reader and devour titles， but with Babel I really had to slow down。 R。F。 Kuang packs so much meaning into every paragraph， I spent a lot of time just sit I am blown away。 I just finished this book last night and it's all I can think about。 First things first， I received an advanced copy of this title and am providing my honest feedback。 Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this copy。 Down to business- this is a book that will stick with you。 I am normally a fast reader and devour titles， but with Babel I really had to slow down。 R。F。 Kuang packs so much meaning into every paragraph， I spent a lot of time just sitting with what she wrote。 I also think the greater message conveyed is something worth spending time sitting with and really unpacking。 As a biracial person， a lot of the character's feelings really hit home to me。 I won't give any spoilers because I think Kuang does an amazing job of guiding the readers through this very emotional journey， but it really resonated with me。 I also think that her portrayal of certain characters really speaks to current events happening right now and how class， race， and gender all intersect in very complex ways。 Absolutely amazing， I really can't recommend this more。 。。。more
alice ☼
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WHAT DO YOU MEAN I GOT AN ARC？？？？？？？
hebaljumaily
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release date: Aug。 23， 2022
Shruti
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*I received an arc in exchange for an honest review*This was an absolutely incredible masterpiece！ I adored The Poppy War series because of the incorporation of themes of imperialism so I was incredibly excited to read this。The way Kuang is able to weave an intricate story on colonialism and linguistics was amazing。 I was very impressed with the level of detail there was in the magic system。As expected， this story broke my heart and I was left sobbing at the end。 I highly recommend！
Cathy Cao
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miss kuang you mad genius you have done it again。 1000/10。 Thank you to the publisher for the arc！
Gabrielle
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First， I want to thank Harper Voyager for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。I was about 40% through this book when I couldn't continue with it。 I know this one is on everyone's list for their most anticipated book of 2022， which was for me as well。 However， I feel like I wasn't getting this book's dark academia/fantasy element; if it was just historical fiction， I got that part。 I want to say how impressed I was with the amount of research I've heard R。 F。 Kuang did First， I want to thank Harper Voyager for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。I was about 40% through this book when I couldn't continue with it。 I know this one is on everyone's list for their most anticipated book of 2022， which was for me as well。 However， I feel like I wasn't getting this book's dark academia/fantasy element; if it was just historical fiction， I got that part。 I want to say how impressed I was with the amount of research I've heard R。 F。 Kuang did for this book and hope to read her other works in the future， but this just wasn't it for me。 。。。more
Amanda Huggenkiss
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