Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
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- Create Date：2022-08-04 07:51:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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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
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
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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
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Review to come soon
Sylvie
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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
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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
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"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
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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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BABEL ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ （5/5）I’m speechless （ironic， considering）。 This book is magnificent， ambitious， and so nuanced。 I don’t think I’ve read anything as ambitious as this since I read House of Leaves， both in content innovation and footnote style。Babel is masterpiece。 It uses language， translation， and interpretation of both as the books magic system。 Kuang deftly weaves real history into the pages to show the consequences of colonialism， racism， classism， and xenophobia。 Each of the four characters BABEL ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ （5/5）I’m speechless （ironic， considering）。 This book is magnificent， ambitious， and so nuanced。 I don’t think I’ve read anything as ambitious as this since I read House of Leaves， both in content innovation and footnote style。Babel is masterpiece。 It uses language， translation， and interpretation of both as the books magic system。 Kuang deftly weaves real history into the pages to show the consequences of colonialism， racism， classism， and xenophobia。 Each of the four characters in the Robins cohort are unique and distinctly defined such that their character arcs feel inevitable and perfectly plotted to highlight Kuang’s theses。 Yes， I’m saying this fantasy book has several thesis ideas because it would be a disservice to not mention that Kuang wrote this for a reason。 She is shining a mega-spotlight on racist logic， colonialism’s devastating effects， the evils of the British empire & expansion， and the socioeconomic differences between different groups of people AND it’s all served up to us on a shiny platter of a dark academia fantasy book。 Ambitious doesn’t begin to cover the range of this one。The footnotes were EXCELLENT， and often dryly hilarious or outrageously real with historical details from our world。 I scribbled so many notes and added a bunch of tabs so I could easily turn back to my favorite parts。To R。F。 Kuang: what a stunning achievement this book is！ You’ve got me crying into my pillow about it and it’ll stay with me for a long time， I know。 。。。more
Sierra
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so i absolutely loved absolutely everything about this book。 this is what dark academia was supposed to be from the beginning。 i thought i took latin in high school for fun， but it turns out i did so only to understand why exactly this magic system makes so much sense。 arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review。
Lily
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This book was absolutely stunning。 It was easy to read， but about complicated subjects。 It was funny， it was tragic。 It was an intimate look at human issues， it was epic in scope。 This book will win the Hugo award for best novel。 I have never read anything like it。
Eryn
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I have been a reader my entire life and there are only a small handful of books I have given 6 ⭐️ because they deserve their own category。 This book gets that extra star。Thank you Harper Collins Canada for the ARC！ Honestly I have no words for this other than wow， you need to read it。 It is an absolute masterpiece and that is really all I can say about it。Please do look up TWs though this book deals with very heavy themes involving colonialism in the 19th century。
Lucy 💘
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OH MY GOD
Cassie
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A sprawling， speculative， literary masterpiece。 Kuang takes on British Colonialism， linguistics， academia， student's revolution， and translation with such care and inventiveness。 She opens a hundred doors with every page， questioning and prodding at the institutions that make up our global landscape in this alternate history。 Robin Swift is plucked from his home in Canton， next to his mother's corpse。 In England， he has private tutors， access to libraries， and funds。 All his guardian has asked i A sprawling， speculative， literary masterpiece。 Kuang takes on British Colonialism， linguistics， academia， student's revolution， and translation with such care and inventiveness。 She opens a hundred doors with every page， questioning and prodding at the institutions that make up our global landscape in this alternate history。 Robin Swift is plucked from his home in Canton， next to his mother's corpse。 In England， he has private tutors， access to libraries， and funds。 All his guardian has asked in return is that Robin studies rigorously， learning to be a polyglot in order to attend the prestigious Royal Institution of Translation College at Oxford - where students and staff create bars of silver that， when paired with translated pairs of words， create magic。 Britain - the economy， the buildings， the machinery run on these silver bars。At Oxford， Robin befriends Ramy， a young man from Calcutta; Victorie， an orphaned young Black girl from Paris by way of Haiti; and Letty， the young daughter of a British general。 The cohort bond quickly together， and support each other through their coursework， strict professors， and the racism and misogyny of the Institution。 The quartet are endearing， flawed， nuanced， angry， and lonely， and they care so deeply for better or worse。 Their ways of walking through Oxford， as individuals and as a unit is so magnetic that when the punch comes at the end you won't be surprised but it will hurt all the same。 。。。more
Candice
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At its core， Babel is a love letter about language and the written word。 Woven throughout the story are nuggets of thought about language; its meanings and origins。 I enjoyed this read immensely。 It was the perfect blend of reality and magic。
Poppy Solomon
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Okay， A+ for effort， because this is a massive book that's clearly had a lot of research put into it。 But this was also its biggest flaw - reading Babel didn't feel like reading a novel。 It felt like reading a textbook。 I got the feeling I was watching a movie in black and white and on mute。 There was no emotion， no immersion in the story。 Because Babel wasn't really a story。 It had a story in there - though a weak one - but its only purpose was to exist as a way for the author to teach lessons Okay， A+ for effort， because this is a massive book that's clearly had a lot of research put into it。 But this was also its biggest flaw - reading Babel didn't feel like reading a novel。 It felt like reading a textbook。 I got the feeling I was watching a movie in black and white and on mute。 There was no emotion， no immersion in the story。 Because Babel wasn't really a story。 It had a story in there - though a weak one - but its only purpose was to exist as a way for the author to teach lessons to the reader。 We sped through years of Robin's life， always being narrated to and rarely having a full， immersive scene。 It was just lecture after lecture。 I wouldn't call this a bad book， and I enjoyed parts of it， but by about 1/3 I started to dread opening it。 None of the characters stood out to me。 Especially not Robin。 He wasn't compelling; he was just a kid being dragged along through the plot， absorbing other people's beliefs， and never having any of his own。 I never felt any of his emotions， and often I wondered if he even had any。 He had a lot to learn， and had some character development and struggles， but he had no personality。 There was nothing to make me love him。 The other characters felt quite one-dimensional; they were all there to make a point， not build the story。 Overall， though what the author was trying to discuss is an important topic， the narrative had no depth。 And I think it's important to separate the two - the lesson and the story。 Because the author put a huge amount of effort into the lesson （which I commend her for） but left the narrative behind。About halfway through， I wrote: 'This book is just lesson after lesson。 And I don't just mean the characters sitting in a classroom。 Every page of this book is less about story and more about the author conveying some kind of knowledge or belief。 History lesson。 Ethical lesson。 Language lesson。 On and on。 I'm exhausted。。。 Also struggling with the amount of telling in this book -- there are pages and pages of THIS happened then THIS then THIS and the time flies by -- rather than giving actual scenes to immerse me in the story。'It also felt as if the author constantly pulled back， afraid to dive into anything too tense or emotional。 For example， I didn't want to just be told that Robin and his friends had become close - I wanted to see this through real scenes of them interacting！ But we never got that。 We were just told things， months at a time being narrated over a few pages。 Even most 'action' scenes， or emotional ones， were told rather than shown， or skipped entirely just to be recapped in the next chapter。 I think a lot of people will like this （or pretend to） because it's patronising and pretentious， and isn't that what we love about dark academia？ Of course， there were a lot of interesting discussions in here。 There were the morally grey characters。 The libraries and ancient buildings。 The tragedy。 I wish I could give it a higher star rating， because I could see how much effort was put into this book。 But unlike other great dark academia stories， Babel lacked a strong story to support the many pages of lectures。 If it had stronger characters and a stronger plot， Babel could have been fantastic。 Despite my negative rambles， Babel is still easily a three star read for me。 Many people loved it and I can see why。 It just depends if you're willing to spend 550 pages being lectured to， with very little story。 Maybe if I'd been prepared for that， I'd have liked it more。 Thank you to Harper Voyager for my review copy。 。。。more
Fernanda
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