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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75/5
Kuang's intellectual prose and innovative worldbuilding were the two parts of this book that stood out to me. I utterly adored the excerpts of fictional essays on magick, chalk and other such unique magical creations. I think Kuang truly shines when leaning into this denser, academic style of writing. The world itself was very interesting; I loved the logical and mathematical fuel of magick, I loved the shifting paradoxes and the ephemeral nature of magick as an entity. I found all of these factors incredibly compelling, I've never read a magic system quite like it, it was fascinating. And, as a concept, I loved the idea of navigating through the courts of Hell.
Where I think this novel stumbles into problems, for me personally, is in the set up and the character building. As I mentioned, I adore the concept of this book and I truly did enjoy Kuang's take on each circle of Hell and the philosophical bargaining at each point. Yet, as a plot, it was never that exciting. I don't mean that as a complaint of little action, I love a slow-paced, character-driven narrative, however the characters plodding through each court became tedious as their motivations for doing so unravelled.
And here we come to my main issue with the book; I could never wholly connect to the characters. Alice wasn't a particularly likeable character to me, however I can wholeheartedly love an unlikeable character if they're interesting or the story gripping enough—Kuang has proven this before herself—yet I never found Alice to be a character that fascinated me. As more about her was revealed, I could empathise with her and I definitely grew to like her more, but that spark of connection never drew me in. I think this is the main shortcoming that I encountered as I therefore couldn't care about the characters in any significant way.
Peter I liked far better, yet we weren't in his head as we were in Alice's and so I found our time with him a little sparse. I also found it to be lacking in interesting side characters. As we happened upon one I found compelling nearing the end of the book, it only became more apparent to me how much the rest of the book had suffered so for this.
What became increasingly tiresome to me were the characters' motivations, it felt more like we were journeying through Hell because it was what the story needed rather than because of any force actually driving the characters to do so. This dwindling drive is even written plain upon the text, but I don't find discerning it equal to reinvigorating the story. There were also several points of easily resolvable miscommunication and other factors that I couldn't make myself buy into. Of all the possibilities that could have been dreamt up in this world, of all the stories to tell, I simply found this one a little disappointing.
As this book comes out and people recognise the themes of academia swirling about it, they will inevitably compare it to Babel. I think this comparison is justified as it is Kuang's own work and I therefore want to make a few observations. The books share several differences—Katabasis is far more fantastical, far more philosophical, and focuses directly on the exploitation of students—but, I think, more important are their similarities. For I feel (and you are welcome to disagree with me) that Babel already says everything this book sets out to, but with more nuance, whilst also far exceeding the bounds of what Katabasis says. Babel emphasises academia's exploitation as an institution of colonialism, and that is clearly what its thesis focuses on, however I still think as a result of that it shows effortlessly how the people working within it are exploited also—especially when they belong to a group of marginalised people that the institution wants to mine for resources.
This is my long and rambling way of saying that I think Babel already covers these themes far better than Katabasis. That is not to say that this book doesn't hold merit of its own, I definitely found parts of the world and the theology interesting, however I think Kuang made several strange choices in its construction.
I do suppose I am being harsher than I would be for an author I like less, but I have come to adore R.F. Kuang immensely and therefore—fairly or unfairly—do hold her to a higher standard. I'm curious to see how others will feel, especially in comparison to Babel, I'm immensely interested in the conversations that will stem from this book and I do hope others enjoy it more. I do still think there is a lot of artistic merit in this book, but it unfortunately fell quite flat for me. I just never emotionally connected with it and that connection is such an important part of a book for me.
Thank you HarperVoyager for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Kuang's intellectual prose and innovative worldbuilding were the two parts of this book that stood out to me. I utterly adored the excerpts of fictional essays on magick, chalk and other such unique magical creations. I think Kuang truly shines when leaning into this denser, academic style of writing. The world itself was very interesting; I loved the logical and mathematical fuel of magick, I loved the shifting paradoxes and the ephemeral nature of magick as an entity. I found all of these factors incredibly compelling, I've never read a magic system quite like it, it was fascinating. And, as a concept, I loved the idea of navigating through the courts of Hell.
Where I think this novel stumbles into problems, for me personally, is in the set up and the character building. As I mentioned, I adore the concept of this book and I truly did enjoy Kuang's take on each circle of Hell and the philosophical bargaining at each point. Yet, as a plot, it was never that exciting. I don't mean that as a complaint of little action, I love a slow-paced, character-driven narrative, however the characters plodding through each court became tedious as their motivations for doing so unravelled.
And here we come to my main issue with the book; I could never wholly connect to the characters. Alice wasn't a particularly likeable character to me, however I can wholeheartedly love an unlikeable character if they're interesting or the story gripping enough—Kuang has proven this before herself—yet I never found Alice to be a character that fascinated me. As more about her was revealed, I could empathise with her and I definitely grew to like her more, but that spark of connection never drew me in. I think this is the main shortcoming that I encountered as I therefore couldn't care about the characters in any significant way.
Peter I liked far better, yet we weren't in his head as we were in Alice's and so I found our time with him a little sparse. I also found it to be lacking in interesting side characters. As we happened upon one I found compelling nearing the end of the book, it only became more apparent to me how much the rest of the book had suffered so for this.
What became increasingly tiresome to me were the characters' motivations, it felt more like we were journeying through Hell because it was what the story needed rather than because of any force actually driving the characters to do so. This dwindling drive is even written plain upon the text, but I don't find discerning it equal to reinvigorating the story. There were also several points of easily resolvable miscommunication and other factors that I couldn't make myself buy into. Of all the possibilities that could have been dreamt up in this world, of all the stories to tell, I simply found this one a little disappointing.
As this book comes out and people recognise the themes of academia swirling about it, they will inevitably compare it to Babel. I think this comparison is justified as it is Kuang's own work and I therefore want to make a few observations. The books share several differences—Katabasis is far more fantastical, far more philosophical, and focuses directly on the exploitation of students—but, I think, more important are their similarities. For I feel (and you are welcome to disagree with me) that Babel already says everything this book sets out to, but with more nuance, whilst also far exceeding the bounds of what Katabasis says. Babel emphasises academia's exploitation as an institution of colonialism, and that is clearly what its thesis focuses on, however I still think as a result of that it shows effortlessly how the people working within it are exploited also—especially when they belong to a group of marginalised people that the institution wants to mine for resources.
This is my long and rambling way of saying that I think Babel already covers these themes far better than Katabasis. That is not to say that this book doesn't hold merit of its own, I definitely found parts of the world and the theology interesting, however I think Kuang made several strange choices in its construction.
I do suppose I am being harsher than I would be for an author I like less, but I have come to adore R.F. Kuang immensely and therefore—fairly or unfairly—do hold her to a higher standard. I'm curious to see how others will feel, especially in comparison to Babel, I'm immensely interested in the conversations that will stem from this book and I do hope others enjoy it more. I do still think there is a lot of artistic merit in this book, but it unfortunately fell quite flat for me. I just never emotionally connected with it and that connection is such an important part of a book for me.
Thank you HarperVoyager for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Firstly, the premise of going to hell because it’s easier than finding a new advisor is PRIME academic humor.
I struggle with R. F. Kuang’s characters as they tend to really frustrate me - which I understand is part of the point. I don’t think I’m the prime audience of enjoying this book, I think you’re either a fantasy lover with no logic/phil background and you reading a modern take on Dante’s inferno, or you’re an academic with an understanding of logic and an insight to what I’m sure are many clever inside references throughout the book. I am a weird middle ground between these two that left pieces of this books cleverness inaccessible. A+ for satisfying character development, without that this could have been a slog to read.
I struggle with R. F. Kuang’s characters as they tend to really frustrate me - which I understand is part of the point. I don’t think I’m the prime audience of enjoying this book, I think you’re either a fantasy lover with no logic/phil background and you reading a modern take on Dante’s inferno, or you’re an academic with an understanding of logic and an insight to what I’m sure are many clever inside references throughout the book. I am a weird middle ground between these two that left pieces of this books cleverness inaccessible. A+ for satisfying character development, without that this could have been a slog to read.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicide, Sexual harassment
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I told myself to lower my expectations when going into this. I had previously loved Babel, it's a book that means a lot me, but I'm someone who considers The Aeneid and The Iliad her favourite works of literature of all time, who loves mythology, and who sees katabasis as one of her favourite themes in classics. As such, here R.F. Kuang was writing about a theme I am intimately familiar with.
I never could have imagined just how intimate my reading experience with this novel would be. The traumatic experiences Alice faces in academia, the misogyny, the way she internalises so much and struggles to come to terms with her situation… it's all deeply realistic. Once again, R.F. Kuang has done what I consider her to be masterful at: reminding the reader of just how ugly our society can be, even when doing so through a fantasy setting.
It's not a nice or kind reminder. It's a reminder that can make us dislike many of the characters and want to scream at them. But, it's real and it's honest, and in this journey through Hell, the characters go through inner journeys as well. I never expected it to end the way it did.
It's painful and tragic, but it's also beautiful and well-crafted. While there's dozens upon dozens of references to classics, mythology, philosophers and logicians, and callbacks to katabasis-themed classics that I could go on and on about (I ended up with a list of references with over 60 entries and I'm sure I missed some), especially Dante's Inferno and mythological depictions of the underworld, in the end, R.F. Kuang's Katabasis is its own story and follows its own path, and it's an incredible one. I can't wait to give it another read.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
bro 5 stars. even though the start was slow i have ended up fucking obsessed with this book. just holy fuck rf kuang you’ve done it again. i was a bit lost at the start and it took me a bit to really get into it but i never should have doubted you :,) i can’t wait to read it again once it’s been released !!
After brilliantly tackling the topic of colonialism in a fantasy novel in 'Babel', R.F. Kuang is back to tackle academia in 'Katabasis'.
My expectations were high, and I applaud the objective of this book. It's original, funny, and clever, and she creatively shines a light on the toxicity of academic spaces.
However, I found it a bit too long, it started to feel a bit drawn out. There were some plotholes that left me feeling a bit disappointed. A good read, but I think it could have been better, unfortunately.
My expectations were high, and I applaud the objective of this book. It's original, funny, and clever, and she creatively shines a light on the toxicity of academic spaces.
However, I found it a bit too long, it started to feel a bit drawn out. There were some plotholes that left me feeling a bit disappointed. A good read, but I think it could have been better, unfortunately.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Murder
First R.F. Kuang book and it did not disappoint!! I know y’all are gonna LOVE Alice and Peter.
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes