Reviews tagging 'War'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

1028 reviews

bgmylc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Death of parent

Minor: Deportation

gallifreyanpanicmoon's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A historical fantasy, postcolonial twist on the classic university novel, providing a rich exploration of the colonial violence of the British empire through a Chinese-English pupil's candidature at Oxford University. With a truly unique magic system based on etymological links between translated words, this gripping novel uses magic to interrogate Britain's dark history of colonialism, and transforms Oxford University into a magic institution that manufactures stolen magic off of colonised subjects and their languages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Minor: Sexism and Cultural appropriation

enidcoleslawww's review

dark informative sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

arielledavis's review

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, Xenophobia, and War

nikki_flowers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

This book was brilliant in so many ways that I cannot even begin to adequately put into words. 

This is a book to help you decolonize your mind. The story itself is beautiful and the message is powerful. Fiction like this is so important. People need to see, these stories, to read these stories. Decolonial fiction like this gives us insight and hope and community and so much more. 

As I reflect back on my journey reading this masterpiece I cannot help but think of the events that were unfolding in the world at the same time. 

As I very slowly (for thoroughness sake, not a lack of interest) made my way through the book, I watched the world justify the genocide of Palestinians and the further colonization of Palestine. I watched so so many people, white girls and women in particular, obsess over this book but refuse to put the message into practice. If felt like a fetishization or infantilization of the book and its decolonial efforts. How many read this book and took what they wanted from it for their own selfish reasons and then watch Palestine burn and called Hamas terrorists or stayed completely silent. A completely colonizer move to take what you want from the book and leave the rest to burn regardless of the harm caused.

And yet, how many others read this work and felt its message in their bones. How many saw themselves on the page for the first time. How many people were awakened to liberations struggles. How many felt and cried and turned it into action. How many had hard and necessary conversations with themselves and/ or others because of this book.

That is the legacy of this book. The change it brought about to so many. The perverse colonizer response is not its legacy but rather further example of exactly why we need books like this. 

May this book live on in the hearts of those who have read it and may it fuel our souls in the liberation/mutual aid/revolution/abolition work we do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, and Alcohol

erintempleton's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense

4.0

i think what i liked most about this novel, more than the characters, more than the plot, more than the fantasy elements, more than the depth of research, and more than the immensity of its revolution, was the author's narrative writing style. i have to specify narrative because there were some non-narrative sections that seemed more like a lecture than a novel, but the story itself was told with such a strong voice that i felt like i was being folded into its world right along with the others. loved that

the overall worldbuilding was very obviously thoughtful, but it seemed like the historical setting was more informed by the plot than the other way round. Like the author was shoving a round peg in a square hole at times, trying to make silver-working fit into the industrial revolution era. the limitations of silver were often suspiciously convenient, and by god was it obvious how robin was going to end up using the number one no-no limitation.

kind of on that note, my biggest peeve was the lack of subtlety with the author's main messages. like the main characters probably hear the "don't bite the hand that feeds you" speech a total of ten times, and by the third time, i was like OKAY, we GET IT. i just felt really beat over the head with certain themes that would have still been blatant even if they hadn't been spoken aloud via dialogue (or tacked on via footnotes). 

this book reads like kuang is trying to convince the letty's of the world that robin, rami, and victoire were right, even though she knows that letty will never change. it's angry and defensive and quite realistically pessimistic, and it was not always fun to read given that colonialism and racism and academic exclusivity and misogyny and capitalistic greed are all incredibly heavy and ugly topics. it's a tough pill to swallow even if you're on board with everything the author is promoting because everyone keeps telling the characters "that's just the way it is," and the way it is is terrible.

lastly, huge trigger warnings for racism, misogyny, loss/grief, gun violence/murder, war, suicide, injury detail, and torture. know what you're getting into and be kind to yourself.
less serious trigger warnings for anyone who's ever been in a highly exclusive academic group (or cult), studied linguistics and/or translation, or struggled to maintain fluency in a language - this novel hits a little too close to home in those areas.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Drug use, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

misschop's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

Some pacing issues towards the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, and War

sulkshift's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

c_ab_bage's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative mysterious reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

the most 5 star read i have ever read. as a layman to translation i found the entire thing fascinating and incredibly clever.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Classism

edey_books's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of the most poignant and moving books I’ve read in a long time. I loved the linguistic elements and intense research that makes of the foundation of this story, but the characters and their friendships shattered my heart. R.F. Kuang makes many confronting and deeply uncomfortable but necessary points about privilege and colonialism, and their impact on both society and individual relationships. This book was heavy and one I had to take breaks from, but absolutely 10000% worth the read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Blood

Minor: War