A review by millerkg9
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Easily one of the most important books ever written. Kuang managed to convey the intersecting dangers and conflicts of various types of privilege clearly without being patronizing or repetitive, making this an impressively valuable read for anyone, regardless of background. The characters and world building are carefully, beautifully constructed, and the plot and pacing are basically perfect. Absolutely brilliant, in every conceivable way. 

Only complaint I really have is that we don’t actually see the repercussions of

Babel falling.

They’re strongly implied/theorized of course, but I would’ve like to see them on the page. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Grief, Xenophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Racial slurs, War, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Death, and Classism

Moderate: Deportation and Alcoholism

forced deportation is explicitly and implicitly threatened throughout the novel, but not actually acted upon as far as I remember.