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eliselivesinbooks 's review for:
Katabasis
by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think my haste to devour this book was misguided. This is a story that requires patience and to be savoured, to appreciate the slow unravelling of its characters in their entirety. We are thrown straight into Hell without much preamble, but I did nevertheless find the first hundred page or so a little slow, and much of that may have been adjusting to my expectations for this book. But then I became more familiar with Alice and Peter. There is no doubt that this is a character-driven story and became infinitely more enjoyable once I slowed down, allowed myself to be taken on Alice's journey through Hell as she reclaimed her sense of self so deeply entangled with the cutthroat world of academia.
Alice, our hero. She is completely delusional, has a stiff upper lip mentality that made it hard to connect with her at the beginning, but her character arc was one of the highlights of Katabasis for me. We get to hear her innermost thoughts and slowly delve into her backstory throughout the journey, see her toxic relationship with her advisor, Professor Jacob Grimes. I loved this twisted dynamic. She worships him, craves his attention and adulation. As Elspeth (one of my favourite characters that we meet in Hell) says—'...he was the perfect incarnation of the system's nonsense.'
And what a system it is. Set in an alternate 1980s Cambridge, Kuang doesn't hold back with her criticisms of academic institutions and the setting works perfectly to amplify the very prevalent prejudices (particularly sexism). A lot of the usual anger from her criticisms of colonialism in Babel and The Poppy War felt missing in Katabasis, instead bleeding a bone-deep fatigue through every page.
This is obviously a very personal story for Kuang, which particularly shines through in the love she showed Peter and Alice. We only get one chapter of Peter's pov but it is a heartfelt one.
As for Hell itself, yes there were fascinating creatures of myth and legend and nonsensical landscapes that boggled the mind. Thought much of it did appear as an expanse of sand duns which became a bit repetitive after a while. I enjoyed all the characters we meet in Hell, providing humour and dread in equal measure. One scene I want to bring up is one involving Cerberus which was both funny and disturbing and dipped into the terrifying expanse of eternity, which I personally loved.
ᴘᴀɪɴ ɪꜱ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇᴀʀ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪꜰ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛɪɴɢ.
And I'd be remiss if I weren't to mention the magic in Katabasis. Based on paradoxes ('linguistic trickery, logical conundrums'), it's seamlessly woven into this alternate history. It's so unique and so well thought out.
ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴋ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴡɪꜱʜ, ᴀ ᴘʀᴀʏᴇʀ, ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴀɴᴄʜᴏʀɪɴɢ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. ꜱᴏ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴʜᴏᴏᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ. ꜱᴏ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴄᴏʜᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ. ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴏ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴀɢᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴜᴘ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴘʟᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪᴇ.
I loved the extra information we got, the nods to various religious and literary depictions of Hell. I'm not a mathematician, nor a philosopher, but I didn't feel burdened or confused at any point; I think this is part of the reason this book should be savoured, to allow for diversions, to research every detail to fill in the gaps. Katabasis is so well researched and so rich in this detail that it deserves such attention. I can't wait to do a re-read one day, I think I'll enjoy it even more.
Alice, our hero. She is completely delusional, has a stiff upper lip mentality that made it hard to connect with her at the beginning, but her character arc was one of the highlights of Katabasis for me. We get to hear her innermost thoughts and slowly delve into her backstory throughout the journey, see her toxic relationship with her advisor, Professor Jacob Grimes. I loved this twisted dynamic. She worships him, craves his attention and adulation. As Elspeth (one of my favourite characters that we meet in Hell) says—'...he was the perfect incarnation of the system's nonsense.'
And what a system it is. Set in an alternate 1980s Cambridge, Kuang doesn't hold back with her criticisms of academic institutions and the setting works perfectly to amplify the very prevalent prejudices (particularly sexism). A lot of the usual anger from her criticisms of colonialism in Babel and The Poppy War felt missing in Katabasis, instead bleeding a bone-deep fatigue through every page.
This is obviously a very personal story for Kuang, which particularly shines through in the love she showed Peter and Alice. We only get one chapter of Peter's pov but it is a heartfelt one.
As for Hell itself, yes there were fascinating creatures of myth and legend and nonsensical landscapes that boggled the mind. Thought much of it did appear as an expanse of sand duns which became a bit repetitive after a while. I enjoyed all the characters we meet in Hell, providing humour and dread in equal measure. One scene I want to bring up is one involving Cerberus which was both funny and disturbing and dipped into the terrifying expanse of eternity, which I personally loved.
ᴘᴀɪɴ ɪꜱ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇᴀʀ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪꜰ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛɪɴɢ.
And I'd be remiss if I weren't to mention the magic in Katabasis. Based on paradoxes ('linguistic trickery, logical conundrums'), it's seamlessly woven into this alternate history. It's so unique and so well thought out.
ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴋ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴡɪꜱʜ, ᴀ ᴘʀᴀʏᴇʀ, ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴀɴᴄʜᴏʀɪɴɢ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. ꜱᴏ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴʜᴏᴏᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ. ꜱᴏ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴄᴏʜᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ. ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴏ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴀɢᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴜᴘ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴘʟᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪᴇ.
I loved the extra information we got, the nods to various religious and literary depictions of Hell. I'm not a mathematician, nor a philosopher, but I didn't feel burdened or confused at any point; I think this is part of the reason this book should be savoured, to allow for diversions, to research every detail to fill in the gaps. Katabasis is so well researched and so rich in this detail that it deserves such attention. I can't wait to do a re-read one day, I think I'll enjoy it even more.