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A review by withlivjones
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is an insanely important book that absolutely deserves all the hype it has received. A perfect marriage of dark academia and magical realism that provides a detailed commentary on colonialism and how it powers England’s oldest university. The footnotes, often containing factually correct information (if at times a little embellished to fit the fantasy setting) make the novel feel like a historical account of a real event, and it can occasionally be easy to forget that this is a fictional story because it is situated so well within the time period.
At first, the novel appears like any fantasy story, and the reader is drawn into the whimsy of life as a student at Oxford like Robin and his friends. I love the fact that the magic system is based in translation theory, and over time we can see how Robin starts thinking like a translator, always considering the full implications of what words mean. Like the knowledge that no one sees the colour red the same way, it opens one’s eyes to a different way of perceiving the world.
However, as we learn about the more sinister side of Babel’s work, the scope of the novel widens to not just commenting on elitism in academia but the fact that during the British Empire’s peak, absolutely everything could be traced back to colonialism and furthering the interests of the rich, white elite - something that certain parts of the world are still recovering from even today. The pace of the novel (which is pretty slow for the first half) suddenly accelerates at a rate that is a little jarring, but for good reason as it really emphasises the shock of the students as they realise exactly what they are working for.
The characters are excellently fleshed out, especially the main four - most of the novel is from Robin’s point of view and he makes a very compelling protagonist, but I also really liked the interludes from the point of view of the other three students which give vital insight into their motivations throughout the novel. Besides these four, Kuang does a fantastic job of creating a diverse cast of minor characters, from the lovable to the despicable.
I would honestly recommend this book to everyone, especially anyone who has benefitted from a university education - as I think it is a very important and eye-opening read. It is a pretty slow start, but I found all the exposition in the first half surprisingly interesting and the action in the second half of the book is so worth the wait. Also, I can’t wait for university professors to inevitably miss the point of the novel and use it as reading material in their translation theory classes.
At first, the novel appears like any fantasy story, and the reader is drawn into the whimsy of life as a student at Oxford like Robin and his friends. I love the fact that the magic system is based in translation theory, and over time we can see how Robin starts thinking like a translator, always considering the full implications of what words mean. Like the knowledge that no one sees the colour red the same way, it opens one’s eyes to a different way of perceiving the world.
However, as we learn about the more sinister side of Babel’s work, the scope of the novel widens to not just commenting on elitism in academia but the fact that during the British Empire’s peak, absolutely everything could be traced back to colonialism and furthering the interests of the rich, white elite - something that certain parts of the world are still recovering from even today. The pace of the novel (which is pretty slow for the first half) suddenly accelerates at a rate that is a little jarring, but for good reason as it really emphasises the shock of the students as they realise exactly what they are working for.
The characters are excellently fleshed out, especially the main four - most of the novel is from Robin’s point of view and he makes a very compelling protagonist, but I also really liked the interludes from the point of view of the other three students which give vital insight into their motivations throughout the novel. Besides these four, Kuang does a fantastic job of creating a diverse cast of minor characters, from the lovable to the despicable.
I would honestly recommend this book to everyone, especially anyone who has benefitted from a university education - as I think it is a very important and eye-opening read. It is a pretty slow start, but I found all the exposition in the first half surprisingly interesting and the action in the second half of the book is so worth the wait. Also, I can’t wait for university professors to inevitably miss the point of the novel and use it as reading material in their translation theory classes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, Blood, Misogyny, Classism, Death, Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Addiction, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Infidelity, Excrement, and War
Period-typical attitudes