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A review by katherineshawwrites
Babel by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? No
5.0
I wasn't sure if Babel would live up to the hype it received when it first hit the reading community, but my goodness, it does.
If you're going into Babel expecting a high fantasy dark academia story, you're going to be disappointed, but if you go in with an open mind, you'll get a fascinating, powerful and tragic take on the magic of languages, alongside the horror and injustice of colonialism and racism.
With this story, R F Kuang delivers a gripping and moving narrative that's steeped in history, and her academic experience in language really shines through not only within the plot itself, but in all the wonderfully crafted notes that accompany the text. It gives the book an academic rigour you rarely see in fiction whilst never losing sight of the story.
Some of the hard-hitting commentary around the British Empire (and similar colonial nations) and its amoral actions can be tough to swallow, but isn't that the point? R F Kuang pulls no punches, and I love her for that. The characters show us through their own lenses, backgrounds and personal storylines what atrocities have been committed in the name of imperialism, economic growth and capitalistic greed, and right now I think we all need to be reminded of that.
Despite its academic nature, the book is full of twists and turns, a great deal of tension, and rising stakes right until the very end, and I was flying through the final pages to see how it would all end for Robin. R F Kuang's writing is superb throughout, and I would highly recommend this to anyone unafraid of some hard truths and powerful storytelling.
If you're going into Babel expecting a high fantasy dark academia story, you're going to be disappointed, but if you go in with an open mind, you'll get a fascinating, powerful and tragic take on the magic of languages, alongside the horror and injustice of colonialism and racism.
With this story, R F Kuang delivers a gripping and moving narrative that's steeped in history, and her academic experience in language really shines through not only within the plot itself, but in all the wonderfully crafted notes that accompany the text. It gives the book an academic rigour you rarely see in fiction whilst never losing sight of the story.
Some of the hard-hitting commentary around the British Empire (and similar colonial nations) and its amoral actions can be tough to swallow, but isn't that the point? R F Kuang pulls no punches, and I love her for that. The characters show us through their own lenses, backgrounds and personal storylines what atrocities have been committed in the name of imperialism, economic growth and capitalistic greed, and right now I think we all need to be reminded of that.
Despite its academic nature, the book is full of twists and turns, a great deal of tension, and rising stakes right until the very end, and I was flying through the final pages to see how it would all end for Robin. R F Kuang's writing is superb throughout, and I would highly recommend this to anyone unafraid of some hard truths and powerful storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail