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A review by savvyrosereads
Babel by R.F. Kuang
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Robin is a young boy in 1820s Canton when he is left orphaned, adopted by a wealthy British guardian, and ultimately put on a path that will lead him to the Royal Institute of Translation (or Babel) at Oxford.
This one has been on my list for ages and I’m so glad I finally got to it! First things first, it is brilliant—brilliantly written, brilliantly researched, brilliantly imagined. As a sort of fantasy-lined alternate history novel, it is an absolute stunner (but note I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as “fantasy” in the traditional sense and I think readers going in with the expectation of standard fantasy novels and tropes may be disappointed).
I did struggle with some elements of the ending, though I think I ultimately get what Kuang was trying to accomplish, and on balance I liked it more than I didn't. It's also worth noting that the book is super dense—I feel like I learned so much about language and etymology and the power of words, but that did mean this wasn’t always an easy read (not a bad thing, just one to be aware of if you dive in!) It also felt long, and I might be in the minority here but I actually wished it was a duology at one point, and think it might have functioned slightly better that way.
All of the above said, I truly think Babel is an incredible, and possibly even necessary, read. The messages it conveys and the story it tells are so resonant in our current world (and throughout literally all of history) and this book is primed to be both a teacher for those who need to learn and mirror for those who need to feel seen.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: historical fantasy; political fantasy; books about language and words
CW: Lots of death/blood/violence; racism/xenophobia/colonialism
Robin is a young boy in 1820s Canton when he is left orphaned, adopted by a wealthy British guardian, and ultimately put on a path that will lead him to the Royal Institute of Translation (or Babel) at Oxford.
This one has been on my list for ages and I’m so glad I finally got to it! First things first, it is brilliant—brilliantly written, brilliantly researched, brilliantly imagined. As a sort of fantasy-lined alternate history novel, it is an absolute stunner (but note I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as “fantasy” in the traditional sense and I think readers going in with the expectation of standard fantasy novels and tropes may be disappointed).
I did struggle with some elements of the ending, though I think I ultimately get what Kuang was trying to accomplish, and on balance I liked it more than I didn't. It's also worth noting that the book is super dense—I feel like I learned so much about language and etymology and the power of words, but that did mean this wasn’t always an easy read (not a bad thing, just one to be aware of if you dive in!) It also felt long, and I might be in the minority here but I actually wished it was a duology at one point, and think it might have functioned slightly better that way.
All of the above said, I truly think Babel is an incredible, and possibly even necessary, read. The messages it conveys and the story it tells are so resonant in our current world (and throughout literally all of history) and this book is primed to be both a teacher for those who need to learn and mirror for those who need to feel seen.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: historical fantasy; political fantasy; books about language and words
CW: Lots of death/blood/violence; racism/xenophobia/colonialism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Xenophobia, Gun violence, War, Colonisation, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Racism