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A review by dpsmom
Babel by R.F. Kuang
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This book had so much potential. A group of young individuals finally being offered the opportunity to rise above the lower class society in which they were born to study at the prestigious Oxford Translation college sounds like a winning story. And the story itself was a cool idea, but how it was implemented fell flat. The book is long, so much so that there were certain points that dragged on and didn't feel like they really helped advance the plot. They could have been summed up in fewer pages and still had the same effect.
The characters were stereotypical in their mannerisms and actions. The author painted these characters in a certain way for the audience, but when some characters did an about face in their actions, dialogue and demeanor, it was hard to find the sudden shift to be wholly believable.
Additionally, certain elements that contributed exponentially to the plot were only glossed over (Canton opium house). I kept waiting for more to detail the tragic opium epidemic and Robin's reaction/epiphany, but it never materialized.
This novel was classified as fantasy, but with the exception of the silver bars enhancing technology, there was nothing that stood out and screamed it should belong in that genre. The silver translation portion didn't even seem to be a massive plot point either (until the end), which again, would not have made the cut as a fantasy/dystopian/ etc. novel.
The ending was completely predictable, so much so, that I was ready to close the book and be done and I still had 50 pages to go. I knew what was going to happen, and how it was going to happen. There were no plot twists or surprise endings.
The middle dragged. Until about page 300, I struggled to continue reading. Around the 300 page mark, the story picked up and became a little more exciting, but it slowed down again the last 100 pages and just. kept. going. when it needed to be wrapped up.
The writing was excellent and varied. There is no doubt that Kuang is a talented novelist.
Overall, this was touted as being a fantastic fantasy/dystopia novel, but as someone who reads fantasy regularly, this would not be one I'd recommend a friend to read.
The characters were stereotypical in their mannerisms and actions. The author painted these characters in a certain way for the audience, but when some characters did an about face in their actions, dialogue and demeanor, it was hard to find the sudden shift to be wholly believable.
Additionally, certain elements that contributed exponentially to the plot were only glossed over (Canton opium house). I kept waiting for more to detail the tragic opium epidemic and Robin's reaction/epiphany, but it never materialized.
This novel was classified as fantasy, but with the exception of the silver bars enhancing technology, there was nothing that stood out and screamed it should belong in that genre. The silver translation portion didn't even seem to be a massive plot point either (until the end), which again, would not have made the cut as a fantasy/dystopian/ etc. novel.
The ending was completely predictable, so much so, that I was ready to close the book and be done and I still had 50 pages to go. I knew what was going to happen, and how it was going to happen. There were no plot twists or surprise endings.
The middle dragged. Until about page 300, I struggled to continue reading. Around the 300 page mark, the story picked up and became a little more exciting, but it slowed down again the last 100 pages and just. kept. going. when it needed to be wrapped up.
The writing was excellent and varied. There is no doubt that Kuang is a talented novelist.
Overall, this was touted as being a fantastic fantasy/dystopia novel, but as someone who reads fantasy regularly, this would not be one I'd recommend a friend to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship