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gemsliterarygems 's review for:
Katabasis
by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Alice and Peter are studying Magick at Cambridge when their insufferable Professor is killed. Unfortunately their best shot at passing their postgrad and gaining jobs is by a recommendation from Prof Grimes. So they set off on a quest to save him from hell, losing half of their own life span in the process. They have to trek through the courts of hell, using the knowledge from other people who have travelled there, such as Dante.
Firstly, the characters are all insufferable. Alice and Peter's "relationship" is little more than work colleagues who get on each other's nerves most of the time. Professor Grimes is completely toxic, gaslighting and bullying his way through life, and I can't for the life of me understand why two supposedly intelligent students would give up half their remaining years and risk getting stuck in hell to save him, all for a bit of a recommendation. The writing jumps from info dumping complex philosophical ideas in a way that feels akin to a lecture, to childish comments about erections and then back to stilted dialogue. There's zero chemistry between Alice and Peter and without Grimes playing them off against each other, these two probably would never have had a conversation. At one point Alice is completely lost in the desert and I honestly was willing her to die so it would finally end. They travel between all the courts apparently looking for Grimes but rarely bother to show any inclination to look for him beyond a quick check.
All in all it is dull and ridiculously long. I did not like the characters, the "journey" was a lot of endless desert in between brief chats with Shades (souls), and it just felt like an exercise in proving how clever Rebecca Kuang is. No doubt that is the case, but if I wanted a lecture I'd go back to uni again. I'm sure it's meant to be a discussion on how badly postgrads are treated and that they go through hell for their jobs (in this case literally), but I spent most of the book wondering whether I cared enough to see if they made it.
Firstly, the characters are all insufferable. Alice and Peter's "relationship" is little more than work colleagues who get on each other's nerves most of the time. Professor Grimes is completely toxic, gaslighting and bullying his way through life, and I can't for the life of me understand why two supposedly intelligent students would give up half their remaining years and risk getting stuck in hell to save him, all for a bit of a recommendation. The writing jumps from info dumping complex philosophical ideas in a way that feels akin to a lecture, to childish comments about erections and then back to stilted dialogue. There's zero chemistry between Alice and Peter and without Grimes playing them off against each other, these two probably would never have had a conversation. At one point Alice is completely lost in the desert and I honestly was willing her to die so it would finally end. They travel between all the courts apparently looking for Grimes but rarely bother to show any inclination to look for him beyond a quick check.
All in all it is dull and ridiculously long. I did not like the characters, the "journey" was a lot of endless desert in between brief chats with Shades (souls), and it just felt like an exercise in proving how clever Rebecca Kuang is. No doubt that is the case, but if I wanted a lecture I'd go back to uni again. I'm sure it's meant to be a discussion on how badly postgrads are treated and that they go through hell for their jobs (in this case literally), but I spent most of the book wondering whether I cared enough to see if they made it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Violence