Take a photo of a barcode or cover
upper_fjord44 's review for:
Babel
by R.F. Kuang
I don’t understand how more people aren’t radicalized by just existing in society. The issues pervasive to society 300 years ago are just as prevalent, if not more so, today; those in power have simply gotten better at hiding it and justifying it.
This book was GAS. Definitely tailored towards me and especially valuable in today’s political climate. I won’t go deep into the themes and morals of this book, as A) it’s more valuable to hear it from the authors own words than ~translated~ by lil old me (ha get it?) and B) I feel as though I’d be standing atop a soapbox and I have nothing new/fresh to add to the discourse presently surrounding the book.
The characters were all written flawlessly. While I’m ultimately sad how a few specific character arcs turned out, I understand that, similar to all great tragedies of old, a change in the characterization would fundamentally be a change in plot. Everyone played their part, served their purpose, and demonstrated (masterfully, if I may gas R.F Kuang up more) the inherent struggle in revolt and revolution; liberal infighting. Many times while reading I cringed similar to when I would watch movies like “Idiocracy” and “Don’t Look Up” due to how realistically these scenarios were portrayed in this whimsical, faux-fantasy world.
The plot was always engaging. I didn’t know much about translation when I first started reading besides the usual “language A to language B”, so getting a crash course in the foundational philosophy of translation was really interesting to me and such a great introduction to the deeper insights that are talked about as the story progresses. Using that philosophy not only as a feature, but as the driving force behind the plot, was an extraordinary creative choice from R.F Kuang and such a joy to read. There were many twists and turns that, while semi-predictable, were never exactly what you’d expect; keeping the story fresh and interesting while you read.
Lovers of the hit Disney TV show “Andor” would go crazyyy for this book. 5/5
This book was GAS. Definitely tailored towards me and especially valuable in today’s political climate. I won’t go deep into the themes and morals of this book, as A) it’s more valuable to hear it from the authors own words than ~translated~ by lil old me (ha get it?) and B) I feel as though I’d be standing atop a soapbox and I have nothing new/fresh to add to the discourse presently surrounding the book.
The characters were all written flawlessly. While I’m ultimately sad how a few specific character arcs turned out, I understand that, similar to all great tragedies of old, a change in the characterization would fundamentally be a change in plot. Everyone played their part, served their purpose, and demonstrated (masterfully, if I may gas R.F Kuang up more) the inherent struggle in revolt and revolution; liberal infighting. Many times while reading I cringed similar to when I would watch movies like “Idiocracy” and “Don’t Look Up” due to how realistically these scenarios were portrayed in this whimsical, faux-fantasy world.
The plot was always engaging. I didn’t know much about translation when I first started reading besides the usual “language A to language B”, so getting a crash course in the foundational philosophy of translation was really interesting to me and such a great introduction to the deeper insights that are talked about as the story progresses. Using that philosophy not only as a feature, but as the driving force behind the plot, was an extraordinary creative choice from R.F Kuang and such a joy to read. There were many twists and turns that, while semi-predictable, were never exactly what you’d expect; keeping the story fresh and interesting while you read.
Lovers of the hit Disney TV show “Andor” would go crazyyy for this book. 5/5