A review by sarrie
Babel by R.F. Kuang

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
TL;DR: A good book, great even. But not perfect or subtle in the least. 
Plot: Filled with anger and a message to convey, the plot is driven primarily for that and only that.
Characters: A little flat and one note. We get brief beautiful glimpses of who they are meant to be but that's ultimately lost to the plot and it's messages.
Setting: The setting is rich, Oxford is the biggest character in this story.
Magic: Very low magic. We have an explanation as to why and how the magic works but not much of one. 

 
 There is so much that has been said about Babel it's feels a little needless to say more - but here we go. Babel is the story of Robin Swift as he's lifted from his home in China by his 'guardian' and raised to be sent to Babel, the premiere translation institute in Britain that allows the country to have seemingly almost complete control of the world. 
 My thoughts are a little mixed on this. I think it's a solid book, by no means perfect. The first half is engaging in a day by day of Robin and his cohort's work in Oxford. Slowly Robin starts to see the cracks and flaws of the university. The destruction of languages, the slow conquest that Britain is enacting across the globe and you see how easy it seems for him to turn a blind eye even as his own homeland is targeted. Then on the half way mark the book takes a sharp turn, moving into a revolution, a revolt. Things speed up and the world crumbles around Robin. 
 This book is angry, and it is vocal in it's message. There is little subtlety here, and while I whole-heartedly agree with the core messages Kuang is sharing, I wish there had been more subtlety. We are told the message, over and over to the determinant of our characters and world building. Characters that are set up to be engaging and nuanced fall flat and eventually even are killed off in some cases as the plot drives towards it's ultimate grim conclusion. That ending is also another big problem I had with the book, in that I think death is the ultimate loss. A conversation is had in the book about martyrdom, about sacrificing yourself and how it isn't the answer but in the end the book contradicts that. 
 Overall it's a book I enjoyed, and I'll definitely continue to read Kuang's work. I think she has a lot of skill and talent and she has amazing space to grow. This wasn't perfect, but it was very good. If it seems like something you're interested in and you are one of the five other people besides myself who hasn't read this, it's worth reading! 
 4 out of 5 silver bars 
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