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A review by scifi42
Babel by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was an absolutely amazing book. I haven't read anything this long in a while - glad I gave myself the chance.
Highlights: an absolutely fantastic cast of characters, meaningful but incomplete foreshadowing, several different and grounded perspectives (none declared "right") on decolonization processes.
Kuang also makes several bold formal moves- I'm pretty sure this is the first "untranslated" fiction I've read that includes footnotes. The book is broadly accessible but definitely rewards readers with some understanding of British colonization. The characters are relatable, the magic well systemized, the situations absurd in their realism.
Speculative fiction at its best.
Highlights: an absolutely fantastic cast of characters, meaningful but incomplete foreshadowing, several different and grounded perspectives (none declared "right") on decolonization processes.
Kuang also makes several bold formal moves- I'm pretty sure this is the first "untranslated" fiction I've read that includes footnotes. The book is broadly accessible but definitely rewards readers with some understanding of British colonization. The characters are relatable, the magic well systemized, the situations absurd in their realism.
Speculative fiction at its best.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Death, Police brutality, Torture, Child abuse, and Colonisation
Moderate: Hate crime, Classism, Death of parent, and Deportation