Babel is a book that deserved all the praise, yet it’s hard to come up with the words. It’s haunting, and beautiful, and everything that R.F. Kuang made it up to be and even more. In this response to The Secret History, fantasy and real world collide in the city of Oxford. Robin Swift grapples with his conflict between the British Empire and his motherland of Canton, China– feeling the creeping grip of the powerful vs the powerless.

It left me with so much love and awe.

I’m going to be very much in the minority with this one. It was beautifully written, but unfortunately, not for me. Which is a bummer, cause I was so sure I’d love this one.

Others will love it. I just personally found it boring.

Wow what an incredible book! My first five star and only five star review this year. The concept is incredible and the plot is amazing. I found myself constantly excited to see what happens next and it’s just a beautiful book. Can’t wait to see what else she does.

Babel by R. F. Kuang is, without a doubt, the best book I've read this year. Its theme of language usage is a fascinating commentary on imperialism, revolution, and resistance. As compelling as the story is, and it delivers a little nugget of insight on almost every page, the language of the story is the true star of Babel. Ms. Kuang's writing style is perfect. While it most definitely is prose, each sentence has a beauty that feels like poetry. Between the story, that magical setting that is Oxford, and the language, Babel left me in awe. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

RFK said decolonize the dark academia genre and we thank her for that. Babel is definitely a love letter to academia.

As a lover of languages, I found myself quite giddy when I recognized some of the names and publications Kuang referenced in the narrative. She obviously put a lot of love and effort into researching this project, not to mention the native speakers she must have had to consult in order to get the multiple languages grammatically correct.

The magic system is wonderfully creative. I'd never seen anything like it before. Postcolonialism is also an obvious theme, something she also explored in TPW, but it also reiterates the necessity of violence and how far should you go in fighting colonizers.

This book was so incredible, from the intricate plot, to the rich history, to the complex and loving characters. I think every single person would get something important out of reading this, and even if you think you won't, you need to give it a try.

I have been on an emotional roller coaster with Babel. I was immensely excited based on early reviews and the blurb, I felt pretty meh for the first half of the book, then things really took off. Let me explain.

Babel is an important book. The way Kuang examines colonialism, racism, academia, gender relations, and so many more big brain-breaking soul-sucking topics is incredible. I don’t know how she fit so much thought into this book. What grounds these big ideas are characters that are fully-fleshed humans, people you can relate to and root for. Your heart will ache for them, and some of them will break your heart on their own. For me, Robin is everything. His transformation was something to behold and I don’t know if I’ve read a better character development anywhere else in historical fiction.

So why the meh? Apparently I don’t love words as much as I thought I did. I had a hard time with the more academic sections of the novel, especially the first half which seemed full of it when really what I wanted was the characters and their actions. This could be too to incorrect expectations. This is *not* a fantasy novel, if you’re a fantasy reader like me. It’s historical fiction with a speculative bend, a tiny change of adding a little sprinkle of magic that doesn’t have a system really. I might’ve enjoyed the first half of the book more if I’d known that.

But then, the midpoint! Oh ho ho, that midpoint knocked me out of my chair and I was IN. Or at least, I thought I was. Then the climax at the end of act two happened and I was bowled over again and could barely breathe as I raced through the last 100 pages. That last act is some of the best fiction of any genre I’ve ever read in my life. I am not exaggerating. It was masterful. It was astonishing. I don’t have a good enough vocabulary to make you understand how much it rocked my world.

And the ending, my gods! A triumph. Truly. As a writer myself, I’d sell my soul for an ending that incredible. This is one of those books that lives with you. It makes you question, it paints the world in a slightly different hue, it makes you confront things. I love that.

I couldn’t recommend this book more highly. I had an ebook copy given to me for free but I already bought a copy. What better endorsement is there than spending your own money? Even with the slower start than I’d prefer, and with my coming in with the wrong idea of what genre it fits into, it is absolutely one of the best books of 2022, if not the entire decade. You *cannot* miss it!


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.

This book. Oh my word.

The rest of this review is being held until HarperCollins Union gets a contract.

Babel deserves all the praise and hype in the world.

R.F. Kuang is a brilliant writer. She crafted a book even better than her previous Poppy War Trilogy, to the point that it had me feeling those books were just practice (and they were AMAZING!).

This book should be required reading for… well, for everyone! How is she able to tackle topics like colonialism and racism so smoothly and without mercy, while also crafting an incomparable piece of literature in the historical fantasy genre???

Please, friends, give this book a try.

Fair warning: The first 40% of the book is really slow paced, and you might feel that not that much is going on (I still loved it, tough!), but when you get past that mark… phew… get ready, because things will get REAL so fast, the pace will pick up, the twist will make you scream, and you won’t be able to put the book down until you finish it!

Last thing I want to say: This is how dark academia should work. This is dark academia at its best.

I hope every other writer is taking notes.

This was truly one of the best books I have ever read. I love the deep dives into language, history and culture. And I love this reimagining of an alternate world powered by silver. The commentary on colonialism and racism is so important. And the characters in this book sucked me in. Tears were streaming down my face as I finished this one.

Review here: https://singaporeunbound.org/suspect-journal/2022/12/2/translation-as-weapon Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy.

BABEL is the book I most wanted to read this year, but was also hesitant to pick up. There has been so much praise for it that I was concerned it wouldn't live up to the hype. However, this fear was quickly dispelled after the first chapter. I was completely hooked.

What Kuang managed to do with this story is nothing short of mastery. With a narrative steeped in so much history and the examination of language, one might think you are reading a reference book. However, by weaving in these amazingly diverse and complicated characters and the more fantastical elements the tale transforms into something completely new. There is emotion, double dealings, and the exploration of social constructs and race all wrapped up in a beautifully written package. This darkly candid account of the lives of Robin, his friends, family, those involved in the Royal Institute of Translation, and the people living in London at this time period allows the reader to immerse themselves in the world the author created. The vivid descriptions, the richness of the language, and the eloquence make the experience even better.

I spent some time within these pages because I didn't want to miss anything, absorbing the story for all it was. Every moment reading this, I would always push myself to read just one chapter more. BABEL is truly an epic fantasy worth reading. I cannot wait to dive back in for a second read.

This BOOK. I knew i was going to like this book as soon as I read the first footnote. Brutal, compelling, complex, and those freaking footnotes!!! Packed with historical context and knowledge! I learned facts as much as I read fiction! All the best parts of The Poppy War trilogy packed into one book.

I absolutely enjoyed this book, and it will be making its way to my top reads of 2022 list and most likely my best reads of all time. RF Kuang is a master storyteller. I took my time with this one so that I could enjoy every word on every page. This book was both atmospheric and transformational. I loved how the author used her knowledge of languages and language acquisition through colonization to create a story and magic system that was unlike any other that I've ever read. The characters were compelling and lovable (excluding one) and each played an integral role in propelling the story forward. There were points where I felt like this book was beyond me -- and I thoroughly enjoyed that! I love books that get me to think, and process, and sit with myself. And this one did that over and over and over again. I would highly recommend this book to -- anyone. Although it has fantastical elements, the story is much bigger than the magic. Thank you, RF Kuang! You've done it again.

I'm really gutted that I didn't love this more. It's somewhere between a 3 and a 4, but I've rounded up because I do think that the content is important to discuss. However, that's also my biggest complaint. This book is almost too heavy handed that it comes off as preaching to the choir. I've heard comments that this book feels written for people who don't understand the damage that colonialism causes, and I agree, but I don't think those people will be picking up this book.

I also felt like we kept getting to this really exciting moment and then it would just fall flat. This happened several times in the narrative arc.

Overall, I did enjoy it, but it's been so hyped and it seems to have an issue with knowing who the audience is that it ended up being a tad disappointing for me as a reader.

Note: I read this in May, it is now December. The only notes I took were at the beginning of the book when I was over the moon excited to finally be reading it, which is evidently reflected in my glowing notes. But upon completion I found it to be totally fine, average, but probably not deserving of the best book of the year hype (oops). Rebecca is forever a genius in my mind but that might have been to her detriment with this one. It felt a little too ostentatious, or as if she's trying a little too hard to come across as a literary genius. This one just didn't hit me like it did for others. Insert crying face emoji.

Anyways, here are my thoughts:

I was very intimidated by the synopsis of this book and the way I’ve heard the author speak about it. I thought it would be very existential and thematic and pretentious to the point where I wouldn’t be able to understand it, and this was only partly true in the end. I found it compulsively readable but still pretentious at points. It had A LOT to say and I think it could have benefitted from a bit more focus. Or honestly, make it two books. It was a lot to fit into one volume (even a 500+ page one).

The footnotes had the potential to be obnoxious but Kuang pulled them off well enough. They were a *chef’s kiss* perfect combination of humor, actual information, and snark. [I wrote those two sentences when I first started the book and was still enchanted by the idea of footnotes, but by the final third I did not even bother reading them. Oops]

The class sessions that dig into the language and translation work were boring to me and I kind of skimmed over most of those. I think she makes great points and explains it very well, I just don’t really care about that stuff. This was a big factor in my enjoyment of it. If I end up skimming or straight up skipping huge sections, something is wrong (for me).

The ending was dramatic in all the right ways, if somewhat predictable.

Overall, I'm disappointed in myself for not loving this as much as everyone else did. I think it's absolutely worth a read and it has obviously found its audience as evident by the nearly 16 thousand 5 star ratings on GoodReads.

I adored the Poppy War, and this was one of my most anticipated books of 2022. Unfortunately, I struggled through this - I restarted this twice and that it’s taken me over half a year to read. One of my biggest literary pet peeves is books being overly didactic - which this was. I 110% agreed with what the author was saying, but I was exhausted by the repetition and heavy handed approach Kuang took. I prefer novels that make me have to read between the lines, engage with the text, and “work” a bit for the author’s message - I don’t want it fed to me like thesis statements scattered throughout the text. It felt more like reading an etymology text book mixed with a dissertation on colonialism than an alternate history fantasy novel. I felt like silver working changed absolutely nothing about Industrial Revolution England and that this might just as well have not had any magic in it at all. The anachronistic speech and terms also threw me - these characters waffle between period appropriate speech and modern lingo, and it never stopped feeling odd to me. I didn’t feel connected to the characters, I hated the footnotes, and I was mostly bored the whole time. This wasn’t bad - there’s clearly an audience that adores this - but it just didn’t work for me.

This book was incredible! The complexity of the world, the fully fleshed out characters, the political drama, the amount of research on the history of translation, the social commentary about race, class, and industrialism....I can't say enough good things. I am a forever fan of Kuang's. 5 stars, easily.

this is one of the most interesting, thoughtful, gut-wrenching, human, books I've ever read.
the subjects this book touched upon are so universal and smart so specific to those wronged by imperialism and colonialism.
additionally, this books paint quite a detailed picture of Oxford.
linguistics, translation, etymology. I'm definitely interested in those subjects and this book felt like really engrossing lecture I was sitting in on.
really wonderful book. should be taught in schools

This book took me three months to read, and every second was worth it.

It didn't take me long because I was bored or not enjoying it. It took me that long because I annotated almost every page of the book and I had to process the genius that is R.F. Kuang's writing and mind.

This is such an important book. It is so much more than a fantasy dark academia novel. It’s about colonialism and imperialism and how the British Empire's intent to take over the world at anyone’s expense. It’s about using translation and how it’s a betrayal and exploitation in every form of the word. It’s about the four main characters’ guilt in grappling with what they and their institution (Babel) are contributing towards the war.

I have not cried this much reading a book in a long time and I am still heartbroken writing this review. The realities of war are never easy to consume, and that’s true with this book as well.

This is the best book I have ever read that i never want to read again. Please take that as a compliment, because it absolutely is.