This book. I’ve tried to give myself time to think about it, but it just seems so big. There was a lot of description and history. This is not a book you can dip in and out of during those times when you have “ten or twenty minutes to read.” You have to be focused—every sentence seems to add information to what you already know. Sometimes you don’t think it’s necessary, but it all adds to the depth of the world and the characters.
That said, I really loved the story. Alice Law never wanted anything but magic. Her tunnel vision bordered on obsession. Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge is considered the best in the world, and Alice will sacrifice anything to work with him. When his death in a magical accident jeopardizes her goals, she is determined to go to hell and bring him back—even though her rival, Peter Murdoch, has the same goal.
The descriptions of the landscapes and the adventures while they are in hell are very entertaining. The backstory (it feels like there is so much more about Peter’s life than Alice’s) drags the story down a bit, and it does start a little slow, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down without it occupying my thoughts until I finished it.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was incredibly intrigued by the Alice in Wonderland meets Dante's Inferno premise of this book. Overall I enjoyed it, but I don't think it's for everyone. The pacing was inconsistent for me, waffling between periods where I couldn't put it down vs times when I had to force myself to continue. It is definitely a book that readers should go into with the expectation that it may take some time to get through it, but in the end it will be worth it. I'm grateful I was able to get an early access preview.

This was one of my most hotly anticipated books of 2025, and in many ways, it did not disappoint. Kuang manages to both send us on a dizzy and horrifying journey through the Underworld (which draws from other famous Underworld journeys, including Dante’s <i>Inferno</i>, but has a creative, unique twist to it that is wholly Kuang’s) and deliver a scathing critique of, to put it as eloquently as I can, the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of academia. This isn’t a world I’m personally familiar with, but Kuang makes it accessible and even interesting to an outsider like me: our protagonist, Alice, is so single-minded in her pursuit of academic greatness that it devastatingly eclipses all else, from hobbies to just basic taking care of herself. It’s heartbreaking to watch, and at times, Alice is a deeply unlikable character because of the things she’s said and done while chasing that nebulous dream; however, her behavior is understandable, and the parallels between her journey through Hell and the places that academia has taken her are obvious. I also deeply appreciated the narrative about Alice and her advisor, Jacob Grimes, a deeply odious man in almost every way imaginable—much like a narrative of abuse (and you could certainly call his behavior abusive), the text thoughtfully explores how someone like Alice could end up ensnared by someone like him, making excuses for his terrible behavior because of his brilliance and his promises to nurture her brilliance, too.

The pacing in this book wasn’t perfect—at times I found myself ripping and tearing through the pages, excited at where the narrative was going and the stakes that were being set up, while other times it dragged and meandered in a way that was significantly less interesting. I found the bleakness of the setting, and of Kuang’s imagined afterlife as a whole, discomfitting at times to read about, as well. But the whole made up for the not-always-perfect sum of its parts, as did the incredibly sweet love story that develops.

This latest book by RF Kuang takes the reader on a literal journey through Hell, as two graduate students (Alice and Peter) go in search of their advisor, who was killed in an unfortunate magic accident. Kuang, as always, manages to build compelling, flawed characters. I always appreciate how she does not force her characters to act out of character in order to be more likeable and appealing to the reader. This book also paints a very realistic and accurate look at graduate school and mentor/mentee relationships. That insight into academia is where Kuang really shines, and I hope she will explore it more in future works.

In some ways, this novel was a little narrower in scope than some of her previous works, like Babel and the Poppy War Trilogy, and even Yellowface, all of which focused on world-wide issues like colonialism, social justice, etc. Katabasis was more of a deep-dive into the underworld, integrating literature and philosophy on the subject. Although I felt out of my depth on a lot of it, enough was explained that I could follow along well enough without feeling lectured at.

As far as the plot... meh... it's a journey through Hell with all the anguish and brutality that entails. As with many of Kuang's earlier works, the pacing could also be improved-- some parts drag on too long (and I'm not convinced it's intentionally done to convey the monotony and endlessness of some areas of the landscape), others happen a bit too quickly/easily/neatly even when suspending disbelief.

I am so overwhelmed that I’m not sure what I can say about this. I’ll have to come back later and see if it’s recency bias, but I think this is her best work yet. I feel seen and challenged and devastated and joyful and everything all at once. This has truly cemented why she’s my favorite author.

Devastated to say goodbye to this world R.F. Kuang has built. This was an incredibly ambitious project for Kuang, there were some major hits and major misses. Kuang does a wonderful job in linking her imagery with logic, Hell's landscape is a direct mirror of the challenges Alice faces throughout the book. Each layer was interesting, each turn was surprising, each chapter flowed nicely into the next. But many times I felt Kuang got lost in her own logic, too many metaphors and examples muddied the clear progression of the plot. There were points that felt more like displays of academic prowess rather than context for the narrative. Especially in the latter half of the book, I felt disoriented and confused with the pacing of events. Like pure coincidence was pushing the story forward rather than character or specific plot points. But despite, I loved the atmosphere and creativity Kuang is known for. Thx to Netgalley for my early copy:)

A chthonic blend of "Alice in Wonderland," Dante’s "Inferno," and Piranesi? If RF Kuang is the author, then count me in!

“Katabasis” is Kuang’s latest novel, and as a fan of her previous works—“Babel,” “The Poppy Wars,” and “Yellowface”—I was eager to see what she would create next, and I was not disappointed.

Like “Babel” and “The Poppy Wars,” "Katabasis" is an epic fantasy grounded in reality, particularly within the realm of academia. The story follows graduate students Alice and Peter as they embark on a quest to retrieve their professor from hell. Their motivations are driven by academic ambition, guilt, and a desire for redemption. This narrative is both adventurous and witty, and I found myself seriously racing through the pages, eager to uncover what would happen next.

I highly recommend this book; it has become one of my favorites of the year. I will be purchasing a copy when it is published! A big thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
HarperCollins Publishers set for release August 2025
By Robin Munson

What would you do if your Cambridge PHD advisor in Magic died and his soul, like all souls, is wandering the depths of Hell hoping to make proper amends before being reincarnated? Most students would change advisors, finish out their degree, and enjoy their future careers in magic. But, that is not what PHD students Alice Law and Peter Murdoch do. Instead, they travel to Hell and trade half their remaining life span to bring back Professor Grimes's soul while putting their lives, and their own souls, in danger. All this to save a man that only a few admired and many despised.

I enjoyed trudging through Hell with Alice and Peter. Alice, a driven, flawed, and closed person is the narrator. A perfect combination for Professor Grimes to exploit and conjure an unhealthy classroom competition between Alice and Peter. It took a trip through Hell to challenge Alice physically, mentally, and emotionally to bring about the growth needed in her life. Peter, on the other hand, is a really good guy (which also upsets Alice). Both learned to work together with a combination of mathematics, science, and philosophy to help maneuver them through each of the courts of Hell based on the 7 deadly sins and the final eighth court.

The pacing throughout this book was great. I found myself reading late into the night eager to see how Alice and Peter were trekking through Hell. They met former Cambridge students or "victims" of Professor Grimes and the unraveling of the story and the characters was fascinating. Kuang was able to take my emotions from an "okay, here we are, in Hell" to an "Oh no she didn't!" about midway through.

I recommend this book to any fans of R.F. Kuang, anyone interested in philosophy, or anyone who enjoys a really good plot driven by relatable characters. It is well written and definitely worth the read. Katabasis comes out in August 2025 for all to enjoy.

Thank you HarperCollins Publishers for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

R. F. Kuang’s “Katabasis” is an absolute page-turner! Alice and Peter’s mission to rescue their professor keeps you on the edge of your seat. The well-developed characters and intricate plot make it a truly captivating read. Kuang’s magical writing weaves a story of truth, heartache, and redemption that’s both heartwarming and thought-provoking. I highly recommend this book!

The only thing I hate about this book is that I will never be able to be dipped in the Lethe to forget it and read it again.
This is my first time reading R.F. Kuang (I will be starting Babel today), and I am ever so grateful I was given the opportunity to read this book before its publication as a Greek mythology fanatic.
While Alice frustrated me completely in the beginning and through the middle of the book, I loved seeing her character growth and how we see her and Peter's relationship evolve. Grimes is the perfect name for the kind of man he is.
A selfish part of me wishes there was an epilogue that showed people reacting to everything, but the ending that was given was still beautiful.
Thank you for letting me read this early!

Hands-down this is my favorite book I've read al year. Katabasis was my most highly anticipated book for the year and it did not disappoint! Alice and Peter's journey into the Hell is so emotionally driven yet very cerebral at the same time. R.F. Kuang manages to pull from so many disciplines, incorporate mythology, logic, philosophy, and literature seamlessly in a way that makes you delighted when you understand a reference and eager to learn more when you don't. If Babel was a love letter and exploration of linguistics, Katabasis is her ode and critique to logic. As always, she incorporates scathing examinations of academia, institutions, abuse, and authority and packages them in and equally compelling and horrifying story. Alice and Peter's relationship grounds a potentially too theoretical book to one that feels real, visceral, and deeply human,

This was an interesting read. Following two graduate students who try to save their graduate professors from Hell. The plot was fun and the characters were diverse. I highly enjoyed this book.

This is Kuang’s sojourn into the underworld; a meditation on power imbalance and abuse in academia, with a romantic cherry on top. Kuang writes with such expertise and care, I often felt I was reading a love letter to the academy–then she flips it with stark reminders of the good-ole-boy system of the ivory tower and how few of us are welcome. Buckle up for another outstanding skewering of the systems we romanticize that want to consume us. Hell is a campus.

Alice Law is going to hell. She’s sacrificed everything else in her life to her career in magical academia, so trekking into the underworld to find her academic advisor– the advisor her future career depends on, the advisor she may have killed through her own negligence– makes perfect sense. But her rival Peter has planned the same…

I was initially concerned the concept sounded too much like Leigh Bardugo’s Alex Stern books, but I was delighted to discover an entirely different story. Katabasis is not wholly original– it borrows extensively from other sources, including mythology, about the descent into Hell– and then it weaves all of its inspirations into a unique story paired with a savage critique of academia.

Katabasis is not exactly a light read (there’s plenty of philosophy and theoretical math here), but I think this is Kuang’s most polished and commercial work yet because it balances the cheekiness of Yellowface and the melodrama of Babel to deliver a powerful commentary that’s also a great story. Don’t get me wrong– I enjoyed both Yellowface and Babel immensely, and I think Babel is easily one of the most important fantasy books of the last decade– but I’m much more likely to reread Katabasis because it was fun and because, to paraphrase Rebecca Roanhorse’s review, Kuang’s dual emotions of rage and love leap off the page.

A breathtaking, utterly unique novel that showcases Kuang’s versatility and lyricism as a writer.

The set up alone, an overworked grad student descending to hell to rescue her advisor so she can finally graduate already, is astounding. From this promising start the novel only gets better. Kuang’s vision of hell is as sprawling as it is minutely, intimately, detailed. It’s refreshingly original while also alluding to all the classic sources, Orpheus, Aeneas, Dante, etc. This underworld takes an “everything AND the kitchen sink” approach to the afterlife that I found endlessly delightful. It has the river Lethe, the city of Dis, and the infernal geography of the whole realm divided based on increasingly dire sins.

Kuang’s magic system is also refreshing and interesting to delve into. Magicians conjure using chalk (the life essence of long dead organisms being essential to magic) and intellectual paradoxes to temporarily suspend the natural order.
Added to this heady mix of fantasy and dark academia are a cast of compelling characters, the occasional demon, and even worse, one truly evil advisor.

I really enjoyed this novel from beginning to end. The stakes were immediate and compelling and I found myself needing to know what happened next in the story. The author judiciously drips information about characters and back Alice makes for an interestingly multi-faceted protagonist, someone who’s ambition and will are almost terrifying in their intensity. Peter and Alice’s relationship was also fleshed out and felt real to life. I appreciated their different approaches to their academic discipline, analytic magic, and what a formidable, if largely out of sync, team they made together.

This one of a kind book is sure to delight and dazzle readers of all backgrounds, and devotees of fantasy and dark academia particularly.

Reminiscent of Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and Piranesi, Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House and Hell Bent, and her own novel Babel, Katabasis follows Cambridge grad students Alice Law and Peter Murdoch as they journey through Hell to rescue their advisor. The novel is chalk-full (get it?) with mythological references, and I loved the paradox-based magic system. I would recommend this novel to anyone who isn’t afraid to Google to math references they don’t understand--for me there were many.

I previously read and enjoyed "Yellowface," and DNF'd "Babel," so I was very curious going into this how I would like it. Ultimately, it is a really strong and fun read! Like "Babel," it comes off very dense at times, requiring you to slow down. It took me out of the story a bit, but the overall plot was interesting enough to keep me engaged. Like with "Babel," I feel this title might be stronger as an audiobook.
Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!

I think I just have to accept that Kuang isn’t an author I can get into. I think one of my issues is that she often tells and doesn’t allow her work to show.

Dante's Inferno meets Alice in Wonderland. There were parts of this book I loved- two graduate students of magick traveling through Hell to rescue their late professor... so captivating and fun! But at times Kuang got a little too into the weeds with paradoxes and intellectual fodder that took me out of the story and left me scratching my head more than once. Not my favorite of her books but I'll still continue to read anything she publishes!

Ninth House/Hell Bent meets The Atlas Six.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Do I think the pace meandered far too often? Absolutely. Do I think parts of the philosophical narrative were a bit pretentious? Yes, yes. Did I love the basis of the novel and the dynamic between Alice and Peter? I did!

With Babel, I felt like I was sometimes reading a textbook I bought that my professor (who also happened to write the textbook) assigned as required reading — and I had flashes of that same feeling while reading Katabasis. There was so much poured into theories and math and logic (which is fine because academia, I get it) but it was no way at all balanced with character development or emotion or bringing the world to life. The story feels almost… empty.

I finished this book not even two weeks ago. As of writing this review, I can only remember vague plot points. What I do remember is all very cool, but the story as a whole did not stick with me.

Let me be clear: it’s not a BAD book at all! There’s some fun/heartbreaking moments and glimpses behind the curtain into the world of academia, great bones of characters, and brief flashes of a really interesting magic system (again, similar to my stance on Babel), but I wanted more. I NEEDED more.