What an adventurous, tongue-in-cheek romp through Hell as an allegory for academia! Kuang's latest is full of twists and turns as the truth behind one professor's death and two advisees' relationship unravels, all set against the backdrop of philosophy, magic, and legends about the afterlife. Totally delightful.

‘Katabasis’ by R. F. Kuang delivers a gripping, dark academia fantasy that blends the intellectual rigor of ‘Babel’ with the atmospheric mystique of ‘The Poppy War’’.

We meet Alice Law, a brilliant and obsessive graduate student- who must confront her past and her rival, Peter Murdoch. They journey together to Hell itself to save the soul of their deceased professor, Jacob Grimes.

What begins as a mission driven by ambition and self-preservation soon evolves into a tense, complex exploration of sacrifice, morality, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Kuang manages to create a masterful world in which it paints a chilling, imaginative vision of the underworld. Along side it, sharp characters and relationship that delves deep into the academic rivalry, trauma, and relationships that bind Alice and Peter together. In some essence you can say this was truly one of her most romantic works if you were to ask me.

‘Katabasis’ is a thrilling, thought-provoking ride that will appeal to fans of dark, atmospheric fantasies and those intrigued by the price of success and the darkness lurking beneath academic brilliance. It was a phenomenal read and I must say the best, and may be my favorite of Kuangs works yet. This still is written like it’s her unique story, however, it also manages to be something completely different which truly gripped me and had me at the edge of my seat.

If Hell were of your own making, based on your life path, what would it be? Would it be an unruly classroom that never settles down? A patient who can't be saved? A library filled with unorganized books?

In Katabasis, R.F. Kuang deconstructs the hell that is tertiary education through an Inferno-style trip to the underworld. Two students–rivals, former friends maybe?–have revolved their lives around not only their education but their advisor, a charismatic man who is now dead. To finish their dissertations, and maybe for other reasons, they want to find him. But the terrain is dangerous, and the waters of Lethe entice oblivion...

This is a stellar work about academia, ego, and health. It's referential but accessible (I've only taken Philo 101, but I was fine). It has twists and turns, surprises and (maybe the biggest surprise) comforts.

Does it make me want to go back to college? No, but also yes?

In a time when knowledge and access are being stripped from our schools and libraries, it's wonderful to see a work that is as smart and ambitious as Katabasis.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

3 stars

Thank you to Harper Voyager for a copy of the e-arc. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own. 

Babel and Yellowface are some of my favorite novels, and I respect The Poppy War trilogy. It is very clear that RF Kuang is a great atmospheric writer who knows how to make nods to so many audiences through the themes and items she weaves in. This book was an ambitious acknowledgment of what drives many scholars, writers, and readers.

A few allusions noticed were Dantes Inferno, Alice in Wonderland, The Odyssey, Hercules, and The Iliad. 

This book had a strong foundation for vocalizing the toxic higher education setting. What people deemed “other” have to trudge through to get their goal compared to someone else and the unfairness of it. For example, the married hires, the twisted tackling of consent: from when the mentor pushed our main character to let him put the magic tattoo on her. As well, as sexual harassment and attempted assault. I wish that instead of overcoming just one manipulating, unremarkable man in power we circled back around and had a call out of the university. 

The book also tackled the emotions and complexities of wanting to have someone in your life but they are unreliable flighty, and disregard their impact on you.

Crohn's disease representation. I cannot state anything on accuracy as I do not have experience with this condition nor do I know anyone struggling with this disease. 

Animal Cruelty/death.

Is it wrong of me to say I was expecting a larger emphasis on the romance?

The pacing was not as strong in this story as in previous works.

This is everything I wanted Babel to be. I liked the vision of Hell as well as the romance. If the dark academic trend keeps up, this will be a hit.

The characters fell flat and it read like a textbook. Also how do you go from "he's not condescending" to "oh he's so condescending".

Honestly felt like the plot went nowhere and the setting didn't make sense to me.

Elspeth was cool though, I liked her and she felt like a whole person.

Admittedly only enjoyed 40% of this book which is disappointing.

"Katabasis" is a dark magical novel by R. F. Kuang where Magicians study at renowned colleges like Cambridge and Oxford. Alice is a doctoral student of Magick under the difficult but brilliant Professor Grimes. When an accident kills him and sends him to Hell, Alice decides to try and get him back by going to Hell herself. Her academic rival, Peter Murdoch comes to the same conclusion. We follow their journey through the different circles (realms? kingdoms? pizza anus?) as they learn more about each other. Lots of philosophical discussions as well as literature based, which at times are a little much, but the story is interesting. A suggested purchase for fantasy collections.

Thank you to Harper Voyager for the e-ARC of this title!

I think it is fair to state that R. F. Kuang has not failed me yet when it comes to her novels; I have enjoyed every one. Katabasis is no exception. The novel takes off immediately, which I thoroughly appreciate. From page one, Alice is ready to go to Hell, and the readers are, too. Kuang's descriptions of the courts of Hell, the surrounding landscape, and all of the characters we meet along the way are fascinating and not easily forgettable. There were moments where I needed to put the book down because it does not shy away from heavy topics such as death, mental and chronic physical illness, among others. And I was worried that I would be unhappy with the ending because I didn't know how we could come back from literal Hell.

As my husband slept, I stayed up late to see Alice's story through and held back tears so as not to wake him when the end finally came. Kuang, in my opinion, beautifully ended this story and made the journey worthwhile. I find myself still thinking about it and its implications on the novel as a whole. I will be recommending that my library purchase this one and when it releases, will be purchasing a copy for myself.

Absolutely incredible tale that unwinds like a boat down a river. The allusions to Alice in wonderland were pronounced and enjoyable. I truly loved the character arc and the twist on the enemies to lovers trope.

I was lucky enough to get an E-ARC of this, so thanks to the publishers for that! Now, let's talk about the book. I’ll try my best to make this a spoiler-free review.

Firstly, do NOT go into this book thinking it's just a love story—because it's not just that. It's also a love letter. Katabasis is a love letter to scholars, literates, writers, and readers. The book is set in a fantasy version of our world where people can perform actual magic. As Alice and Peter descend into hell, they stumble upon countless hurdles and difficulties, and their stories unravel slowly. But in the process, we as readers are also taken on a journey through this version of hell encaptured by Kuang.

Rebecca fills this book with so many mythological and literary references, constantly reminding us that, like us, she is an avid reader. And no, you don’t HAVE to read The Odyssey, The Iliad, or Dante’s Inferno beforehand (I haven’t yet!!). Having just a basic idea is enough. Seeing all the references—and even skimming through the ones I didn’t fully understand—filled me with giddy joy, because that’s what literature should be about: learning more!!!

Now, about the book itself—it’s really beautiful. The pacing could have been better, and I think it could have been trimmed down just a little. Prose-wise, I still prefer Kuang’s earlier works, Babel and The Poppy War. However, I will say that this is by far her most ambitious work yet. More than Babel, yes! You can just feel the effort that went into each line. I just wish the chapters were a bit shorter, but that’s a personal preference.

My only two major critiques: the prose could have been a little more refined, and I would have loved to explore some of the side characters more instead of getting long descriptions of unnecessary details.

It took me about 11 hours across three days to finish this book, and I savored every second of it. When this comes out in August, I’ll be the first in line to buy a physical copy! I can't wait to see what Rebecca does next.

Hell is different things for different people. For some, hell is other people, for others, it is a half filled auditorium. For Alice Law and Peter Murdoch, two of the top graduate students at Cambridge for magick, Hell is quite literally a college campus. When Alice (maybe) blows up Professor Jacob Grimes in an exhaustion fueled accident during an experiment, she realizes that her now-deceased advisor's absence throws her future career into academic jeopardy. To remedy this, she decides to take a quick trip to hell and get his soul back. Peter, not one to be left behind and with his own reasons for wanting Grimes back, forces Alice to let him tag along. Their arrival in Hell starts well enough, but as they trek across a bizarre landscape populated by academic sinners in nightmarish after nightmarish depiction of higher academia, the two rivals are forced to reckon with their own struggles and insecurities, and their deep, earth-shattering secrets along with all the other trials and tribulations the afterlife is more than happy to set in their path.

While I suspect many people will lead with the fact that Katabasis is a very smart book, I will say that it is first and foremost just a great story overall. I loved Alice, Peter, and all the other shades, gods, and people they meet in their hellish journey. These are very well developed characters whose struggles trying to make it through unimaginable trials is brilliantly depicted as a reflection of higher academia and the thankless work and risks that graduate students take to complete their education and make something of their lives. This striving for success and recognition is also deeply interrogated, with toxic colleagues and institutional barriers delightfully and thoughtfully skewered by Kuang's skilled writing. That all this character development is also taking place against the backdrop of a journey through a harrowing version of hell set in a truly unique vision of the world complete with its own system of logic and paradox based magic is, quite frankly, kind of crazy. Everything comes together pretty much perfectly, a unique and exciting read that culminates with a nail biting confrontation and some well needed catharsis.

One of my favorite reads this year, an easy recommendation for any personal or library collection, and something I am sure many readers will be trying to push into the hands of their friends and family.

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang is an unforgettable descent into the underworld—a mesmerizing blend of dark academia, mythological depth, and philosophical inquiry that explores the cost of ambition and the blurred lines between knowledge and madness. At its core, it’s the story of Alice Law, a driven postgraduate student in Cambridge’s Department of Analytic Magick, who embarks on a perilous journey to Hell to retrieve the soul of her mentor, Professor Jacob Grimes. Alice’s obsessive pursuit of academic greatness drives her to risk everything, even as her body and mind beg for rest. But when Peter Murdoch, her brilliant and maddeningly perfect academic rival (and former crush), discovers her plan, he insists on joining her—setting the stage for an uneasy partnership through the treacherous landscape of the underworld.

The novel unfolds as a mind-bending journey through a hellscape where nothing is as it seems. Hell is an ever-shifting realm where landmarks are conceptual rather than fixed, and where time and space bend to an alien logic. Each level of the underworld embodies one of the deadly sins—pride, greed, wrath—culminating in the terrifying City of Dis. As Alice and Peter navigate these realms, they encounter monstrous entities, endure grueling trials, and confront horrors that force them to question not only their survival but their very identities. Kuang’s vivid descriptions of Hell—where souls linger in Asphodel, fearful of reincarnation and the loss of identity—paint a terrifying vision of the afterlife where memory and selfhood dissolve into oblivion.

Alice’s determination is fueled by an existential fear of fading into irrelevance, her ambition bordering on self-destruction. As she reflects, “Would she rather graduate, produce brilliant research, and go out in a blaze of glory? Or would she rather live out her natural lifespan, gray haired and drooling, fading into irrelevance, consumed by regret… She would sacrifice her firstborn for a professorial post. She would sever a limb. She would give anything, so long as she still had her mind.” This passage encapsulates the dark academic mindset that drives Alice—a relentless pursuit of intellectual greatness, no matter the cost.

Peter Murdoch, on the other hand, was seemingly born brilliant—a prodigy who effortlessly embodies the ideals Alice so desperately seeks. A magician born to a physicist and a biologist, Peter is infuriatingly flawless but never condescending, a perfect foil to Alice’s obsessive intensity. As they descend deeper into the underworld, the dynamic between Alice and Peter oscillates between rivalry and reluctant camaraderie, their tangled past resurfacing as they grapple with unspoken feelings and buried regrets.

Yet, beneath the intellectual rigor and dark fantasy lies a deeply human story about the cost of obsession and the fragility of identity. As Alice and Peter confront their darkest fears, they are forced to confront not just Hell, but the possibility that their pursuit of knowledge may leave them hollow, their souls forever altered.

For those who revel in dark academia and stories where ambition teeters on the edge of madness, Katabasis is a masterpiece that is as intellectually challenging as it is emotionally gripping. Add this to your reading list immediately—you won’t regret it.

So many reviews tell you that they devoured this slowly and I don't want to be a broken record, but I strongly believe that the best way to read this book is slowly. Let it sink into your bones. Kuang has already proven herself to be one of the greatest writers of our generation and while I was convinced that Babel was her triumph, it is clear that Katabasis is the actual winner! I cannot wait for everyone else to read it so we can dissect all of the magic here!

i took my time with this book. i had to savor every chapter, every moment, every word. it is no secret that i am a huge fan of r.f. kuang's writing. i think she is one of the most talented and most brilliant writers of our tie. you can physically feel how intelligent she is on her pages, and that leaps up in this masterpiece of a book.

everything about this was magic to me. the setting, the plot, the characters. from cambridge to hell, the places in this book were so real and immersive. i loved how kuang used the classics to create this version of hell, how she brought the classics to more readers. as for the characters, it was impossible not to care about them. peter is charming and wonderful, and alice heartfelt and incredible. their intelligence drives the story. their dynamic was everything i wanted it to be, emotional and real, but not overpowering the rest of the plot.

i could talk about this book forever. i can't wait for the rest of the world to get their hands on it!

I read this slowly just to savor it. Alice and Peter are two graduate students of magic who descend to Hell to try and save their advisor… who each of them feels responsible for killing. On the surface this story is about a magical journey but in a deeper sense it is the journey of any student through the flawed university systems of our times. Can Peter and Alice retain their souls, integrity and find love in both the Hell of the underworld and the Hell of Cambridge?
Kuang is brilliant.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC- my opinions are my own.

I will admit I had a harder time getting through this book than I thought I would. I enjoyed the reflection about academia and the struggles many students face. However, the book did feel like I was reading an academic paper for half of it. Like we were supposed to be on a journey to hell and it was sort of boring. I do think if you have a love for academia and have done any graduate work there is an appreciation however I would rather reread Babel or Yellowface.

R.F. Kuang never misses. The book really gives, "Go to hell!" a whole new meaning. Alice and Peter are deeply compelling protagonists — finally learning about Peter's backstory felt like a deserved untangling of knots, an answer to many questions, and I didn't think it overpowered Alice's story at all. Imaginative, and unexpectedly hilarious. Katabasis is so smart without being pedantic. It did toe the line a few times, but that's to be expected from R.F. Kuang. Instead of feeling condescended to, I was part of their shadowy work of academia for a few hundred pages, and I loved every second.

Every book R. F. Kuang is better than the previous book. I think this is her best so far! I enjoyed the story and the history of the depictions of hell throughout mythology and literature.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the digital review copy.

R.F. Kuang's Katabasis follows academic rivals Alice and Peter on their journey through hell to find their advisor.

I'll start out by saying that there's a good chance that this book was too academic for me and went right over my head. I unfortunately didn't enjoy anything about it.

I didn't connect with any of the characters, aside from maybe the cat. I spent the whole book finding potential in the plot and thinking that something interesting was just around the corner, but I was always met with more long, boring info dumps. I keep seeing this described as enemies to lovers but the chemistry was nonexistent.

Kuang is clearly a talented writer. This just wasn't the book for me.