Truly the disappointment of the century for me. A novel with some redeeming qualities that was overall bogged down by absolute boredom, and it's my villain origin story.

My love of Babel and the premise promised in the description had me overly excited for this novel. And it started off fantastically, drawing me in with the mystery, the characters, and the beginning of the journey into hell and the backstory that got them there. I loved Alice, I loved Peter, I loved how well drawn their characters were. The magic was fascinating and drawn in a way that never had me questioning or confused. And the way Kuang approached the expectations of grad students and the mistreatment of women in academia head-on included some of the best commentary on it I've seen. I genuinely loved this, the slow unravelling as we began to learn everything Alice had gone through that landed her here.

But by 45-50%, it lost me completely.

Plot lines, overall execution, and a trip to hell that felt entirely too easy truly left me wanting so much more. Not to mention the romance was presented in a way that never felt convincing. So, to be frank: everything presented in the description felt like a well crafted lie to draw me in, promising one thing but delivering something very different. Dark academic turned out to simply be the corruption of academia (which isn't a bad thing, just different). Hell turned out to be...not much, really. The romance ended up having not enough substance and completely overrun with miscommunication. I was left unsatisfied, disappointed, and wishing for so much more out of it.

This review contains spoilers

I was lucky enough to get an early look at Katabasis by R.F. Kuang, and while it’s a solid standalone, it didn’t leave the kind of impact I was hoping for. The novel follows Alice Law, a dedicated Cambridge magician, who embarks on a perilous journey to Hell after the death of her mentor, Professor Jacob Grimes—a death that may have been her fault. This premise, with its dark academia vibe, carries that familiar Kuang flare that fans of her previous work will undoubtedly appreciate.

What really struck me were the characters, particularly Alice and Peter (Jacob Grimes can choke). Alice’s anxious overachiever personality was deeply relatable. I was also surprised by the nuanced representation of Crohn’s disease through Peter—a detail that resonated with me on a personal level. That said, I wasn’t entirely onboard with the romantic tension between Peter and Alice—hello, miscommunication—and I didn’t like that we were left in the dark for about 50% of the book on their motives. Yes, it made me care about them more, but yikes, that took a while. I also feel like I blacked out throughout the entire Kripke’s plot line, so I’ll have to reread to fully process what was going on there. And I’m still not certain how I feel about the ending—it felt like I was getting whiplash right when the stakes were highest (when someone dies in hell doesn’t their soul completely cease to exist? I guess I’m still confused about how Grimes and Peter were exchanged)

The journey to Hell itself was engaging enough, though I found myself wishing for something grittier and darker. I will consume anything that involves traveling through Hell, so I was thrilled when the synopsis of this book was released. When venturing through Hell, I was hoping for an atmosphere that truly unsettled me—something that left me feeling more uncomfortable with each step. Instead, while the underworld provided its fair share of intrigue, it didn’t quite hit that extreme note of unease I was anticipating.

The narrative evoked flashes of the educational and textbook-like moments found in Babel, and at times, I couldn’t help but picture scenes out of Full-Metal Alchemist—chalk in hand, drawing pentagrams with precision. Overall, Katabasis is an excellent addition to Kuang’s oeuvre, filled with the elements her readers have come to love. Still, despite its many strengths, I can’t shake the feeling that it could have delivered a more lasting, powerful impact.

Another RF Kuang dark academia book, this one an observation of the lengths a scholar would go to get the life of learning they desire -- even unto hell. A surprising romance with the great worldbuilding Kuang is known for.

First off, I want to give a big thank you to Harper Voyager for the Advanced Readers Copy!

This was a delight to read. I won't give too much away as this isn't out for a while yet, but WOW can RF Kuang write. We already knew this, but Katabasis just reaffirms it. My mind is reeling in the best possible way. My head feels like it's buzzing just from the pure adrenaline rush this book put me through! There is so much to unpack here but what I will say is be ready to think, and probably reread a few paragraphs to fully grasp what is going on. This is not an easy read by any means. However, you do not need to "prepare" for this book. I've seen a few people saying they're reading up on various philosophy literature and I don't think that is necessary! Another thing I will say is that yes... it's pretentious. It's about traversing the nine circles of hell as a Cambridge student of analytical magick. I don't know how it can get more pretentious than that. For what it is though, it's a triumph. Kuang did not disappoint and I will always be so excited to read anything she writes.

Tonally, Katabasis falls in a strange middle between Babel (tragic masterpiece of the highest order) and Yellowface (delightful and intelligent romp). It has some interesting things to say about logic and philosophy and religion, but never delves into any of them quite enough for me. I also wish we saw more of the characters pre-trip to Hell, as I found the flashbacks some of the most engaging sections.

RF Kuang will always be an automatic read for me, and I do recommend this book. Still, I’m left with an off feeling of wanting just slightly more from this book.

Alice Law studies magic at Cambridge under an advisor, Jacob Grimes, who is the best of the best. A recommendation from him is a ticket to any job after graduation. But when your advisor dies in a freak accident before you can graduate, what do you do?

You go to Hell to bring him back of course.

I will devour anything R. F. Kuang writes - I think she's one of the best of my generation, and her ability to genre-hop is second to none! That said, while I found Katabasis entertaining and thought-provoking, it was my least favorite of her books so far.

What worked for me: the world-building and overall cleverness of Hell, the interpersonal dynamics between Alice and Professor Grimes, the moral complexity, the introspection about the purpose of a life

What didn't work so well: I feel like the "big reveals" were not at all surprising. To take one example, I immediately assumed Alice had misinterpreted Peter's note, and I thought that was obvious. It wasn't clear to me whether it was intended as a misdirect to the reader as well as the protagonist (in which case I don't think it was effective), or whether it was meant to lay bare Alice's limitations and isolations from living so deeply inside her own head.

I also wish we could have spent more time in Peter's head; I found his section (as told to Alice, but still) one of the most compelling parts of the story. That was one twist I didn't see coming, and as someone who deals with an invisible chronic illness, it felt incredibly true.

Again, I enjoyed Katabasis, I just didn't find it mind-bogglingly good (the way I did with Babel). I'm sure it will fly off shelves at the store, and I'll be very curious to hear what our readers think!

Kuang just doesn't know how to miss! I was a little nervous when I heard about this, worried that the premise was just a little too similar to Babel, but I'm happy to say that I ought to have had more faith in her. Brilliant in both premise and execution, I ended up having to force myself to slow down so I could absorb all the details. Kuang both informs and entertains, and I heavily recommend this book to anyone who likes jotting down new titles and authors as they read.

R. F. Kuang's done it again! She sure does know how to craft an unputdownable book. I will say, this is very much a book for and of writers and academia. I think lots of other people will like it regardless, but it's set in academia and clearly heavily influenced by Kuang's experiences with it. But a trip to hell to save your abusive advisor? Now come on, that's a premise!

TWs for abusive teachers, sexism, sexual assault, suicidal ideation and mentions of suicide, violence, and gore.

Katabasis is a dark academia novel with themes of ambition, sacrifice, and the occult. The book explores the cost of knowledge, the obsession with intellectual achievement, and the blurred lines between academia and the forbidden.

Alice Law: is a postgraduate at Cambridge at Department of Analytic Magick making a decision to Hell to rescue Professor Jacob Grimes’s soul. Alice is a hardworking college student who pushes herself to the limit, even working herself to the bone without getting a dime in return. Even when her body screams for a break and she’s on the verge of passing out, she downs cup after cup of caffeine just to keep herself going. Despite Peter’s warnings and the steep price she had to pay for the journey, Alice was dead set on going no matter what to save her professor's soul.

"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 professiorial post. She would serve a limb. She would give anything, so long as she still had her mind, so long as she could still think"
➡️This passage encapsulates a dark academic mindset—where intellectual greatness is pursued at any cost. The protagonist’s ambition is self-destructive, fueled by an existential fear of being forgotten. The contrast between blaze of glory vs. slow decline suggests a tragic fate, foreshadowing the heavy price she may pay for her pursuit of knowledge.

Peter Murdoch: he was simply born brilliant, all that knowledge poured by gods without spillage to him, He is infuriatingly flawless, one of those academics, a magician born to a physicist, a biologist. Peter already had every good thing in the world, but he is never crowed or condescended

Hell was an inconstant and shifting plane. Its landmarks were conceptual, not fixed. Hell reveals itself to you in whatever order it so chooses. In Hell, everything was turned upside-down and shudderingly translucent, as if projected across a staticky cable connection. One of the more vexing problems with a sojourn to Hell was figuring out where to go and where to find the soul you hoped to rescue.

"Souls often lingered in Asphodel for years-decades-before trying for reincarnation. Loss of identity was a terrifying prospect. Who were you without your memories, your background, your relationships, your station? What if your lot in the next life was far worse than the life you’ve just lived? It didn’t matter that in theory souls enjoyed infinite lives, and infinite chances to experience things good and bad. From the subjective perspective of the soul, reincarnation was no different from death."
➡️This passage portrays reincarnation as a horror rather than a gift, emphasizing themes of identity, existential dread, and the fear of the unknown. It challenges the typical notion that living multiple lives is a blessing, instead suggesting that without memory and selfhood, it is indistinguishable from oblivion. As I shared the same fear of reincarnation as the character in the book. I was afraid that even if I was living a good life in this lifetime, I might end up as a worse person in the next, trapped in a life full of suffering. That’s why R.F. Kuang said, "Reincarnation was no different from death."

Katabasis is a perfect read for someone studying English like me. R.F. Kuang helps me review what I’ve learned through details related to linguistics. Besides that, the book doesn’t just explore social issues—it also touches on scientific concepts, like Euclidean geometry in mathematics. Unfortunately, I’m not smart enough to grasp it on my own, so I had to rely on Google quite a bit to understand what she was getting at in that section. For example: “But that’s consistent with my map.” Peter continued. “That is – it’s just an oversimplified version of my map, if we take Hell as non-Euclidean” Alice had only been to one lecture about non-Euclidean geometries , and what she remembered was a lot of diagrams of potato chips and coral reefs." R.F. Kuang has a brilliant way of incorporating complex concepts like non-Euclidean geometry into her storytelling without making it feel overwhelming. Instead of dumping dry mathematical explanations, she uses relatable and even humorous imagery—like coral reefs and potato chips—to make abstract ideas more digestible.

R.F. Kuang’s writing style is a masterful blend of sharp precision and emotional depth, making her work both intellectually engaging and deeply immersive. She balances simple and complex sentence structures with great skill, creating a rhythm that flows naturally while keeping readers hooked. Her prose is clear and unembellished when necessary, yet she’s capable of weaving in intricate descriptions and evocative imagery when the story calls for it. This flexibility allows her writing to be both accessible and sophisticated.

Thanks to Avon, HarperVoyagerUS, and NetGalley for sending me this in exchange for my honest review

R.F. Kuang is undoubtedly one of the most talented authors of our generation. From the breathtaking Poppy War series to the stunning Babel (my personal favorite), her work has consistently impressed readers. Naturally, I was excited to dive into Katabasis and see Kuang explore romance and fantasy from a fresh perspective. However, after reading it, I found the book to be surprisingly dull and, in my opinion, one of her weaker works.

Kuang’s greatest talent lies in her ability to captivate readers, pulling them through the story with a sense of excitement and curiosity, always making them eager to turn the next page. Unfortunately, that was not the case for me here. The plot fell flat, and I struggled to connect and understand the main characters, Alice and Peter.

That said, I’m not saying the book is bad—it certainly isn’t. It has its merits, but in comparison to her other works, it doesn’t quite live up to the same level of greatness. It’s good, but not great.

R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis is a thought-provoking and brilliantly crafted read that delves deep into the cost of success, the imbalance of power, and the dark side of academia.

The world-building in Katabasis is exceptional, particularly the unique and complex magic system. The interplay of paradoxes, pentagrams, and chalk creates a fascinating backdrop to the story. However, there are times when the exposition on the magic system feels a bit too heavy, detracting from the pace of the plot. That said, the concept is brilliant and adds an intriguing layer to the overall narrative.

I also really enjoyed Alice and Peter. They are very well-developed characters. Their growth throughout the story is evident, and their relationship dynamic feels very believable.

While the plot seemed to lose steam by the end, I still found it to be an enjoyable read overall, though I couldn’t help but compare it to Kuang's other series, The Poppy War, which was far more emotionally devastating for me.

Katabasis is definitely worth reading. If you were a fan of Kuang’s Babel, this one will be right up your alley.

First off, thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC. I can’t say I acted like a professional when I got the email about it while at work. What a perfect quest novel! The heroes, the villains, the betrayals, all of it!! Most interesting concept of Hell I’ve heard or read, as it combines or considers all possibilities. I Read this is less than 48 hours, absolutely could not put it down. The way Kuang combined all sorts of theories, ideas, and concepts of Hell was so compelling, especially when combined with logic. There’s something so immediately addictive about Kuang’s prose. I’m in it and sinking into the world, the story, the text, the characters before I even realize it. I love Peter and Alice. The depth of all the characters (well, not most of the Shades) was amazing. I felt like I knew them, had had tea with them in Cambridge. The details were perfect. The magick system was logical (haha) and easy to follow. I love magick systems that could *in theory* be possible or at least believable. All of R. F. Kuang’s books are an immediate buy and read for me, this one absolutely goes along with all the rest. I’m so excited to get my physical copy in August!

4.5 stars!

Enchanting, ridiculous, disturbing, and unique, Katabasis is unforgettable all the way through. This story had me in a chokehold for two days and I'm not complaining!

For Alice Law and Peter Murdoch, the road to hell is paved with all-nighters and paradoxes. When Alice accidentally kills her adviser, she has to leave the hallowed halls of the Cambridge Analytical Magick department with Peter, her academic rival, tagging along. The philosophy and linguistic aspects of this were so fun, I ate that stuff up. Peter and Alice are deeply compelling characters. Alice in particular is flawed but in a way that any academic will understand. She reminds me a lot of Sciona from Blood Over Bright Haven. It was really strong on the whole but there was like 80 pages towards the end that dragged a bit. I also never really got emotionally invested so I wasn't like sobbing or throwing the book across the room. Still super amazing.

Up until now I had only read Babel, which I had mixed feelings on, but I definitely still want to keep up with R.F. Kuang because of books like Katabasis. She is bringing so much to the book scene right now, I can't wait to see what she does next.

Thank you to R. F. Kuang and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

R.F. Kuang is uniquely suited to imagining Hell as a university campus. An interesting blend of classic and original thought brings this version of Hell to life. The unraveling of Alice and Peter's characters added a much-needed dimension to this book which would have been too dry and flavorless without it. The evil and mysterious Professor Grimes provided enough conflict to engage the reader and look forward to the end result. Kuang's writing is very academic (obviously) which is hard to read and enjoy for some - myself included - and I'm left feeling like I'm not quite smart enough to be reading her novels. Overall, a one-of-a-kind book worth reading.

Jump in, let’s go to Hell! Is it strange to describe a descent into the underworld with your academic rival as a romp? Kuang’s mastery of prose and language shines in this new fantasy that follows two Cambridge postgraduates into Hell, as they follow their recently deceased graduate advisor. This book explored so many topics in a really interesting and engaging way, even if the ill-fated romance fell flat at times. Similar to Babel in its dissecting of academia, but with a much more internalized lens of critique.

Characters are fabulous. I wish I would have read Dante’s inferno first. I wish I understood all the academic references. I love dark academia but this might have been too academic for me.

This book was nothing like I expected. I've never felt so smart and dumb (in a good way!) while reading something. I loved getting to explore Hell with Alice and Peter. I also loved learning about the magic system in the world. It was such an interesting concept and I'd love to read more from this world.

Plot: 3/5 Writing: 5/5 Characters: 4/5
When a Magick goes awry and her brilliant and cruelly demanding professor is dispatched to Hell in a particularly gruesome way, Alice Law follows him in an attempt to bring him back to Oxford, guided by ancient texts, paradoxical logic puzzles, and esoteric mathematics. Accompanied at the last minute by fellow magician-in-training wunderkind Peter Murdoch, the entire story is their “Katabasis” — the Hero’s journey into the underworld.

Kuang’s writing is always spectacular with vivid imagery, twisting plots, and an impressive inclusion of scientific, philosophical, and classical arcana woven together into a complete and warped world. It is one long adventure story — surprising in its twists and turns — but still a one-threat-after-another adventure story. Far too much for my taste. The characters had depth — but IMO with far more focus on the neurosis of genius and susceptibility to manipulation, and the (way too) slow unpacking of that neurosis to expose self knowledge and latent interpersonal gains. I am a huge fan of both “Babel” and “Yellowface” but I can’t say I enjoyed this book. I do think it will appeal to those who love adventure stories and are perhaps more interested in the kind of self discovery one makes in their twenties.

As a fan of some of Kuang’s other works I was very excited for Katabasis. However what I expected to be a sweeping epic adventure felt more like a drudge through a never ending lecture. I wish we had more character development and relationship exploration than ponderings of theory and references to past sojourners. I found that I wasn't interested in the main characters and that the side characters were more dynamic. However I can appreciate the immense amount of dedication it must have taken to weave so many different accounts of hell into the story. I did enjoy that beliefs, deities, and concepts from cultures around the world were given equal respect in this underworld.