I've had a complex relationship with Kuang's work for some time now. I loved Babel, couldn't get through Yellowface, and thought the Poppy War was a strong, flawed debut. I was eager to see Kuang return to the subject of academia for Katabasis, as I found Babel to be an inspiring manifesto. I liked Katabasis a lot less than Babel, unfortunately. Maybe I had more patience for the asides in Babel, but in Katabasis the pages of discussing magicians of the past and logic bored me to tears. The actual plot, following Alice and Peter through hell was great and compelling, but it was hamstrung over and over by the characters explaining things to me. I personally prefer fantasy that makes me feel lost and confused as opposed to fantasy that turns to the audience and tries to fill them in. Don't tell me about the history of brands of chalk chalk, let me see them using different kinds and talking about it without paragraphs of exposition. Alice certainly wouldn't bother to explain anything to a listener.

Again, there's a lot to love about this book. The dark humor was pitch perfect to describe both the rigors and abuse of doctoral life and the journey through hell. I loved how Alice and Peter were developed over the course of the book, and I loved and believed in their relationship. The way that hell was described was both clearly a love letter to myths and legends and a fun new invention pitched perfectly for this story. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for as philosophical a book as this is. Maybe I'm not the right reader as I have a lot of religious trauma (we're talking cried myself to sleep at night for months because I was worried I was going to hell). Maybe I'll come back in a few years and like this more.

Whatever the case, I think most people will enjoy it more than me, and I will definitely still recommend it to others who may be a better fit.(3.5 stars rounded up to 4)

This book is most definitely not for everyone. Technical, convoluted, and endlessly creative, it is RF Kuang-ish in all the best and worst ways. Her intelligence shines through always, to the point it can sometimes be overwhelming. However, it is undeniable that this is also what makes her worlds so vibrant. Also, boy can she write.

I've enjoyed Kuang's previous two books so I was excited to see that she was coming out with another so soon, and set in the underworld no less! I love a dark academic aesthetic and anything having to do with the chthonic, however despite enjoying this novel it didn't shine the way the others did. It felt as labyrinthine as the underworld itself, and I always felt far from our main characters. I couldn't help but become frustrated at information that felt vague or contradictory, and that isn't to mention getting mad at Alice for being so smart with an impeccable memory yet failing to see what is so obvious.

To be honest, I feel like I just read an academic paper more than a fantasy novel. This book has an AMAZING premise and I’ve been looking forward to it for months! Unfortunately, I feel like a lot of the “magic system” (which was really just a science system) went right over my head. I’m huge on character development and I felt like I couldn’t connect with either of the main characters. The actual journey into hell wasn’t as… interesting as a journey into hell should be, and the obstacles were generally pretty easy to overcome one instead of having intense trials and tribulations. I feel like this book was more as a way to showcase her intelligence rather than to tell an entertaining story.

Name Meaning:
"Katabasis is an ancient Greek word that means 'descent'. It's used to describe a journey to the underworld, or the realm of the dead."

Playlist Suggestion: Hozier's Album Unreal Unearth Unending
• The songs in the album correspond to one of the circles of hell. He used Dante's Inferno as inspiration.

Alice in Wonderland x Dante's Inferno

Some of the books I have seen recommended to read before jumping into (or even after) Katabasis:
• The Divine Comedy by Dante
• The Odyssey by Homer
• The Iliad by Homer
• The Three Theban Plays by Socrates
• The Epic of Gilgamesh
• Piranesi by Suzanna Clarke
• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Suzanna Clarke
• The Canterbury Tales
• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol
• Babel by R.F. Kuang
• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• The Orestia by Aeschylus

Katabasis is unlike any of the previous novels that R.F. Kuang has published, even Babel. It is a true love letter to academia, for the academic and the dark academia lover. It is a slow, descriptive character study, and it's not going to be for everyone.

We follow graduate students Alice Law and Peter Murdoch as they descend into Hell to rescue their mentor, Professor Jacob Grimes. They must set aside their differences and find a way to get along before their time runs out, or Hell decides to keep them.

Our story begins at Cambridge, shortly after the universities become co-ed, breaking away from the previous all male field of academia. At Cambridge, we get a look at the field of Magick studies. Alice Law is not a girl's girl. She is embarrassed by feminism and the women in academia who support it. Enough to distance herself from it and a refusal to acknowledge the role that misogyny and prejudice play in academia. This makes her an interesting character to read from, as a current graduate student working on my second master's degree.

Alice may have accidently been responsible for the death of her mentor, so she decides she must journey through hell to bring him back. Her rival (and crush!) joins her on her descent, because if they don't bring him back what will that mean for their dissertation that they have been working so hard toward. They must travel through the circles of Hell, battle horrid creatures, and try desperately to keep themselves alive while they try and find Professor Grimes (who could be anywhere in Hell). We go back and forth between their descent in the present as well as their time at Cambridge and what got them there.

The novel is filled with an abundance of references, which may be another thing that some readers might not enjoy, but I loved. Some of the references I understood, some of which I had to pause to look up before continuing. However, understanding all of the references isn't fully necessary, and I think the novel can still be enjoyed without understanding them. It just adds another layer to the love of academia if you do understand them.

Overall I had a fantastic time reading this one. R.F. Kuang knocked it out of the park yet again!

hank you Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Listen folks.... Kuang is not one of my favorite authors without reason okay??? I have been anticipating this book since I heard about it, and heck man it does not disappoint. The deep commentary on the nuances of humanity and (to no one's surprise) academia really made Alice and Peter interesting characters.

I can 1000% sense the influences of Lewis Carroll, which was fun to pick up on. The sense of dark whimsy is PRESENT in this book.

The half star knocked off only because man oh man there was a lot of actual MATH and LOGICAL THEORY that went over my head and hurt my brain. Kuang, I know you are smarter than me but the math felt like a personal attack.

I adored the Poppy War trilogy and also really enjoyed Babel, but R.F. Kuang’s latest book Katabasis did not work for me.

It follows two postgrads in magick at Cambridge who journey through the layers of Hell to rescue their advisor and bring him back to earth. The world-building suggests that Hell is a twisted mirror of a college campus that begins with Pride as a campus library and then devolves into a more desolate wasteland.

I found this to be limiting—does Hell appear this way for the millions of people who die without a college education? Kuang is an academic writing about academics, so I see her vision, but it became grating over time to have such a narrow portrayal. The constant references to scholars, both real (Dante, Lacan, Proust) and imagined creates a one-dimensional world catering primarily to Dark Academia Girlies, and despite some references to Chinese mythology, feels very limiting.

My other frustration with the novel was the constant interruptions of the plot for long flashbacks that felt like afterthoughts rather than part of a cohesive narrative. I don’t think this structure is inherently flawed, but I found it unconvincing in this particular story. Kuang’s novels are sometimes quite heavy-handed in their themes (something I don’t always mind, personally), so this plot/character structure seemed to be an attempt at telling a more morally complex and thorny narrative — which unfortunately didn’t work for me. Without explaining too much about a central relationship in this novel told entirely through these clunky flashbacks, I was reminded of Kate Elizabeth Russell’s wonderfully nuanced and heartbreaking My Dark Vanessa…in a way that made me appreciate that novel more than this one.

In the end, I was left unsatisfied with the characters’ trajectory and their relationships. I was disappointed, especially because I think Kuang is a talented and creative writer. I have a feeling I will be in the minority on Katabasis, and I hope other readers will find it much more enjoyable than I did.

1.5/5: A convoluted love/hate letter to academia that did not resonate with me (and I’m an academic!). Fans of The Secret History or Babel—or big Dante lovers—may adore this, but despite my enjoyment of those books, I didn’t connect with Katabasis.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 ⭐️

So excited that I received an advanced copy of Katabasis!!! Rebecca is one of the best to ever do it. Katabasis was such an introspective / philosophical read & really one that I was not expecting. It was adventurous, but not. Dark, but humorous. Emotional, but cold. It really felt like a classic academia read with a tiny bit of fantasy. (not strong fantasy though)

There are some powerful passages in this, especially on women in academia, chronic illness, mental health, and more. Kuang is a fascinating and witty storyteller and her writing is magic. The main things I didn’t love were that I didn’t feel an emotional connection or care for the characters; they felt very surface level to me and I felt that it made me get bored in some parts. I wanted a little more thrill and depth like we see in Babel and the Poppy War. Also, I struggled to keep up in certain areas — this happened to me in Babel, but it made me more engaged. In Katabasis, I didn’t enjoy the challenge as much and thought it disconnected me. With that being said, I was on the edge of my seat in some parts & it was reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. Definitely recommend!!!!!!! Perfect book for autumn.

Thank you to HarperVoyager for the advanced copy.

I must preface this and saw I have YET to read a novel by R.F.Kuang that I didn’t LOVE!

One thing everyone MUST prepare themselves for when going into a book like this. Our dear author here is educated!! She does not have to “dumb things down” to be easily digestible. One of the most enjoyable parts of this book was feeling as though the main characters were that much smarter than me and I was just along for their terrifying ride.

Also, the whole story? Traumatized. Gorgeous. No notes. I loved this book. Watching Alice and Peter’s rivalry develop into something akin to a wholesome(?) admission of feelings was incredible.

If you love fantasy, dark academia, unique novels about Hell and its domains, etc, then do yourself a favor and pick this book up when it comes out in August.

“You could do anything if you were delusional”

I am so thankful I got to read this arc! Kuang is a pro at making me feel strong, raw emotion.

I really enjoyed the depth of Alice’s character and her realizations, it is always refreshing to see a character actually change and evolve throughout a novel.

And while being lyrical and beautiful, the novel is also funny

“Go on,” said Lord Yama. “Be careful you do not look back.” “Really?” asked Alice. “I’m only joking,” said Lord Yama. “Look however much you want. Go on.”

This is definitely a top read of 2025 for me and I will be recommending it heavily, especially to the many grad students in my life.

R.F. Kuang returns to a world of magic in elite academic circles... but it's a completely different world than she created so masterfully in Babel. This time, main character Alice explores hell, in order to find the professor she feels she has killed. She ends up with a completely different understanding of herself, her magic, her academic career, and the role of the patriarchy in all of it.

Dark academia fantasy novel, Katabasis, was a beautiful story that I was sad to finish. Dark elements mixed with incredible fantasy and morally grey characters made for a phenomenal book.

Thank you Danielle Bartlett with William Morrow Books and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy of this E-Book. Kuang is one of my all time favorite authors and I was so excited to get into her return to Dark Academia Fantasy. I am forever amazed at Kuang's ability to master her craft across genres and Katabasis is no exception. This book was a dark and twisted journey crafted for fans of ancient mythology and academic analysis of morality. If The Secret History and The House of Hades had a baby, it would be this book. Not only was the plot thrilling and inquisitive, but it was presented through beautiful prose. Kuang is truly a genius is more ways than one and Katabasis is just another showcase of her immense talent.

4 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing this digital ARC for an honest review.


I am having a very difficult time deciding what to rate this book. I had extremely high expectations going into this because R.F. Kuang is one of my favorite authors and I’ve never given one of her books less than 5 stars. I also think this book will be subject to more harsh criticism than others simply because it was written by R.F. Kuang.

This book started off really strong. It does not take a long time for the story to get going, we are thrown right into it in chapter one. The magic system was very interesting, but not really a core part of what’s going on (other than the obvious fact that they are going to Hell haha).

There is both more and less romance in here than I was expecting (I swear it’ll make sense when you read it). That being said, Alice’s relationships/connections/interactions in Katabasis don’t feel nearly as developed as in her other books (I’m talking even side character to side character in her other books feel more fleshed out/have more chemistry).

I had issues with the pacing of this book and felt like it could’ve been 100-200 pages shorter while still having the same impact. There is a specific plot line that is really interesting and adds more depth and complexity to Alice and the story. However, that storyline is swept aside and barely seems relevant by the end of the book (except, of course, for when it comes in handy for our characters). There is an event that happens that should be emotional and impactful and I barely had any reaction to it (probably due to the lack of impact it seemed to have on our characters).

Thinking of different stages of my life, Alice was uncomfortably relatable (Rebecca did you peek in my head? 👀), so it kind of pains me to see the reviews that say she is insufferable 😅. Her personal journey is the core of the story and was definitely my favorite part.

All that being said, I enjoyed the book overall. Even if it wasn’t the reading experience I expected.


Random things:
- You do not need to read all those “prep books” people have made lists for. It wouldn’t hurt, but R.F. Kuang pretty much explains all of the references anyway or you can gather the meaning easily from context clues.
- If I HAD TO compare this to any of her books I’d say it’s most similar to Babel, but at the same time it also doesn’t feel like any of her other books. But if you didn’t like the writing in Babel (the academic-ness of it), you will DEFINITELY not like this one.
- Although this wasn’t the 5 star read I was hoping for, I’ve still been thinking about it every day since I finished it last week, so that says something too.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this early. There were many layers to this novel and fans of dark academia should enjoy the vibes. There's not much of a romance between the two leads by typical romance standards, but it's more focused on the fantasy/philosophical themes.

Thank you for the chance to read. I really liked this one. It was different, but incredibly enjoyable. I can't wait to share.

Two academics go to hell to rescue their professor, and boy is the emphasis on *academics*. Katabasis is essentially just about academia and the pretentiousness of academia while also being pretentious itself, but because it takes place around the 80s (don't hold me to an exact timeframe), it's also about the very blatant sexism in academia during that time period.

I am personally not interested in reading about academia in and of itself, and particularly all the quotes and references that seem to go hand in hand with it (c.f. Pamela Dean's Tam Lin), and so this wasn't really working for me. I liked Babel because while it was about academia, it was more specifically about linguistics and translation (my background), and more generally about imperialism and colonialism. With Katabasis, you're missing the framing and broader story to make it interesting - I was hoping the journey into hell would do that, but it ends up instead being the framing to talk about academia.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for providing me with this ARC.

Let’s get straight to the point: a lot of people are calling Katabasis pretentious. I’m not bothered by that. Dark academia, by its nature, tends to be pretentious. It’s about intellectual obsession, philosophical musings, and the darker side of academia. If you’re into that, you’ll probably appreciate what Kuang is doing here.

If you enjoyed Ninth House or Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo, you’ll likely find a lot to like in Katabasis. The academic atmosphere, morally ambiguous characters, and deep dive into knowledge as both a tool and a trap are all here. Kuang’s writing is rich with philosophy and mythology, and while it can get dense, it’s all intentional. It’s about challenging the reader to think rather than handing them easy answers.

The characters in this book are not here to be loved. They’re flawed, obsessive, and often hard to relate to. But that’s part of what makes the story interesting: these characters are consumed by their intellectual pursuits in a way that leads them down destructive paths. It’s not a tale of redemption, but a reflection of the costs of their obsessions.

This is a beautiful story and a lovely journey.. the concept is clearly deeply impacted by the author’s own experiences in academia, but then it takes on such bigger questions and propositions. I loved the characters so much, they were fully formed and had unintended miscommunications with unintended consequences as we all do. While the protagonists may not have necessarily achieved what they came for, they got so much more in the end.

This felt like an easier-to-connect-with Piranesi.

I always enjoy reading books by R.F. Kuang and Katabasis was no exception. It delivered the same sharp insight and layered storytelling that I’ve come to expect from her. The concept is bold and strange in the best way, blending myth with academic satire in a story that somehow manages to be funny, devastating, and deeply human all at once.

The characters felt raw and real, especially Alice, whose emotional descent mirrored the literal journey through the underworld in a way that stuck with me. Kuang has a knack for asking difficult questions and letting her characters wrestle with them without easy answers, which makes her work consistently thought provoking.

My only hesitation was that a few sections dragged a bit, especially in the middle, but even then the writing kept me engaged. Overall, this was another compelling read from an author who never shies away from pushing boundaries.