4.75 ⭐

"𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲, 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁."

Katabasis is a slow, immersive read, lulling you in with trepidation and uncertainty, presenting the vast land of the underworld and all the challenges that come with it. It prompts your reasoning about the afterlife, linking concepts of hell from various religions, cultures, and scriptures. R.F.Kuang has a philosophical way to go about the world building, using logic and ancient ideas about magic to build her setting, without making it seem boring or like textbook material.

Although the book was plot-centered, we still spent a lot of time in between chapters learning about the characters. We have Alice Law, brilliant, passionate, and incredibly driven. We learn about how she discovered her love for magic, her determination to work in academia, and how she'd (quite literally) be willing to venture into hell and back for the sake of it. I found her ambition admirable, and at many times, personally relatable, especially soaking in her issues with professor Grimes, her internalised misogyny, watching her finally snap- I have never rooted for a character as much as her, and I deeply admire how Kuang was able to craft such a complicated character, shedding light on both her issues and strenghts. It was particularly interesting to see her resolve and unravel, to see her tremor on the edge of insanity, where all her doubts were stripped away, leaving her with the raw truth of her life- It made her character seem much more human, reminding us how harrowingly fragile human life is.

And then we have Peter, as much as I loved him, I wish we spent a bit more time learning about him, because we're only told his side of the story later on, we have to rely on Alice's not-entirely-reliable account of her relationship and interactions with him. We learn about his moments of vulnerability, his unabashed niceness, and with- I won't say much to avoid spoilers- his brilliance and drive rivaling hers, Peter was a perfect balance to Alice; it was clear they needed each other to survive.

There is one other character, Professor Grimes, whom I would love to talk about, but I think I'll have to update my review and mention him later to avoid spoiling the reading experience further.

Now for the plot- here I have a slight problem. The first 75% was well paced, the book is slow and immersive, not rushing anything and allowing everything enough time to settle in, but during the later quarter, I felt like the book was being a little dragged. The plot became slightly repetitive, especially once the air of mystery was dissolving, and it was becoming apparent how the book would end. I also feel like that portion would've been better spent with another perspective from Peter instead, since his character could've been better developed.

Another thing to mention, just as a heads up, this book, like Kuang herself has mentioned, is NOT a romance. Alice and Peter's relationship developing into romance is entirely a subplot, and especially towards the end, there is not a lot of time spent on it.

I truly loved this book in spite of the small issues. I think Kuang delivered pretty well, and I hope she keeps improving in her future projects. Keep an eye out for when it hits the shelves on 26th August, '25 💗

R.F Kuang continues to amaze me with how wonderful and immersive her writing is. I find myself so attached to these characters throughout their journey! I have also learned so many new things concerning paradoxes that took me far too long to truly understand and still kind of don't. Regardless, every book I read by R.F Kuang quickly becomes a new favorite and this is no exception! The mixing and blending of different authors and myths surrounding hell worked really well in this story and had me looking more into the background of what was being discussed to really understand what was going on. I love a book that encourages outside research!

I read a disappointing book focused on the underworld right before Katabasis, so I went into this read with trepidation. Very quickly, I realized that Katabasis would not disappoint. 

The start of the book, surprisingly, reminded me of the Love's Academic books. Like those books, Katabasis dove right into an academically-focused quest. But, unlike those books, Katabasis emphasizes the dark in dark academia. 

Alice Law studies Magick at Cambridge. When her advisor and the world's greatest magician dies, Alice decides to venture into Hell to save his soul. Just as she is finishing her pentagram to start her journey, Alice's academic rival, Peter Murdoch, walks into the classroom, shares that he's been researching the same mission, and decides that they should go together. 

As Alice and Peter begin their expedition, they quickly realize that their weeks of research and years of Magickal study could not have prepared them for Hell. 

Like Babel, this R. F. Kuang book is incredibly smart. It had all of the dark academia vibes that I could possibly want. It's not a straightforward story and near the 3/4 mark, I somewhat faded but that feeling did fit well with the plot so I'm not fully complaining about it. This story wrapped up well- which I really didn't think it would (mostly during the section where my interest faded). A lot of the book is spent with Alice and Peter trekking through Hell. There's adventurous moments, for sure, but I could see a reader finding it slower (maybe even monotonous), especially during that near the end section. However, overall, I really enjoyed it, found it very clever, and loved the characters more and more as I learned about them. It's definitely not a light book- in theme or size. There are many dark moments which, for me, often led to reflection.

Firstly, I’d like to say that I LOVED Yellowface and enjoyed Babel, but, oh boy…

Ugghhh, this pains me to write this review… I don’t hate it. Ok? I don’t. It’s NOT that bad. But I don’t love it. And that makes me sad because I wanted to love it soooo badly.

So, you got two academics (magicians -think pentagram drawing, not wand swishing) that travel to Hell to rescue their professor’s soul so they can graduate university after all their years of hard work.

Traveling to Hell was fun and I enjoyed Kuang’s take on what it might actually be like but PAUSE! Pump those brakes, babycakes. Every inconvenience or challenge was overcome too easily. I wanted more angst. More teeth. I wanted to feel ravaged and wrecked. I wanted to fight for my life.

While this is fantasy, it’s a lot more heavy on the logic, theories, mythology, and paradoxes. It’s a constant comparison and analysis of every expert and philosopher that’s come before us, examining if what they said still rings true.

I also think that Kuang is on to something when putting Chinese, Egyptian, Hinduism, and Greek belief systems right next to each other. That was fun. It brought up some heated conversations with friends. I sure love a good debate.

Oh, and amongst all the academic stuff, there is a storyline of love and trying to answer the question of what is the meaning of life. Is life worth living or should you just stay in Hell?

For fans of dark academia that want to go to Hell.

👀 Who would you be willing to travel to Hell for?
My kids, most definitely, but not a teacher.
Nope. Nope. Nope.

Thank you so much, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

TW: blood, torture, punishments

Alice Law has sacrificed everything in order to become one of the brightest minds in the fields of Magick, all to work with Professor Grimes at Cambridge. When he dies in a magical accident, that could possibly be her fault, she's determined to take a trip to Hell in order to retrieve his soul, After all, a recommendation letter from professor Grimes could open many doors and help her find work in the world of Magick. Even her rival, Peter Murdouch came to same conclusion, though, so they are forced to join forced in order to survive Hell. Following the tales of philosophers and writers, like Orpheus, Dante and so on, Alice and Peter descent to Hell, with their chalks necessary to draw pentagrams and make spells. But Magick works differently in Hell and not everything is like what they read.
Alice and Peter will meet Shades, deities, courts of Hell, punishments and so on in their search for Professor Grimes, even discovering things about themselves and each other. They will have to rely on one other in order to survive the unknown. Or die trying.

Katabasis is one of the best book I've read in a very long time. I love Dante's Inferno so much and this book is filled with references to writers, philosophers, myths and deities and I loved it so much. R.F. Kuang introduces a new way to use magic, here called Magicks and entire university dedicated to its studies. Pentagrams drawn with particular chalk in order to make spells, theories and theories about Hell and its souls and a chilling, creepy and very realistic tale of what Hell could be, based on various sources.
The story follows Alice and her rival Peter in their journey, between flashbacks from their pasts that let the readers know more about their relationship and what drives them to travel Hell in order to recover a soul of someone they didn't even like that much.
With care and sensibility, R.F. Kuang talks about university's pressure, between professors' abuses and deadlines, between badly eating and feeling sick for anxiety, between stress and overachievement and the pressure of it, too, about people being pitted against one other, all in the wonderful city of Cambridge, between rage and jealousy.
Alice and Peter are wonderful and complex characters and it was a pleasure getting to know them page by page, so I won't spoiler anything here, but Kuang did an amazing job with characterization and the setting is absolutely fantastic and mystical.
I absolutely recommend this book. I'm gonna collect every special edition of it!

3.5
I love RF Kuang but this has to be my least favorite… the premise was super interesting but the layout/format ruined the execution. It was hard with the jarring transitions from past to present. Perhaps if there was alternating timeline chapters, rather than straight, abrupt info dumps, the material and story could’ve been easier to connect to/understand

“And together they emerged, to rebehold the stars.”

THANK YOU to netgalley and harper collins for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

MY GOD!! this was absolutely the best book i’ve read this year. absolutely spellbinding and thrilling and just so perfect and satisfying. i cannot tell you how many times i gasped out loud during so many points of this book. alice and peter’s growth through some pretty crazy hardship was so beautiful to read, and i truly felt like i was traveling alongside them. i understand the constant explanation of logic and paradoxes might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it added to the story so much alongside the religious and philosophical connotations of hell. this was beautifully written — possibly my favorite book by rf kuang.

alice and her story were so heart wrenching to me as she truly faced and battled with mental health issues. these were written so seamlessly into her character and made her so real in my mind. peter, as well, especially with his story of battling chronic illness. these characters will most likely be in my brain for a very long time.

what an absolutely beautiful book. this will be sticking with me for a while and i can’t wait for release day!!

I will automatically read everything RF Kuang writes! I did not finish this book because I want to wait until I have a finished copy in my hands. However, as a longtime English nerd, this book scratches my brain in an excellent way because I get to nerd out over all my old favorites.

I knew I was going to love this book, but I didn't know how much I was going to love this book!!

It is not a sequel to Babel, so readers don't have to be familiar with that story to pick up this one. While the author makes many references to Dante's Inferno as well as other classic titles, readers don't need to know those either, though it is fun when you do.

In this book two Oxford students must travel to hell in order to rescue their professor. Without him, their academic dreams are in peril. In order to bring him back, they must survive themselves. I absolutely love the two main characters and the dynamic between them. This book is long, and it can be heavy at times, but it doesn't feel that way as you are reading it. The pacing is superb. I could not put it down.

I cannot wait to hand this to every reader I come across (both in the library and in my day-to-day life).

I have many thoughts about this book. I love the magick and worldbuilding. I liked the characters (aside from the ones you aren't supposed to like). And I liked the references to the classic literature of Hell. That being said this book took me forever to get through (dare I say-a bit like slogging through hell?) But there were so many good parallels between hell and academia that anyone who has experienced school will get a laugh.

R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis is a daring and densely layered exploration of grief, academia, and the metaphysical, set against the backdrop of a vividly imagined descent through Hell. Drawing from Dante, Greek mythology, and philosophical inquiry, Kuang delivers a novel that is as intellectually rich as it is emotionally challenging.

The story follows Alice Law, a postgraduate in the arcane field of analytic magick. After a tragic accident involving a misdrawn pentagram, she ventures into the infernal depths to rescue her mentor, Professor Grims. Accompanying her is Peter Murdoch, an enigmatic academic rival with whom she shares a tangled and emotionally fraught past. Their journey takes them through the eight courts of Hell, each realm shaped by sin, sorrow, and symbolic significance.

From its outset, Katabasis demonstrates Kuang’s gift for atmosphere. The infernal landscape is constructed with haunting precision. Oppressive weather, stark architecture, and a brooding sense of dread pervade each chapter. Yet, while the worldbuilding is undeniably immersive, the novel occasionally falters under the weight of its own prose. Extended passages of description and intellectual exposition, though beautifully written, can obscure the narrative momentum and demand a high degree of reader concentration. This is something I adore but best to know going in!

Characterization is one of the book’s more complex aspects. Alice’s emotional journey, including her guilt, determination, and ultimate growth, anchors the story. However, her presence can at times feel overshadowed, particularly in the novel’s first half, where Peter’s introspective backstory draws considerable focus. While Peter remains somewhat emotionally elusive, Alice’s arc ultimately culminates in a powerful and satisfying resolution. Their slow-burning, enemies-to-lovers dynamic brings both tension and tenderness to the narrative, though it occasionally clashes with the book’s heavier philosophical tones.

Katabasis is also deeply academic, frequently engaging with concepts from philosophy, mathematics, and theology. For some readers, this may enhance the depth and resonance of the story. For others, the frequent shifts between narrative and abstract theorizing may feel disorienting or overly didactic. The balance between intellectual stimulation and narrative clarity is not always evenly struck.

Thematically, the novel examines more than just a descent into the underworld. It probes the ethical murk of academia, the emotional toll of ambition, and the fine line between knowledge and obsession. Issues such as gender dynamics, abuse of power, and institutional elitism are tackled with nuance, lending the novel a strong undercurrent of social critique.

Despite its uneven pacing and moments of narrative opacity, Katabasis is a work of remarkable ambition. Kuang challenges her readers not only to follow a complex plot but also to wrestle with existential questions and emotional truths. It is not a light read. It requires patience, attention, and a willingness to embrace ambiguity. For those willing to engage with its layers, Katabasis offers a deeply rewarding literary experience.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy intellectually rigorous fantasy, fans of dark academia, and those who appreciate character-driven narratives with philosophical underpinnings.

Not recommended for: readers seeking fast-paced adventure, straightforward romance, or a conventional fantasy structure.

Verdict: A bold, cerebral, and emotionally charged descent into darkness, Katabasis is a thought-provoking addition to Kuang’s already impressive body of work.

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.