Christ this was good. I love how RF Kuang doesn't shy away from hard topics and makes you pay attention.
I was reading and listening at the same time. I loved how the foo-notes were narrated by a different narrator - it really cleared up the story from the extra info-y bits.
I think this book will stay with me for a long while.
Chilling, haunting, and really bloody good. unlike the British Empire which was just bloody horrible

Babel is a story but a learning exercise. If you enjoy history lessons and contemplating the philosophical roots of concepts or words, this will exhilarate you as much as it exhausts you. It will make you uncomfortable and curious.

In a rudimentary summary, Babel explores a fictionalised and learned insight into the historical period whereby the British Empire traded with China by means of sending silver whilst receiving goods like tea and porcelain. This trade arrangement meant Britain did not have an equal (or at the very least a satisfactory) trade-arrangement with China, and as a result, this led to the Empire pushing the legal-then-illegal opium market as a means of having some foothold on China’s trade and economy.

This foundation is then imagined in the context of fantasy, by making match-paired words from different languages, magical. These words can be put upon the silver bars to create more powerful magic, thereby partly propelling Britain to be the powerhouse it is.

My only regrets for Babel are its dry nature and the lack of depth to the novel’s characters. Whilst we follow the main character, Robin Swift, metamorphosising from a fraying student to his evaporating ignorance to society’s cruelty and abuse, beyond him, the characters are mere vessels to impart knowledge and convey the rather slow-paced story. And as a result of how much source-like information is within this novel, it does feel like academic material, rather than a passionate story. Consequently, it is a well-earned addition to the beloved dark academia genre.

Nevertheless, Babel, put simply, is a triumph of fictionalised world history whilst thoroughly exploring the essence of languages. It is a compelling portrayal of how Britain became the empire it was by exploiting and absorbing other world players, with an injection of magic and fantasy. The author also captures the struggle of existential identity questions for those who have long lost their homeland and native language. Colonialism, racism, exploitation and rebellion are prevalent themes, housed within a story that embodies the deliciously rich genre of Dark Academia.

One thing guaranteed with reading any of Rebecca’s books - The Poppy War trilogy, Yellowface - you will read exquisite writing whilst learn something (or two). Babel has made its mark on both my mind and heart for its appreciation of how important languages and the written word are for all; in the past, present and future.

This was actually my first book from Kuang and loved it despite how heartbreaking and hard-hitting it was. It was everything I needed it to be and more.

This is a big book and I kept putting it off for that reason but I'm so glad I finally took the leap. I loved the technical element to it and found myself quickly getting addicted. These characters quickly grew on me and I loved the complexity of Robin's character. The character development and story arc as a whole was phenomenal. Every decision and every feeling Robin felt was so genuine and realistic that I truly empathized with him.

Honestly this review cannot put into words how amazing this dark academia book was. I highly recommend picking it up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this is a case of this book just wasn't for me but it is for so many people. I loved the writing and the storytelling. Kuang is a master at her craft. I do think that the messaging is a bit heavy handed in this one. It feels like colonisation for beginners with little to no nuance. This will drive away a lot of people and I see it negatively impacting the book's sales.

I read the entirety of this book on a flight because I could just not put it down. I really want to do a reread now that I’m not a little delirious with exhaustion. But, I do remember thinking it was incredible and definitely a new favourite. The themes of language and translation, academia as a tool of colonialism. I can’t stop thinking about it.

I wasn’t as invested in the characters, or perhaps by the end I didn’t really quite feel like I knew them as much as I would have liked. Especially Victoire felt under utilized until the very end, especially compared to the rest of the group.

Unfortunately this book did not match the hype. I didn’t manage to finish this and what I did read was a real slog. It came across as pretentious and preachy. There was no subtle and the messages the author wanted to convey felt forced.

Unfortunately my copy expired before getting the chance to read, but I’ve bought my copy and can’t wait to read and my review will be available on Goodreads upon completion. Thanks for the approval!

Babel was such an emotional read, it covers some hard-hitting topics, including racism and colonialism, building it into a world where everything works because of silver magic… whoever has the most silver, has the most advanced country with the best healthcare etc.

Honestly, I don’t quite know how to put into words how brilliant this book is. It’s thought-provoking and extremely emotional, we need more books like Babel. 🖤

Babel gets an easy 5-stars.

I could not get into this book, ultimately it was not form me and I could not finish it. It may be one for other readers

This was a fascinating and highly intelligent examination of colonialism through the lens of the acquisition of magic and the subsequent distribution thereof. I thought the core characters were well drawn, but I did find Robin quite irritating to follow, given his propensity to stubbornness and quickness to completely change his mind about something, and then obsessively follow a new path. The discussions about language and the power/problem of translation were incredibly detailed and there were times when the points being made were a bit beyond me, but that did nothing to impact my enjoyment of the book. Overall, this was a very timely and well constructed narrative that further cements R.F. Kuang as an excellent author in my mind.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What can I say that hasn't been said at this point? An amazing book with such a real look at colonialism and continued racism, especially in academic spaces. R. F. Kuang can do no wrong!

Babel: An Intriguing Start

R.F. Kuang's "Babel" marks the beginning of what promises to be a captivating series. The world-building in this novel is impressive, introducing readers to a richly detailed and immersive setting that blends elements of fantasy and historical fiction. The author's descriptive prose paints vivid landscapes and brings to life a diverse array of cultures and characters.

The pacing of the story is generally engaging, with a mix of political intrigue, personal struggles, and magical elements that keep the reader invested. The main characters are complex and undergo significant development, making them relatable and compelling to follow as they navigate the challenges of their world.

However, while "Babel" is a promising start, it occasionally suffers from uneven pacing and a slightly convoluted plot. At times, the narrative can become overwhelming with its many threads and perspectives. Additionally, some of the secondary characters could benefit from further depth and exploration to truly shine in the story.

In conclusion, "Babel" lays a solid foundation for what could become a standout series in the fantasy genre. Kuang's writing style and world-building skills are evident, and while the book has its moments of brilliance, it still has room for refinement in terms of plot intricacies and character development. Fans of intricate, multi-layered fantasies will likely find this book a satisfying introduction to a larger saga.

Entertaining and affecting narrative about a boy named Robin Swift, raised to be a fighter ... but who learns to resist Silver, the dominant power source in a London ruling its colonies by its magical force. Robin works with others to bring a silver tower down ... the gang are well described, the stakes are high and the reader feels it is so. Gripping right away .. and hangs onto the reader well into it all (some lomguers, some stereotypical characters .. like the motherly British women who substitute for his Asian mother who'd died in the plague in Canton .. he was literally rescued from her arms... the sturm and drang gets very serious. And many die! ..

This was such an interesting and incredible read, there was such depth and intrigue. I found myself completely entranced by the story.

This is an epic book, but takes a lot of reading. The history behind the linguistics aspect is obviously very thorough and was interesting to see/hear about.

I read the first half of this book on a physical copy but veered away to other reads as needed something a bit lighter, then ultimately, finished on audio.

I actually found the audio preferable as was good how the narrator for the story and the narrator for the footnotes were different. I actually found the footnotes better in this format as it felt more fluid rather than jumping about the page.

There is so much to be said about race, class etc from the book and so many other reviewers have said it so much better than I ever could so I won't go into this.

My one sadness about this book, I wanted more of a fantasy. The silverworking was a big part of the world but I felt it didn't give a fantastical feeling to the world.

Still highly recommend and if you have access to, and can read audiobooks, that would be my recommended way to read

This was a fantastic book with some unfortunate flaws.
The world created by Kuang was superb, with the descriptions, especially of China, brutally raw and emotional.
We follow Robin Swift, a young Canton orphan brought to London by Professor Lovell to enter Oxford's Translation institute, known as Babel.
Kuang's love of languages shines in her descriptions of his lessons and studies, of the academic discussions and the nature of language and translating. She made a book that has huge chunks of etymology lessons enjoyable and so easily accessible and understandable to lay people. The dark academic setting of Babel was excellent, with the city of Oxford brought to life so well, and the harsh world of academia highlighted fantastically. The themes of racism, which admittedly bludgeoned the reader over the head at times, were uncomfortable to read in all the ways they should be in order to promote thought and discussion.
Alas the writing, while descriptively excellent, has the same issues that the Poppy War trilogy faced, namely the timing of the story. It jumps and skips all over the place, and I found that it lost itself quite a bit in doing so.

Our core cast of characters, Robin, Victoire, Letty and poor sweet Ramy were wonderful. The group dynamic between them brought these characters to life exceptionally well. The fan least favourite of Letty was particularly great in that you couldn't help but to hate her and she served to show the attitude of the British towards others in a way that Robin, our POV, finds most cutting. All the rest of the British students and professors who show racist attitudes and feels are very 1 dimensional and almost like caricatures of over the top racist than actual people, a point that did let the book down somewhat. Even the other non-British characters aside from our core group were very bland and undeveloped.

The magic system of silver was very imaginative I found. I am a sucker for a unique magic system, and in this one the translation of a word carved on either side of a block of silver, whose meanings have evolved through time, causing a particular effect. For example triacle (Old French for antidote) and treacle (sugar syrup), which the word eventually evolved into, and this could be used to cure an illness, while leaving a sweet taste in the mouth.
However, the entire industrial revolution seems to have been displaced by this magic, something that does take some stretching of the imagination to believe. Steam power and spinning jennies and such don't exist because people would rather pay for their silver magic to be kept topped up. This was a slight dip in the worldbuilding.
I would also have liked history on how this magic was discovered.

The use of footnotes was a double edged sword in this book I felt. While some served to highlight and expand upon points being made in the story, many of them felt like they were labouring the point of "racism=bad" quite a bit, and I found myself skipping through many of them.

Overall though this book was a read and a half, and one that I was very excited for! If you like dark academia, want a book that will play with language and teach you something in the process while giving you an engaging story then look no further!

This book also provided me with one of my favourite literary exchanges of 2022:
'Your sentences are far too long-'
'They're not too long, they're Ciceronian!'
'You can't just excuse all bad writing on the ground that's its Ciceronian'

An alternative history set in 19th century England, Babel focuses on the power of translation, racism and magic.

Following the death of his mother, Robin Swift, born in Canton, is brought to England by a mysterious benefactor. Robin is provided with an extensive education in languages and given a new life, far from what he had previously known.

Professor Lovell soon sends Robin off to study at Oxford's Royal Institute of Translation - Babel. Once there, Robin learns about the true power translation holds and how far the Institute will go to control it.

Languages are not my strong suit, however I found the way Kuang discusses the complex and important intricacies of language and how much can be lost in translation immensely powerful!

Translation is used by the British Empire not only to dominant its colonies but also to keep its own state and infrastructure functioning. The very magic system revolves around how this translation is used to ‘enchant’ silver bars, by inscribing translations of certain words on them.

This system is so seamlessly woven into the world building it further highlights the complex discussion of how translation is used for colonialism and the very trauma and violence the indigenous people experience because of this. It’s powerful and raw and stayed with me long after finishing it.

I loved seeing how Robin experienced Oxford with the other characters. Each character was complex and showed just how messy real life is. Especially compared to the glorified versions of history we are so often taught about.

The writing is masterfully written, and while I came away feeling like I needed to go back to uni and study more, I loved being in the dark academia world of Oxford.

Ultimately it was a much slower read than anticipated and I would have loved more fantasy and magic, but it was raw and powerful and I would definitely recommend!

Huge thank you to @harpervoyager_uk for providing an ARC!

LOVED THIS BOOK SM ITS AMAZING AND PERFECT (WELL NOT PERFECT) BUT ITS ONE OF THE BEST IVE READ. I LOVE ALL HER WORK AND CANNOT WAIT TO SEE WHATS NEXT.

Masterpiece. I mean...every single language student in the world should read it. Rebecca Kuang's books will be on the lists of classics in 100 years.
If the Earth survives, that is.

What a great great book. I loved "The Poppy War" series, but i won't lie, i was a little bit scared to read this one. But i liked it very much, and i was next to the characters throughout the whole series. I cried with them, i laughed with them and a part of me died everytime something happened to them.

I was so so surprised at the plot-twists, they were made so good, you can see how much work the author put in this book. It was a little slow in the beginning, but after you read 100 pages, you can't stop. Things are starting to happen, and you can't put the book down.

I loved so much the representation in this book, i loved the history and the author made me feel like i was studying at Babel, which i don't want to do, tbh. The characters were so complex, so many fears and such great stories. I loved to know about their cultures and their life, i loved the different POVs, and i cried at the end. The character development is perfect, it's amaying to see them grow and to learn about their traumas and to fight those traumas. They broke me. You will have your heart broken and you will get so mad the more you are reading.

I reccomend this one, it was so so good. I'm not giving it 5 stars only because it was a little too slow for me in the beginning.