I was sent this from the publisher, not a normal book I would read but wow I was so impressed and loved every moment now already ordered Yellowface .... and hoping I get to read that one soon. Babel surpassed all my expectations it was a real page-turner and left me thinking for a long time afterward and already bought a copy for a friend ... I was left wanting more even knowing so much was already given its not often I am left speechless and have to think for a long time afterward all the words I just read and to digest them into my mind I highly recommend this book and like I said before it's not normally a book I would normally pick up left me out my comfort zone but I am so glad I jumped in and just wow ...

This book is a must-read in the fantasy and academia genre! I love R.F Kuang's visceral writing style and the emotional attachment I felt to each character was really strong. This is such an amazing way to help people understand the pain and suffering endured under English colonialism. I'm so looking forward to reading Yellowface!

This is unlike any fantasy book I have read in recent years. It’s exceptionally written and researched. I’d best describe it as a magical tinged alternative history of the British Empire, but don’t expect dragons and wizards, the magic here is subtle and integral to the story. This book explores British imperialism, the Industrial Revolution the opium wars and much more and ultimately the costs of this imperialism on real people. Absorbing and fascinating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five

I honestly don’t know why this took me so long to read. I think it’s my current relationship with physical books, because it certainly wasn’t anything to do with the book itself. The writing is fantastic and I felt truly at home in this version of Oxford.

There will never be enough that I can say about this plot, and everything that is discussed in these pages. As a native English speaker, I have never considered even half of what it must be like to live in such an English-centric world, and even though I could appreciate the scope we had on the world, I could never have imagined it half as well without this book to guide me. It was fascinating to see the evolution of languages and how even in direct translations there are slight differences. I’d never thought how difficult translating a piece of work must be and it will never be 100% exactly what the original author must have meant, because of the complexities of language.

And then on top of that, Babel tells the harrowing story of children ripped away from their homelands and families in order for the white, rich, British to benefit from their grasp on multiple languages. To talk about war, poverty, belonging, racism, family, morals, and so much more in one book, Babel is a masterpiece. The fantasy element of the plot was so well built, so ingrained into normal life that it felt real in our own world. I loved the group of characters were introduced to and definitely felt some Secret History vibes in the elite school, small, close knit cohort of students, and ever growing stakes. But in the grander scheme of things, these books are nothing alike.

I don’t think I’ll ever stop talking about this book??

Before I start, a bit of a disclaimer. This book is unusual in format - whilst it’s definitely your typical fiction novel, there’s also elements of a text/non-fiction book in there. And given the subject matter, it’s littered with footnotes of explanations, translations, pronunciations, irony and more. I bought the kindle/audiobook and for me, the audiobook version was the best format to read this one as it really helped with the pronunciations!

Wow, this book is absolutely epic. I’d heard there was lots of love for this going round, but for me this really lived up to the hype. There are so many themes in this one: dark academia (obvs), what family means, colonisation, racism, classism, education, sexism, slavery - I could go on. This had me gripped and engrossed - it’s a master class on etymology - the history of the form of words and the origins and evolution of their meaning. For me it was fascinating.

I loved how all is not what it seems at the University of Oxford’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation (or Babel), and the scholars that devote their time there. Kuang has created a dark world where it’s behind all wealth, progress and of course it’s an important cog in the advancement of the British Empire. As the Babel scholars study words and their power, some magical - the nefarious truth comes to light.

This book was such a trip down memory lane - having worked at Oxford University many moons ago, I loved this journey through all things Oxford and surrounding areas. And that ending - boy it packed a punch and brought a tear or three to my eye.

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Pan Mamillan and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.

Kuang writes an absolute BELTER. This book had everything.

There is so much information and the writing is so intricate I'd recommend making sure you're in the right headspace to be able to digest all the details and fully take in the clever magic system, politics, relationships, injustices because otherwise it might be a bit overwhelming for the faint hearted.

I really enjoyed the characters, the personal dilemmas and moral decisions were fascinating to watch unfold. This book is a chunky one so it's not something that you'll burn through quickly, but that just makes it more enjoyable.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a few words!

This is not for everyone. I got very excited after reading some initial reviews and comments, and I normally love something with a dystopian or fantasy bent. There is so much potential but its very slow to start and I have to admit to taking a break after getting 1/3 through. I will probably finish it at some point, knowing that its not an easy read but that it might reward me in the end.

If you are interested in linguistics and like political essays you should read Babel. I loved the scientific discussions and the feel of the book. Like in the Poppy war trilogy you need to be prepared to be punched in the face as a reader from time to time. The characters sadly weren't the strong suit of this book, they felt more like vehicles to transport a message than real human beings. I liked the ending, it brought everything full circle.

This is a good story set in a near world to ours but where a special silver metal enables machinery and other process to work more efficiently. The scholars in the university's translation department work on the spells that make the silver work. It's quite a complicated plot and hinges on the translators being foreign students who are bilingual so can easly understand the layers of meaning in words and their equivalents in other languages. there is a faction who have rebelled against the establishment and our students get caught up in teying to right injustices. I enjoyed the ideas behind the story and there was quite a lot of exciting action. I thought it was a little long and could have been condensed to make it shorter without losing anything from the story. I would recommend it

Although I really enjoyed the start of this novel, I found that it started to drag a little towards the end, in the final 150 pages. However, it has inspired me to read more of R.F. Kuang's work, and the first half of this book was brilliant.

Babel was my most anticipated and loved read of 2022. I have been a fan of R.F Kuang for many years, having devoured the Poppy War series, so I was especially thrilled to find she had written a new book based in the country I live in, around a topic I find fascinating. This book did not disappoint, it was educational, informative, uncomfortable, and a complete heartbreaker. I was fortunate enough to read this with a friend and I am so glad we were able to discuss and analyze these complex characters in real time together. Kuang has this magical ability to create characters that are both deeply loveable and incredibly flawed all at once.

I found myself growing angry with Robin for his acceptance of Prof. Lovell's abuse and rejection, I wanted Robin to stand up and fight back, and demand respect, but of course, Ms. Kuang had a much better journey for Robin planned. The revelations were perfectly pitched throughout the book and I was often surprised at the direction that the characters chose to take. I was genuinely shocked and outraged at some of the behavior of the characters and by the end, I was sobbing, but I understood why it had to end as it did.

I think as a white woman this book was a hard but necessary read. It allowed me to have discussions with my friend about our own privilege and race while analyzing the parts of characters like Letty that we internally accept without even realizing we do so. Kuang was able to showcase throughout the book how sometimes racism is the simple act of not noticing the struggles of your BIPOC friends. I recommend this book to anyone interested in language and linguistics. The world-building is incredibly well done and Kuang paints a perfectly clear picture of the class differences between colonizing and colonized nations.

It isn't often I say this - but I hope we never return to Babel. It was a perfect stand-alone book that needs no additional explanations. I have recommended this to anyone who will listen.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for granting me access to the eARC of Babel to do this book review.
I was very excited to read this book, I read The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang a few years ago and loved it, and I loved her writing style. That combined with the dark academia setting and the magical setting of Oxford made me confident I would love this book! I am happy to report that I did indeed love it!!
I want to first mention the only element of Babel that I didn’t like, and that is entirely personal to me, and that is the use of wayyyyyy too many footnotes throughout it. Even in reference books I don’t like footnotes, and I hate hate hate them in fiction. They are distracting and immediately draw me out of the book while I have to flick my eyes down to the bottom of the page to read whatever snippet of info couldn’t just be included in the main narrative. It makes the reading experience very disjointed for me. However, I realise this is a personal problem. Not everyone hates them as vehemently as me!
Once I had got over the copious use of footnotes I really enjoyed this novel a lot, particularly the last quarter. By the time I reached the 75% mark I think this novel was sitting at a strong 3.5 for me, but the last quarter blew me away!! The drama and tension cranks up and up until it is almost unbearable, and I couldn’t tear myself away until I reached the last page. The novel is quite a slow and meandering read, but once you reach the last quarter the pace speeds up considerably, and the danger increases tenfold! The last quarter also expands the novel outside its Oxford focus, which I also enjoyed. I will say be prepared for heartbreak folks, it’s not all plain sailing for our characters!
The majority of Babel takes place in Oxford, among its historical University buildings, and I did love the setting. I love a historical fantasy, and Kuang does a masterful job of grounding this novel in the historically accurate and recognisable time period, while simultaneously making the changes necessary to move the plot as needed. I loved the mix of new and old within the novel, and the positioning of quintessentially English buildings with such an eclectic mix of people who were seen as ‘others’ by those same Englishmen.
Kuang deserves real praise for the wonderful and insanely clever magic system she has created in Babel. Kuang clearly has a lot of background knowledge and passion for languages, and it allows her to make an awesome magic system which is wholly unique.
This novel also focuses on a lot of important topics, particularly that of British imperialism and colonialism, and the untold damage the British Empire did in the 1800s across the globe. It is refreshing to read books that take such a clear eyed view on the damage that was done to other countries. The themes of racism and slavery are also at the forefront of Babel, and are important to consider when considering the novel as a whole.
Overall I loved this novel. I was afraid that my expectations were too high, but they were exceeded by Babel. This novel is a perfect historical fantasy, with a brilliant magic system, and a breathtaking look at the terror of the British Empire and colonialism.

I was sent a first proof copy of Babel by R.F. Kuang to read and review by NetGalley. This was a very interesting book regarding the intricacies of translation and the different meanings and the history of words/language and there was a decent story – the novel – behind it, however I found it all rather hard work and so incredibly long! I don’t think it helped that I was reading on my kindle so all the footnotes popped up amongst the prose rather than at the bottom of a page as would have been the case in a physical book. The author made a lot of insightful points regarding colonialism, slavery and the injustice of the time (much of which is still pertinent today) but this eventually became altogether too earnest and overdone. I did persevere and read to the end of the book, which is something in itself, and I realize that the novel may have changed considerably by the time it actually went to press. For me it would have been a much better read had it been more concise as the premise of the story was actually very good.

I had such high expectations for this book and went into it thinking it would be a 5-star read but unfortunately for me, I found it a bit slow and plodding and quite dense to read at time. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it just not as much as I expected as I thought it would be more fantasy based than it was, but apart from the silver working there wasn't much fantasy. I'm also not a fan of footnotes - it made it feel more like a textbook and were quite distracting at times. The research by the author is very extensive and sometimes a bit dry but once the plot got going the last third of the book was really good and kept me intrigued

It lives up to the hype, what more can I say. Brilliant characters, original plot and a fantastical setting which I won't be forgetting for a while.

This book takes an unflinching look at the lasting impact of colonialism, keeping the narratives of BIPOC characters front and centre throughout.

I am really pleased that this book has very clearly found its audience however this book didn't work for me, I am not sure if it is RF Kuang's writing (this was my first time reading a Kuang book) or that perhaps dark academia is not my genre (this book strongly reminded me of Vita Nostra) or so other factor.

What I enjoyed about this book was that it was unafraid to rip off the shiny exterior to show the rotting core of the thing and the magic system was utterly brilliant, I love the way that it harnessed the power of language and the way that it changes over time. I also really enjoyed that it was not shy about ripping the heart of the reader out.

On the other side of the coin, I just found the pacing not enjoyable. This story takes place during the central characters' academic careers at university and, whilst there is politicking from the start of their time, it felt like it took a very long time for the story to get anywhere. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of nuance and action during that time and the reader is given a very long time to really fall in love with these characters but it was maybe a little understated for me?

I hate that I didn't love this book and I will definitely be re-reading it in the future to see if it was an issue with the format that I consumed this story or whether some other outside factors came into play that meant this book did not steal my heart. I definitely think that this book has a lot to love about it but for readers with similar tastes to me, this may not be the right book.

I recognize Babel as a brilliant work of fiction. But my main issue was that it was written for bright minds. That was certainly not my case. Maybe it's because I'm not a native English speaker, but seriously, most of my time reading, I felt dumb and did not enjoy all the dense writing.
I may have been a victim of the hype.
It was good, yes, but not for me. Not the way The Poppy War was.

This was my first book by this author but it definitely will not be my last. I absolutely loved this alternative look at Oxford. Oxford is one of my favourite settings so I was so excited to get a copy of this book.

I found the plot intriguing and gripping and the characters were brilliant. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Set in an alternate Victorian England which is very much all about Empire. We meet Robin Swift, orphaned in Canton is rescued /taken from the only home he has ever known by Professor Lovell to be trained for academia and Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation.
The Babel tower is powered by magical silver bars which form the power base of the British Empire. Robin joins the eclectic ranks of translators who work in Babel and finds friendship with Ramy, Victoria and Letty in an academic setting.
The book explores the themes of Empire, colonization, race, belonging and linguistics to great effect and examines the interconnections between all these themes. The are dark points in the narrative and horrific acts which add to the underlying tensions, particularly for Robin with his complex personality and struggles with power as a bi-racial person from a colony.
Not necessarily an easy read but definitely a page turning one.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this ARC as always much appreciated. All views are my own.

R F Kuang is the most incredible world builder. They are one of few auto-buy authors I have and Babel is yet another masterpiece. The research that was put into this book is incredible and pays off in the most incredible way.