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.

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.