Published Date: August 23, 2022
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★★
REVIEW
I'll preface this entire review by saying that R.F. Kuang's Poppy War series is one of my all time favorites. Reading Babel made me start a series reread. That being said, I was a bit aprehensive when I first requested this book from NetGalley. I knew it would have Kuang's amazing writing, but it seemed like such a difference from the grimdark trilogy she wrote before. I have tried a lot of dark academia in the past and found I've either loved it or DNF'd and I really hoped I'd love this as much as her other ones. I'm glad with the outcome. I did receive an ebook from NetGally in return for an honest review.
SYNOPSIS
"1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he'll enroll in Oxford University's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation — also known as Babel.
Babel is the world's center of translation and, more importantly, of silver-working: the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation through enchanted silver bars, to magical effect. Silver-working has made the British Empire unparalleled in power, and Babel's research in foreign languages serves the Empire's quest to colonize everything it encounters.
Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, is a fairytale for Robin; a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge serves power, and for Robin, a Chinese boy raised in Britain, serving Babel inevitably means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to sabotaging the silver-working that supports imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide: Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence? What is he willing to sacrifice to bring Babel down?"
MY THOUGHTS
This book was so good! Even the prologue, where Kuang clarifies where she got her inspiration from was great. I loved how she ended it with basically saying that if there were historical inaccuracies it's fiction so there can be. Just a cheeky way to open the book that I thought set a perfect tone.
The characters in Babel jumped off the pages. There is a way of writing characters that makes them feel full and real and Kuang has such a talent for doing that. I loved and hated certain characters which I think was her intention. Robin was such a sweetheart I didn't want anything bad to happen to him. This book took us through four years of schooling and it felt like I was really there. I was studying late with them, I was going to the pubs, eating the food, and taking the exams. Kuang writes vividly.
I loved how the themes were explored in depth without bogging down the plot. Language was central to this book with many in depth explanations of the origins of words and how languages evolve to include each other. Rather than feeling educational and stiff, it fit with the story since she wrote it in such an imaginative way. With language, multilingual people are able to create magic. I usually like in depth, well explained magic systems, but this was somewhat a blink and you miss the explanation type. Not that it was poorly explained, rather that the magic system wasn't the central focus. It was mentioned throughout but I think even readers who aren't fans of fantasy will be able to enjoy this book.
Babel is the kind of book you want to devour slowly. The plot is very intricate as is the writing itself. While sometimes I'll admit that overly descriptive prose can be difficult to read or grows old, but there is something stylistically about Kuang that doesn't do that. Instead, her style makes me want more descriptions. Because of that, I am easily able to place myself in the world she created. I felt like I was in Oxford.
This story is beautiful as well. I love internal battles, and Robin is torn between two parts of himself. In a time period where racism is much worse than it is today, he can either blend in as an Englishman or be Chinese. He is too much of one to fit in with another. And the world Kuang created really showed the consequences of coloninization. Countries were seen as properties of others but lesser than. Robin was literally stolen from his home country and forced into a mold just for his skills to be used for others benefits.
I loved this book and the fact that it is a standalone rather than a series makes me love it even more. It was fully complete and I didn't feel like anything was missing. There doesn't need to be a sequel. I think this book proves that if you are a good writer, you can write in any genre (or subgenre). I love Kuang's writing and her ideas. I cannot wait for her next book, but until then, I'll just reread all her books again.
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