Babel | R F Kuang | Historical Fantasy | Book Review

 

"Which historical era is your favorite setting for fantasy stories ❓❓"

Name of Book: Babel
Author: R F Kuang
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: 25 Nov 2022
No. of Pages: 547
Format: Digital

Oxford, 1836.The city of dreaming spires.It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows.Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift.Until it became a prison…But can a student stand against an empire?An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R.F. Kuang about the power of language, the violence of colonialism, and the sacrifices of resistance.''A masterpiece that resonates with power and knowledge.

Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times bestselling and Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award nominated author of Babel, the Poppy War trilogy, and the forthcoming Yellowface. She is a Marshall Scholar, translator, and has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford. She is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.

My Opinion

Babel by R. F. Kuang is a brilliant and thought-provoking historical fantasy set during the British colonial era. The first half of the book is richly devoted to world-building, immersing readers in the fictional world of Oxford’s Royal Institute of Translation, where silver and language magic intersect in fascinating ways. However, as the story progresses, it takes a dramatic turn into an adventure that is both thrilling and heartbreaking.

At its core, Babel is not just a fantasy novel—it’s a searing critique of colonialism and the exploitative mechanisms of empire. Kuang masterfully uses the fantasy setting, where silver has magical properties, to parallel how the British Empire drained its colonies of language, culture, and resources for its own gain. Through the experiences of the protagonist and his fellow students, the novel exposes how knowledge, academia, and language were weaponized to assert dominance.

Despite being set in a world infused with magic, Babel conveys very real and raw emotions about identity, resistance, and the cost of rebellion. Kuang’s writing challenges the glorification of British supremacy and colonial history, making the reader question the legacy of empire. This book is not only imaginative and intellectually rich but also socially and politically powerful.

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