Babel by R. F. Kuang

⭐⭐⭐⭐

File under: Alternate History

Wizard-level reading challenge: A book that features two languages

I had planned to read Babel based on all the rave reviews I’d been reading. And luckily, it fits a few of the categories in my 2023 reading challenge. I chose it for “A book that features two languages” because, well.

Babel is a fantastic fantasy epic set—mostly—in 19th-century England. It’s the story of Robin Swift, a Chinese student at Oxford’s School of Translation, or "Babel” as commonly known.

Babel is a complicated work; Kuang stitches a few powerful themes together with skill, creating a tale that’s gripping, if occasionally slow, while also exploring the power of language, the perils of imperialism, and what it means to belong.

Babel is infused—like the silver of the world Kuang has created—with magic, but in a subtle way that supports the tale and adds a layer of mystery that works as a highlight to the political intrigue and the smaller stories of the students as they make their way through the world.

I loved the explorations of language and translation, which Kuang knows a lot about. The plot is a bit slow and somewhat repetitive, but not so much that it creates friction. Reading Babel was a pleasure, engaging the reading on multiple levels.