Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of The Oxford Translators' Revolution

Written by R. F. Kuang

Narrated by Chris Lew Kum Hoi and Billie Fulford-Brown

From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire.

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

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 for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping 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? 

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063021457

R. F. Kuang

Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, Yellowface, and Katabasis. Her work has won the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, and British Book Awards. A Marshall Scholar, she 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, where she studies diaspora, contemporary Sinophone literature, and Asian American literature.

Reviews for Babel

[Jonathan Slate · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. There are some moments that strain believability. But I’m not sure I care. If you are looking for a book that pulls you in while forcing you to grapple with the nature of world power, this is a great choice.

[Rosemary Banks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant and absolutely fearless! This is truth to power, and imaginative and fierce and eloquently written. Thank you R.F. Kuang, for your courage and brilliance. I’ll be reading your other novels. I mean…wow!
However, there are white people who dislike the book because they can’t accept how ugly and evil the British empire was. They complain that Babel is repetitious, didactic, and too long, and while all that is true, all books are flawed, and the exceptional and courageous truth to power in “Babel,” far outweighs problems the editors should have given more attention to.

[Abigail C · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don’t know what to say other than WOW! This book was so damn good!

[jeral correa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

one of the most amazing books i’ve ever read it should be taught and discussed in schools

[Maria Carabana · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely incredible novel. The world building is next level. I was hooked on every word and completely invested in the characters. The audio book is narrated beautifully as well. Can not recommend enough! Between this and Yellowface, R.F Kuang is quickly becoming one of my favorite new authors.

[aaronwalczak74 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Most boring book I've read in 20 years. Wouldn't recommend. Overly tedious, author really wants you to know his background in etymology. And then magic is loosely through in as well, but not much and no explanation to it. What a waste of my time. It just didn't go anywhere.

[qpstyrzxqm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just… WOW! This book is definitely one of the top five books of the year for me. It evoked such a wide range of emotions that I’m at a loss for words. I finished reading it just as I’m writing this review. It was eye-opening and mind-blowing. I’m truly at a loss for words. Everyone needs to read this book. The writing was amazing, and I love the historical facts. The audiobook was equally amazing. R.F. Kuang has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

[Arif Beg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one the best books I have read and this book made me cry. A perspective on the way colonialism were executed is so close to history that this book should be part of any curriculum in any highschool globally

[tatyshop4eva · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a Hard yet Unbelievably Beautiful read. Would read again.

[Penny May · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was so engaging and thought provoking.
Well worth a listen.

[stefanie bush · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The narrators are fantastic and the book is well written but I did not like the story at all. I understand the ideas that are presented but I didn’t like the way the author went about it.

[Michelle Truxal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An absolutely gut wrenching experience that I can’t recommend enough. If you are a fan of Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, this book will definitely appeal. An excellent look at the impacts of empire on the rest of the world, and how those under empire can lie to themselves about how the system both benefits and enslaves them. I am excited to read more from this author!

[Natalia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m not really into fantasy or really long books but the amount of thought and research that went into this book is incredible. Sometimes it felt like it was a retelling of something that happened in real life. And the story was too real and heartbreaking that the time went really fast. The ending was perfect!

[aliza731 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I swore off books that make me cry for mental health reasons and then kuang just HAD to pull me in with incredible writing, this is unfair and cruel to my tear ducts

[Chelsea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There’s a reason this book has won awards. It’s a literary art piece. It’s a historical fiction that helps us remember the validity of radical responses to systemic oppression. It’s magical and whimsical and twisted and tortured all at once.

[Grace Mix · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a tragic tale, but pulls you into it's characters and story

[Diane Gill Morris · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating take on the evils of colonialism in a magical realism world

[claire.rosenfrisk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent. am so glad own this book, I will need to re-read, there were so many nuances/layers of story. While on the outside it appears straight forward, it's more than just arcane history/scholarship. I could also read it as a critique on not only colonialism, but also on advancement and technology, and the dangers of giving into "easier ways of living" while the industrial revolution made work optimized and reduced danger, it also took away jobs and concentrated capital to those in power. The cover, the title, the harkening to language and the inevitable collapse of Babel, along with word play, etymology, and the power of our words to heal or hold malice. Extraordinarily crafted and well written. Thank you R.F. Kuang for another book that gives my mind quite a lot to consider and a desire to discuss.

[robinbabel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

rereading this book, it will always be amazing and really like the narrators and how they read the footnotes specifically

[6fsw9kvdb7 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

If I could give half starts I’d give it 1.5
It has too much and not much Is happening . I don’t know what’s the hype about this book.

It felt like the author just found out what linguistics is and what linguists do and had to pour all that information somewhere because no one else wanted to hear her babble and so she wrote a book that is too dense and in which 90% of the time nothing happens.
And actually if speaking about linguistics there where way to many things that weren’t correct or where half true.
I only continued reading the book because I was curious and I have a deadline to write a review and I couldn’t write one if I didn’t finish the book wouldn’t be fair but yeah I wouldn’t recommend this book at all !!!

[M Holidays · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing, I was so absorbed in the world, I forgot where I was

[Tracy Ho · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an amazing book. It was gripping and I found myself staying up well past my bedtime to just learn what happened next. I also loved the bits of the book on etymology.

[Luna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is monumental. I went from knowing nothing about the intricacies of translating to feeling immersed in this world where characters dream in multiple languages. This book feels very intimate.

[Nathan Stuller · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first ¾ of the book is excellent. However at the end of the book every antagonist is reduced to a caricature with no tangible motivation beyond being inherently evil and selfish.

[Kanita Tafro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm in absolute awe with this book, definitely my favourite so far! This book destroyed me in so many ways, just like I love a book to destroy me.

[Joe Foster · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s British school fantasy for people with a soul. Beautifully written, incredibly compelling. The audiobook version is good

[Ben · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a delight to listen to. Reading this book is great, but listening gives you the beauty of the languages in the book that my monolingual brain couldn't pronounce. This kind of story leaves me in a special place of wanting so much more and content for the wonderful journey R.F Kuang took me on.

[Genevieve Methot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. That was a masterpiece. Shoutout to the narrator who also made it so.

[Dennis SC-H · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is absolutely essential for gaining insight into the experiences of marginalized communities within oppressive societies. R. F. Kuang skillfully delves into the repercussions of colonization in a poignant and genuine manner, leaving you yearning for more. Her adept portrayal of the emotional journey of navigating the academic world, along with its enticing allure that tempts you to forsake your own identity, is truly remarkable. Don't miss out on reading this book!

[Renee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Starts off strong, ends in tedious melodrama after plot holes.