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

THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES AND #1 NYT BESTSELLER

‘One for Philip Pullman fans’
THE TIMES

‘This one is an automatic buy’
GLAMOUR

‘Ambitious, sweeping and epic’
EVENING STANDARD

‘Razor-sharp’
DAILY MAIL

‘An ingenious fantasy about empire’
GUARDIAN

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

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. BABEL is a stark picture of the cruelty of empire, a distillation of dark academia, and a riveting blend of fantasy and historical fiction – a monumental achievement’

Samantha Shannon, author of THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE

Delve into the heart of an alternative UK, where Babel reigns as a top entry among gaslamp fantasy books. It's a great, bestselling read, peppered with the essence of urban exploration and thrilling action, an adventure that will leave you breathless and wanting more. For fans of Rebecca Yarros (Iron Flame), Leigh Bardungo (Six of Crows), Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings) and Olivie Blake (The Atlas Six) and Samantha Shannon (The Priory of the Orange Tree).

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Sep 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9780008501846

R.F. Kuang

Rebecca F. Kuang is a Marshall Scholar, Chinese-English translator, and the Astounding Award-winning and the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award nominated author of the Poppy War trilogy and the forthcoming Babel. Her work has won the Crawford Award and the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel. 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.

Reviews for Babel

[Jacquline Oliphant · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely Brilliant.! There are no other words to describe it.

[Katrina April Parena · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting but I expected a different story. Narration was engaging so I was able to finish this nevertheless.

[Lucia Garcia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is wonderful!
Situated in 1800s Oxford under the veil of some magic, it was magical.
Touches several important topics such as colonialism and all the problems and trauma that issue from it, such as racism, hate, sacrifice and all sorts of suffering from the conquered people.
It also touches topics such as misogyny, abuse, friendships, betrayal and pride.
All under the cover of magic. Wonderful!

[MarHasHobbies · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If I didn't spoil the ending for myself I would be shook to my core, all the hype this book got is not enough it needs more, it is a slow start but when the action starts you can't put it down

[guide2_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

i couldn't really get into this story, so stopped about 1/4 of the way in. it seemed too much of a commitment given the length of the book even if the reviews are quite good. Probably not a good idea to try a second book from the same author after not liking the first book so much. Things supposedly pick up later in the book, but not much happens at the beginning.

[jbd1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An absolutely cracking read of an alternative history set in late-1820s Oxford in which translation and silver-working play a tremendous role. Great world-building and a really provocative premise.

[desertmoon_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a stunning book. Protagonist Robin Swift is taken from his native China and raised to become a student at Oxford by Professor Lowell. Professor Lowell is his father, but won't claim Robin as anything other than a "ward" and has Robin sign a contract promising to study hard and later on attend Oxford.

[Sunna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book hurt my heart. The character development is masterfully done but it's not a book for everyone so thread into this book carefully

[Judy Engela · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well-written and important. Captures nuance and complexity. Characters were so easy to love and so easy to hate, in the best way! Loved this world and loved the magic, but not just that, the real people inhabiting this world!

[Patty Aryee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stunning. I'm blown away and very emotional. The first half was stunningly academic and the second half was like a Guy Fawkes/Les Miserables vibe

[mieke · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant book, lovely narrator
Best read of 2023 I suppose
Read it!

[strilinga · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm not even going to attempt to review this. Amazing story, well researched, I want to read this again and annotate.

[Latika · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a thrillingly brilliant book! Deserves each of the five stars.

[Jo March · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

just wow this was a experience victoire my beloved love u

[Sandra Zuks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed the play with translation and the anti-colonial themes, but not a plot heavy reader, so elements of this didn't work for me. Which is more a me thing.

[Sybille · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really loved this. It's a great story with interesting characters, unexpected twists an turns, and it is very relevant to today. Highly recommend it to anyone, even if fantasy or alternate realities aren't usually your thing. This is a book that is thought-provoking whilst also depicting family and friendship in a way that makes you want to follow the characters on their journeys.

[Beth Kenny · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

No words necessary other than 'wow'. A true literary feat.

[Hannah Gouveia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

O livro é mto bom e a narração tb! O final pra mim deixou um pouco a desejar…

[Reordan Carey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A brilliant and inimitable ode to the real struggles of power and privilege in our modern world, through the truly mesmering lens of 19th century England with a tarnished silver lining. The world building is full and tantalising, and the prose exquisite, every chapter offering a place to laugh and weep. A must read for anyone who enjoys, magic, universities, and righteous revolution!

[Diana Ayala · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a most read. It’s so good on so many levels.

[Omar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

so so so good! R.F. Kuang's writing and storytelling are amazing

[Valdis Strazdins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's a wonderful and powerful book. Not only does it touch important topics but it also explores linguistics in a wonderful way.

[Sadhana Pandey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

RF kuang, superb as always.
All the characters were so well crafted. Masterpiece.

[Crimson's Whispering Books · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first went into this book not sure if I was going to like it, but a few chapters in I was invested in the story and the characters... a book I highly enjoyed and thought was brilliant ?.... the way this book explains what certain things mean and where they come from as well as how they have been translated was great. I learned so much reading this book and I also was on an emotional rollercoaster with each character.

Everyone needs to read rhis book

[Mariluz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It wasn't very captivating, but I don't know if it was because the book is not good or because the reader lowers his voice in every important dialog in the book. I lost almost every important conversation because I was completely unable to listen to it, as they were such a low whisper that I couldn't understand anything. Very frustrating.

[Sara Cervantes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh how I wish everyone would read this book. The struggles the “othered” have always had to face. The battle we were born into whether we like it or not. I can’t actually leave a detailed review bc I’m still processing. But oh how I wish you’ll all read this book.

[Yanthe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Naïeve story that begins promising but ends lame, violence forever?

[pgchuis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is not a genre I typically read, and I did struggle a bit with the whole silver/magic aspect - I'm not sure what it added to England's empirical ambitions over and above what actually happened in history. I also found it hard to remember that the story was set in the Victorian era - many of the attitudes and speech patterns were very modern.On the other hand, I thought Robin's character was very well drawn, and there were a couple of truly shocking moments in the plot, even if it did drag out a bit at the end. On a very minor point, the asterisks denoting a footnote were so tiny I kept failing to spot them in the main text.Recommended.

[ridgewaygirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Speculative fiction and alternate histories are very much not my thing. I'm also bad at listening to audiobooks. But this turned out to be the one audiobook novel that worked for me. I think I liked it far more than I would have had I read it as a traditional book, because it's told in a straightforward way, plot-driven and with characters that are YA in their simplicity (although this is not a YA novel). The book centers on a Dickensian protagonist; Robin Swift is a child when he is found laying next to his mother's dead body in a plague-ridden Canton. Rescued by an Oxford professor, he is taken to London to be rigorously trained in languages so he can study language and translation at the famous Babel tower in Oxford. Translators are necessary to the production and maintenance of "silver," a magical substance that fuels the British Empire, allowing it to colonize and rule countries around the globe. Robin is needed because of his Chinese language skills, and his fellow students are largely (but not entirely) chosen because their native languages are unspoken by the English. As he learns more and meets more people, he comes to see that he is being used in the British war for domination and he discovers a secret society that is fighting back. For the most part, this is an adventure story, of the kind common in the genre. What separates it from the usual is the detail and ingenuity of the world-building, how well it's written and especially for the ways it discusses translation and colonialism. Sure, the characters were largely exactly who they seemed to be -- the bad guys very bad, the good guys pure of heart and the twists and turns not exactly out of the ordinary, but the way this novel talked about translation and colonialism and how they are tied together, has resonance in this non-imaginary world and were anything but simplistic; they were fascinating.

[jmchshannon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Babel by R. F. Kuang is, without a doubt, the best book I’ve read this year. Its theme of language usage is a fascinating commentary on imperialism, revolution, and resistance. As compelling as the story is, and it delivers a little nugget of insight on almost every page, the language of the story is the true star of Babel. Ms. Kuang’s writing style is perfect. While it most definitely is prose, each sentence has a beauty that feels like poetry. Between the story, that magical setting that is Oxford, and the language, Babel left me in awe. I cannot recommend it highly enough.