anais201717's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't think I have the words to describe the masterpiece I've just read.
Like it feels so real. Ofc magic doesn't exist in the real world but everything else does. And it is so wrong. The amount of thinking about the world brought by this book is just impossible to describe!
It feels like Poppy war but seen by the people of colonised country living in England. To me the books complete themselves perfectly (and are amazing)
I highly recommend reading Babel and Poppy war !!
Like it feels so real. Ofc magic doesn't exist in the real world but everything else does. And it is so wrong. The amount of thinking about the world brought by this book is just impossible to describe!
It feels like Poppy war but seen by the people of colonised country living in England. To me the books complete themselves perfectly (and are amazing)
I highly recommend reading Babel and Poppy war !!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Child abuse
Moderate: Islamophobia, War, and Sexism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Gun violence
tifftastic87's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a strong recommendation for complex world building, deep characters, analysis of colonialism, racism and sexism and their inherent ties to academia and the British Empire. It was brutal in its evisceration of both academia and the British Empire, but beautifully written and thoroughly researched.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Child abuse, Classism, Grief, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Slavery, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Medical content, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Hate crime, Blood, and War
aristarcodisamo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Death of parent, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Racism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Blood, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, and Gaslighting
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, Police brutality, Slavery, and Religious bigotry
hayley98's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Racism, Blood, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Classism, Suicide, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, War, and Slavery
Minor: Addiction and Alcohol
lucdiamant's review
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexism and Murder
scsparrow125's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Racism and Xenophobia
izzy_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Torture, Racism, and Racial slurs
sohva's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book is approximately as subtle as a brick about its themes. Apart from the main character, the characters are rather one-dimensional and work to provide the message of the story. Despite taking place in a world where languages are the source of magic, the world is built like there are only about 10 languages in the world, and the effects the existence of the other languages would presumably have in the world, its economy and politics appears to be ignored.
All the flaws aside, I really enjoyed the book. Robin's internal struggles and conflicts were a constant source of tension, and I was interested in seeing how they would be resolved. I loved the magical system built on languages, and enjoyed the tangents on translation and descriptions on what was lost in translation. The atmosphere of the university was immersive too.
All the flaws aside, I really enjoyed the book. Robin's internal struggles and conflicts were a constant source of tension, and I was interested in seeing how they would be resolved. I loved the magical system built on languages, and enjoyed the tangents on translation and descriptions on what was lost in translation. The atmosphere of the university was immersive too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Torture, Slavery, Death of parent, Death, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, War, and Addiction
beccaaa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Classism, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Death, Racial slurs, Colonisation, War, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Toxic friendship, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Genocide, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Cultural appropriation
annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was absolutely worth the hype!
Babel was a big project, and Kuang tackled a lot of themes in 542 pages. Her writing style is a little more 'on the nose' and direct when exploring themes and discussing them through dialogue. For this reason, it won't work for every reader, but it worked for me. There was also a lot of foreshadowing and laying of tracks to the resolution and I felt it was well done. It's relatively easy to pick up on but in the grand length and scope of the novel, those hints are easy to lose track of.
On the surface, there's a lot of discussion around language, translation, and the power of words. The dark academia elements shine here, with a lot of classroom discussion around language, studying, and the role of communication between people, cultures, and in power dynamics.
Woven throughout these discussions, and in our main characters' experiences, are the themes of colonialism, power (again), race, gender, and class. Because our main character, Robin, and 2 others in his cohort of 4 are from colonized and non-European countries, their experiences at Oxford are shaped by how others perceive and treat them. With few exceptions, we're always in Robin's POV, so we rarely get the gender element that Letty (a white woman) and Victoire (a Black woman) experience at Oxford.
Having it set in magical 1830s Oxford was smart - it gave Kuang a lot of room to maneuver with respect to the historical events happening - many of which are mirroring today's events and discontent/rising up. Today's events and international relations are a direct result of the actions of 19th century Europe (the British Empire in particular) and it's fascinating in the horrifying kind of way to see those threads' origins in this alternate history.
I do have some minor quibbles. The pacing was a little off at times. The last 100 pages tackled a lot and felt almost rushed in comparison to the pacing of the previous 400+ pages. It may have been intentional to mimic the feeling of revolution, but I think more time and space could've been dedicated to this part. I also really wanted more interludes with other characters. So much of the novel is solely in Robin's head and I feel like some characters' voices could've been heard more.
The character work was great overall though despite the limited POV. I did get a good sense of who Ramy, Victoire, and Letty were and other side characters: Playfair (fuck him), Lovell (fuck him), Sterling Jones (fuck him), and Anthony and Griffin (bless them) in particular. Letty was an infuriating foil to Robin, Ramy, and Victoire - the scene where <i>they</i> have to comfort <i>her</i> after explaining how difficult it is to be Chinese, Brown (and Muslim), and a Black woman respectively in Oxford was so well done.
A slightly more subtle themes was the importance of collective action. The novel demonstrates how oppressors keep people separated by arbitrary divisions of race, gender, class, religion, etc. because it's easier to maintain power and control when there's fighting across oppressed groups and marginalized identities. Propaganda and misinformation was also used effectively - particularly in the Canton scenes and last 100 pages.
Reading Babel right now with the genocide happening in Palestine perpetrated by the Israeli government was... impactful to say the least. Babel also reinforced how important action is because discussing theories in our ivories towers does very little to fix systemic issues and make change. Even if we all have a small part, together change is possible with different avenues available to us.
Overall, if these themes or genres appeal at all, I highly recommend reading this book. Even better if you can read alongside someone else, because you WILL want to discuss events along the way. I hope at this point in the 2020s many of the themes of conversations within the book around power, colonialism, race, class, etc. will be familiar to readers (with or without similar lived experiences to the characters). But if not, I think it'll be an important read to help learn, contextualize, and personalize the lived experiences of many folks and the larger concepts discussed within.
<b>Okay now I'm going to get more into spoilers so consider yourself warned!!</b>
The first introduction to Griffin was intriguing and mysterious. This man who looked exactly like Robin had me thinking doppelganger or time travel. It turns out they're half-brothers through their father. Griffin exemplifies the 'violence is the only answer to colonialism' perspective (contrasting Anthony's pacifist role and Robin's 'let's fall in with the oppressors to survive role initially'). Robin's experiences were nicely contrasted with his brother's to show that nature vs. nurture element. Generally their dynamic and conversations were great and I loved seeing how Robin grew to share Griffin's perspective on violence based off his own experiences (radicalization through grief essentially). Griffin definitely deserves his own story one day, although I'm happy with Babel to be a standalone.
I found the last part of the book really focuses on what grief and violence does to a person. How it can shield or desensitize you to the human cost of necessary violence. Even if the hard choices are 'right', it's easy to lose that sense of morality/feeling pursuing the means to the end. The final conversation between Professor Chakraborty and Robin was heartfelt and tragic - especially learning what happens afterwards.
While I sobbed through a lot of deaths (except Lovell and Jones because fuck them), the fact that Victoire ultimately survived was wonderful. So many characters were willing to die (which can be important to the cause) but her desire to live, survive, and thrive was just as important. I wish we had more of her POV because she was such a pillar of strength to Robin by the end and her experiences at Oxford with Letty had gone unnoticed by Robin and thus the readers to a certain degree.
Finally, the unfulfilled potential of Ramy and Robin's relationship destroyed me. From the moment they were on page together, I sensed the strong queer subtext of their friendship. But alas, nothing is ever truly spoken or acknowledged; and it's only hinted at by the depth of Robin's grief at Ramy's murder. So fuck Letty too.
I also wanted dearly to know Robin's birth name and we never do find out... and maybe that's the point.
Babel was a big project, and Kuang tackled a lot of themes in 542 pages. Her writing style is a little more 'on the nose' and direct when exploring themes and discussing them through dialogue. For this reason, it won't work for every reader, but it worked for me. There was also a lot of foreshadowing and laying of tracks to the resolution and I felt it was well done. It's relatively easy to pick up on but in the grand length and scope of the novel, those hints are easy to lose track of.
On the surface, there's a lot of discussion around language, translation, and the power of words. The dark academia elements shine here, with a lot of classroom discussion around language, studying, and the role of communication between people, cultures, and in power dynamics.
Woven throughout these discussions, and in our main characters' experiences, are the themes of colonialism, power (again), race, gender, and class. Because our main character, Robin, and 2 others in his cohort of 4 are from colonized and non-European countries, their experiences at Oxford are shaped by how others perceive and treat them. With few exceptions, we're always in Robin's POV, so we rarely get the gender element that Letty (a white woman) and Victoire (a Black woman) experience at Oxford.
Having it set in magical 1830s Oxford was smart - it gave Kuang a lot of room to maneuver with respect to the historical events happening - many of which are mirroring today's events and discontent/rising up. Today's events and international relations are a direct result of the actions of 19th century Europe (the British Empire in particular) and it's fascinating in the horrifying kind of way to see those threads' origins in this alternate history.
I do have some minor quibbles. The pacing was a little off at times. The last 100 pages tackled a lot and felt almost rushed in comparison to the pacing of the previous 400+ pages. It may have been intentional to mimic the feeling of revolution, but I think more time and space could've been dedicated to this part. I also really wanted more interludes with other characters. So much of the novel is solely in Robin's head and I feel like some characters' voices could've been heard more.
The character work was great overall though despite the limited POV. I did get a good sense of who Ramy, Victoire, and Letty were and other side characters: Playfair (fuck him), Lovell (fuck him), Sterling Jones (fuck him), and Anthony and Griffin (bless them) in particular. Letty was an infuriating foil to Robin, Ramy, and Victoire - the scene where <i>they</i> have to comfort <i>her</i> after explaining how difficult it is to be Chinese, Brown (and Muslim), and a Black woman respectively in Oxford was so well done.
A slightly more subtle themes was the importance of collective action. The novel demonstrates how oppressors keep people separated by arbitrary divisions of race, gender, class, religion, etc. because it's easier to maintain power and control when there's fighting across oppressed groups and marginalized identities. Propaganda and misinformation was also used effectively - particularly in the Canton scenes and last 100 pages.
Reading Babel right now with the genocide happening in Palestine perpetrated by the Israeli government was... impactful to say the least. Babel also reinforced how important action is because discussing theories in our ivories towers does very little to fix systemic issues and make change. Even if we all have a small part, together change is possible with different avenues available to us.
Overall, if these themes or genres appeal at all, I highly recommend reading this book. Even better if you can read alongside someone else, because you WILL want to discuss events along the way. I hope at this point in the 2020s many of the themes of conversations within the book around power, colonialism, race, class, etc. will be familiar to readers (with or without similar lived experiences to the characters). But if not, I think it'll be an important read to help learn, contextualize, and personalize the lived experiences of many folks and the larger concepts discussed within.
<b>Okay now I'm going to get more into spoilers so consider yourself warned!!</b>
The first introduction to Griffin was intriguing and mysterious. This man who looked exactly like Robin had me thinking doppelganger or time travel. It turns out they're half-brothers through their father. Griffin exemplifies the 'violence is the only answer to colonialism' perspective (contrasting Anthony's pacifist role and Robin's 'let's fall in with the oppressors to survive role initially'). Robin's experiences were nicely contrasted with his brother's to show that nature vs. nurture element. Generally their dynamic and conversations were great and I loved seeing how Robin grew to share Griffin's perspective on violence based off his own experiences (radicalization through grief essentially). Griffin definitely deserves his own story one day, although I'm happy with Babel to be a standalone.
I found the last part of the book really focuses on what grief and violence does to a person. How it can shield or desensitize you to the human cost of necessary violence. Even if the hard choices are 'right', it's easy to lose that sense of morality/feeling pursuing the means to the end. The final conversation between Professor Chakraborty and Robin was heartfelt and tragic - especially learning what happens afterwards.
While I sobbed through a lot of deaths (except Lovell and Jones because fuck them), the fact that Victoire ultimately survived was wonderful. So many characters were willing to die (which can be important to the cause) but her desire to live, survive, and thrive was just as important. I wish we had more of her POV because she was such a pillar of strength to Robin by the end and her experiences at Oxford with Letty had gone unnoticed by Robin and thus the readers to a certain degree.
Finally, the unfulfilled potential of Ramy and Robin's relationship destroyed me. From the moment they were on page together, I sensed the strong queer subtext of their friendship. But alas, nothing is ever truly spoken or acknowledged; and it's only hinted at by the depth of Robin's grief at Ramy's murder. So fuck Letty too.
I also wanted dearly to know Robin's birth name and we never do find out... and maybe that's the point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Classism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Racial slurs, Torture, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexism and Misogyny
Minor: Islamophobia, Child abuse, and Slavery