A review by cassiacow
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book is a masterpiece.
Some may find it slow in the beginning - but the second half of the book the pace turns right up. This book is written with such a deep love for languages and the magic system is so clever that this book has been resonating in my mind for most of the time that I've been reading it.
This is a book about colonization and power, but also about contradictions - translation as tools of empire, but also as tools of managing the self. The difficulty of existing in a society that doesn't tolerate you - of contributing to structures of power that marginalise people like you. It's also a book about meaning - the meaning of words, the meaning of power, the meaning of the self.
RF Kuang is a genius and I could not put this book down.
Some may find it slow in the beginning - but the second half of the book the pace turns right up. This book is written with such a deep love for languages and the magic system is so clever that this book has been resonating in my mind for most of the time that I've been reading it.
This is a book about colonization and power, but also about contradictions - translation as tools of empire, but also as tools of managing the self. The difficulty of existing in a society that doesn't tolerate you - of contributing to structures of power that marginalise people like you. It's also a book about meaning - the meaning of words, the meaning of power, the meaning of the self.
RF Kuang is a genius and I could not put this book down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Violence, and Racism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Panic attacks/disorders