An Epic Masterpiece — BABEL by R.F. Kuang
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?
Published: August 2022
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My ThoughtsBabel is an epic masterpiece.
Beautiful prose, a vivid sense of atmosphere and setting, complex characters… Roll all that into an intense, powerful, layered, thought-provoking plot. Then add a unique magic system that speaks volumes about humanity’s many pitfalls. Shake it up with all the emotions. And that was my experience while reading this book.
This book is a lot. Content tackles racism, classism, elitism, and Colonialism. But it never feels too wide reaching, and it’s never the least bit preachy. We’re shown everything, told nothing, and left to decide for ourselves.
Babel is a slow build, requiring a patient reader. While the destination matters, the journey is meant to be savored.
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