Katabasis

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

This thread is to discuss Katabasis by R.F. Kuang.

Pages: 559 pages

Length: 1 month (May)

Participants: Odette, Min, Luisa

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Here are some questions to help get the conversation started! Feel free to look up discussion questions specific to this book or come up with your own. Just make sure any questions that contain spoilers are under spoiler tags.
Discussion questions are not required but may be a fun way to talk about the book and get to know each other!

Prior to starting:
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?

Mid-read:
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?

After reading:
What was enjoyable or not-so-enjoyable about this book?
Did this book change your perception about anything, either within the book (character development) or in real life?

[Odette]

I am looking forward to reading Katabasis and will be starting it over the weekend.
I have read several R.F. Kuang books, including the first two in the Poppy War series, and her two standalone books published since then, Babel and Yellowface. These two books were quite different from each other. I found them more enjoyable than The Poppy War series, which is brilliant but quite graphic and intense.

[Min]

Hello Odette! Happy to be in a buddy read with you again :) I have just finished House of Day, House of Night and really enjoyed it.

I will start Katabasis a little later in the month (possibly mid-May) as I am currently half way through another fantasy novel. Will share my thoughts once I begin reading.

Katabasis will be my first book by R.F. Kuang. After this I plan to read Babel, which is very exciting for me because I have read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell earlier in the year. Kuang had mentioned that she wrote Babel to be "in conversation" with this book so I'm excited to see how they compare.

I have also heard many things about the Poppy War series and it's very high on my priority TBR list :)

[Odette]

Hello Min! Also happy to be in a buddy read with you again. Pleased to hear that you enjoyed House of Day, House of Night.

I have read Susanna Clarke's Piranesi, but not Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, which has been on my TBR for ages. Will have to read it to see how it compares with Babel!

Have you read The Radiant Emperor Duology: She Who Became the Sun, He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan? These two books have similar themes to the Poppy War series.

I am reading Crime and Punishment for the group read this month. So maybe I will make a start on that first and then slot in Katabasis.

[Luisa]

Hi Min and Odette!
I’m looking forward to reading this book with you both. I bought it a few months ago, but it hadn’t quite fit into my reading list yet.

I'm also reading and finishing Alchemisedand TThe Book of Lost Hours this week (probably). I think I’ll start this one today or tomorrow. 🙂

[Min]

Hello Lisa! Alchemised is a HUGE book - I'm undecided as to whether to add it to my TBR because I've heard it gets very dark at time and not sure if I'm able to handle that.

@Odette, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell was EXCELLENT. Truly genre-defining for me and I can't wait for you to experience it as well :) Haven't read The Radiant Emperor duology yet but it's on my TBR. I am familiar with Chinese history so it'll be interesting to see a gender-bent Zhu Yuanzhang.

I'll be starting Katabasis tomorrow! Yippee!!