"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"

What a story. It took me a little while to get into - i think personally it was a lot of information for me to process aurally rather than reading (which is how i process!) But once into it, it was a rollercoaster. The narrator(s) were great, differentiating each of the characters voices wonderfully and made the dialogue easy to follow. It is an incredibly long audiobook and they managed to keep my attention for the most part.

I'd seen a lot of hype around this book online - i'm not sure I felt the impact other readers had which disappointed me slightly. The characters were a great bunch, and somehow (despite the element of magic) it feels like historical fiction rather than fantasy. As someone who spent some time is Oxford, I loved the descriptions of the city and the research that must have gone into this novel must have been phenomenal.

I really did enjoy this book, but I think I may have enjoyed it more as a slower, physical read. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to NEt Galley for this audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

What an absolutely fantastic book it's such an epic trip back to Oxford in the early 1800's to the scholarly days of academic translators. I really enjoyed the added twist to Babel history with the credit of the British Empires successes down to the power of translation and silver bars. Harnessing the power of these bars to contribute to the silver industrial revolution. Dealing with the impact of the British Empire on its colonies and the treatment of its people addressing class and ethnic inequalities and mistreatment. Tackling this through the lived experiences of Robin Swift and his 3 closest friends. Drawn together through shared experiences of discrimination they would not realise how truly polarising their values would become. Robin and Victoire are my favourite characters with Ramiz a close second. It was an epic journey to Oxford in the 1800 and I highly recommend this book.

Such an interesting lot of characters. From the main character Robin to his school cohort. Their relationships from the start to the bonding they did together at different parts of the book. The book as a whole talks about history as its happening and how different people's perspectives can change the plot of the book as well as what's right and wrong. The book showed a variety of magic, betrayal, violence and secret societies, I really enjoyed it and was different from other dark academia from what I have read before.

Review R. F. Kuang is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors even though I always feel like I need a break after reading one of her books. Babel has cemented this position for me, it's a tightly packed, fast-paced, rollercoaster of a ride and despite its chunky size, a quick read. Following a similar structure to The Poppy Wars, Bable starts out with a chaotic and stressful academic storyline as the characters accustom themselves to the pressures of Oxford which then descends into a bloody battle against colonial power in the second half. Not quite as gruesome as Poppy War but still emotionally devastating.

I loved the audiobook! The two performances were fantastic. It was a great choice to get a different narrator for the footnotes and it made for a better experience listening to them than reading them. when I read a physical copy, I kept missing the small asterisks whereas it's seamless in the audiobook.

This was my first book by this author but it definitely will not be my last. I absolutely loved this alternative look at Oxford. Oxford is one of my favourite settings so I was so excited to get a copy of this book.

I found the plot intriguing and gripping and the characters were brilliant. I can't wait to read more by this author.

There’s not a lot I can say about this book that hasn’t already been said but I had to review because it was nothing less than outstanding. It’s historical fiction with a magical fantasy twist.

It’s about displacement, being caught between two cultures and not fitting into either, it is about race and colonialism, language and education, and it’s about rebellion in the face of insurmountable odds.

The characters are so well-rounded and very easy to sympathise with — even the ones who betray their friends have reasons the reader can find legitimacy in.

It’s terribly sad in places but my goodness, what a read.

What an absolutely superb audio book! This latest offering from Kuang is brought to life in all its magical glory in this narrated version. At 24 hours long this has kept me going for a good few commutes, and how great these bus rides have been. Every sentence spoken with pure passion, and the voices and accents were beautifully subtle. I also loved the footnote narrator’s voice.

I am slightly bereft that this is over for me now!

I loved this book!!!
It absolutely blew me away. This book has been very popular on Instagram and tiktok but I wasn't sure it would live up to the hype - it defintley did though.

The world building and setting was perfect. Kuang did such a good job of describing babel and fitting it into Oxford society that I truly believed it was a real building and society. You can tell how much research has gone into this book.

The characters were perfectly written, you were really made to resonate with aspects of them, and of those that I don't understand myself (institutionalised racism) Huang did such a good job of describing their backstories, and motivations for what took place. I really felt like I learnt something in this book.

It was a complex read with lots of information but it's really worth pushing through because the whole plot was spectacular. I listened to mist of this in audiobook which was done really well and made me feel part of the world.

Babel is an extraordinary book, a rich and deeply personal story. Robin Swift, taken from his native Canton and the arms of his dead mother, moulded into a facsimile of English gentry, educated to that most elite status of Oxford scholar and silver-scribing magician, yet forever foreign, outcast and—ultimately—alone, lives in a poor translation of the life he aspires to. As he learns to speak the language of empire and colonialism more fluently, he takes a stand against those who would use him to help dominate the world in ways that are both beautiful and terrible. His is a story of exile, of found family, of terrible betrayal and soaring magic. Fans of Pullman, Susanna Clarke, HG Parry, Alix Harrow and Jeanette Ng will love this book. It’s a towering success (pardon the pun).

Chris Lew Kum Hoi’s performance of the audiobook is simply sublime, his characterisations are compelling and full of emotion and his delivery is so smooth and lyrical that the boom flew in. Billie Fulford-Brown delivers the footnotes with calm assurance, but injects wry humour and arch intonation to remind you that these notes are no flat commentary. I adored their reading of the text and would happily listen to them again.

Delighted to have had this audiobook shared with me by HarperCollins UK, I can heartily recommend it to everyone.

'Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution' is a speculative fiction set at the University of Oxford during the 1800s. Within its pages are secret societies and an intricate magic system built upon the etymology of languages. However, the book also explores the devastating impact of British colonialism, xenophobia, and racism. Babel is a means of both escapism and education, it brought me moments of intense joy and heartbreak.

It is a story about Robin, Ramy, Victoire, and Lettie who have all dreamed of studying at Babel: the translation institute. They were all written so well. All of them are massively flawed, brilliant, and intriguing. In particular, Robin’s characterization was amazing. He felt so real, as though I were reading about someone who actually existed. The way his thoughts develop throughout the book had me shaking and punching the air (literally)!

The friendship that grows within the cohort was wonderful to read. I fell in love with their adoration for each other. but at times, R.F. Kuang switches to a retrospective narrator, highlighting special moments from their college days. A voice that foreshadows the impending future, reminding the reader that eventually these characters must grow up and move on. The real world is waiting for them and one day they will have to answer soul-crushing questions that may fracture their world. Can they justify an institution that lives to serve the British empire? An empire that is prepared to demean, and destroy anyone that threatens their drive for power and resources?

‘R𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀, 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. I𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻, 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹. T𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰. I𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.’

BABEL is something entirely unique. intelligent, gripping, and grounded in human emotion. it has become one of my favorite books of all time!

Real quick plot summary as I don’t want to spoil anything and I have a lot to say. Robin, living in Canton (present-day Guangzhou, China), is taken to England by Professor Lovell where he is lifted from poverty but has to agree to dedicate all his time and passion to the art of translation and language learning. This is so he can get into Oxford’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation (which he does) which he later finds is the mechanism for which the British Empire is upheld. When he learns of the ways Babel and the British is using the output of scholarly research, what will he do? Betray his homeland and stay living in luxury… or revolt? You’ll have to see

I’m slightly torn on this book in how to rate and review it. I think I’ll start with my qualm in that there was a certain (and subsequently others) thing that I really didn’t like that happened and, to me, didn’t make all that much sense in terms of what you would’ve thought/hoped would happen. However, the reasoning is later expressed just I dunno!? It did kinda annoy me but Yhh.

Now the good and oh my is there a lot. There is no way you can doubt Kuang’s intellect, knowledge and talent because Babel is truly a masterpiece in terms of writing the facts, references, character analysis and building, relationships, settings, emotions, everything is in my option brilliance. Clearly so much dedication, passion and general understanding on the topics presented in the book were of upmost importance in writing this. Despite being rather long with some repetition, I don’t feel any part was particularly unnecessary and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these characters, the setting and the inner turmoil and emotions - I wanted to read/listen all day long I was hooked but also scared to let them go too.

Kuang’s craft is lovely to experience on the many topics mentioned above but oh my the way she presented the idea of language, etymology and translation is outstanding. It’s long and does drag on in part but the passion for the art of translation and beauty of language shines through the lectures and discussions that the characters have. There are many exceptionally penned phrases but this is my favourite, said by Robin right near the end (don’t worry it’s not a spoiler): ‘Language was just difference. A thousand different ways of seeing, of moving through the world. No, a thousand worlds within one.’ The exploration of these themes is nuanced with the various character’s approaches but all show an admiration of language and, being a topic I know rather little about, I left like I was being taught. And I was fully engaged.

On to the characters now. Awgh I honestly cared for them so much like, for sure there is a lot of plot but wow the character analyses portrayed is so damn good. They are nuanced but for the most part lovable (well the ones were supposed to are), you get to see each of their perspectives - and I’m talking about the many peripheral ones as well as the four mainish ones: Robin (the true MC), Remy, Victoire and Letty - and the reasons for why they act a certain way, you can understand them despite not agreeing and I don’t think I was left wondering about anything at the end. And awghhhh omfg just wow the relationship and friendship between the four is so beautiful to witness, the found family aspect is just perfection. I loved every part of it and ate it up. They all faced discrimination and question their places at Babel/Oxford, feeling a sense of not being worthy in a way and just loads of things. They needed each other and whilst the bonds were strained at times (this is normal and they later see this), it was just so fulfilling to see their growth and friendship blossom. It was so good!!!

This was my first real fantasy-ish book I’ve read (I think) and to my astonishment I throughly enjoyed the fantastical/magical aspects. Babel is really a multi-genre work including: historical fiction, dystopia/speculative fiction (but more like speculative historical fiction, not like other dis-/u-topias set in the future - I dunno how to describe it but this is all new to me), fantasy, magical realism, dark academia, among others. And when it comes to the magical element using silver bars engraved with different translations to invoke the manifestation of the difference between the translations - I’m not explaining it well at all by the way so sorry but it sound interesting no? I’d recommend giving Babel a read - and whilst I didn’t fully get it to begin with, later on it did somewhat make perfect sense and I totally got on board and was fascinated with the various uses, how they work and just yep… am I a fantasy reader now?? Probs not but maybe I’ll dip into different genres more.

Touching on what I said first about Kuang’s immense knowledge, this again shines through on the topic of colonialism. And whilst this part and the related racist rhetoric is a trigger warning, it does really well to put forward the argument for/against and the attitudes of a few caught up. They add to the sympathetic feelings one has for Robin, Remy and Victoire and I honestly learnt a lot and just got angry at how such atrocities could have taken place. And despite being fiction, there is a huge basis on real life events and political issues at the time. These are threaded in exceptionally well and really adds to the trueness of the story that we are supposed to be reading a history of this revolution sort of - again I’m so bad at explaining but basically I’m giving praise and without the magic bars this could easily be an account of any real event. The idea of colonialism and how Robin (and others) tries to reconcile the privileges they have been given by being at Oxford and in Britain, away from the typical squalor and poverty of their homelands, with the actions Britain’s Empire is doing to ‘it’s’ colonies and other lands. It’s an inner turmoil and again this is so well presented.

I think I’ve covered everything I wanted to say but it’s unlikely because there really is so much one could pick up on in Babel. I did really really enjoy this book and am so grateful to Harper Collins and Netgally for accepting me as a review for the audiobook. The narration was great, with both narrators making the words come to life with varying accents and tones reallly infusing emotion and feeling into the words. So if you’re thinking of getting the audiobook I would do recommend, I can’t fully say the same for the book as I didn’t physically read it but just the story as a whole was great that I would have to nonetheless. So thank you!

A beautifully written, fantastically read book. A richly created world that allows you to sink into it and feel thoroughly immersed for every single hour!

This is a hard one for me to review because while I absolutely love the concept and the writing itself is stunning, I just found it really hard to follow at times. The subject matter is important and delivered in such a subtle fantasy that I hardly noticed the inclusion of the magic silver. I really enjoyed this balance between real life and academia as we know it versus adding that ethereal element that just made the story that much more interesting. I liked the characters and when the plot points landed, they hit hard. I unfortunately just found the last half or so to drag and not hold enough simplicity or suspense to keep track. I couldn’t in full tell you what happened in Babel simply because the reader is somewhat forced to skim by the end of it. Chopping some length would definitely have added clarity and only lent to the effectiveness of the book.

Controversial opinion coming!!

Firstly thank you to both netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this audio arc in exchange of an honest review.

Now for my review…does it live up to the hype of the most anticipated book of 2022. Unfortunately for me, no. I have this and the hardback of this and whilst it is an extremely interesting read and highly researched it became an arduous task to finish rather than a need to keep going for a desire to see what happens.

You can tell where the authors skills lie and the knowledge she has of all things language. However by putting all of this into the story it became almost a reference book rather than a fictional story about Victorian Oxford and the downfall of the British empire.

Some good points, Griffin - definitely my favourite. Even some of Robins friends. But maybe less so Robin himself. The depth at which the story goes is in itself quite fascinating and the premise of the use of magic and silver bars all linked in with language is novel too.

Length - as an audiobook. Ludicrous. However the narrator fantastic for what they do. The pitch, tone and inflection keeps you interested long after the story meanders and wanes. Had it of been any other voice I’m not sure I would have got through this.

I didn’t not enjoy this. But all the same I don’t think the last 6 hours were enjoyable either. Which to me should have been the build up and crescendo of the plot.

This book replaces the British Industrial age with Magic. Silver has the power to make all things more effective - faster carriages, more stable bridges, efficient looms. You won’t need those pesky people to work! It’s clever.

From the outset, you can see the phenomenal amount of research that has gone into this book to enable the author to pop it into ‘history’. Replacing industrialism with Silver Magic. Therein lies my problem; reading for me is escapism and this read too much like a history book. I hated the footnotes - well, not as much as the book with all the parentheses on audio!!

I enjoyed the characters and the story and at times was completely gripped - I whooshed through the last third. I just couldn’t shake the educational vibe. Don’t get me wrong, I love history but this is a novel and I don’t want to mix.

You become aware of the unfairness of the classes and racism and gradually relate it to today and all the issues facing society. That’s not what I’m here for….

I don’t need an easy read, I like dark, but I don’t want a book that feels like non-fiction. I know my opinion is unpopular as friends are raving about this book but each to their own.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollinsUK for the e-arc, all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the audiobook ARC of Babel.

If you are interested in this book but think the content might be a lot to digest, I would ✨highly✨ recommend listening to the audiobook instead.

The narrator Chris Lew Kum Hoi did a fantastic job, I could keep on listening to him for days!

This is an alternate historical fantasy with dark academia subgenre. The story revolves a Chinese boy from Canton, renamed Robin Swift, who is taken from his home by an Oxford translation professor and forcibly made into an Englishman with all the right education to attend Oxford university once of age.

There he meets the rest of his cohort, Ramy, an Indian boy, Victoire, from Haiti, and Letty, an English woman.

All 4 become fast friends as they all attend Babel, the Oxford Institute of Translation. There they spend 3 excruciating years together cramming lessons and assignments about languages and translation.

The fantasy part comes in the form of silver-working. The institute translators work on silver bars which they engrave with words in various languages which embues them with power. The bars are then sold across Britain to power every aspect of life, similarly to electricity, but even better.

Robin soon comes to realise that along with so many other foreign students, he has been taken from his home so that his knowledge of his native tongue can help power these silver bars and further the power of the British Empire. Silver working is not a shared knowledge and none of the colonies whose languages and resources are needed for it, can benefit from this magic.

Robin’s observations come to a turning point when he returns to Canton with his cohort and guardian professor Lowell in an effort to make the Chinese government accept British trade and let them flood the country with opium in exchange for silver.

This book deals with heavy themes such as colonialism and its awful consequences on colonised people. Slavery and indentured people are discussed at length and the book also shows the blatant racism than ran rampant at that time.

It’s also a masterpiece in terms of languages and translation. Every page is soaked with knowledge and so compelling.

Being bilingual myself, I related to Robin a lot - his fear of losing his native language, being able to speak English fluently and yet never being accepted, and then having to hear awful things about his countrymen and native language. I also loved Victoire a lot and hoped she would be developed further.

My favourite character was Griffin. Whereas Robin was all caution and a very passive character in the first 2/3 of the book, Griffin was all action.

He was secretive, determined and always looked out for Robin. I loved their interactions.

The ending was incredible, and although expected, it was also heartbreaking.

I am in awe of the author. There were a few things I disliked but overall I could not stop listening to the audiobook and feel like I’m going to be thinking about this book for a very long time!

I have to admit I have seen this book reappear in various ads, and emails from bookshops, publishers, etc. I am still unsure why I did not look into this sooner and managed to get my advanced reader copy only now, a couple of good months after the book was released. I got a copy in audiobook format – not the first audiobook for me in general but the first one in ARC for the review.
That being said… I might not pick up certain things and pick up others in contrast to the paper/eBook version. Performance/narration wise the book was well executed. I liked the bits, and what seemed to be the author’s (?) explanations (footnotes) narrated by a different person, which allowed me to avoid confusion. Other than – clear, well-paced and enjoyable. Certainly, a good choice for someone who is struggling with reading longer books.
As for the story itself… The book is often listed under Sci-Fi and/or Fantasy genres. And while I see why that might be the case (the somewhat alternative reality of Victorian Britain), it falls for me more under the historical fiction genre, albeit with fantasy elements. Looking from this perspective, the story made more sense, rather than expecting a whole magic(al) world to open up in a more traditionally understood Sci-Fi or Fantasy novel. The magical bits in a book seemed to be taken as timid alternatives to certain inventions, with a little added imagination. Nothing wrong with that at all! However, given that the story feels more like historical fiction, recalling a lot of historical places, events, authors and a period – it felt like the language used in the book was rather… too modern. Certain phrases and words were not used back then and what was used instead – for whatever reason forgotten. It lost its period charm on me. While you would want to ask why the language should bother me so much? Well, because the book heavily relies on etymology, translation to and from various languages and nonetheless – those magic bits I have mentioned before (trying not to spoil too much here!). Hmph!
Other than that, it was well-paced (others might disagree, but I enjoyed slowly building up the story and tension, building the characters as such), insightful and curious for someone passionate about books and languages. It is based on topics of racism, colonialism and even a bit on feminism. It is not too subtle, rather straightforward and neatly woven into action culminating in the second half of the book.
Right, enough spoiling it all. It’s enjoyable and if you are not a language freak or genre nerd… Go ahead!

Is Babel the most overhyped book in 2022?

I feel like this book has been everywhere on social media. The amount of hype and special editions this book has received is staggering. Babel already has 22.000 ratings on Goodreads, and it has only been three months since its launch!!

So, is this book overhyped? Well, for the most part, I would say no. Babel is definitely Kuang’s best-written work to date. The prose, the characterisations and the commentary on complex themes relating to translation, identity and colonialism are simply breathtaking. Babel is an all-around phenomenal piece of literature and one of the best standalones I have ever read.

However, you might be disappointed if you want to pick up this book since you loved The Poppy War. Babel is a slow-paced, dark academia, historical fantasy type of novel that reads very differently than The Poppy War trilogy, so don’t pick up this book expecting epic fantasy!

There are already thousands of in-depth reviews out there, so I don’t feel I need to go into much more detail about my feelings about this book. Babel is an emotional, riveting, beautiful, yet heartbreaking story that will stay for a long time.

I can’t wait to see what Kuang will write next!

About the narration:
The narration was brilliant. I felt fully immersed, the words were pronounced clearly, and the voice acting was great. I would definitely recommend the audiobook.

5 / 5

I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I must confess, I was actually slightly disapointed to recieve the audiobook and not the ebook of Babel to begin with: I sometimes find longer audiobooks a little difficult to get through, for one reason or another. In retrospect, I'm actually extremely grateful to have listened to it. Firstly, it's wonderful to hear how words from different languages are properly pronounced, particularly the tones in Chinese. Chris Lew Kum Hoi also has some stunningly emotional delivery, and truly acts each role. You can hear shades of one characters voice in another as they echo each other or their influence on one another shines through: it's absolutely fantastic, with some beautiful accent work to top it all off. If you are dithering on whether to try the audiobook, I would strongly encourage you to give it a listen, even if you've already read the text.

With that out of the way... Babel. I find myself at a loss for words: it's been a sensation, and in my opinion, rightly so. I've read some truly fantastic books this year, and this book is certainly vying for first place. A lot has already been said about it, with regard to the representation it provides and the underexplored themes it faces fiercely and unflinchingly- all true. To lend my voice to the babble of positivity, I simply loved every aspect of it, from the rich alternate history setting, to the clever, creative magic system, to the poignant and very human characters, to the complex explorations of colonialism, culture, legacy, belonging... It also functions as an incredibly succesful bildungsroman- perhaps my favourite that I've stumbled onto, across genres. This is the kind of absorbing fiction that breathes such incredible life into the characters, you catch yourself obsessing over the storyline as if it's real, perhaps because it is so honest. Simulatenously, it's exquisitely wrought and deeply though provoking: Kuang has pulled off the magic trick of a story that feels so natural you can't see the artifice, but so beautiful you know it must be there, invoking some kind of literary teleological paradox.

If I like you, you're probably getting this book for Christmas. I am conident Babel has cemented itself as a fantasy classic that will be lauded for years to come, and if it doesn't win approxamitely a million awards, I'll be personally stung. If you read one book published this year, make it this one.

An extraordinary book. I’m not sure I enjoyed it all, but extraordinary nevertheless. A clever and unusual idea, but I didn’t feel it was delivered very well and the characters seemed quite flat. I had been looking forward to reading this, but was disappointed with the slow pace. The narration was excellent. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.