Babel by Kuang

[Anonymous]

Has anyone read? Just ordered.

[Anonymous]

I'm reading it now! I really like it. I will say though that although it hits many of my buttons--I studied languages, I like fantasy/speculative fiction--the book feels a little flat in affect. Too intricate/stylized for its own good. Certainly, does not have the punch of Yellow Face or, on the other side of her oeuvre, The Poppy War.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I thought it was okay. Maybe a 3.5 if I had to give it stars. I enjoyed reading it.

I do think a lot of my feelings towards a book have to do with expectation, and I was persuaded to read it because of some of the effusive praise. I thought it was going to be an adult novel with a fantasy but also literary bent. However, it’s really more of a YA book with some interesting world-building. I think I would’ve been bowled over by it at age 14 but as an adult, I found some of it too on-the-nose, many character choices baffling, plot point contrived, and the contemporary speech of the characters very distracting. These things aggravated me more as the novel wore on. I’m glad I read it but am not sure I’ll read another novel of hers until I’m really persuaded.

[Anonymous]

It's very linguist-nerdy, but also just very terribly sad. The main characters are broken people.

[Anonymous]

10:36 PP here. Finished it last night and found the actual ending both a bit of a jolt and substantively underwhelming. It was pretty good (plot wise) until the last 2-3 chapters and then just sort of ... well I won't spoil!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:36 PP here. Finished it last night and found the actual ending both a bit of a jolt and substantively underwhelming. It was pretty good (plot wise) until the last 2-3 chapters and then just sort of ... well I won't spoil!

I thought it fell apart at the end. After a certain plot point, nothing anyone did made any sense at all.

[Anonymous]

I DNF this one mostly because my library loan ran out and when it came back up I wasn't interested enough to start again. I kept waiting for it to get better and made it over half way.

[Anonymous]

I think it has great world building but the plot felt like it fell apart a bit about 80% of the way through. Still a good read, I'd give it a 4/5

[Anonymous]

I thought Katabasis was her masterwork. I still think about Babel, but it is very depressing.

[Anonymous]

Reading Katabasis now and agree. I liked Babel but it was a bummer.

[Anonymous]

My kids and husband loved this. Not so much his other ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids and husband loved this. Not so much his other ones.

The author is Rebecca F Kuang.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids and husband loved this. Not so much his other ones.

The author is Rebecca F Kuang.

*her other ones!

[Anonymous]

I liked it. Thought the magical conceit a little too simple but the anticolonial vibe scratched an itch for me in this type of story.

It seemed like Kuang crossed the Brontes and Harry Potter then added some of her Chinese knowledge and a whole lot of Frantz Fanon. It actually is the most realized version of a Fanon style story I’ve seen since the Battle of Algiers.

[Anonymous]

I liked it, but her newest book does a better job with some of the same themes. Same general vibe (speculative fantasy set at Oxford), but just tighter and stronger.