Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES AND #1 NYT BESTSELLER‘One for Philip Pullman fans’
THE TIMES
‘This one is an automatic buy’
GLAMOUR
‘Ambitious, sweeping and epic’
EVENING STANDARD
‘Razor-sharp’
DAILY MAIL
‘An ingenious fantasy about empire’
GUARDIAN
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
Oxford, 1836.
The city of dreaming spires.
It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.
And at its centre is 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.
Until it became a prison…
But can a student stand against an empire?
An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R.F. Kuang about the power of language, the violence of colonialism, and the sacrifices of resistance.
'A masterpiece that resonates with power and knowledge. BABEL is a stark picture of the cruelty of empire, a distillation of dark academia, and a riveting blend of fantasy and historical fiction – a monumental achievement’
Samantha Shannon, author of THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE
Delve into the heart of an alternative UK, where Babel reigns as a top entry among gaslamp fantasy books. It's a great, bestselling read, peppered with the essence of urban exploration and thrilling action, an adventure that will leave you breathless and wanting more. For fans of Rebecca Yarros (Iron Flame), Leigh Bardungo (Six of Crows), Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings) and Olivie Blake (The Atlas Six) and Samantha Shannon (The Priory of the Orange Tree).
4.3
★★★★☆647 ratings
4.6
★★★★☆622 ratings
Reviews are written only by people that have an active subscription and have rated the book.
don’t talk to me for the next year
Laura
5
5
loved how they weaved the fantasy element into the theorizing on translation. very seamless. great for anyone who’s kind of interested in languages.
5
5
Helt fantastisk bok som skildrar Dark Academia ur en nyanserad vinkel. Karaktärerna kändes äkta och flerdimensionella och antagonisterna var inte några ”mustache-twirling” skurkar som är onda för sakens skull. Den gjorde ont på de bästa sätten⭐️ Uppläsning var även den suverän, nyckelkaraktärerna hade alla olika röster utan att kännas påtvingat. Den enda kritiken jag har är att volymen dessvärre var väldigt obalanserad genom hela boken.
Inez
5
5
I found the book very hard to get into at first but I stuck with it because I loved the premises. Strangely, I didn't really warm to any of the characters particularly but I loved the story. Loved the historic detail and, although I don't closely follow modern politics, I loved that politics came into it so much and how the book so closely mirrors today's politics. Scary really.
Sally
5
5
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