Simply put, this is a fantastical story, one of Ms. Kuang’s best. Alice and Peter are graduate students in the Department of Analytic Magick at Cambridge. When their supervisor dies, they descend into Hell to retrieve his soul from the Underworld. What could go wrong? There are outstanding elements in this epic story-telling. First, the psychology of Alice and Peer as individuals is fascinating, and their relationship together largely based on competition and rivalry. And second, the description of the eight levels of Hell is brilliant with some parallels to academia (the first court, pride, is an academic library). As the courts become more sinister and dangerous, there is even an Escher trap, the Penrose Stairs. And finally, there are numerous philosophical discussions about principles like the Liar Paradox, and a brilliant Orpheus joke on page 536! This is a creative book about ideas, learning and thinking, an absolute must read.
Tag: R.F. Kuang
Babel – R.F. Kuang
This is an imaginative work of historical and speculative fiction. The context is all important: Oxford in the 1830s where scholars (professors and students) work in the Royal Institute of Translation, in an academic tower known as Babel. Is there power in words, in etymology? Words lost in translation can be added to silver bars to create magic: protective wards and the casting of spells. Academics can also serve colonialism; can change ever occur peaceably, or does profound change encompass the necessity of violence? What is striking in this book is the role of indecision and questionable motives. Highly recommended.
What David Read 