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Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: an Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution (Paperback)
  • Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: an Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution (Paperback)
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Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: an Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution (Paperback)

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Paperback 560 Pages
Published: 28/09/2023
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Waterstones Says

One of the leading lights in the visceral grimdark fantasy genre, Kuang's stunningly wrought novel is a compulsive dystopia about the power of language and the evils of authoritarianism, represented by the looming titular tower of translation.

A new dark academic fantasy by the New York Times bestselling author of The Poppy War.

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.

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780008501853
Number of pages: 560
Weight: 380 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 40 mm


MEDIA REVIEWS

BLACKWELL’S BOOK OF THE YEAR A WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR FINALIST DAILY MAIL BEST BOOK OF 2022 ‘Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial history and the Industrial Revolution, turns it over, and shakes it out’Shannon Chakraborty, bestselling author of THE EMPIRE OF GOLD ‘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, bestselling author of THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE ‘A masterpiece. Through a meticulously researched and a wholly impressive deep dive into linguistics and the politics of language and translation, Kuang weaves a story that is part love-hate letter to academia, part scathing indictment of the colonial enterprise, and all fiery revolution’Rebecca Roanhorse, NYT bestselling author of BLACK SUN ‘Kuang has outdone herself. BABEL is brilliant, vicious, sensitive, epic, and intimate; it's both a love letter and a declaration of war. It's a perfect book’Alix E. Harrow, bestselling author of A THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY ‘A book that confirms Kuang as a major talent’SFX ‘Brainy, brilliant, and fuelled by righteous anger, Babel is a towering tour-de-force of fantasy’DAILY MAIL ‘BABEL has earned tremendous praise and deserves all of it. It’s Philip Pullman’s THE GOLDEN COMPASS by way of N.K. Jemisin’s THE FIFTH SEASON: inventive and engaging, passionate and precise’NEW YORK TIMES

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Ronnie, Bluewater Bookseller

“a fantastic historical fiction that uses fantasy to metaphorically explain British colonialism with the utmost prowess”

R.F Kuang is no doubt exceptionally talented, and this Gothic, mid-19th century novel only proves that fact further.

Robin Swift has been taken by a British professor to Hampstead from his home in Canton. From the... More

“One of the best books of the year!”

I received this as an advance reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions my own.

Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution... More

Hardback edition
5 similar books recommended
Helpful? Upvote 64

“Dark Academia fantasy as its finest!”

Babel is a beautifully set fantasy revolving around the British Empire in the 1800s and the silver industry. With this book, it was hard to know where the boundaries of historical fact and fiction were, making it an... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 60

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