Reading Reviews: Babel

Hello everyone and welcome to my new series: Reading Reviews! This is where I simply review any books I've read, but with a twist. That twist? Well, keep reading and you'll see. On the schedule for Reading Reviews this week is my favorite book at the moment....Babel by R.F Kuang.
Tower of Babel, 1719. Artist: Mallet, Alain Manesson (1630-1706)
Tower of Babel, 1719. Artist: Mallet, Alain Manesson (1630-1706) / Heritage Images/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

Glad you stuck around! If you're looking for a full in-depth review over the book, this is not the review for you. My reviews will be structured as such: Simple Summary, Literary Information, Personal Opinion, Ranking (with a twist!). I'll explain each category when we get to it. Let's dive in. Andiamo!

Summary

Babel by R.F Kuang is a story about a Cantonese orphan named Robin. He is brought to London when Professor Lovell 'adopts' him. Professor Lovell trains Robin in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese with the intention of enrolling him in the Royal Institute of Translation at Oxford University. The Royal Institute of Translation (RIT) is the center of translation and magic in this world. Translators use different languages and inscribe words onto silver bars. These silver bars then amplify these words with it's magical properties and are used all over the world for weapon improvement to stopping the squeaking of a simple door hinge. Robin is sent to the RIT to become a translator for Professor Lovell, but the reasons behind this are shrouded in mystery. While there, Robin makes friends with three students named Ramy, Letty, and Victoire. These four students are pushed to the brink of their knowledge and morals as the true world of silver and translation is revealed to them and they must, individually, decide what path they will follow.

Literary Information

Right off the bat, Babel is a dark academia book through and through. Heavy emphasis on academia. R.F Kuang does an amazing job developing this world with a blend of magic (translation and silver bars) and realism (Oxford, Victoria Era London). It really feels like the RIT is an actual branch of Oxford. That being said, if you are not a fan of heavy academia books, this may not be the book for you. There are long chapters dedicated to Robin and his friends' studies and classes where there is internal dialogue and external dialogue about theories, methods, and strategies when it comes to translating and applying it to silver bars. I love the slow burns that are dragged out, but if you tend to struggle with those types of books then just be prepared.

Babel is also a very political story. Very human rights, very anti-colonialism, very violence vs non-violence. R.F Kuang does a beautiful job of blending these real-life elements into her magical realm and story, but just knowing nothing about Babel is sublimanial. What Kuang is trying to present to you is very out there and very obvious. She does, however, just present it to you. You go on a journey with Robin and his friends and you're presented with information that then forces you to choose how you feel and the path you would follow as Robin and the group do the same thing.

Babel blends it's realistic political and human rights message beautifully with the magical world it is set in and allows it's reader to grow and make their own choice about how they feel. This book, however, will not be everyone. Very academia and very vocal with it's themes. If that style of book interests you, I think you'll love it just like me. If you tend to avoid books of that nature, I think giving it a try will be good growth for you as a reader and hopefully that description just prepares you for it.

Personal Opinion

As I said above, Babel is my favorite book at this current moment. I read it about two years ago and I still think about it constantly. As a writer, the magical realism and how the world of the RIT was built has inspired and greatly affected me. If I ever publish a novel I've written, there will be signs of R.F Kuang's influence through her story of Babel. At times, it reminded me of the manga and anime Attack on Titan. I just loved how detailed, in-depth, and fleshed-out her world was. I enjoyed how she did not shy away from her message and theme, but gave us readers the opportunity to choose our own feelings about all the situations. Long story short, I love this book!

Ranking

Now for my rankings! Let me take some time to explain how my rankings work. I don't want to do a recommend/don't recommend system because I believe, as a writer, even a bad book helps me grow. I also don't want to do a basic 5 star rating system because I'm horrible at those. So, I'm going to take a page out of modern social media (or Solo Leveling for the anime fans out there) and do an S, A, B, C, D ranking list. If you're unaware of this ranking you can look it up, but I'll quickly explain it. The A, B, C, D should be pretty self-explanatory with A being great, B being good, C being alright, D being ehh. S, however, is a tier of it's own. S is where the best of the best get ranked. Got it? Good!

My ranking of Babel should be pretty easy for everyone to guess. It's world building is amazing, the characters are complex and beautiful, the writing moves like water in a river, and the story is just so good. My ranking for Babel by R.F Kuang is.......*drum roll*........

S-TIER

Again, should be pretty easy to guess that since I said it is my favorite book at the moment. Have you read it? What did you think? Would you like me to review your favorite book or a book you've been wanting to read? Comment below and see you next week!

Next. Books to read while you wait for Wicked. Books to read while you wait for Wicked. dark