R.F. Kuang: Babel

A rare book, this fantasy novel is based on linguistics and takes place in an alternate 1800s. It follows a young man whose family dies in an epidemic. He is raised by a British university professor, Professor Lowel, who is most likely his biological father, though this is never openly admitted. The boy chooses the British name "Robin Swift," inspired by his love for Gulliver’s Travels. Gifted in languages, he learns them with ease. Eventually, he moves to London with Professor Lowel, where private tutors continue his linguistic education.

Robin later enrolls at Oxford, specifically in the translation academy known as Babel. This is the only part of the university that accepts non-white students and even women. The translation department is critical to the British Empire, as its enchanted silver powers everything from water systems to carriages and warships. The magic of the silver works through the imperfect translations of words. Since translations can never be entirely accurate, the subtle differences in connotations and meanings between two translations generate a magical tension, which manifests as effects tied to those differing meanings.

Students from colonized countries are especially valued because of their fluency in their native languages, allowing them to create new and effective word pairs to be inscribed on silver rods. However, this process essentially robs these students' cultures of their linguistic heritage, forcing them to serve the British Empire.

In Robin’s class, there are four students, only one of whom is white. While blatant racism exists at Oxford, these students are still relatively privileged compared to others in the university. Over time, Robin and his classmates uncover a secret society called Hermes, which opposes British colonialism.

The plot takes a darker turn when the students travel to China as translators for trade negotiations. The British, intent on selling opium to China, seem to be deliberately inciting conflict, leading to the brewing war that mirrors actual historical events. As tensions escalate, the students find themselves joining the rebels, determined to prevent the war and the colonial expansion of the British Empire. This rebellion comes at great personal cost, and not everyone survives the ensuing struggle.

The book speaks strongly against colonialism, racism, and capitalism, and it champions the cause of revolution. However, it sometimes feels like it is written for a younger audience, with a fairly simplistic and starkly black-and-white moral framework. The protagonists are young and inflexible in their convictions, and the British government is portrayed as unreasonably intractable, refusing to negotiate with the rebels.

This lack of nuance extends to the depiction of characters, as the book offers no redeeming qualities for white people aside from a few members of a workers' union who assist in the translators' mutiny. The main characters themselves feel underdeveloped and one-dimensional, which left me somewhat disappointed. Having read positive reviews, I had expected more from the book. 

544pp.