Sign-In
Cart
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Paperback
FantasyGeneral FictionLiterary Fiction
Publisher Price: $20.00
ISBN13: 9780063021433
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Published: Aug 29 2023
Pages: 560
Weight: 0.90
Height: 1.40 Width: 5.20 Depth: 7.80
Language: English
Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Poppy War
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 City of Brass
From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell in this unforgettable work of dark academia that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire.
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he'll enroll in Oxford University's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation--also known as Babel.
Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. The unique magic system of silver working--the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars--has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire's quest for colonization.
For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, a secret society dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide...
Also from
Kuang, R. F.
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Kuang, R. F.
Hardcover
Babel Collector's Edition: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Kuang, R. F.
Hardcover
The Complete Poppy War Trilogy Boxed Set: The Poppy War / The Dragon Republic / The Burning God
Kuang, R. F.
Paperback
From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars)
Green, Hank
Dickinson, Seth
Kuang, R. F.
Paperback
From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars)
Dickinson, Seth
Kuang, R. F.
Green, Hank
Hardcover
Also in
Fantasy
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Paperback
The Princess Bride Deluxe Limited Edition: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
Goldman, William
Paperback
Japanese Gothic: A Folk Horror Novel of Japanese Mythology, Murder, and Family Duty Across Two Timelines
Baker, Kylie Lee
Hardcover
Assistant to the Villain: A Cozy Fantasy Romantic Comedy from a Tiktok Sensation
Maehrer, Hannah Nicole
Paperback
Before I Knew I Loved You: A Cozy Magical Realism Novel of Time Travel, Love, and Memory, Set in a Fabled Tokyo Café
Kawaguchi, Toshikazu
Hardcover