![]() ![]() ![]() Taken away to England by Professor Richard Lovell (whose reasons for being in China are not explained until well into the novel), Robin is educated in Ancient Greek. The story follows Robin Swift, a young Chinese boy whose entire family succumbs to cholera in 1830s Canton. But its determination to make sure its (admittedly important) message is heard, means a significant chunk of this doorstopper’s 500+ pages feels didactic and lecture-y, rather than fully transformative. And she’s generally outdone herself with her latest effort, the dark academia standalone novel Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: an Arcane History of Oxford Translators’ Revolution.Ī book that’s about the magic of language as much as it is literal magic, Babel is a tremendous effort-a meticulously researched period piece, a primal scream from the traditionally unheard, and a story of friendship gone horribly wrong. Kuang is no stranger to dark, difficult fantasy stories, as her epic (and excellent) The Poppy War trilogy more than proves. But great fantasy should also make us reconsider the place we are as well, challenging us about our own beliefs or choices or offering us a new way of looking at the world we know. When done right, good fantasy transports us to a different place, introducing characters and realms we’d never have believed possible. ![]()
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