Babel : or the necessity of violence : an arcane history of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Record details
- ISBN: 9780063021426
-
Physical Description:
xii, 544 pages : maps ; 24 cm
regular print
print - Publisher: New York, New York : Harper Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2022]
- Copyright: ©2022
-
Badges:
- Top Holds Over Last 5 Years: 5 / 5.0
Search for related items by subject
Genre: | Alternative histories (Fiction) Fantasy fiction. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Headingley Municipal Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Headingley Municipal Library | KUA (Text) | 36440000280023 | Adult Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2022 July #1
*Starred Review* Kuang follows her award-winning Poppy War trilogy with an engaging fantasy about the magic of language. Her richly descriptive stand-alone novel about an ever-expanding, alternate-world empire powered by magically enhanced silver talismans scrutinizes linguistics, history, politics, and the social customs of Victorian-era Great Britain. Professor Richard Lovell, an expert in Asiatic languages, brings a young Chinese orphan home from Macau for the specific purpose of raising and training him to be a student at the Royal Institute of Translation, Oxford University's prized educational tower of Babel and storage vault for the largest supply of silver in the world. Although able to pass for white, Robin Swift comes to understand he will never be fully accepted into English society. But over time he becomes content with the comfortable life provided by the professor and his Oxford scholarship. Then one evening he stumbles across a group stealing from Babelâa group whose leader has a face exactly like his own. This encounter changes Robin as he learns of his own purpose in the insidiousness behind Babel and its ties to the expansionist designs of the British Empire. Fans of in-depth historical fantasy will be delighted with Kuang's latest. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2022 August #1
Can the British Empire, built on the power of foreign languages and magic, maintain its grip on the globe? In 1829, professor Richard Lovell brings a young Chinese boy now known as Robin Swift from his home in Canton to England. Saved from the cholera outbreak that claimed the rest of his family, Robin has the chance to begin a new, comfortable life at professor Lovell's estate. In exchange for food and lodging, he will spend years studying Latin, Greek, and Mandarin to prepare himself to enter Oxford's Royal Institute of Translation, known as Babel. In Oxford, Robin meets other students who are not so different from him: young people brought to England from other countries to maintain the empire. Britain has built its power upon silver bars and the magical powers imparted to them by translation, but in order to maintain that power, Britain needs foreigners and their languages. Though Robin and his friends are met with racism, they also find true joy in their studies and the heady business of translation. Soon, Robin learns of the secretive Hermes Society, a group working against the hegemony of the Royal Institute of Translation. As Robin's studies continue, he begins to question the colonial machine from which he can't seem to break free. Kuang draws a keen parallel between extracting knowledge and extracting resources, examining the terrible power of systems built on inequality and the uncomfortable experiences of the marginalized within those systems, whether due to race or gender. While occasionally hampered by rather self-aware critiques of colonialism, in general this is an expansive, sympathetic, and nevertheless scathing critique of Western imperialism and how individuals are forced to make their peace with the system and survive or to fight back and face the consequences. It's ambitious and powerful while displaying a deep love of language and literature. Dark academia as it should be. Copyright Kirkus 2022 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2022 March
In Dean's big, intriguingly premised debut, Devon is part of a venerable clan belonging to
Copyright 2022 Library Journal.The Book Eaters âinstead of food, they munch thrillers, romance, and, when they misbehave, dusty dictionariesâand she's terrified to learn that her son is born hungering not for paper, printing, and binding but human minds (150,000-copy first printing). InThe Women Could Fly , a dystopian work fromRumpus features editor Giddings, the mother of a young Black woman named Josephine is long vanishedâwas she a witch? Was she murdered?âand if Josephine doesn't marry soon, she will be forced to enroll in a registry that will effectively blot out her freedom (75,000-copy first printing). In Harris'sThe Serpent in Heaven , a sequel toThe Russian Cage , Felicia is set upon by her estranged family of Mexican wizards and discovers that she is the most powerful witch of her generation (75,000-copy first printing). InDon't Fear the Reaper , Jones's follow-up to theLJ best-bookedMy Heart Is a Chainsaw , an exonerated Jade Daniels returns home from prison just as convicted serial killer Dark Mill South arrives to avenge 38 Dakota men hanged in 1862 (100,000-copy first printing). In this latest from the multi-award-nominated Kuang, a Chinese boy orphaned in 1828 Canton (now Guangzhou) is brought to London and eventually enters Oxford's Royal Institute of TranslationâcalledBabel âwhich doubles as a center for magic and compels him to work in support of Britain's imperial ambitions in China (125,000-copy first printing). Modesitt continues his newly launched "Grand Illusion" series with Steffan Dekkard joining the Council of Sixty-Six asCouncilor âthe first to be an Isolate, which makes him impervious to emotional manipulation but could lead to his assassination (100,000-copy first printing). Author of theSlate best-bookedQuick , Owens has Kate planning to hold her wedding at a church calledSmall Angels in the town where she once found shelter with the Gonne sisters, little realizing that they've been tasked with keeping a marauding ghost from invading the villageâand they're falling down on the job. Winner of a BCALA Self-Publishing EBook Award forSong of Blood and Stone , one ofTime 's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, Penelope returns withThe Monsters We Defy , whose heroine pays off a debt to the Empress ruling the spirit world by agreeing to steal a wealthy woman's ring in 1925 Washington, DC (25,000-copy first printing). From Valdes, author of theLJ best-bookedChilling Effects ,Fault Tolerance brings back Capt. Eva Innocente and the raucous crew ofLa Sirena Negra to counter an anonymous threat that could lead to the death of billions (50,000-copy first printing). Dragon/Nebula finalist Virdi launches a new series withThe First Binding , featuring an Immortal disguised as a storytellerâand he's here to relate how he unleashed the First Evil on the world (175,000-copy first printing). The MMU Novella Award-winning West goes full length withFace , set in a genetically engineered society where the perfect profile buys fame, wealth, and power but not happiness for Schuyler and Madeleine Burroughs (60,000-copy first printing). - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2022 July
Kuang (
Copyright 2022 Library Journal.The Burning God ) blends historical speculative fiction with dark academia to create a nuanced adventure that also serves as a critique of Western colonialism. Robin, a Chinese orphan, has been raised by Professor Lovell to join Oxford University's Royal Institute of Translation, commonly called Babel. The Institute plays a key part in the magical silver-working that has made Britain's global empire-building machine a colonizing superpower. When war breaks out between Britain and China, Robin's loyalties come into conflict, and he must choose between destroying Babel and trying to reform it. Kuang's time as a Marshall Scholar at Oxford and Cambridge Universities allows her to create an Oxford that is realistic and unflinchingly honest. While a critique of Oxford's role in Britain's colonization, the novel is also an atmospheric and complex narrative with compelling characters. Kuang builds on the success of her "Poppy War" trilogy and academic studies and prompts readers to question the ethics of both empire and academia.VERDICT Kuang is a refreshing and essential voice in fiction, and her latest will have wide appeal.âLydia Fletcher - LJ Express Reviews : LJ Express Reviews
In Dean's big, intriguingly premised debut, Devon is part of a venerable clan belonging to
Copyright 2022 LJExpress.The Book Eaters âinstead of food, they munch thrillers, romance, and, when they misbehave, dusty dictionariesâand she's terrified to learn that her son is born hungering not for paper, printing, and binding but human minds (150,000-copy first printing). InThe Women Could Fly , a dystopian work fromRumpus features editor Giddings, the mother of a young Black woman named Josephine is long vanishedâwas she a witch? Was she murdered?âand if Josephine doesn't marry soon, she will be forced to enroll in a registry that will effectively blot out her freedom (75,000-copy first printing). In Harris'sThe Serpent in Heaven , a sequel toThe Russian Cage , Felicia is set upon by her estranged family of Mexican wizards and discovers that she is the most powerful witch of her generation (75,000-copy first printing). InDon't Fear the Reaper , Jones's follow-up to theLJ best-bookedMy Heart Is a Chainsaw , an exonerated Jade Daniels returns home from prison just as convicted serial killer Dark Mill South arrives to avenge 38 Dakota men hanged in 1862 (100,000-copy first printing). In this latest from the multi-award-nominated Kuang, a Chinese boy orphaned in 1828 Canton (now Guangzhou) is brought to London and eventually enters Oxford's Royal Institute of TranslationâcalledBabel âwhich doubles as a center for magic and compels him to work in support of Britain's imperial ambitions in China (125,000-copy first printing). Modesitt continues his newly launched "Grand Illusion" series with Steffan Dekkard joining the Council of Sixty-Six asCouncilor âthe first to be an Isolate, which makes him impervious to emotional manipulation but could lead to his assassination (100,000-copy first printing). Author of theSlate best-bookedQuick , Owens has Kate planning to hold her wedding at a church calledSmall Angels in the town where she once found shelter with the Gonne sisters, little realizing that they've been tasked with keeping a marauding ghost from invading the villageâand they're falling down on the job. Winner of a BCALA Self-Publishing EBook Award forSong of Blood and Stone , one ofTime 's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, Penelope returns withThe Monsters We Defy , whose heroine pays off a debt to the Empress ruling the spirit world by agreeing to steal a wealthy woman's ring in 1925 Washington, DC (25,000-copy first printing). From Valdes, author of theLJ best-bookedChilling Effects ,Fault Tolerance brings back Capt. Eva Innocente and the raucous crew ofLa Sirena Negra to counter an anonymous threat that could lead to the death of billions (50,000-copy first printing). Dragon/Nebula finalist Virdi launches a new series withThe First Binding , featuring an Immortal disguised as a storytellerâand he's here to relate how he unleashed the First Evil on the world (175,000-copy first printing). The MMU Novella Award-winning West goes full length withFace , set in a genetically engineered society where the perfect profile buys fame, wealth, and power but not happiness for Schuyler and Madeleine Burroughs (60,000-copy first printing). - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2022 March #3
Kuang (the Poppy War trilogy) underwhelms with a didactic, unsubtle take on dark academia and imperialism. After the unnamed protagonist's mother dies in 1830s Canton, he dubs himself Robin Swift at the urging of professor Richard Lovell, an Oxford sinologist who tutors Mandarin-speaking Robin to become a student at Babel, Oxford's Royal Institute of Translation. Robin falls in love with Oxford and his cohort: witty Calcutta-born Ramiz Rafi Mirza; secretive Haitian-born Victorie Desgraves; and self-righteous Brighton-born Letitia Price. Together they learn the magical process of capturing in silver the linguistic nuances lost in translationâand along the way uncover the process's ties to imperialism. This brilliant, ambitious concept falters in execution, reading more like a postcolonial social history than a proper novel. The narrative is frequently interrupted by lectures on why imperialism is bad, not trusting the reader or the plot itself enough to know that this message will be clear from the events as they unfold. Kuang assumes an audience that disagrees with her, and the result keeps readers who are already aware of the evils of racism and empire at arm's length. The characters, meanwhile, often feel dubiously motivated. Readers will be drawn in by the fascinating, linguistic magic system and righteous stance, but many will come away frustrated.
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly.Agent: Hannah Bowman, Liza Dawson Associates. (Aug.)