
Babel
Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
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Narrated by:
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Chris Lew Kum Hoi
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Billie Fulford-Brown
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By:
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R. F. Kuang
THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES AND #1 NYT BESTSELLER
‘One for Philip Pullman fans’
THE TIMES
‘This one is an automatic buy’
GLAMOUR
‘Ambitious, sweeping and epic’
EVENING STANDARD
‘Razor-sharp’
DAILY MAIL
‘An ingenious fantasy about empire’
GUARDIAN
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
Oxford, 1836.
The city of dreaming spires.
It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.
And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows.
Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift.
Until it became a prison…
But can a student stand against an empire?
An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R.F. Kuang about the power of language, the violence of colonialism, and the sacrifices of resistance.
'A masterpiece that resonates with power and knowledge. BABEL is a stark picture of the cruelty of empire, a distillation of dark academia, and a riveting blend of fantasy and historical fiction – a monumental achievement’
Samantha Shannon, author of THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE
Delve into the heart of an alternative UK, where Babel reigns as a top entry among gaslamp fantasy books. It's a great, bestselling read, peppered with the essence of urban exploration and thrilling action, an adventure that will leave you breathless and wanting more. For fans of Rebecca Yarros (Iron Flame), Leigh Bardungo (Six of Crows), Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings) and Olivie Blake (The Atlas Six) and Samantha Shannon (The Priory of the Orange Tree).
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2022 R.F. Kuang (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"Kuang has crafted a masterpiece that resonates with power and knowledge. Babel is a stark picture of the cruelty of empire, a distillation of dark academia, and a riveting blend of fantasy and historical fiction – a monumental achievement, from the footnotes to the final page." (Samantha Shannon, author of Priory of The Orange Tree)
"Ambitious, sweeping and epic." (Evening Standard)
"An ingenious fantasy about empire’." (Guardian)
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But keep in mind that naration is not the best one as some words or phrazes are taked over during edition probably. But I got used to it quite quickly and just allowed the story to overwhelm me
Wonderful story, strange performance
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An interesting, exciting book
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Daring, dazzling and dangerous
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Glorious, well researched, fascinating
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multi cultural fantasy
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Cool concept and world.
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great mix of linguistics, history and magical realism
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Kuang masterfully paints a portrait of language, power and revolution in a fictionalized version of Oxford University, that grips the reader from chapter one and leaves their hearts asunder by the close of the epilogue. In this, we set on a journey through Robin’s eyes and close it through those of Victoire’s and in between one is made to care, love, empathize, hate and understand the other dominant voices in this story. This is true storytelling. The kind yearned but rarely given. Kuang tells a story that any marginalized voice can listen to and relate with because she does what so few authors can do: she tells stories relatable to a large audience. An audience that the very classics quoted within, fail to reach. This book is marvelous. This book is intelligent, masterfully written. This book is devastating! I will be purchasing a copy because I need to relive all of this with pencil, ruler and highlighter in hand.
I would love to say that this book had wide appeal, but it may bore those who care not for etymology or infuriate others who fail to see perspectives other than their own. Therefore, I’d recommend this to the reader who is marginalized by things they can’t change. This book, is for us. You and I.
Simply brilliant!
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Wonderful combined voices to emphasise the languages
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Slow start but oh was it worth it
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