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November/December 2022 Pick: Babel by R.F. Kuang
Description and back cover blurb
(Note from Richard - I have included all the quotes even though they considerably outweigh the actual blurb...)
‘One for Philip Pullman fans’
THE TIMES
‘An ingenious fantasy about empire’
GUARDIAN
‘Fans of THE SECRET HISTORY, this one is an automatic buy’
GLAMOUR
‘Ambitious, sweeping and epic’
EVENING STANDARD
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
Comments
Goodreads has an interview with the author about this book, if anyone is interested:
https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/show/1570.R_F_Kuang?ref=author-show
Reading schedule
The book is about 540 pages long, so half of it is 270 pages. That is smack in the middle of Book III (of five). That gives us three options of how to read the book:
Any preferences?
In any case, I was thinking of having an interim discussion at the end of November, to share our thoughts on the book so far.
On the assumption that the second half of December might well be busy with other stuff, maybe option 3 is better (read the first three books)?
I agree with @Apocryphal, because I prefer to read a book in one shot. I find if I spread it out too much, and have other reading in between, it makes it harder for me to remember the forest for the trees. But however you guys like it.
I'll also have more time in December, I think.
Let's aim to read all of Book I and Book II in November, and finish the rest in December.
I'm also enjoying it. I'm most of the way through Book II, so I'll have to pen some questions before I forget all the details at the end of the month!
But even this far through, there are some interesting themes that could support some discussions.
I finished book II this morning, and with an effort that might be considered no less than heroic, stopped myself reading further
Also finished the reading for November.
I've posted a few discussion starters for the first part of the book.
Happy new year! I've posted the final round of questions for Babel.