Babel
This is simply one of my favorite books of all time. Whatever I have written here, rest assured, it's not enough, and I will be back to write more.
This book takes place in a sort of "alternate history" London in 1828. We follow Robin Swift, a Chinese oprhan taken in by a English Professor. Robin is prized for his Chinese fluency, for in this world there is a system of magic based on the meaning lost between translations. This magic is known as "Silver Working". By engraving silver with the same word in different languages, you can produce a magical effect based on the meaning lost in translation.
Take “Home", in English, for example. That word evokes warmth, safety, belonging. But that exact same word in French, “Maison", is just any regular building. That "warmth" is lost in translation. A silver bar engraved in the right way with these words might make a room feel instantly welcoming and calm anyone who enters.
If that magic system sounds interesting, it's because it is, and you see some creative uses of it in the book. Despite this, Babel doesn't feel like a fantasy book; it feels like alternate history. The book does not shy from showing what the ramifications of such a discovery in 1828 would be like, and it's a central theme of the book.
But, beneath it all, there is another theme. Babel is described as "Dark Academia", and while that's certainly true, it's also such an enchanting place to be. The book is filled with slice-of-life moments between Robin and the friends he makes at Oxford University (home to Babel). I couldn't help but fall in love with the university life and the moments between these characters. It makes you feel like you, the reader, have a stake in this place too. This IS "dark" academia, after all, and Robin eventually has to confront the harsh realities of the world. In a world of colonialism, where the university serves the crown over the people, is it wrong to take advantage of the privileges offered to you if you do no direct harm, or does it make you complicit in it all?
Just read the damn book.
"Back of the Book" Overview
A dark academia standalone that dives into the power of language and evils of imperialism, student revolutions, and colonial resistance. Babel swirls with magic, lore, and Kuang’s signature attention to detail.
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. 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, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide…
Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?