Babel presents an unfiltered view of how harmful colonization is and, given the nature of the story, is hard to read but I loved this book.

R.F. Kuang uses beautiful language to discuss dark topics. "She’s brave!" I thought as I read Babel.

The novel creates a captivating story that explores themes such as language power, identity, colonialism, classism, and resistance. It examines the impact of colonialism and imperialism on both the colonizers and the colonized.

The most important component to keep in mind when reading this book is the subtitle: Babel, or the necessity of violence. As the title suggests, violence is a massive part of the second half of the book.

While some readers feel like Robin, the protagonist, suffers from a stoic tone and lacks emotional charisma, I think his flaws are what makes him intriguing in Babel. His character development is gradual, not forced. His struggles, kindness, and rage feel genuine.

I highly recommend Babel to anyone who enjoys historical fantasy novels with a twist of magic and mystery, to those interested to learn about languages and translation, and also to fans of R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy War trilogy.

You will enjoy the book if you’re looking for a well-written, engaging, and original story that explores language and power.

A detailed review is up on my blog.