#184 in Fantasy
Babel
- 830
- Pages
- about 15 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 2 weeks on the list
- Nebula Award for Best Novel
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel
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About the book
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution is a 2022 novel of speculative fiction by R. F. Kuang set in a fantastical version of Oxford in 1830s England. Thematically similar to The Poppy War (2018–20), Kuang's first book series, the book criticizes British imperialism, racism and capitalism, and the complicity of academia, knowledge, and language in perpetuating and enabling them.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.1 across 1,867 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 91% of the weight and the score stays at 8.2 — the Fantasy average of 8.0 barely moves it. A further +0.10 comes from the small bonus for major awards.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.1 | 29 | 2% |
| Hardcover | 8.1 | 1.8K | 98% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“I didn’t realize the power of Babel until the last fifty or so pages, but then it all clicked for me. The story wasn’t really about the characters themselves, rather the imperialist system they found themselves in. Using a magic system based on translation was a stroke of genius when it came to enforcing the message of the book. Language is the backbone of cultural identity, so to weaponize it as silver does, using a cultures own words to oppress them, was incredibly effective. Rf Kuang was not subtle in communicating the themes in this book, but maybe that was the point. There isn’t subtlety …”
“R F Kuang really know how to use fantasy as a tool to approach difficult topics. Her portrait of colonialism, racism, white feminism and class war is brilliant. Their protagonists journeys are fascinating. I highly recommend this read as this book is one of a kind. Only fault, the story have some pace issues and the author passion for linguistic despite being essential to the story creates unnecessary length bits.”
Frequently asked
What is Babel rated?
8.2 out of 10, from 1,867 reader ratings across 2 independent sources.
Is Babel worth reading?
Readers give it 8.2/10 from 1,867 ratings, which puts it ahead of 8 % of the Fantasy shelf.
How long does it take to read Babel?
About 15 hours at an average reading pace — 830 pages.
Where does Babel rank?
#184 in Fantasy on the current snapshot.
Was Babel a bestseller?
Yes — 2 weeks on the New York Times list, peaking at #15. Sales are shown here but never scored.
How long is Babel?
It has 830 pages — longer than 89% of the ranked books in Fantasy.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Fantasy — and a score of 8.2, the closest to this book.
