I am neither a fan of dark academia nor familiar with any other books by R.F. Kuang, so this review is for us.

I really liked Babel, which follows for new students at an Oxford Institute of languages. The plot reveals the applications and motivations of the work being done at this institute and how the students feel and interact with that work. I went into reading this book knowing less than the summary I’ve just given and they don’t want to provide any more information because I think it’s more enjoyable with less context. The romance around and passion for language that comes through this book is really beautiful. I particularly enjoyed the interactions between the academic life and the action sides of the plot. I think that the author handles topics including racism, colonialism, and empire sensitively without ever sparing the feelings  of people who are frequently protected around these themes.

For some people, the pacing of the first third of this book will be too slow. The set up of the characters and the world building takes time. I also think that if you don’t care about academia, Oxford,  collegial life, or languages, the opening chapters will feel a little pondering. That is in extreme contrast to the pace of the last quarter of the book in which we are almost entirely presented with action. I felt that the action/drama was the focus of the book more than the personalities. Therefore, I think that all four of the main protagonists could’ve been more richly developed but were also sufficiently well rounded to serve our interests.

For me, this is a four star or 4.5 star read because of the inconsistencies in passing and also because I think that there were sections where I disengaged even though I was very emotionally and intellectually invested. I hope Babel gets all the love and attention it deserves. For someone who used to be a fan of Wilkie Collins, it was very exciting to access a new kind of book that allows people of colour like me to take up the story line rather than be accessories to it.