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Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution

Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution

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Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution

Written by: R.F. Kuang
Narrated by: Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Billie Fulford-Brown
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About this listen

 THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES AND #1 NYT BESTSELLER

‘One for Philip Pullman fans’

THE TIMES

‘This one is an automatic buy’

GLAMOUR

‘Ambitious, sweeping and epic’

EVENING STANDARD

‘Razor-sharp’

DAILY MAIL

‘An ingenious fantasy about empire’

GUARDIAN

'Literary super-stardom doesn't seem too far out of her reach now'

THE HERALD

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

Delve into the heart of an alternative UK, where Babel reigns as a top entry among gaslamp fantasy books. It's a great, bestselling read, peppered with the essence of urban exploration and thrilling action, an adventure that will leave you breathless and wanting more. For fans of Rebecca Yarros (Iron Flame), Leigh Bardungo (Six of Crows), Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings) and Olivie Blake (The Atlas Six) and Samantha Shannon (The Priory of the Orange Tree).

 Action & Adventure Dark Fantasy Fantasy Historical Paranormal & Urban Urban

Critic Reviews

BLACKWELL’S BOOK OF THE YEAR

A WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR FINALIST

DAILY MAIL BEST BOOK OF 2022

‘Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial history and the Industrial Revolution, turns it over, and shakes it out’

Shannon Chakraborty, bestselling author of THE EMPIRE OF GOLD

‘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, bestselling author of THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE

‘A masterpiece. Through a meticulously researched and a wholly impressive deep dive into linguistics and the politics of language and translation, Kuang weaves a story that is part love-hate letter to academia, part scathing indictment of the colonial enterprise, and all fiery revolution’

Rebecca Roanhorse, NYT bestselling author of BLACK SUN

‘Kuang has outdone herself. BABEL is brilliant, vicious, sensitive, epic, and intimate; it's both a love letter and a declaration of war. It's a perfect book’

Alix E. Harrow, bestselling author of A THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY

‘A book that confirms Kuang as a major talent’

SFX

‘Brainy, brilliant, and fuelled by righteous anger, Babel is a towering tour-de-force of fantasy’

DAILY MAIL

‘BABEL has earned tremendous praise and deserves all of it. It’s Philip Pullman’s THE GOLDEN COMPASS by way of N.K. Jemisin’s THE FIFTH SEASON: inventive and engaging, passionate and precise’

NEW YORK TIMES

All stars
Most relevant
ofcourse the whole experience was the one of the most engaging things I've ever come across but by the end of the story i was left distraught in the best way possible . I was drowning with feelings and that's what I want a book to do to me. Not to mention , extremely enlightening in regards to colonial history. Beautiful intellect ,exactly the kind that can entertain while making an impact

the book you have been looking for

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I loved the full dramatisation , the story is very text heavy with a lot of research language and style but this dramatisation helped me finish this book which in normal circumstances I might have DNF-ed, not because the story was bad but rather because of the slow pace. Thanks Audible Team!

Audiobook does more justice to the book

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Rebecca, I'm sorry I didn't know your game. You are a wonderful writer and i want the future generations to hail you and your work as classic literature. Thank you for BABEL.

Sexy Narrator, Important story

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