From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire...

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. The tower and its students are 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 the arcane craft 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?

A few people are already currently reading this, but the more the merrier! It's definitely an interesting one to discuss! Psst... If you post 3+ times in this month, it can count for a Camp Charming activity!

Some optional discussion questions as you go or for when you're done:

— What did you like about it? What did you dislike?
— If you have read any of Kuang's other works, how did you feel they compared?
— What are your Footnotes FeelingsTM?
— What is the most interesting etymology/linguistic fact you've read in it? Does it make you think about language differently?
— How do you feel about the "alternate history" worldbuilding and Oxford setting?
— What did you think of the characters? The plot?
— How did you find her treatment of important themes like imperialism, etc?
— Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?

---

This is a discussion thread for people who have read or are reading the book in question. With that in mind, there are likely to be spoilers throughout. However, in the event of major twists or “how it ends”, please wrap content in spoiler tags.