Babel, by R.F. Kuang is a historical fantasy novel set in Oxford, England in 1836. In this city of dreaming spires sits an imposing tower called Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. It is from this tower that the real power of the Victorian Empire flows through the use of silver imbued with magical properties provided by words from different languages that have the same root. When these words are spoken by a person fluent in them, the silver takes on a power - anything from making the bearer invisible, to a steam engine needing less fuel. But where this silver goes and to whom is strictly controlled and is always of benefit to those who run the Empire rather than its citizens. Robin Swift, a young orphan from Canton, is "rescued" by institute member Professor Lovell, and brought to England where he is raised by his new guardian for the specific purpose of training in languages and becoming a key member of Babel. When Robin first arrives in Oxford to further his studies he thinks all his dreams have come true - but it isn't long before he and his friends, who also originate from different parts of the empire, experience racial prejudice. Robin tries to ignore this and keep his head down. However, when a half-brother makes himself known and opens his eyes to the realities of Babel and the subjugation of the masses through its work, he begins to question his place in this world and fight against it. This is an ingenious premise about the power of words, the cruelty of Empire and the imbalance between the haves and have nots. We see Robin's journey from starry eyed innocent to subversive activist. This takes time, which I liked, as we see him struggling to come to terms with the world that's been revealed to him - rather than a sudden change of attitude. The other characters are interesting, though a few are a bit one dimensional and it would have been great to delve a little deeper into them. One irritation was with the amount of footnotes, which can get a little tedious, but they do contain some gems, so I didn't dare ignore them. An interesting read that could have gone a little faster on occasion - with the pace slowing and actions/scenes feeling a little repetitive - but overall, a satisfying slice of a hidden, dystopian world set in the past rather than the future, especially if you are a lover of words! Oh, and I applaud the effort of the author who must have done a tonne of research!
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 560 print pages.
Price I paid: free, was a Christmas present.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.
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