Description

The Number 2 Sunday Times and Number 1 New York Times Bestseller

Praised as a must-read for fans of Philip Pullman by The Times and described as bold and expansive by the Evening Standard, Babel is a gripping tale of language, power, and resistance. The Daily Mail hails it as razor-sharp, while The Guardian calls it an ingenious fantasy exploring empire.

Oxford, 1836. The city of dreaming spires, a beacon of knowledge and progress. At its heart stands Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation—the source of the Empire’s immense power.

Robin Swift, orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, once viewed Babel as a paradise. But as he delves deeper into its world, he realizes it is also a prison. Torn between his studies and the growing weight of injustice, Robin must decide—can a mere student challenge the might of an empire?

With this electrifying novel, award-winning author R. F. Kuang delivers an unflinching look at the brutality of colonialism and the sacrifices required for resistance. Combining elements of fantasy and historical fiction, Babel is a triumph of storytelling.

Samantha Shannon, bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree, calls it “a masterpiece that resonates with power and knowledge, a devastating exploration of empire, and a defining work of dark academia.”

Babel was a New York Times bestseller for the week commencing September 11, 2022.