Chinese-American writer Rebecca Kwan first made a splash with her fantasy trilogy «Poppy War», which won several prestigious literary awards and went viral on TikTok and YouTube. Then the author took on something experimental, darker and more serious and wrote the novel «Babel, or the Necessity of Violence». The book was on the top of The New York Times bestseller list and went on to win many important awards, including the Nebula for «Best Novel». In Ukraine, the novel is published by «George». The book has already had several printings, which means it is selling well. And now we have read it and share our impressions below.
Author Rebecca Kwan
Translator Hanna Lytvynenko
Publisher Georges
Language Ukrainian
Number of pages 584
Cover Solid
Year of publication 2023
Size 155×235 mm
Website instagram.com/zhorzhclub
1828. The family of a Chinese boy in Canton dies of cholera, and he is saved by the mysterious Professor Lovell. He takes the young man to London, where he takes the name Robin Swift. The boy is first taught at home and then sent to the Royal Institute of Translation at Oxford University, which is also called Babylon. It is a giant and tall tower where the British and other nations learn languages and use them for silversmithing.
Silversmithing is a type of magic on silver bars. By using the same words in different languages, a particular bar works as an amplification. Depending on the pairs of words used, silver bars give people better marksmanship, purify water, help factories, increase crop yields, speed up merchant ships, and so on. The power of the British Empire and its policy of conquest were built on silver. And Robin Swift becomes a part of this, even though she is Chinese. Over time, the hero realizes that she is contributing to the strengthening of the Empire with her studies, so she decides to join the secret organization «Hermes». This confidence only grows when Britain plans a war against China. The events that follow will change the lives of Robin and his friends forever.
Before reading «Babel, or the Necessity of Violence», one creates different expectations. It looks like a novel for teenagers in the spirit of «Dark School of Magic». However, it has received serious literary genre awards, which means that we are looking at something completely different than it seems.
After reading it, it is clear that it is both, but the novel definitely positions itself as a deep, thoughtful alternative history. It is about slavery and racism, about the colonial policy of Britain and other countries, about the Opium Wars in China, about white supremacy, about revolution and the dignity of peoples. And all of this is saturated with fantasy.
This is a book about the power of language and words. It is about the fact that language is a sword and the most powerful weapon of any nation. It is thanks to words from different languages that silver bullion acquires magical powers and creates real miracles. The entire British Empire and its power literally rested on words and their meanings. Now it is very much in line with our history, with the invasion of the Russian language in the past and the ban on the Ukrainian language, with the burning of our books, schools, and printing houses.
It is true that in the course of the story it is not very logical to explain why only Britain was able to conquer the power of silversmithing. However, this drawback does not greatly interfere with immersion in the story because it is written out in a filigree manner. Rebecca Kwan definitely knows how to write simply and elegantly at the same time, interestingly and academically, complexly, but in a way that is understandable to most.
This makes «Babel, or the Necessity of Violence» reads easily and quickly. But it is simply impossible to overcome this book. There are many inserts from other languages that the characters know and learn: Chinese, French, German, Ancient Greek, Latin, and many others. There are also tons of footnotes, where the author explains certain expressions, meanings, interpretations of words, etc.
«Babel has interesting teenage characters. They are multifaceted and create empathy with the reader, and they are constantly doing something, thinking about something and acting, acting, acting. And this incredibly fuels the plot and the flow of local history.
The novel can also be praised for its atmospheric atmosphere and deep immersion in the times of colonialism and great geographical discoveries. If you like the era of the first half of the nineteenth century and the fantasy genre in general, then this book will most likely be a good fit. However, there are no classic orcs, goblins, or elves here because it’s not that era, and the only magic here is the aforementioned silversmithing.
All those who have a philological education and everything related to it will enjoy «Babel» the most. In fact, this is an epic historical alternative fantasy about translators and philologists who first help the empire in its dark deeds, then oppose slavery and colonialism, and finally organize a revolution.
The book is also full of despair and wastefulness, as the author concludes that the empire cannot be defeated by uprisings. She also says that the empire will not be overthrown by other smaller powers, other smaller countries, or even alliances. But there is hope — because empires always fall, but it happens through self-destruction.
«Babel» as close as possible to «The Chronicles of the King’s Assassin» by Patrick Rothfuss (our reviews of the first and second books here і here). Not by genre and narrative style. But for the glorification of the power of words and their magical properties. There are also almost no fights and no classic action, but the novel reads very cheerfully. However, this book is definitely not for everyone. If for you fantasy — is about the conventional Middle Ages with fights, dirt, and magical artifacts, and you don’t like languages and everything related to them, then this book is not for you. For everyone else, I invite you to the atmospheric world of the power of words.
The back cover announces that «Babel» — is a historical epic fantasy about student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as tools of empire. In principle, this is an apt and fairly close general description of the book, but I would definitely remove the «epic» from it. Because there is no epic here, and when the reader sees the combination of words «epic fantasy», he or she does not exactly imagine philology students sitting in libraries all day arguing about racism and colonialism.
Let’s talk separately about the quality of the publication. «Babel, or the Necessity of Violence» has an enlarged format (155×235 mm), and there is also a version with black cuts. I would like to note the wonderful cover with a detailed embossed pattern and pleasant to the touch material. Inside we have filigree patterns and maps, various coats of arms and a beautiful font. This is a large, spectacular edition that can not only be put on your own bookshelf, but also presented as a gift.
