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Babel

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Billie Fulford-Brown
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Publisher's summary

From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell 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.

Babel is 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 its knowledge 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?

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 R. F. Kuang (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Featured Article: Best of the Year—The 12 Best Fantasy Listens of 2022


Between film, television, literature, and audio—2022 could easily be proclaimed the Year of the Fantasy, much to the delight of fans among us. But when it came to picking the best of the best, the glut of fantastic content also significantly increased the CR (challenge rating). This year’s winner edged ahead of the rest thanks to its atmospheric, suck-you-in (pun intended) audio experience, but every performance on this list transported us.

What listeners say about Babel

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favorite book of the year!

This book is absolutely stunning. Its so good. I reccomend this to anyone who loved Harry Potter except you need it aged up with real world issues and an unproblematic author.

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Highly recommend

Amazing journey. loved it, laughed, cried and was riveted. Really enjoyed the narration as well. Loved the character development and how well the story brought me into the world of the time. interesting how relevant these ideas are now. excellent "read" I highly recommend!

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A Very Enjoyable Read

This book is amazing for this very simple fact alone: it doesn’t sugarcoat England’s Imperialism and the struggle those not men, white, British or rich. The story of Robin is tragic but also powerful; all the characters struggle but it also takes the time to make you understand that while common ground can be found, there are just those who can’t understand why your struggle doesn’t end where there’s does.
The story was well written and I enjoyed the little moments where something was explained - whether it be about a translation or a brief summary of a history/story/philosophy the character is referencing.

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  • Overall
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Good, but seemed like it's been done before

This book was fun to listen to but it was a little too preachy and familiar for me to love it.

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Stunning

Absolutely stunning book. I just finished it so my heart is still broken, but it was worth the hurt.

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Amazing

Such an interesting story to highlight the atrocities of colonization and the brutality of empire. D

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Outstanding!

One of the best books I’ve ever read. Kuang strikes a perfect balance between telling a great story and providing astute commentary on social, economic and political realities. Compelling, engaging characters inhabit an imagined past that is simultaneously fantastical and gut-wrenchingly tangible. Beautiful metaphors abound but never overwhelm the story. Like all truly great novels, you can choose to think deeply about the concepts presented or simply enjoy the wonderful tale.

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Powerful

The narration and story were excellent, I can’t wait to read more from R.F. Kuang.

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Fantastic Narrator

This narrator was fantastic in British English, American English, French, and Chinese. Amazing! The book is incredible as well.

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sooo good

this book was definitely long, and the footnotes being read interrupted a lot, but were interesting.
great book about friendship, overcoming racism, and the horror of colonialism

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