Babel, by R. F. Kuang

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution, by R. F. Kuang

In 1829, a deadly plague swept through Asia and eventually reached the city of Canton. Babel begins in a home in Canton in which a little boy lies dying of this plague, surrounded by the bodies of his Chinese mother and all of the rest of his household. Just as the little boy’s death seems certain, a white Englishman, Professor Richard Lovell, suddenly appears and saves the boy’s life with a magical device made of silver. The little boy is asked to forget his Chinese name and to adopt an English name of his choosing, and so, drawing from literary sources that he knows, he becomes Robin Swift. Professor Lovell becomes Robin’s guardian, and brings him to live in England, with the promise of enrollment in Oxford University if Robin studies hard and masters his course work, especially classical Latin and Greek.

Kuang paints a compelling portrait of young Robin Swift, as she takes us through Robin’s adjustment to living in England, a world away from all that was familiar to him, to a wholly new environment with plentiful food, adequate clothing, and secure housing, but with minimal affection and no access to friends his own age. 

Robin indeed earns a position as a student in Oxford, studying foreign languages. Study takes place in a tower that has come to be known as Babel, in reference to the Biblical story in Genesis. For the first time in his life, Robin has real friends of his own age, each with expertise in different foreign languages. He loves his studies and even has the luxury of a stipend that allows him access to all the pastries he can eat. He thrives in this academic and supportive environment.

Kuang’s 19th century British Empire draws much its power and many of its innovations from the widespread use of magical silver bars that draw their power from an inscription in the silver of two words in different languages but with related meaning.  Optimal word choice leads to more powerfully functioning bars and is best made by scholars with intimate knowledge of the languages whose words will be inscribed.  Maintenance of a functioning society and worldwide dominance of the British Empire rely on these silver bars.  

Robin eventually comes to understand that he and the other international students of his cohort have been born, bred and selected to become tools of the British Empire, destined to create and maintain the silver bars that allow British society as a whole to flourish. The silver bars have tremendous negative impact on the downtrodden, however. The increased efficiency with which they make machines, warships and weapons function leads to the widespread loss of jobs for manual laborers and oppression of vast numbers of people throughout the realms of the British Empire. This realization leads to conflict for these young Oxford scholars. They must decide whether to stay on the safe, easy path chosen for them, and support the Empire, or to risk everything and use their abilities to oppose the wrongs being accomplished by silver.

Kuang vividly describes 19th century Oxford with a touch of Hogwarts; the role of Voldemort is played by the British Empire. The tone is occasionally a bit self-righteous, but overall, this is a great read, with a profoundly poignant ending.