By R.F Kuang
SPOILER-FREE
Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality: her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world.
That is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault. Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams….
Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the very same conclusion.
But Hell is not like the storybooks say, Magick isn’t always the answer, and there’s something in Alice and Peter’s past that could forge them into the perfect allies…or lead to their doom.
REVIEW
THEMES: FANTASY, HISTORICAL, HUMOROUS, TENSE, MEDIUM-PACED.
Alice Law and Peter Murdoch, academic rivals – must journey to hell to retrieve their professor’s soul – after his unfortunate death caused by a ‘freak’ accident. Though, shockingly, it is not a walk in the park – the two must overcome their past and learn to work together, otherwise everything will go to…
This is my fifth book written by R.F Kuang (only Yellowface to go), and she surprises me every time. Last year I was really into mythology after reading The Song of Achilles and listening to Hozier, so to find out she would be writing a Dantes Inferno-esque book, I was ecstatic.
I love this book, it is interesting, well-written and funny. Surprisingly, I have not read one review that mentions her quiet, humorous remarks – which adds a light-hearted aspect to an otherwise intense novel.
The plot itself is immersive, detailed and chaotic – yet somehow structured. In typical Kuang fashion, it is methodically researched, with considerable depth to the magic system – and the math and science behind it. Not to mention the elaborate descriptions of the paradoxes and pentagrams.
I love Kuang’s unique approach to hell, it is definitely a concept that has been done to death (pun intended), so it was interesting reading her take on it. (In saying that, I have not read that many ‘hell’ books.)
As per usual, Kuang does not write her characters to be liked but to be humanised. I went through periods where I would hate Alice because of her contradictory, self-righteous disposition – but then I would realise she is hateable because she is relatable. Her complex relationship with Grimes is suffocating – the rage and exasperation I felt whilst reading was constant.
Kuang masterfully depicts the struggles a Chinese woman would face in a (white) male dominated institution. I also like how she touches on internalised misogyny, which can be tricky to portray as realistic, whilst remaining tasteful.
My disappointment is that the setting did not feel overly specific to hell, I would have enjoyed more of an incorporation of hell’s lore.
I would recommend anyone try this book, especially fantasy readers. I think Katabasis definitely showcases Kuang’s range and is a really good stepping stone into her weightier reads.
Click link below for Storygraph overview, which includes general rating, summary (same as above) and other reviews.
The Book Slump 