Babel
by R. F. Kuang
★ Top 25 book of 2022 · #17 on Best Books of 2022
In an alternate 1828, Robin, a Chinese orphan raised in London, trains at Oxford's translation institute, where language fuels magical silver work. As Britain's empire tightens its grip, he must choose between serving it and resisting it.
Best for: Readers of historical fantasy interested in empire, academia and the ethics of rebellion
Babel is #17 on BookWard's Best Books of 2022, out of 61 2022 books that cleared our data bar.
What Babel is about
In 1828, a boy orphaned by cholera in Canton is taken to London by a professor named Lovell. Robin Swift spends his youth drilling in Latin, Ancient Greek and Chinese, all to prepare for a place at Oxford's Royal Institute of Translation, nicknamed Babel. The institute is the world's hub for translation and magic. Its scholars use enchanted silver bars to capture the meaning that slips away between languages, a craft that makes Britain formidably powerful and fuels its empire.
Robin loves the learning, but he gradually sees what his place there demands: working for Babel means turning against the land he came from. A dark, politically charged novel about colonialism, language and complicity, it answers The Secret History and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell in its own sharper voice.
Babel on the Best Books of 2022
Babel came out in 2022. Of the 61 books first published in 2022 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #17 on our Best Books of 2022 list.
Why it made the list: 505 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (29 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2022 list
- Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? Julie Smith, #15
- Every Summer After Carley Fortune, #16
- The American Roommate Experiment Elena Armas, #18
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Gabrielle Zevin, #19
See all Best Books of 2022 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2021 Best Books of 2023.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 432 want to read it, 17 are reading it now and 56 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4 out of 5 from 29 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 66 | 55% |
| Reader love | 61 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 66 | 20% |
Questions about Babel
When was Babel published?
Babel by R. F. Kuang was first published in 2022.
Was Babel one of the best books of 2022?
Babel is #17 on BookWard's Best Books of 2022, out of 61 2022 books that cleared our data bar. 505 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (29 ratings).
Why is Babel on the Best Books of 2022 list?
505 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (29 ratings).
More of the best books of 2022
- I'm Glad My Mom Died Jennette McCurdy, #1
- King of Wrath Ana Huang, #2
- I Fell in Love with Hope Lancali, #3
- It Starts with Us Colleen Hoover, #4
- Things We Never Got over Lucy Score, #5
- Stellarlune Shannon Messenger, #6
See the full Best Books of 2022, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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