Katabasis

(Hardback)

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'Katabasis is a formidable, timeless work, destined to be a modern classic' OLIVIE BLAKE

'Katabasis is more than a novel to savor. This book is an experience. I envy those who get to read it for the first time' REBECCA ROSS

'A witty, gorey, harrowing ride' LEIGH BARDUGO

Katabasis, noun, Ancient Greek. The story of a hero's descent to the underworld.

Two academic rivals from Cambridge must travel to hell to rescue the soul of their advisor. Getting there was easy. Surviving it and each other is another thing entirely.

2025s most unexpected love story is going to be hell in the new novel by Sunday Times Number One Bestseller R.F. Kuang. Coming August 2025.

Reviews

'Rich with allusion and illusion, Kuang crafts a witty, gorey, harrowing ride that thoroughly roasts the perils and power structures of academia, while never losing sight of what it means to have a fragile, human heart' Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author

'A spellbinding and poignant story that had me riveted to the pages, R.F. Kuangs KATABASIS is more than a novel to savor. This book is an experience. I envy those who get to read it for the first time' Rebecca Ross, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divine Rivals

'This is a book of ideas, and as such, Kuangs creativity shines, her vehicle for story a prose thats smooth as butter. Katabasis is a formidable, timeless work, destined to be a modern classic' Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

BABEL WAS A BRITISH BOOK OF THE YEAR, BLACKWELLS BOOK OF THE YEAR, A WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR FINALIST AND THE DAILY MAIL BEST BOOK OF 2022

Praise for Babel:

Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial history and the Industrial Revolution, turns it over, and shakes it out Shannon Chakraborty, bestselling author of THE EMPIRE OF GOLD

A masterpiece that resonates with power and knowledge. BABEL is a stark picture of the cruelty of empire, a distillation of dark academia, and a riveting blend of fantasy and historical fiction a monumental achievement Samantha Shannon, bestselling author of THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE

A masterpiece. Through a meticulously researched and a wholly impressive deep dive into linguistics and the politics of language and translation, Kuang weaves a story that is part love-hate letter to academia, part scathing indictment of the colonial enterprise, and all fiery revolution Rebecca Roanhorse, bestselling author of BLACK SUN

Author Bio

Rebecca F. Kuang is a Marshall Scholar, Chinese-English translator, and the Astounding Award-winning and the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award nominated author of the Poppy War trilogy and the forthcomingBabel. Her work has won the Crawford Award and the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.