In a pitiful attempt to reach my 2023 Goodreads goal, I decided to pick up three of R. F. Kuang’s bestselling novels: Yellowface, Babel, and The Poppy War. While I did not get to finish all three books, here I’ve compiled my thoughts on what I’ve read so far.
The Poppy War
The Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang is a dark and gripping epic fantasy that takes readers on a journey through the brutal realities of war, politics, and power. While I’m still on the first book, I can say with certainty that this trilogy will be an amazing read. The characters are multi-dimensional, with flaws and virtues that make them compelling, and the world-building is rich and detailed. The plot parallels the Second Sino-Japanese War and has an atmosphere inspired by the Song dynasty. Definitely pick this book up if you’re interested in historical fantasy!
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence
Babel is set in a grim alternate-reality of the 1830s, in which Britain is fuelled by the use of magical silver bars. At Babel, an institution at Oxford University, scholars capture what is “lost in translation” between words of different languages and derive magic from it. The protagonist is Robin Swift, a half-Chinese orphan who is accepted into Babel. As Robin continues his studies, he grows more aware of his complicity in aiding British imperialism, thus begins his moral dilemma. While I haven’t finished the book, I find it to be a very compelling read. It’s evident from every page that R. F. K. has done thorough research, making the story fluid and realistic even though it has a fantastic premise.
Yellowface
Yellowface is told through the lens of June Hayward, an unsuccessful author who, driven by envy, decides to plagiarize the work of her deceased Chinese-American friend. This book is a deeply satirical, metafictional story of racial diversity in the publishing industry. An issue I have with the book is that every character in Yellowface is unlikeable, to the point that it makes reading less enjoyable. However, I enjoyed the thorough descriptions of the publication process, as well as the coverage of tokenism and plagiarism. This book is definitely going on my rereads shelf!