Catabasis

It was only in hell that they discovered just how devilish academia could be… In this alternative version of Cambridge University in the 1980s, you can study analytical magic alongside conventional subjects. PhD students Alice and Peter, between whom there is a fierce rivalry, work here under the supervision of the famous Professor Jacob Grimes—a brilliant but tyrannical supervisor who pits his students against each other to get the best results out of them. When a risky magical experiment leads to a catastrophe in which Grimes dies and his soul ends up in hell, Alice is convinced she is responsible for his death. What’s more, without the professor's letter of recommendation, she has virtually no chance of getting her dream job, so she decides to descend into the underworld and bring Grimes back. But the price of entry is high, hell itself defies traditional notions, and on top of that, she has to endure Peter's company. Gradually, however, they discover that neither of them is really who the other thought they were—and that they have both fallen victim to a manipulative professor and the toxic system he personifies. In this dark academia fantasy from the author of the bestsellers *The Poppy War* and *Yellowface*, a pair of postgraduate students must risk their own souls to save their professor—and quite possibly themselves. “The author is clearly immensely well-read and cleverly weaves her knowledge into her own fantasy story.” – from reader reviews on Databazeknih.cz “A carefully constructed novel that focuses on academia, its shortcomings and its strengths. The intoxicating allure of discovery is present throughout, even when Alice is discovering hell. An informed literary manifesto about the academic sphere—and its dark side.” – Kirkus Reviews “The book is bursting with ideas that radiate the author's talent, and the plot is driven forward by a smooth stream of polished prose. *Babel* is an impressive, timeless work, destined to become a modern classic.” – Olivie Blake, author of The Atlas Six series “R. F. Kuang’s *Babel* offers a very insightful look into academic hell.” – Los Angeles Times She checked the symbols written in chalk and then double-checked them. She always left closing the circle until the end, until she was absolutely certain that uttering, and therefore activating, the pentagram would not kill her. You always had to be sure. The magical arts demand precision. She stared at the neat white lines until they began to ripple before her eyes. She concluded it wouldn't get any better. The human mind errs, but hers doesn’t err as much as most people’s minds, and right now it’s the only mind she can trust. She gripped the chalk. One smooth stroke, and the pentagram was complete. She took a deep breath and stepped into it. Of course, it wouldn't be free. You can’t get to hell with your skin intact. But she had resolved from the very beginning to pay that price, because from the perspective of eternity, it was completely trivial. She just hoped it wouldn't hurt. “What on earth are you doing?” She knew that voice. Even before she turned around, she knew who was standing in the doorway. Peter Murdoch: unbuttoned coat, rolled-up shirt, a bag with papers dangling out that could be blown away by the wind at any moment. From the beginning, Alice resented the fact that Peter had managed to become the department's darling, even though he always looked as if he had barely crawled out of bed that day. This was not surprising, however—the academic world respects discipline and appreciates effort, but it bows even more to effortless genius. Peter Murdoch, with his bird's nest hair and the figure of a scarecrow perched on a creaky bicycle, gave the impression that he had never had to try at anything in his life. He simply had extraordinary talent from birth; the gods had poured all that knowledge into his head and not a single drop had been wasted. Alice couldn't stand him. – excerpt from the book