[email protected] reviewed Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
A modern Divine Comedy?
4.0 stars
I really like R.F. Kuang and had the opportunity to listen to her presenting the book on her tour in Hamburg. She is a really smart and passionate person. Katabasis feels like a book that is kind of a love letter to studies, Cambridge and her husband, although it also speaks about women not being that recognized in the academic world and a woman taking on even hell to have a bright future ahead of her.
While I still totally enjoyed the writing style of R.F. Kuang, it seemed to me to be a road trip through hell. I missed a bit the story itself although thinking about it now, I think the intention was to do what Dante's Divine Comedy was hundreds of years ago. A trip through hell, perceiving this mythical realm through eyes of the living. And that's what was definetly delivered.
While not being …
I really like R.F. Kuang and had the opportunity to listen to her presenting the book on her tour in Hamburg. She is a really smart and passionate person. Katabasis feels like a book that is kind of a love letter to studies, Cambridge and her husband, although it also speaks about women not being that recognized in the academic world and a woman taking on even hell to have a bright future ahead of her.
While I still totally enjoyed the writing style of R.F. Kuang, it seemed to me to be a road trip through hell. I missed a bit the story itself although thinking about it now, I think the intention was to do what Dante's Divine Comedy was hundreds of years ago. A trip through hell, perceiving this mythical realm through eyes of the living. And that's what was definetly delivered.
While not being a bomb like Babel to me, Katabasis also has great ideas, nice character ideas like the Kripkes and cool idea for magic through science.
So if you don't need to get deeply involved into a high stakes and dramatic story but still loves to get into hell with some lovely rival characters, Katabasis is a great pick.
