Book · 2022
Babel, or the Necessity of Violence
by R. F. Kuang
An Oxford translation student learns the empire runs on stolen language, and picking a side means burning down the tower that trained him.
What does Reddit think of Babel, or the Necessity of Violence?
r/Fantasy supplies nearly all of the signal here, 374 of the recognized mentions, and it argues with itself. One reader calls it a flat loathe, placing it as their least favorite Kuang alongside a broad endorsement of her other work (↑303); another just tacks it onto a list of favorite authors right after finishing it (↑298), which reads more like momentum than settled conviction. The sharper fights are about the footnotes. One highly upvoted reply (↑163) singles out the line calling chattel slavery 'a wholly European invention' and calls it condescending, on top of a book already accused of being preachy about colonialism without advancing past surface critique (↑191). A commenter identifying as a native Cantonese speaker weighs in on whether the book's linguistics actually hold up (↑229), a rarer kind of scrutiny than fantasy discourse usually gets. There's also an awards-adjacent controversy thread, an internal email flagging the book for 'potential issues' well before any literary argument starts (↑294). Nobody here is neutral. That's the throughline.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · The colonialism footnote fight: insight or condescension
- · A book-award controversy over an internal 'potential issues' email
- · Native-speaker scrutiny of Kuang's linguistics
- · Recommended more as reflex momentum than settled enthusiasm
Common praise
- + One r/Fantasy commenter folds it straight into a favorites list right after finishing it (↑298).
- + A reader who dislikes most of Kuang's other work still broadly recommends her, Babel included (↑329).
- + A commenter identifying as a native Cantonese speaker treats the linguistics seriously enough to engage point by point (↑229).
Common criticism
- − One commenter states it flat: loathed it (↑303).
- − The chattel-slavery footnote reads as condescending to more than one reader, not just heavy-handed (↑163).
- − The preachy-colonialism critique shows up paired with 'painful' characters and thin plotting (↑191).
Who it's for
This is the fantasy-adjacent book that starts arguments in r/Fantasy rather than settling them. Want your colonial-critique fiction to underline the point in a footnote? You'll find defenders here, including a native Cantonese speaker willing to engage the linguistics seriously (↑229). Find footnotes explaining that chattel slavery was 'a wholly European invention' condescending rather than clarifying? You're not alone in that read either (↑163). Come in expecting a fight about whether the politics ever stop being text and start being subtext, because nothing in this sample resolves it either way.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Babel, or the Necessity of Violence?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“I really disliked the Sarah J Maas books I've read. Maybe more controversially, I hated The Poppy War. I still recommend it to others because I get my experience was in the minority. I also loved Babel and would broadly recommend RF Kuang. But The Poppy War was paced in such a bizarre way and unti…
“Anything by RF Kuang, but particularly Babel. Loathed it.
“Babel by R.F Kuang. If there was ever a book that was so desperate to make you realise just how intelligent and scholarly it was, it's this book. Only it really doesn't advance beyond any surface level critique, or rather, preaching about the injustices of colonialism. Characters are painful. Plot …
“That footnote in Babel by R. F. Kuang: "Here Mr Hallows forgets that chattel slavery, wherein slaves were treated as property and not persons, is a wholly European invention." The book itself is already ridiculously preachy but some of the footnotes are a whole new level of condescending. Of cour…
“I've only read Babel but i think Kuang's bigger problem is that the books have a pretentious tone despite their very superficial writing. Everything in Babel is drafted but completed. -She did historical research and noted dates and data but overall she hasn't understood how history works, all that…
“Not the worst of the worst, but just big dissapointment: Babel by R.F. Kuang. Repetitive and overly explaining everything to reader like reader is going to be 5yo kid. Generally felt bland and I wished better character development.
“Well, no one knows what the explanation actually is. It's a mystery. The basics of the situation are that the Hugos are a prestigious SFF award. Books are nominated and awards are voted on by fans, and everything is organized by Worldcon every year. This year, Worldcon was held in Chengdu in Chin…
“If you want a book about imperialism and colonialism read Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wang instead of Babel by RF Kuang. Wang sticks the landing better and tells a far more interesting story throughout. She handles all of the themes in BOBH deftly.
“I was really excited for Babel by R.F. Kuang and then DNFed it. I love dark academia and I have a degree in linguistics, so the premise was exactly up my alley, but the execution totally fell flat for me.
“i’ll say it: babel by r. f. kuang. it’s not even because i don’t like r. f. kuang or was uncomfortable with the message she was trying to get across — even if i did feel it was a bit heavy handed. it definitely felt like it was screaming in my face, which, again, fine, i agreed with it anyway and …
“I read an ARC and thought the beginning and end few chapters were great, but the rest was tedious. I liked Babel more. I actually liked Yellowface best. Kuang is a good writer, but I think she needs a better editor. There's a lot of good things in Katabasis, but it's bogged down with fluff. She cle…
“Article text: A prestigious literary award for science fiction, which was hosted in China for the first time, has come under fire for excluding several authors from the 2023 awards, raising concerns about interference or censorship in the awards process. The New York Times bestseller Babel by RF …
“Babel, by R F Kuang. A fascinating alt-history scenario with an intriguing magic system as written by a thread of chronically online Twitter users circa 2018.
“I first got suckered into The Poppy War because of all the praise it got over here back in the day. Did not finish that one, it felt like self published historical fan fiction. Anyway, I got Babel after all the recommendations as well, saying how RF Kuang has really grown as an author. Yeah, j…
“the thing is, the themes were there, but the way of talking about them was different (which makes sense, as it was a different time). Some of the books that I have read recently, like Babel by RF Kuang, have sections and dialogue that looked straight out of a twitter thread. It is very out of chara…
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Books that share discussion threads with Babel, or the Necessity of Violence — counted from the comments, not curated.
Babel, or the Necessity of Violence — frequently asked
Is Babel by R.F. Kuang worth reading if you dislike preachy books?+
Probably not, based on this sample. More than one r/Fantasy commenter calls it exactly that, preachy about colonialism without advancing past surface critique (↑191), and the same thread flags a footnote as condescending on top of it (↑163). If a heavy-handed message is your dealbreaker, the data backs up your instinct to skip it.
Why did Babel cause controversy beyond its plot?+
An internal email surfaces in this sample, from an awards-adjacent discussion, flagging Babel for 'potential issues' before any literary argument even starts (↑294). That's a separate fight from whether the book is good, and this sample keeps the two tangled together rather than resolving either one.
Is Babel's portrayal of linguistics accurate, according to Reddit?+
Contested, and taken seriously enough to get real scrutiny. A commenter who identifies as a native Cantonese speaker engages point by point with how the book handles linguistics concepts and debates in the field (↑229), a rarer and more specific critique than fantasy discussions usually get. No displayed excerpt gives a flat yes or no.
Do r/Fantasy readers actually like Babel?+
Split hard. One reader states it plainly, loathed it, while still broadly recommending the author's other work (↑303). Another just tacks it onto a favorites list right after finishing it (↑298), which reads more like fresh momentum than a settled verdict. The sample doesn't lean either direction with any confidence.