If you have scrolled social media for even just a minute this year, you would have noticed people talking about, hyping up, and just overall incredibly obsessed with Babel by R.F. Kuang. And they should. After all, Babel is the newest dark academia fantasy written by Kuang, who penned the award winning trilogy Poppy War.
Set in 1828, Babel follows Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, as he is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation — also known as Babel, i.e. the world’s center of translation and, more importantly, of silver-working. Silver-working has made the British Empire unparalleled in power, and Babel’s research in foreign languages serves the Empire’s quest to colonize everything it encounters. Oxford is a fairytale for Robin; a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge serves power, and for Robin, a Chinese boy raised in Britain, serving Babel inevitably means betraying his motherland.
And for those who don’t know, The Poppy War trilogy follows Rin after she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—to everyone’s surprise. Rin soon discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school. For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .
We are now giving you the chance to win a set of Poppy War plus a copy of Babel. Simply follow the instructions in the tweet below:
We're so excited to be giving one read the chance to WIN a set of @kuangrf's stunning Poppy War trilogy AND a copy her incredible new release, Babel! 🎉
To enter:
🖤FOLLOW @unitedbybks
🖤RT this tweet
UK only 🇬🇧T&Cs: @HarperVoyagerUK https://t.co/G4w2ueYYaB
— United By Books (@unitedbybks) September 2, 2022
Get your copy here.
