Author: R F Kuang
ISBN: 978 0008501839
Hi Everyone,
I have two minds about this book.
On one hand, I enjoyed the themes, especially that of the power of language, both written and spoken. Of course I would, seeing as I read and write for both teaching and enjoyment. The avenues that the theme of language traversed kept me interested and turning the pages. It is the same theme that has dominated much of history for centuries. It was interesting to read a novel that went into depth, in a fantasy world, with linkages to this world still hidden in the pages.
Where the enjoyment of this novel tripped me up, was the timeline. This book could have been cut down by a third and still remained a page turner - in truth, for me, it would have left more of a lasting impression. I find this in quite a few books. A novel does not need to have multitudes of fuller-pages to give the book length or substance. I would find it by far more enjoyable to grasp the storyline and run with it.
Overall, this was a good novel with underlying themes that could become questions for essays. It would be easy to research, expand, and write on these themes. Yet I would have liked 'depth of storyline' rather than 'length of book'. Maybe I just expected more due to the reviews and the time in which I had this sitting in my TBR pile.
Read it and let me know what you think.
Description:
The city of dreaming spires. It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world. And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the empire flows.
Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift. Until it became a prison...
But can a student stand against an empire?
Available from: Amazon.com
Happy reading
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