I just finished reading Rebecca F. Kuang’s novel ‘Babel’. It’s a fantastic magical alternative history of the British empire in some of it’s worse days, exploring the context of colonised and enslaved peoples.

The magical sci-fi elements are a really nice touch, and that was what initially drew me to read the book. In this story, the evolution of language and translation of words from one place to another are used to power magic contraptions which feed into everyday life in the British empire. By inscribing words in different languages onto silver and ‘capturing’ the differences in meaning you can manifest this in the real world. Just on its own as a sci-fi concept it’s a really neat idea: Words have power, and making that power literal is a nice touch. The academic setting of oxford also drew me in, scratching that Phillip Pullman itch (I’m still waiting on his final novel about Lyra’s alternate history oxford).

But the real strength of this book, that I was not expecting, is the way the silver, language, and academic research acts as a stand-in for the control that Britain (and France, and so many other globe spanning empires) used hundreds of years ago to subjugate the various peoples around the planet. It is a really insightful way to try and present the issues in a different way to what really happens.

Fantasy aspects aside, the most important contribution from this story is the critique of empire. Reading about historic abuse and failed political ideas is important, I want to know what happened, how we can heal and improve, and most importantly avoid making mistakes and (maybe knowingly) repeating abuse in the future. But I find it really difficult to read about these things. Kuang’s narrative, framed mostly in the perspective of an orphan adopted into the English empire, makes for some really insightful looks into what it must have felt like (and no doubt what it still feels like for some othered people today). There were some really good passages that highlight this, and they are really powerful and just as relevant in a modern context.

From the outset of the book the main character Robin is denied the use of his own name. This loss of identity seems to be a recurring problem amongst many oppressed people, and taking someone’s name away is a terrible way to exert control over them. Remy is shown having to juggle so many different identities in order to fit in, and this seems to hold true even today. It reminded me of Boots Riley’s film ‘Sorry to bother you’. Everyone has to juggle different faces in different contexts, but the problem is far more pronounced for people in a society where your literal face is judged first. Victoire works on silver that is intended to control slaves, and due to her own background, is invited to test the output on herself as if that is a totally normal thing to ask. Even though these outsiders have been invited in to English society, they are only ever seen as tools of the wider empire, and are never afforded the respect of equals. Letty’s steadfast inability (or outright refusal) to recognise the different lived experiences of the others, and why they might be upset by their treatment, eventually throws the entire plot off-kilter. The book also explores the discrimination that women experience in academia, and it is striking that despite being on the receiving end of this, someone like Letty could be completely blind to an equivalent racial discrimination. And yet, a lot of these issues still seem prevalent today. People in power will steadfastly refuse to accept that some people face discrimination, insist on treating them as an other, and refuse to help them when that could be of benefit to themselves.

On a technical level, I like the use of world building footnotes, it’s always nice to see them in a work. Given the book’s focus on language it’s also welcome to see it not shy away from going deep into linguistic aspects. The ebook version I read embeds ugly images of Chinese characters rather than native characters, which is mildly annoying, but doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. I might not have mentioned this, but I find it odd as the editor managed to include Sanskrit words in native script without issue. Throughout the book the author has not shied away from repeatedly using dated slurs, which makes for some uncomfortable reading, but it did help to ground me in feeling more sympathy for the characters.

This is a really good book and I strongly recommend it for anyone that feels any connection to a former imperial power, be it Britain or any of the others.