Babylon

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NEBULA BEST NOVEL AWARD
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Traduttore, traditore : An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1928. Orphaned by cholera, Robin Swift is brought from Canton to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, she learns Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese over the years, all of which are preparation for Oxford University's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. With its students inside the tower, it is the translation center of the world and, more importantly, the center of magic. Silversmithing—the art of revealing meaning lost in translation through magical silver bars—has made the English unrivaled as the empire’s quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge is subordinate to power, and as a Chinese man raised in Britain, Robin will come to realize that serving Babylon means betraying his homeland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babylon and the shadowy Society of Hermes, dedicated to stopping the empire’s expansion. When Britain goes to war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide…

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?

“Kuang has outdone himself in this book. Babylon is ruthless, gentle, epic, and intimate; it is both a love letter and a declaration of war. A superb book.”—Alix E. Harrow

“A stirring work. What Kuang does here has never been done in literature before.”—Tochi Onyebuchi