it's been a week since katabasis came out and the discourse on tiktok is kinda wild. some people are crying and calling it pretentious, others are praising rf kuang's writing. some are gatekeeping with "required pre-reading," while others are saying just dive in.
so here are my thoughts 50 pages in (3 chapters). honestly? it's super easy to read! as someone who reads a lot of high fantasy, it doesn’t have that heavy feel. it’s closer to alice in wonderland but hell version. funny, reflexive, absurd, adventurous. yes it references dante and some greek philosophers, but 1) you’ve probably at least heard of them at school, and 2) a quick google is enough to contextualise. and honestly, you don’t need those references to understand the novel at all.
about the romance: so far it feels like a sweet, second-chance slow burn, more of a subplot. rf kuang herself said she wouldn’t call this a romance, since that genre has very specific codes. she calls it a love story, and it really feels like that so far.
overall, the first 50 pages feel very different from babel. this is more quirky, absurd, adventurous and less the classic dark academia mood. i’m finding it really entertaining. there’s also a strong commentary on how academia impacts mental health, which is a very different critique than in babel. fans of one might not necessarily enjoy the other, but i’m enjoying it so far.
Katabasis full Book Review
Katabasis Reading log : my reaction to a bunch of different quotes
A recount of RF Kuang's talk in Cambridge
