Alice Law is an American PhD student who is studying Analytic Magick under the guidance of Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge University. Along with her equally brilliant rival, Peter Murdoch, Alice is considered the most gifted student in the department, but sometimes spells can still go wrong and she is horrified when Professor Grimes steps inside one of her pentagrams and is whisked away to hell. How will she finish her degree without Grimes to advise her? The only thing to do is to enter hell herself and bring him back.
A decision to go to hell is not something that should be taken lightly, particularly as the price of going and coming back again is half of a person’s remaining lifespan, but Alice feels she has no choice, especially as she was responsible for the disaster. However, she’s not at all pleased when Peter Murdoch insists on coming with her. She and Peter were once friends but their academic rivalry has driven them apart. Will they be able to work together to navigate their way through hell and rescue Professor Grimes?
RF Kuang is an author I keep seeing on other blogs I follow, but I’ve never tried one of her books myself until now. Whether this was the best one I could have started with I don’t know – the premise certainly sounded fascinating and there were plenty of things I enjoyed about the book, but overall it didn’t quite deliver for me. I think a big part of the problem is that I found Alice difficult to like; Peter was a more engaging character, but apart from some flashbacks to his early life, we don’t see much of the story through his eyes. Professor Grimes was even less sympathetic – the more I learned about him, the less I cared whether he was rescued or not and the weaker Alice’s motive for following him into hell became.
Hell is an unusual setting, although there have obviously been several classics set there, including Dante’s Inferno, which are referred to repeatedly throughout the book as Alice and Peter discuss the experiences of those who have visited the underworld before them. Kuang’s portrayal of hell draws on many different sources, including Dante with his circles based on various sins, and elements of Greek, Chinese and other mythologies. I particularly enjoyed reading about the Weaver Girl who presents Peter and Alice with a challenge to determine whether one, both or neither will cross the River Lethe, as well as their first encounters with Shades and creepy ‘bone-things’. I was a bit confused, though, because the entire underworld seems to be populated by students and magicians and as our protagonists wander through the ‘Eight Courts of Hell’, they find that one resembles a library and another a campus. Where did all the people from other walks of life go? Was there a separate hell for everyone else?
Katabasis (the title is from the Ancient Greek term for a descent into the underworld) falls firmly into the ‘dark academia’ subgenre as well as fantasy. As well as all the characters being academics and hell resembling a university, Alice and Peter also have lots of long, detailed discussions about algorithms, paradoxes and the science of magic. None of this interested me very much and I felt it slowed the story down, but I’m sure other readers will get more out of these sections than I did. One thing that did intrigue me was the time period in which the book is set. I assumed at first that it was a contemporary setting, but then came across lots of references to music, culture and scientific developments that seem to place the book in the late 1980s. It didn’t seem to have any actual relevance to the plot, so I’m curious to know why Kuang chose this particular period.
I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to try a book by Kuang at last, but based on this one I don’t think she’s an author for me.
Thanks to HarperVoyager for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.
She Reads Novels 
I’m seeing this *everywhere* ATM! I did think that its an interesting idea (even if done before by various authors) but I think I’d struggle with unlikable characters. Eons ago I used to read much more Fantasy but lost the urge over time and it hasn’t recovered. Maybe this isn’t the book to reignite things for me!
Not liking the characters was definitely a big problem for me. I think there will be much better fantasy books out there if you wanted to get back into the genre!
I’ve enjoyed RF Kuang’s previous books but the premise of this one just didn’t appeal to me. After reading your review, I’m even more sure😀
The level of detail does very similar to Babel which was a very dense book in that way but I did like some of the characters.
Maybe I should have started with one of her other books. This one hasn’t really left me wanting to read more!
Based on your review and the description of the book I’m pretty sure this not an author for me either!
There were some things I liked but overall I wasn’t impressed!
I’ve quickly skimmed this as I’ve got this ready by the bedside for when I’m ready to tackle it. 🙂
I hope you enjoy it! I’ll be interested to see your thoughts.
I don’t think this is really for me but when you ask if there are separate hells that did make me laugh and may be I am a tiny bit intrigued!
It just seemed so odd that everyone in hell was a student and I don’t think we were ever given an explanation for it!
I really like the sound of this, but reviews have been so mixed!
It does seem to be dividing opinion! I hope you like it if you decide to try it.
It is a fun and intriguing premise. If you had liked it more I would be putting it on my TBR list, but now I’m not so sure. It’s too bad Alice wasn’t more likable. I’ve been reading a lot of 3-star books lately…books that are fine, but not ones I really love. This sounds like one of those.
Yes, this was a 3 star book for me. It wasn’t bad but I was hoping for something better. Alice was so difficult to like!
Thank You for reading and reviewing this for many of us. I have been on the fence for RF Kuang for a bit, curious about her work but not sure if she is my kind of genre. I think she is a very bright academic woman but her story telling may not be for all of us, including me. I know she has a large fanbase but I think I am going to skip her completely. Rather read Chinese mythology or Dante than this one.
I had been curious about Kuang for a while too. I’m pleased to have tried one of her books, but it definitely wasn’t really for me. Reading Chinese mythology and Dante does sound more appealing!
I am not a Kuang fan… thought Yellowface was fun but way overhyped, and actively disliked Babel. However, tbf this one seems to have disappointed her actual fans, so you may get on better with one of her others.
This book certainly hasn’t left me desperate to read more of her books, but I’ll keep Yellowface in mind in case I’m ever tempted to try her again.
Too bad the story didn’t quite hit the mark for you. But I appreciate your honest review. Makes deciding for me easier.
I’m disappointed as I’d hoped to like it a lot more. It’s not a bad book, but too slow for me and with characters I just couldn’t warm to.
not every author is for everyone. It’s part of the joy of reading to find the ones that we love. I haven’t read this one yet buy I did really enjoy Babel
I don’t think Kuang is for me at all, but I’m glad other people are enjoying her books. I hope you like this one whenever you read it.
I read Babel by the author and I was similarly not impressed. I think she is highly overrated. Her characters are two-dimensional, the plot uninspiring with messages too explicit for my likes, and overall her writing style is underwhelming. Reading your review of this book confirms my impressions of the author and the issues I have with one of her books seem to be more pervasive across her body of work.
I’m new to your blog, but I’m enjoying your reviews immensely and find that we generally have similar tastes in books. Glad to have found you!
Yes, it sounds like you would have similar problems with this book, particularly with the two-dimensional characters. I don’t think I’ll be trying Babel!
Thank you for your kind words about my blog. I hope some of the books and authors I’ve reviewed appeal to you.
yes, Dorothy Dunnett for one!
I think the premise of this sounds fascinating but I’ve been a bit nervous about trying it as I really wasnt a fan of Babel when I picked that up. Parts of what you’ve said sound promising – like the bits from various mythology woven in and the Weaver Girl – but others sound a bit like some of my struggles linked to that other book. Like the in depth conversations and unlikeablility of certain characters. I love unlikeable characters in some stories but not if you’re meant to root for them 🤔 maybe I’ll make The Poppy Wars the next novel by the author I try out instead.
From what other people have said, this book seems to be quite similar to Babel in a lot of ways, so maybe you would have some of the same problems. I hope if you do try it, you enjoy it more than I did! The Poppy Wars sounds like it could be a better choice.
Thank you, I hope so too although I’m pretty nervous now. Tbh I’m slightly worried as to how I’ll find The Poppy War too but im hoping that will fit better for me as it sounds like my kind of read