Katabasis

Katabasis is a deeply atmospheric and thought-provoking experience that manages to grip you from the ver beginning. The way it explores its core themes, drawing heavily on the mythological concept of a descent into the underworld. Its a powerful, memorable piece of work that stands out for its unique artistic direction and emotinal weight. Highly recommend.

Anticipating Katabasis since the publishing was announced, I was intriguied to explore all the mentioned references, such as Dante's Inferno and Virgil's Aeneid and even more. However, I never actually managed to read said classics and nevertheless, I had a fantastic and fun read. Therefore, in order to grasp the information Kuang offers, one does not necessarily need to engage with all the afore mentioned classics. All the accumulated information that Kuang shares while her protagonists travel through hell is what provides the book with a unique reading experience. Witnessing hell through Alices's and Peters eyes is what helps to understand their motivations, thoughts and burdens, which also represents how hell itself mirrors both of them. Overall, Katabasis highlights not only what academics face normally, but also how science shapes our world. Therefore, it is the perfect junction between Fantasy and Philosophy.

Dante's Inferno meets The Secret History in this gripping journey to hell that doubles as a descent into the depths of the human psyche. As an English lit major I've particularly enjoyed the little stabs and jokes towards academia and the surrounding culture, which added a layer of absurd realism to the characters in this otherwise very imaginative tale. It's not your traditional romantasy book either, which definitely made for a breath of fresh air!

First Book by R.F Kuang and definitely not the Last. I enjoyed the read a lot! the Story gives you a critical and very real view of the academic world, but with a magical touch. I loved the unperfect characters, the magik and most of all: the cat feminist, strong and brave. An apell to live and not just survive.

Everyone who knows me knows I am a Kuang-Ultra. And her first lovestory (not romance) pulled me out of a big reading slump from the first page out. I am a big fan of the way she writes and builds these literary fantasy novels and have devoured each and every one of them (plus Yellowface ;)). While many readers seem to think she wants to rub her intelligence and education in your face, to me it feels more like she is nerding out and I can highly relate to that! Katabasis feels more lighthearted and less rage-filled than her previous works and it had me giggling throughout the story a lot. That is to say this still isn't a funny-haha-read and I also felt super emotional throughout the story and really felt the charaters grow and develope. Highly recommend this everyone who loves a good literary fantasy and niche infodumps on hell and philosophy! Also if you're wondering: You do not need to read all these books booktok says beforehand. Most people already have a good grasps on the ideas of Dante etc. and she does explain them as well. However if you truly wanna nerd-out: Yes, Dante, T.S. Eliot, and co should definitely be on your line up ;) (If you are super nerdy, I'd also highly recommend watching a couple of her interviews or lectures you can find online. Her mind is truly fascinating and I love to listen to her talk.)