---
product_id: 384929185
title: "Babel: Or The Necessity Of Violence: An Arcane History Of The Oxford Translators’ Revolution"
price: "€ 24.96"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 12
url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/384929185-babel-or-the-necessity-of-violence-an-arcane-history-oxford
store_origin: SK
region: Slovakia
---

# Babel: Or The Necessity Of Violence: An Arcane History Of The Oxford Translators’ Revolution

**Price:** € 24.96
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- **What is this?** Babel: Or The Necessity Of Violence: An Arcane History Of The Oxford Translators’ Revolution
- **How much does it cost?** € 24.96 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sk](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/384929185-babel-or-the-necessity-of-violence-an-arcane-history-oxford)

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## Description

Babel: Or The Necessity Of Violence: An Arcane History Of The Oxford Translators’ Revolution : Kuang, R.F.: desertcart.in: Books

Review: Historical fantasy exploring the tapestry of language - “An act of translation is necessarily an act of betrayal” concludes a character in the book and that essentially forms the crux of this novel — it starts with the hope that translation can bridge different cultures, but the protagonists soon discover that the power of words can tear people apart in a colonial framework. Babel is a historical fantasy novel set in an alternate version of early 19th century England where the Royal Institute of Translation in Oxford (or Babel) drives the country’s technological prowess and colonial ambitions. Translators use silver bars enchanted with “match pairs” in different languages to do so. Robin Swift, Ramy Mirza, Victoire Desgraves and Letty Price enrol at Babel, longing to belong and grappling with their loyalties to their capitalist masters and their people. Kuang's writing is accessible, simple, and fast-paced, yet insightful with her detailed exploration of the etymology of words in multiple languages. She liberally uses footnotes throughout the book. These range from pure fiction to reality, are often quirky, but significantly add to the book. However, at times, I felt the plot was somewhat formulaic — she has taken standard tropes such as racism (Robin’s real Chinese name is never revealed), capitalism and callousness (the willingness to profit from opium even at the expense of a generation’s well-being), friendship and betrayal, and same-sex love (with subtle hints) and checked them against her plot. The varied tempo of her writing was another slight gripe for me. While the book is somewhat of a page-turner, the story moves along at a very rapid clip in the first third of the book while it gets stretched out in the concluding parts. Nevertheless, as Robin feels as a young child, “what a pleasure it was to hold the weight of an entire, finished story” in my hands! Pros: Inventive plot, insightful and pacy Cons: Slightly clichéd, varying pace
Review: fascinating exploration of language and etymology. - The copy arrived in good condition, though I was a bit disappointed with the paper quality..it tends to bleed through when highlighted, which can be frustrating for those of us who love annotating our books. That aside, this was an absolutely gorgeous read. I loved every bit of it..not just for the plot (a bit weak), but for the exquisite writing and the fascinating exploration of language and etymology. The setting felt refreshingly unique; it was my first time reading something centered around translators at Oxford, complete with touches of historical context that made it even more engaging. Despite the minor issue with the paper, the book itself was completely worth it, beautiful, thought-provoking, and thoroughly enjoyable.

## Images

![Babel: Or The Necessity Of Violence: An Arcane History Of The Oxford Translators’ Revolution - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81ko+wSOm-L.jpg)
![Babel: Or The Necessity Of Violence: An Arcane History Of The Oxford Translators’ Revolution - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51woUUnRqyL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Historical fantasy exploring the tapestry of language
*by A***N on 25 March 2024*

“An act of translation is necessarily an act of betrayal” concludes a character in the book and that essentially forms the crux of this novel — it starts with the hope that translation can bridge different cultures, but the protagonists soon discover that the power of words can tear people apart in a colonial framework. Babel is a historical fantasy novel set in an alternate version of early 19th century England where the Royal Institute of Translation in Oxford (or Babel) drives the country’s technological prowess and colonial ambitions. Translators use silver bars enchanted with “match pairs” in different languages to do so. Robin Swift, Ramy Mirza, Victoire Desgraves and Letty Price enrol at Babel, longing to belong and grappling with their loyalties to their capitalist masters and their people. Kuang's writing is accessible, simple, and fast-paced, yet insightful with her detailed exploration of the etymology of words in multiple languages. She liberally uses footnotes throughout the book. These range from pure fiction to reality, are often quirky, but significantly add to the book. However, at times, I felt the plot was somewhat formulaic — she has taken standard tropes such as racism (Robin’s real Chinese name is never revealed), capitalism and callousness (the willingness to profit from opium even at the expense of a generation’s well-being), friendship and betrayal, and same-sex love (with subtle hints) and checked them against her plot. The varied tempo of her writing was another slight gripe for me. While the book is somewhat of a page-turner, the story moves along at a very rapid clip in the first third of the book while it gets stretched out in the concluding parts. Nevertheless, as Robin feels as a young child, “what a pleasure it was to hold the weight of an entire, finished story” in my hands! Pros: Inventive plot, insightful and pacy Cons: Slightly clichéd, varying pace

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ fascinating exploration of language and etymology.
*by A***S on 28 October 2025*

The copy arrived in good condition, though I was a bit disappointed with the paper quality..it tends to bleed through when highlighted, which can be frustrating for those of us who love annotating our books. That aside, this was an absolutely gorgeous read. I loved every bit of it..not just for the plot (a bit weak), but for the exquisite writing and the fascinating exploration of language and etymology. The setting felt refreshingly unique; it was my first time reading something centered around translators at Oxford, complete with touches of historical context that made it even more engaging. Despite the minor issue with the paper, the book itself was completely worth it, beautiful, thought-provoking, and thoroughly enjoyable.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ So well designed!
*by P***G on 28 October 2025*

Great read! I'll leave the review for Goodreads but the book is really well designed. It falls open so well, has the perfect binding so that it sits well on the table. And the typeface makes for a really good reading experience, I love a good font - so well thought through.

## Frequently Bought Together

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- Piranesi: WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2021

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*Product available on Desertcart Slovakia*
*Store origin: SK*
*Last updated: 2026-02-19*