🔥 Book Review: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
A razor-sharp, darkly hilarious descent into Hell—both literal and academic—that skewers ambition, rivalry, and the myth of intellectual purity.
Following the satirical brilliance of Yellowface and the genre-defining Babel, R.F. Kuang’s sixth novel, Katabasis, is a wildly inventive dark academia fantasy that blends philosophical depth with absurdist humor. With its biting wit, dense literary allusions, and emotionally fraught characters, Katabasis is already being hailed as one of the most original books of 2025.
🧠 Plot Overview
Set in the 1980s at Cambridge University’s Department of Analytic Magick, the story follows Alice Law, a fiercely ambitious PhD student obsessed with securing a recommendation letter from her notoriously cruel advisor, Professor Jacob Grimes. When Grimes dies in a magical accident, Alice decides to descend into Hell to retrieve his soul—because without that letter, her academic future is doomed.
Unfortunately, her academic rival, Peter Murdoch, has the same idea. Reluctantly, the two join forces, armed with chalk, pentagrams, and a mountain of unresolved tension. Their journey through the Eight Courts of Hell is equal parts terrifying and ridiculous, featuring skeletal bone-dogs, bargaining deities, and libraries filled with self-published self-help authors.
📚 Why It Stands Out
- Dark Academia Meets Dante: Kuang reimagines Hell as a bureaucratic, campus-like nightmare where each court reflects academic sins—Pride is a library, Envy a debate hall, and so on.
- Satirical Genius: From mocking pretentious scholars to skewering the sunk cost fallacy of academia, Kuang’s prose is both cerebral and laugh-out-loud funny.
- Philosophical Depth: The magic system is rooted in paradoxes, algebra, and linguistic theory, making it as intellectually rich as it is fantastical.
- Emotionally Complex Characters: Alice is insufferable, brilliant, and heartbreakingly human. Peter is her foil—optimistic, irritating, and quietly profound.
💬 Critical Reception
- “A masterful character study on obsession and identity.” — Grimdark Magazine
- “Clever and absurd in equal measure… a paradoxical balance of escapism and philosophical exploration.” — ArtsHub
- “Might be the best book of 2025.” — The Everygirl
⚠️ Themes & Content Notes
- Academic burnout and toxic mentorship
- Satire of institutional elitism
- Grief, guilt, and moral ambiguity
- Includes dark humor, magical violence, and existential dread
🏁 Final Verdict
Katabasis is a genre-defying triumph—equal parts fantasy epic, academic satire, and emotional reckoning. If you’ve ever questioned the cost of ambition, the absurdity of scholarly gatekeeping, or the ethics of chasing prestige through fire and brimstone, this book will speak to you. It’s not just a descent into Hell—it’s a mirror held up to the ivory tower.
