Book-Space! #24. Babel
Ever wondered what a translator’s life is like? R.F. Kuang’s Babel lends readers an accurate impression of higher education, British colonialism, and the magical powers of silversmithing. Join Brock, Summer, and Dan as we discuss this wonderfully dense and evocative book. Listen here or download here.
Next time, spider aliens! Courtesy of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time.
Posted on April 26, 2023, in Podcast and tagged Babel, Space-Biff! Book-Space!. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
SPACE-BIFF! 
Have yet to listen, but my one topical question is this:
In the book, they’re playing a card game – any idea which one? Isn’t it annoying that the author doesn’t spell it out?
In another book, two imprisoned characters had a deck of cards, so they played Rummy, and all I could think was – is it regular Rummy, or a 2p variant like Gin Rummy?
Ha, I guess I didn’t notice. I was too invested in the linguistics.
I finally took the time to read Babel and my, what a read!
This would be the best I’ve read all year if it was not for Tiffany McDaniel’s Betty, but it comes close second (and it’s been years since I read that great of a fantasy book). The way the author blends story, setting, and themes to present them in a cohesive result so tangled you just cannot take one apart is brilliant.
As usual, hearing your thoughts and jokes about it has been a very pleasant way to stay within the headspace of the novel, so thank you for that.
Thanks for listening, Chips! I think this might have been one of my favorite episodes, in no small part because the book was so good.