Katabasis rests on a table next to an iced chai latte and a half-eaten cardamom bun

Review: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Posted on by Anna and Alexis

Alexis: Happy September🍂 It’s the perfect time of year for dark academia! 

Katabasis: The Greek word for the journey into the underworld. 

Katabasis is R.F. Kuang’s newest novel. It follows two rival magick academics from Cambridge, Alice and Peter, who venture into Hell to save their academic advisor, Professor Grimes—after all, his accidental death may have been Alice’s fault. 

The Writing

If you’ve read Kuang’s books before, I would describe the tone of this one as a mix between Babel and Yellowface. It’s academic, yes, but it’s also funny. While I read Katabasis, I was often struck by how often I was laughing. Her actual writing is witty and smart yet—you guessed it—full of humor.

The References

I sped through this book. It was exactly what I was in the mood to read. I appreciated Kuang’s intense take and criticism of academia. And, listen, I have a BA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing, and, once upon a time, I took Latin for 3 years and learned a lot about Roman and Greek mythology. So you can be sure that I was nerding out over all of the literature and mythology references.

I will say, though, I feel like they make total sense in this book. The way Kuang delves into literature, mythology, and even magick theory echoes the way that Alice and Peter think and solve problems. And, without giving too much away, since Hell mimics Cambridge, it perfectly fits into both the above and below worlds. 

The Characters

As for the main characters, I thought Alice and Peter were both well-rounded. Did I root for them to find Grimes and get the hell out of, well, Hell? Yes. Did I find their flaws frustrating at times? Yes. Did I understand them, though? Also yes. They’re the perfect academics to venture into Hell, and when we finally get their backstories halfway through, they feel earned, and they really worked well for their character arcs.

The Romance

While I think the marketing of this book sometimes focused too much on the romance, I can honestly say that the romance is a subplot of a subplot, so if you’re more of a dark academia person vs. a romance person, you’ll still enjoy the story. However, if you’re more of a romantasy reader, you’ll still appreciate the rivals to lovers trope. 

The Story

While I wouldn’t call Babel a fantasy book, but more a historical alternate history with fantastical elements, I appreciated that Katabasis was both a dark academia and a fantasy book. The magick system uses chalk and pentagrams, and I found it fascinating as a whole. I love a good classic hero’s journey, and I was interested in all of the side characters and side quests we met along the way.

Oh, and also, there’s a cat named Archimedes. 

VERDICT: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥/5 

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Published by Anna and Alexis

Hello! We're Anna and Alexis, twins from the Richmond, Virginia area. We both studied English and creative writing in college. Anna spent a year after college working in book publishing in New York City. After living outside of D.C., she moved back to the Richmond area. She works in marketing. Her favorite genre to read is literary fiction, especially by female authors, and she also enjoys dystopian novels. Alexis works in marketing and writes novels on the side. She recently finished grad school, where she received her MFA in creative writing. She loves reading fantasy, especially YA, magical realism, and the occasional lyrical fiction and romance. We’ve been reading and writing together as long as we can remember, and we’re excited to share our bookish thoughts with you! Check us out on Instagram @takestwotobookreview.

3 thoughts on “Review: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang”

  2. Thanks so much for this detailed and insightful review, Anna and Alexis! I love how you highlighted the mix of dark academia, humor, and mythology that Katabasis brings to the table. The way R.F. Kuang incorporates literature, magick theory, and even Greek and Roman references sounds right up my alley, especially as someone who enjoys seeing fantasy and academic settings collide in clever ways.

    I’m particularly intrigued by how Hell mirrors Cambridge and how the characters’ intellects and flaws are so deeply woven into the story. The fact that the romance is more of a subplot than the main focus is also great—I prefer stories where the world-building and character arcs take center stage, and it sounds like Kuang strikes that balance well. Plus, a cat named Archimedes? That’s a bonus I can’t resist!

    I definitely plan to read Katabasis soon and will be summarizing it on my website, ursummary.com, so I can explore the themes, the darkly comedic moments, and the journey of Alice and Peter in more depth. Your review has me even more excited to dive in and see firsthand how this unique blend of fantasy, academia, and humor unfolds.

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