Babel by R.F. Kuang — Fresh Off The Press November Book Club

Join us for our November book club with a special after-hours gathering at Ben McNally Books.

The store will be closed to the public, so we’ll have the space all to ourselves for a private discussion and a little book browsing.

Pages: 560
Genre: Fantasy - Historical \ Fantasy - Epic \ Literary

Synopsis:

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel.

Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide…

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?

Pick up your copy in person at Ben McNally Books and enjoy a 15% discount when you mention it’s for the book club!
https://shop.benmcnallybooks.com/item/MEgaIBq6_d8gsRWqLbJp9w

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• Every attendee is expected to read the book before the meeting.
• This is a safe space. Please be kind and respectful to all attendees. Any form of discrimination will result in removal from all future events.
• Event capacity is limited to 20 people.

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Host or Publisher Fresh Off The Press Book Club - Canada