I finished R. F. Kuang’s Katabasis today - just in time to turn it back in to the library on the day it was due .

I found the writing quite good. I enjoyed the exploration of the, basically, voluntary torture grad school participants submit themselves to. I also very much appreciated the perspective of a woman struggling to excel in a male-dominated field. I found the imaginative exploration of Hell combined with philosophy very creative and fun.

My one quibble was that the protagonist managed to squeak out of crises enough times that I could clearly see the plot armor and the wrap-it-up-in-a-bow ending was a little too cute for my taste.

My only real criticism is to wonder what it is about books about wizards that people can’t stay dead? Ms. Rowling removes the impact of her protagonist’s sacrifice by bringing him back. Ms. Novik has to keep her protagonist’s love interest alive in her Scholomance trilogy to, I think, avoid making El sad. And Kuang follows in the same pattern of what, to me, seems like cowardice in the face of loss. I’d suspect it’s an American thing about wanting to avoid thinking about death, but Rowling isn’t American. Still, I think it robs all these stories of a depth they could all benefit from.

Overall, I would recommend Katabasis for its creativity, writing, and for presenting a solid, female voice; but now that I know the plot, I’m not sure I’d pick it up again - which is true for most of the books I’ve enjoyed.

#katabasis #bookreview