Waiting on Wednesday 03/23/22
Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
Babel by R.F. Kuang (August 23, 2022 by HarperVoyager)
This sounds quite heavy and very different than The Poppy Wars series, but I would read anything this talented lady writes.
“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 of translation and, more importantly, of silver-working: the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation through enchanted silver bars, to magical effect. Silver-working has made the British Empire unparalleled in power, and Babel’s research in foreign languages serves the Empire’s quest to colonize everything it encounters.
Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, is a fairytale for Robin; a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge serves power, and for Robin, a Chinese boy raised in Britain, serving Babel inevitably means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to sabotaging the silver-working that supports 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? What is he willing to sacrifice to bring Babel down?
Babel — a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal response to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell — grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of translation as a tool of empire.”
The BiblioSanctum 
That sounds really good. I may have to pick up a copy.
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OOh interesting! This is a new to me one! I hope you positively love it once you get to read it!
Here’s my CWW
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
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I’ve yet to try her work but this sounds like one I’d be very willing to try (as I would The Poppy Wars). And I really like that cover.
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I’m curious about this too. I haven’t read her other books but maybe I’ll start with this one😁
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Interesting
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I CAN’T WAIT TO READ THIS BOOK, TOO!!!
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I love the sound of this!
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Ooh, hadn’t heard of this yet, but sounds very tempting!
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Oh it’s the first time I hear about this one
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Still need to read The Poppy Wars (ideally before this releases) but I’m super intrigued by this…even if it does sound a bit complicated 😅
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I soooo need that one too! I adored the Poppy War! You made me read it if I recall correctly!
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The Poppy Wars has been on my Wishlist! This definitely makes me want to move it up and get into it soon! All I’ve heard is good things about The Poppy Wars and the author!
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Wow, this does sound good – heavy, but good – and that cover. It’s amazing. I could sit and look at it for ages.
Lynn 😀
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