KatabasisKatabasis
What it's about
Alice Law is a brilliant graduate student in magic at Cambridge, and her advisor, Professor Grimes, has died in an accident she caused. Without him, her career is over. So she does the only logical thing: she uses magic to travel to Hell and bring him back. Her academic rival, Peter, insists on coming too, and Hell turns out to be a lot like a university.
Why it's worth reading
It hit #1 on the New York Times list and was a finalist for the Nebula and Goodreads Choice awards. It's dark academia from the author of Babel, funny and full of philosophy.
You'll love it if you liked
Babel
The Divine Comedy
The IncandescentGood to know
It's packed with logic puzzles and references to philosophy and mythology. It deals with academic abuse.
By the numbers
- Readers0 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics24 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller67 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz72 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #284 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #323 of the 481 new books we rank
- #1880 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic, Adventurous
More by R. F. Kuang
If you like this, read next
Fourth Wing
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Quicksilver
The Tainted Cup
A Drop of Corruption
AlchemisedExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Katabasis worth reading?
Yes. It hit #1 on the New York Times list and was a finalist for the Nebula and Goodreads Choice awards. It ranks #1,880 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 64.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Katabasis about?
Alice Law is a brilliant graduate student in magic at Cambridge, and her advisor, Professor Grimes, has died in an accident she caused. Without him, her career is over. So she does the only logical thing: she uses magic to travel to Hell and bring him back. Her academic rival, Peter, insists on coming too, and Hell turns out to be a lot like a university.
How long does it take to read Katabasis?
About 14 hours (541 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Katabasis?
If you liked it, try Babel by R. F. Kuang, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri or The Incandescent by Emily Tesh.