Katabasis

“Katabasis” by R. F. Kuang is a thrilling plunge into the psychological underworld of academia wrapped in the trappings of mythic fantasy. Set in the hallowed halls of Cambridge, the story follows graduate students Alice Law and Peter Murdoch, who must set aside fierce rivalry to descend into Hell to rescue their deceased advisor and secure their academic futures.

Kuang layers thick dark humour, high-stakes magical theory and the brutal grind of post-grad life into a narrative that reads both like a descent into mythic oblivion and a razor-sharp satire of the ivory tower. Completely relateable to a university student. The magic here is as cold and precise as chalk-dust on a lecture hall board, and the rivalry between Alice and Peter is convincing enough to pull you into the depths of their ambition and desperation.

While the pacing sometimes slows beneath its weighty metaphysical reflections, those willing to go the distance will find a bold, clever story of rivalry, guilt and the price of genius. In short: an ambitious read that rewards curious minds.

4*!