Rebecca Kuang Books

The searing follow-up to 2018's most celebrated fantasy debut - THE POPPY WAR.

A war orphan rises from her humble beginnings to become a powerful military commander, and perhaps her country's only hope for survival.

The exciting end to The Poppy War trilogy, R.F. Kuang's acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of 20th-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling effect.

Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Poppy War, this book is described as "absolutely phenomenal" and a "brilliant, razor-sharp" work that delves into colonial history and the Industrial Revolution. From award-winning author R. F. Kuang, it serves as a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, exploring student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the role of language and translation as tools of the British empire. In 1828, Robin Swift, an orphaned boy from Canton, is taken to London by the enigmatic Professor Lovell. He undergoes years of training in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, preparing to enroll in the Royal Institute of Translation at Oxford, known as Babel. This institution is not only a center for translation but also for magic, where silver working enables the British to dominate through knowledge that fuels their imperial ambitions. For Robin, Oxford initially appears as a utopia for knowledge. However, as a Chinese boy in Britain, he grapples with the reality that serving Babel means betraying his homeland. Caught between Babel and the secretive Hermes Society, which opposes imperial expansion, Robin faces a critical choice as Britain engages in an unjust war with China over silver and opium. He must confront whether meaningful change can occur from within powerful institutions or if revolution necessitates violence.

'Katabasis is a formidable, timeless work, destined to be a modern classic' OLIVIE BLAKE 'Katabasis is more than a novel to savor. This book is an experience. I envy those who get to read it for the first time' REBECCA ROSS 'A witty, gorey, harrowing ride' LEIGH BARDUGO Katabasis, noun, Ancient Greek. The story of a hero's descent to the underworld. Grad student Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become the brightest mind in the field of analytic magick. But the only person who can make her dream come true is dead and - inconveniently - in Hell. And Alice, along with her biggest rival Peter Murdoch, is going after him. But Hell is not as the philosophers claim, its rules are upside-down, and if she's going to get out of there alive, she and Peter will have to work together. That's if they can agree on anything. Will they triumph, or kill each other trying? 2025's most unexpected love story is going to be hell in the new novel by Sunday Times Number One Bestseller R.F. Kuang. Coming August 2025.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK - EXCERPT TO NEW NOVEL KATABASIS! "Hard to put down, harder to forget." -- Stephen King White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences... Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she claims to be. In this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R.F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel, June Hayward and Athena Liu were meant to be twin rising stars. Athena is a literary darling, while June feels like a nobody. After witnessing Athena's tragic death, June impulsively steals her completed manuscript, an experimental novel highlighting the contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. June edits and submits the novel as her own, rebranding herself as Juniper Song with an ambiguously ethnic author photo. She believes this important story deserves to be told, regardless of the teller. The New York Times bestseller list seems to agree, but as evidence mounts against her, June finds it increasingly difficult to escape Athena's shadow. As she races to protect her secret, June confronts how far she will go to claim what she thinks she deserves. With an immersive first-person voice, this novel explores themes of diversity, racism, cultural appropriation, and the alienation of social media, making it timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

From R. F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel, this collection brings together her historical military fantasy trilogy—The Poppy War, The Dragon Republic, and The Burning God—an epic inspired by China’s tumultuous twentieth-century history, rich with treachery and magic. In The Poppy War, war orphan Rin secures her place in Nikan’s elite military school, where she uncovers her shamanic powers and realizes that ancient gods are alive. As conflict looms between the Nikara Empire and the Federation of Mugen, Rin learns that her powers may be her people’s only hope, but the cost of victory may be her humanity. The Dragon Republic follows Rin as she grapples with guilt and addiction after a horrific battle. Driven by vengeance against the Empress who betrayed her, she allies with the Dragon Warlord. As she navigates the complexities of her allies and enemies, the temptation to unleash the Phoenix’s destructive power intensifies. In The Burning God, after saving Nikan from invaders and confronting the Empress in a civil war, Rin recognizes the true strength of her homeland lies with its people. As she vows to protect the shamanic arts, her power grows, but so does the Phoenix’s insidious call to destroy everything. “Mixing historical parallels of Chinese history, the themes of war, politics, and colonialism are balanced with terrific, flawed characters and amazing worldbuilding.” — Library Journal (starre

Fantastická cesta do pekla, plná rivality a vykoupení, od autorky bestselleru Babylon. Postgraduantka Alice Lawová měla odjakživa jen jediný cíl: vyniknout v oboru analytické magie nade všechny ostatní. Obětovala tomu všechno, svou sebeúctu, zdraví, milostný život a hlavně příčetnost. Jenže jediný člověk, který jí tento sen může splnit, největší mág na světě, je mrtvý a navíc — k její smůle — v pekle. Alice se za ním vydává spolu se svým úhlavním akademickým sokem Peterem Murdochem. Ovšem peklo je jiné, než tvrdí filozofové, vládnou zde pravidla postavená na hlavu, a pokud se z něj má Alice dostat živá, budou muset s Peterem táhnout za jeden provaz. Tedy pokud vůbec dokážou najít společnou řeč. Podaří se jim to, nebo se při tom pozabíjejí?