Katabasis

by R.F. Kuang, R. F. Kuang
Katabasis cover
Good Books rating 4.25
Fantasy
Technical:
  • ID: 504
  • Added: 2025-09-13
  • Updated: 2025-09-13
  • ISBN: 9780063021495
  • Publisher: HarperCollins
  • Published: 2025-08-26
  • Formats: 4
  • Reviews: 3
Buy online
Waterstones
Paperback • £9.99

Katabasis, meaning a hero’s descent to the underworld, follows Alice Law, a graduate student who has sacrificed everything to work with the greatest magician, Professor Jacob Grimes. When Grimes dies in a magical accident that may be her fault, Alice ventures into Hell to save his soul, driven by the hope that his recommendation will secure her future. Joined unwillingly by her academic rival Peter Murdoch, Alice navigates a Hell unlike the storybooks, armed only with ancient tales, chalk for spells, and their shared history. As they journey through this dark realm, they discover that magic isn’t always the answer and that their intertwined pasts could either unite them or lead to their doom.

Reviews
Goodreads · 2025-09-13
thoughtful 4.25

The book explores academia as a hellish, bureaucratic world through a dark fantasy lens, focusing on themes of loss, identity, and grief with a deeply personal and painful narrative.

This review highlights how the novel uses the ancient motif of descent into the underworld not just as a fantasy trope but as a metaphor for the brutal realities of academic life. The story is praised for grounding the underworld in bureaucratic realism and cultural displacement, making the descent more of a personal and emotional journey than a heroic quest. The reviewer appreciates the book's subtle emotional impact and its refusal to provide neat resolutions, emphasizing the complexity of identity and human relationships within the academic hellscape.

Quick quotes

    Katabasis builds itself around the ancient concept of the descent into the underworld.

    This is a story about academia as a kind of hell in itself. Cutthroat, isolating, bureaucratic, and very personal.

    Kuang reimagines katabasis not as a heroic descent for glory or salvation, but as a deeply personal, painful search for resolution or maybe even justification of some sorts.

Los Angeles Times · 2025-08-22
satirical 4.00

Kuang’s novel blends dark academia with wry humor and satire, portraying academic hell as a place of self-absorption and delusion rather than external torment.

The review appreciates Kuang's mature tone and humor in 'Katabasis,' distinguishing it from her earlier, more brutal works. It portrays the academic underworld as a place where endless, self-absorbed dissertation writing is the ultimate punishment, satirizing the absurdity of academic life. The characters' struggles are seen as nuanced sacrifices rather than despair, and the story critiques the self-destructive nature of the academic environment. The reviewer finds the satire intriguing but questions whether the depiction of hell as purely academic torment is the most compelling interpretation.

Quick quotes

    Kuang's latest fantasy novel, “Katabasis,” is her most mature to date and displays wry humor about academic hell.

    In 'Katabasis,' hell is not other people. It's defending your dissertation.

    Her take on Dante's City of Dis is — spoiler — a regal college where academics spend eternity writing self-absorbed dissertations.

Righter of Words · 2025-05-31
intellectual 4.50

The novel showcases Kuang's intellectual brilliance through its complex magic system, character work, and narrative voice, offering a fascinating and challenging reading experience.

The reviewer admires Kuang's intelligence and the depth of craftsmanship in 'Katabasis,' finding the book a compelling and intellectually rich journey. They highlight the emotional and narrative complexity, especially the dynamic between the protagonists and the challenges they face in the underworld. Despite having read few of Kuang’s works previously, the reviewer was impressed enough to prioritize reading more of her books, indicating a strong positive response to the novel's intricate storytelling and thematic depth.

Quick quotes

    Kuang is clearly so much more intelligent than I am, and honestly, I revel in it.

    Everything about this book, from the magic system to the plot structure to the character work to the narrative voice, speaks to a brilliant mind behind it all.

    This was a fascinating ride.

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