Lou’s Reviews > Katabasis > Status Update

“Socrates was put to death for being annoying, Socrate’s opinion doesn’t count for anything.” HA

both a a love letter to academia and prying under its shiny facade to reveal the terrors

“ how could she explain to him the way her mind felt as if it were chewing, digesting difficult concepts? That the headache she got after marking up an impenetrable text was like the pain in her gums after masticating on a good steak?”

This is so interestingggggg

chapter 5+6 done- the library concept and defying good very interesting, loving how Kuang has chapters between that lay out the theoretic framework for the hell we are traveling through with Alice Law and Peter Murdoch

the dialogue on conservatives holding power on either side of the Atlantic leading to funding cuts for universities and academia as a whole, the sort of suffocation of higher education by mass governments- very topical and relevant and laid out here in a nice gentle fantasy mirror

chapter three complete- love a rock climbing queen!!

Another great chapter- I love the way Kuang is laying out the concept of hell and the scholarly take on it, the research and combing various sources, it feels tangible and well thought out

one hell (or 8 circles) of a first chapter, every line building up the world were diving into with grave, wit, and unbridled enthusiasm to create. love you R.F. Kuang