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Katabasis

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Katabasis

By: R.F. Kuang
Narrated by: Morag Sims, Will Watt
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About this listen

Prepare for one hell of a journey…

'A big, bold fantasy romp' GUARDIAN

'R.F. Kuang is making magic' ELLE

'[A] truly original and spellbinding hero's-journey story' VOGUE

' I devoured it' RED

One of the BBC's 25 best books of 2025

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 No.1 Sunday Times bestselling novel by R.F. Kuang.

'Literary super-stardom doesn't seem too far out of her reach' THE HERALD

‘Mind-bending fantasy’ GRAZIA

©2025 R.F. Kuang (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers Action & Adventure Dark Fantasy Editors Select Epic Fantasy Witty

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Editorial Review

A descent I longed to stay in
R.F. Kuang has been an auto-download for me ever since The Poppy War trilogy broke my little soul, so I knew Katabasis would hit hard. But I didn’t expect it to stay with me like this. A dark, cerebral descent into the underworld, the story is layered with mythology, philosophy, and academic tension so sharp it hurts in the best way. Alice Law accidentally kills her mentor in a magical mishap and will do anything to bring him back, including venturing into literal Hell. Unfortunately for her, Peter Murdoch—her academic rival and former crush—is on the same path. What follows is a spellbinding blend of dark academia, mythic horror, and enemies-to-lovers romance in which every level of suffering mirrors the sins they are trying to outrun. Narrators Morag Sims and Will Watt deliver powerful performances that amplify the stakes and intimacy. Intense, brilliant, and emotionally consuming, Katabasis has easily become one of my favorite listens of the year.—Patty R., Audible Editor

Critic reviews

‘It’s Dante’s Inferno meets The Secret History and it’s at the top of our read-next pile’ Elle

'A novel to savour … I envy those who get to read it for the first time' Rebecca Ross

'A witty, gory, harrowing ride' Leigh Bardugo

'A formidable, timeless work, destined to be a modern classic' Olivie Blake

‘A sprawling, erudite tale of magic … teeming with intelligence, ideas and humour’ Marie Claire

'The unrolling of a daring concept' Daily Mail

'An arresting and deeply affecting novel' SFX

' A rich novel of romance, history and magic’ iPaper

'An immersive, worldbuilding adventure … I devoured it' Red

'Profound … Linger[s] on the mind' New Statesmen

'Bitingly funny dark academia' Arts Hub

KATABASIS IS A RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB SUMMER SELECTION, ELLE'S BOOK OF THE MONTH, AND INCLUDED IN THE GUARDIAN'S ROUND-UP OF MOST ANTICIPATED 2025 FICTION.

BABEL WAS A BRITISH BOOK OF THE YEAR, BLACKWELL’S BOOK OF THE YEAR, A WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR FINALIST AND THE DAILY MAIL BEST BOOK OF 2022

All stars
Most relevant
I enjoyed the premise, the imagery and the writing style. unfortunately I was not fond of the characters.

Great Premise

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I loved Babel and Yellow Face so had high expectations for this one. I still like the idea or premise. I am an academic and I'm 100% with Kuang denouncing the abuse of power and emotional and physical abuse that can go on in academia, specifically from male academics who largely go unpunished. So I really applaud her for doing that. But the book is far too long and the descriptions of hell often seemed endless. It was only when there were 6 hours or so less in the book that we got to have the all important back stories for the main characters and what really happen. I was really pleased that I reached that point but then more endless descriptions in hell took place... It took me 2 months to finish the book and I did because it's Kuang and I wanted to know the end, but I didn't really enjoy it.

Mixed feelings

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A truly brilliant book. The way the author works in logical paradoxes through the story is just so very clever (and fun).

There is also such a pleasing frankness about academia delivered from the characters perspectives. It has both a great story, and some things to really think about.

The audio narration is top notch all the way through. It really is. The main reader does all sorts of accents, and all ring true.

Enthralling

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Don't know why people are hating on the narrator so much in the reviews. She sounded good to me - has a pleasant narrating voice, and makes each character sound unique.

Perhaps her American accent for Alice sounds worse to Americans, but I've suffered a lifetime of American narrators/actors putting on bad British accents, so... I don't really sympathise.

As for the actual story... it was good. I expected better due to the amount of advertising it received before publication.

I did enjoy listening to it, but I'm not going to recommend it to friends, as I think the constant exposition and 'intellectual' talk about logic in place of actual story would annoy other people more than it annoys me.

I've completed the likes of Umineko, which is much worse for that sort of thing but has a x10 better story lol

Give the narrator a break!

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Very thought provoking at every step, both at an intellectual and emotional level. A basic « coming of age » story but with vertiginous intensity (from the details to the big vistas). Very enjoyable

I actually want to read this now - so many interesting details

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