Rebecca Kuang Libros

Rin’s story continues in this acclaimed sequel to The Poppy War—an epic fantasy combining the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters. The war is over. The war has just begun. Three times throughout its history, Nikan has fought for its survival in the bloody Poppy Wars. Though the third battle has just ended, shaman and warrior Rin cannot forget the atrocity she committed to save her people. Now she is on the run from her guilt, the opium addiction that holds her like a vice, and the murderous commands of the fiery Phoenix—the vengeful god who has blessed Rin with her fearsome power. Though she does not want to live, she refuses to die until she avenges the traitorous Empress who betrayed Rin’s homeland to its enemies. Her only hope is to join forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who plots to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new republic. But neither the Empress nor the Dragon Warlord are what they seem. The more Rin witnesses, the more she fears her love for Nikan will force her to use the Phoenix’s deadly power once more. Because there is nothing Rin won’t sacrifice to save her country . . . and exact her vengeance.

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. After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead. Despite her losses, Rin hasn't given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much - the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges - and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation. Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix's voice, urging her to burn the world and everything in it?

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.

A new dark academic fantasy by the New York Times bestselling author of The Poppy War Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal. Oxford, 1836. The city of dreaming spires. It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world. And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows. Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift. Until it became a prison... But can a student stand against an empire? An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R.F. Kuang about the power of language, the violence of colonialism, and the sacrifices of resistance.

What's the harm in a pseudonym? Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she claims to be—she didn't write the book attributed to her and is not Asian American. In this chilling yet humorous novel, authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were once poised as twin rising stars from Yale, but their paths diverged dramatically. Athena became a literary darling while June struggled for recognition. 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 work as her own, rebranding herself as Juniper Song with an ambiguously ethnic author photo. She rationalizes that the story deserves to be told, regardless of the teller, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to validate her actions. However, as evidence of her deception emerges, June finds herself trapped in Athena's shadow, racing to protect her secret. The narrative explores the depths to which June will go to claim what she believes is hers while addressing critical issues of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation in the publishing industry. R. F. Kuang's novel is timely, sharp, and engaging, delving into the erasure of Asian-American voices and history by Western society.

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

Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.