Dark Academia Book Recommendations by Asian Authors
Happy back-to-school season! In today's blog post, we're diving into the dark academia aesthetic with some of our favorite stories by Asian authors. Hopefully, these books will provide you with the academia motivation and a fun escape from your studies.
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.
For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .
Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Adult
Why should you read it? "Babel" by R. F. Kuang is a historical fantasy epic that delves into the themes of student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the role of language and translation in the British Empire's dominance. Set in 1828, it follows Robin Swift, an orphan trained in languages for enrollment in Oxford's Royal Institute of Translation, known as Babel, where language and magic intertwine. Robin faces a moral dilemma as he must choose between loyalty to Babel and his motherland, caught between powerful institutions and a shadowy organization dedicated to stopping imperialism. This gripping story raises questions about change, revolution, and the use of power.
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation.
Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications.
When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society’s archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will.
Most of them.
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Adult, Mystery, LGBT
Why should you read it? "The Atlas Six" offers a thrilling and mysterious tale centered around the Alexandrian Society, a secret society of magicians tasked with preserving lost knowledge from ancient civilizations. The story follows six uniquely talented candidates competing for initiation into this prestigious society, each possessing extraordinary magical abilities. As they navigate the challenges and trials set by the enigmatic Atlas Blakely, the stakes are high, with only five initiates to be chosen and one to be eliminated. With elements of magic, intrigue, and competition, this book promises an engaging and suspenseful journey into a world of secrets and power.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Hailsham seems like a pleasant English boarding school, far from the influences of the city. Its students are well tended and supported, trained in art and literature, and become just the sort of people the world wants them to be. But, curiously, they are taught nothing of the outside world and are allowed little contact with it.
Within the grounds of Hailsham, Kathy grows from schoolgirl to young woman, but it’s only when she and her friends Ruth and Tommy leave the safe grounds of the school (as they always knew they would) that they realize the full truth of what Hailsham is.
Never Let Me Go breaks through the boundaries of the literary novel. It is a gripping mystery, a beautiful love story, and also a scathing critique of human arrogance and a moral examination of how we treat the vulnerable and different in our society. In exploring the themes of memory and the impact of the past, Ishiguro takes on the idea of a possible future to create his most moving and powerful book to date.
Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Contemporary, Literary Fiction
Why should you read it? "Never Let Me Go" is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged novel that challenges societal conventions. Set in Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic boarding school, the story follows Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy as they grow up and eventually discover the unsettling truth about their existence. Ishiguro weaves a gripping mystery, a poignant love story, and a scathing critique of societal norms, delving into themes of memory, humanity, and vulnerability. Kazuo Ishiguro pushes the boundaries of literary fiction, leaving a profound impact and provoking deep reflection on our treatment of the marginalized and our collective moral choices.
