 Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
HarperCollins Publishers set for release August 2025 By Robin Munson What would you do if your Cambridge PHD advisor in Magic died and his soul, like all souls, is wandering the depths of Hell hoping to make proper amends before being reincarnated? Most students would change advisors, finish out their degree, and enjoy their future careers in magic. But, that is not what PHD students Alice Law and Peter Murdoch do. Instead, they travel to Hell and trade half their remaining life span to bring back Professor Grimes's soul while putting their lives, and their own souls, in danger. All this to save a man that only a few admired and many despised. I enjoyed trudging through Hell with Alice and Peter. Alice, a driven, flawed, and closed person is the narrator. A perfect combination for Professor Grimes to exploit and conjure an unhealthy classroom competition between Alice and Peter. It took a trip through Hell to challenge Alice physically, mentally, and emotionally to bring about the growth needed in her life. Peter, on the other hand, is a really good guy (which also upsets Alice). Both learned to work together with a combination of mathematics, science, and philosophy to help maneuver them through each of the courts of Hell based on the 7 deadly sins and the final eighth court. The pacing throughout this book was great. I found myself reading late into the night eager to see how Alice and Peter were trekking through Hell. They met former Cambridge students or "victims" of Professor Grimes and the unraveling of the story and the characters was fascinating. Kuang was able to take my emotions from an "okay, here we are, in Hell" to an "Oh no she didn't!" about midway through. I recommend this book to any fans of R.F. Kuang, anyone interested in philosophy, or anyone who enjoys a really good plot driven by relatable characters. It is well written and definitely worth the read. Katabasis comes out in August 2025 for all to enjoy. Thank you HarperCollins Publishers for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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