Babel: An Arcane History

A book that addresses colonial resistance, student uprisings, and the British Empire's use of language and translation as a hegemonic instrument.

Translation is always a betrayal of the original language.

In 1828. After cholera left Robin Swift an orphan in Canton, the enigmatic Professor Lovell takes him to London. He spends years studying Latin, Greek, and Chinese there in order to be ready for the day when he would enroll at Oxford University's renowned Royal Institute of Translation, popularly known as Babel.

The world's hub for translation and—more significantly—magic is Babel. Because this expertise advances the Empire's goal of colonization, silver working—the skill of utilizing enchanted silver bars to materialize meaning lost in translation—has given the British an unmatched level of power.

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…

Is it always necessary for violence to bring about revolution, or can strong institutions be altered from within?