R.F. Kuang's Babel was published in 2022 by HarperCollins. The year is 1828, and cholera has run roughshod in Canton, Wales, leaving Robin Swift orphaned. Desperate and alone, Robin is brought to London by mysterious Professor Lovell to train in...

After HarperCollins emerged victorious in its heated battle to publish R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War (2018), they moved quickly to publish the novel, which they thought would be an overnight success. The novel, which is set in 20th-century China,...