To harness this power, Oxford University created the Royal Institute of Translation, nicknamed "Babel", where scholars work to find match-pairs.
The plot is focused on four new students at the institute, their growing awareness that their academic efforts maintain Britain's imperialist supremacy, their debate over how to prevent the First Opium War, and the use of violence.
It debuted at the first spot on The New York Times Best Seller list, and won Blackwell's Books of the Year for Fiction in 2022 and the 2022 Nebula Award for Best Novel.
Robin quickly befriends the other members of his first-year cohort: Ramy from Calcutta, Victoire from Haiti, and Letty, a white British admiral's daughter.
In his first week, Robin encounters Griffin, his elder half-brother—another half-Chinese son of Professor Lovell—who recruits him into the Hermes Society, a clandestine organization seeking to undermine Britain's silver supremacy.
Robin goes along with Griffin's plans, abetting thefts of silver bars to aid Hermes, but remains conflicted, torn between his distaste for British colonial excess and inequality and his potential comfortable future as an imperial translator.
Letty walks in on Robin, Ramy, and Victoire discussing Hermes business, but she swears to stand by them after they explain their experiences of discrimination and the scale of British imperial atrocity.
The group contacts Hermes, whose members opt to lobby Parliament and whip up public opposition to war with China with a pamphlet campaign.
They start removing the resonance rods that allow the translation magic across Britain to function, throwing the country into disarray, and announce their intent to continue doing so until their demands for peace with China are met.
Without access to Babel and its ledgers, other translators cannot maintain the silverwork supporting Britain's infrastructure, culminating with the destruction of Westminster Bridge, Letty arrives to plead with them to surrender, promising that the army will raid the tower at dawn.
Victoire escapes into hiding, and Robin and the remaining Babel scholars destroy the tower with themselves inside, crippling the Silver Industrial Revolution and leaving the future of the British Empire uncertain.
Able to pass for white in certain lights, Robin feels conflicted by his desire to be accepted by Babel and his father, Professor Lovell, and his growing understanding that the system they perpetuate is indefensibly immoral.
Unlike Griffin, Anthony believes that social change can be brought about by non-violent means, from pamphlets and public opinion to blackmailing members of Parliament.
[6] Kirkus further called it "an expansive, sympathetic, and nevertheless scathing critique of Western imperialism and how individuals are forced to make their peace with the system and survive or to fight back and face the consequences".
[12] However, they added, "its determination to make sure its (admittedly important) message is heard, means a significant chunk of this doorstopper's 500+ pages feels didactic and lecture-y, rather than fully transformative.
"[13] They explained, the "narrative is frequently interrupted by lectures on why imperialism is bad, not trusting the reader or the plot itself enough to know that this message will be clear from the events as they unfold.
[22][23] A later report based on emails shared from the awards' administrative panel revealed that the book was likely ruled ineligible in an attempt to avoid running afoul of Chinese censorship laws.