author spotlight: r.f. kuang

R.F. Kuang is a Chinese American novelist and has won many accolades for her work. Born in Guangzhou, China, she immigrated to the U.S. with her family at the age of four. In college, she took a gap year in China, during which she began writing The Poppy War. She earned a Master of Philosophy in Chinese Studies (Magdalene College), an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies (Oxford), and a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures (Yale).

Babel

Summary: A historical fantasy and dark academia novel set in an alternate 19th-century England, where the British Empire’s power is fueled by magical silverworking. The story follows Robin Swift, a Chinese orphan raised in London and trained to attend Oxford’s prestigious translation institute, Babel. As Robin becomes enmeshed in the elite academic world, he begins to question the morality of Babel’s work—especially how it exploits colonized languages and peoples for the empire’s gain. Caught between gratitude for his education and rage at the system’s injustices, Robin must decide where his loyalties lie: with empire, or with revolution.

Themes: Language as power, colonialism, cultural identity, academic elitism, revolution, friendship and betrayal.

The Poppy War series

The Poppy War, The Dragon Republic, The Burning God

Summary: A grimdark military fantasy inspired by Chinese history, particularly the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Opium Wars, and the Cultural Revolution. It follows Fang Runin (Rin)—a war orphan from a poor southern village—who earns a place at the prestigious military academy Sinegard. There, she discovers a connection to ancient shamanic powers and rises to become a powerful weapon of war. Across the series, Rin transforms from an ambitious student into a hardened warrior and then into a revolutionary general. As she gains power, she’s forced to confront questions of morality, vengeance, and what it means to win at the cost of one’s soul.

Themes: War and moral ambiguity, colonialism and imperialism, trauma, addiction, revenge and justice, identity, feminism.

Yellowface

Summary: It follows June Hayward, a struggling white writer who witnesses the sudden death of her more successful Asian American friend, Athena Liu. When June steals Athena’s unpublished manuscript and publishes it under a racially ambiguous name, she skyrockets to fame—but her success is built on deception. As June grapples with guilt, internet backlash, and her own desperation for recognition, the novel peels back layers of industry hypocrisy, tokenism, and entitlement.

Themes: Cultural appropriation, racial identity, internet cancel culture, ownership of stories, moral ambiguity.