From Oxford to the Underworld: The Reader's Guide to R.F. Kuang

Published by Esther Fung, June 12, 2024

Some young authors are rising stars. Others are already established legends. R.F. Kuang is in the latter camp.

With gripping historical epics, intellectually and linguistically rich fantasies, and biting satirical thrillers under her belt, twenty-eight-year-old Kuang is a force in modern literature. Her stories are not only engaging and immersive but also tackle complex themes such as war, identity, colonialism, and the power of language. This guide includes the publishing order of all her works, an overview of her books, and a glimpse at her upcoming 2025 work.

R.F. Kuang’s works in publication order:

The Poppy War (2018)

• Average rating on Pango: 4.45
• “I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to read this. An epic tale of war that’s in a league of its own." - Bianca R

The Dragon Republic (2019)

• Average rating on Pango: 4.00
• "This book left me shaking by the end. A perfect novel that is a must read sequel." - Rosemary

The Burning God (2020)

• Average rating on Pango: 4.50
• "She did such a great job of writing the story of a revolution that is at the same time magical, epic and fantastical as well as realistic, raw, and devastating." - Jiji K

Babel (2022)

• Average rating on Pango: 4.75
• "This was such a beautiful blend of history, fantasy, etymology, linguistics, and academia. It has the weight of a modern literary classic." - Lindsay Sings

Yellowface (2023)

• Average rating on Pango: 4.17
• "I am obsessed and will be reading again and again and again." - Emily

How old was R.F. Kuang when she wrote The Poppy War?

Kuang was only nineteen years old when she wrote The Poppy War, a historical fantasy novel that led to a three book series. She was taking a gap year from Georgetown University, where she majored in history, and was working in China as a debate coach. The manuscript was acquired by Harper Voyager following an auction on Kuang’s twentieth birthday and was published in May of 2018. Book two, The Dragon Republic, came out in August 2019, and The Burning God concluded the trilogy in November 2020. 

Is The Poppy War a hard read?

The Poppy War revolves around a war orphan named Rin, who studies for the national test in order to avoid a marriage arranged by her opium selling foster parents. Despite her humble upbringings, she places first and enrolls in a prestigious military academy in the capital of the Nikan Empire. While at school, she realizes that she possesses a rare shamanic power that is connected to Phoenix, the god of fire and destruction. However, before she can gain full control of her power, she is pulled into a national war that forces her to come face to face with the dark nature of history and power.

The Poppy War was published to wide acclaim from critics and readers alike. However, it’s not an easy read. The plot points are based on the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Nanjing Massacre in 1937, while Rin’s storyline is inspired by the life of Mao Zedong. Some trigger warnings are graphic death, child abuse and death, drug abuse and addiction, and sexual assault. 

Other influences for The Poppy War include Avatar: the Last Airbender, Naruto, Bleach, The Grace of Kings, Ender’s Game, and the A Song of Ice and Fire series. 

Is Babel related to the Poppy War?

Babel is a standalone book. While it bears parallels to Kuang’s military fantasy series, you don’t need to have read The Poppy War in order to appreciate Babel. While there is no word on a Babel sequel, we have our fingers crossed! 

Why was Babel ineligible for the Hugo Award?

The Hugo Awards are one of the most prestigious awards for science fiction and fantasy writers. Previous winners include Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein, The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick, Dune by Frank Herbert, and The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula. K Le Guin. 

Due to Babel’s huge success, many expected it to at least receive a nomination for the 2023 Hugo Awards. However, fans were shocked when it, along with Iron Widow by Chinese-Canadian author Xiran Jay Zhao, was declared ineligible. Kuang said that “no reason for Babel’s ineligibility was given to me nor my team,” which leads her to believe that “it was a matter of undesirability.” The prevailing theory is that the exclusion came from the voting committee, which was based that year in Chengdu, China. Tellingly, both Babel and Iron Widow explore state exploitation of citizens and critique the Chinese government, though in different ways.

What is the Yellowface about?

In a 2022 interview with We Need Diverse Books, Kuang said that: “I feel stuck when I have to do the same thing over and over again. I wanted to push myself to try out new narrative techniques.” Less than a year later, Yellowface, the author’s first work outside of the fantasy genre, was published. 

This satirical work opens on a rooftop in Washington, D.C. June Hayward, a young white writer whose debut novel is drifting into oblivion, has met up with Athena Liu, her friend and former classmate who has already achieved worldwide fame as a writer. The two women end up at Athena’s apartment, where Athena dies in a freak accident. A panicked June calls 911, but she also swipes her friend’s manuscript about Chinese laborers during WWI. June reworks the story and publishes it as her own under the more Asian-sounding name of Juniper Song. What follows is a literary thriller about plagiarism, cultural appropriation, tokenism in publishing, and privilege.

What are the criticisms of Yellowface?

Despite being a scathing critique of the publishing industry, Yellowface was a smash success. It was named Amazon’s Best Book of the Year, was one of Reese’s Book Club picks, and won the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction.

However, it has also had its share of critiques. The New York Times lamented that “If this reads as a quite on-the-nose critique of contemporary conversations about race and appropriation, that’s because it is.” On bookstagram, Dr. Surabhi Balachander (@surabhi.reading) shared her own thoughts: “I wonder what the book would have been like if June had been a slightly more complex character, if there hadn’t been quite so many microaggressions in her internal monologue. I think June is so obviously bad that the people she reminds me of could read this and not see themselves in it.” The lack of nuance and subtlety in Yellowface has even led some readers, like Melissa (@melissaintheblue), to theorize that Kuang is intentionally making a point: "She IS Athena in so many ways, and I'm certain she knows that she is the token minority star of the moment." To them, the mainstream success of Yellowface demonstrates how Kuang can still succeed even when she's not at her best, because of how the publishing industry views her.

What is Katabasis about?

Katabasis is the ancient Greek word for a physical journey to the Underworld. It’s also the name of Kuang’s upcoming work, which will follow two PhD students descending into Hell in order to obtain recommendation letters from their academic advisers. This fantasy romance novel is expected to hit shelves in August 2025.