Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
Katabasis by R. F. Kuang is a novel about PhD students. The two main students, Alice and Peter, are studying under Professor Grimes, who is known to be one of the best in the field. Grimes dies suddenly, leaving Alice and Peter in a lurch. Do they get a new advisor, or do they travel through hell to get Grimes back? Obviously, they choose the latter and go on a life-changing adventure. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I read Poppy Wars, which was one of Kuang's earlier books, and didn't think it was very good. Katabasis, on the other hand, was fantastic, and I am really glad I gave it a chance. I really enjoyed reading about PhD students who enjoyed what they do. I feel like on social media, I see a lot of advice on how to avoid burnout and how to continue to love your major. I think that Alice and Peter had less of that and actually had fun and enjoyed what they did. There were a lot of layers to this story, which made it very interesting to read. I lov...