---
product_id: 724004370
title: "Katabasis: A Novel"
price: "R829"
currency: ZAR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/724004370-katabasis-a-novel
store_origin: ZA
region: South Africa
---

# Katabasis: A Novel

**Price:** R829
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Katabasis: A Novel
- **How much does it cost?** R829 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.za](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/724004370-katabasis-a-novel)

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## Description

Katabasis: A Novel : Kuang, R. F.: desertcart.in: Books

Review: Ketabasis, delivered in good condition - Was waiting to get my hands on this one. Properly delivered.
Review: Dark academia & fantasy - Reading Katabasis and finishing it, I have to say it was quite an experience. It’s not your typical story. The book follows Alice, a grad student who has to go to Hell to save her professor’s soul and Peter tags along with her. At first, I thought it would be a thrilling journey, but it turned out to be more about exploring difficult emotions like grief, loss, and how we process what people mean to us after they’re gone. It’s a bit of a slow burn and heavy on academic theory, which honestly took some getting used to. If you’re not into deep, intellectual stuff mixed with fantasy, this might feel a little dragging. One thing that really stood out in Katabasis was the characters and the way the story is told. Alice is complicated and honestly a little frustrating at times. She’s driven by this obsession with magic and academia that makes her relatable when you’ve been through tough school or career struggles. On the other hand Peter Murdoch, is kind of mysterious and distant at first, but as you get deeper into the story, you see more layers to him. The way RF Kuang writes is really rich and detailed, but sometimes it gets bogged down with a lot of explanations and philosophical musings, so the pace is slow in parts, but it feels intentional. I’ll admit, sometimes it felt like I was back in a classroom with all the dense conversations and theory discussions. If you enjoy slow-building stories and don’t mind a bit of frustration along the way, this book has a unique blend of dark academia, and fantasy.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #371,268 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Contemporary Fantasy (Books) #5 in Epic Fantasy (Books) #6 in Romantic Fantasy |
| Customer Reviews | 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (5,696) |
| Dimensions  | 16.51 x 3.81 x 24.13 cm |
| Hardcover  | 541 pages |
| ISBN-10  | 0063021471 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0063021471 |
| Importer  | Atlantic Publishers and Distributors (P) Ltd., 7/22, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi - 110002 INDIA, Email – customercare@atlanticbooks.com, Ph – 011-47320500 |
| Item Weight  | 680 g |
| Language  | English |
| Publisher  | Harper Voyager; Deluxe,Limited edition (26 August 2025); Product Safety Manager; enquiries@harpercollins.ie |

## Images

![Katabasis: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81gE0YIdcdL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ketabasis, delivered in good condition
*by S***N on 12 January 2026*

Was waiting to get my hands on this one. Properly delivered.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dark academia & fantasy
*by D***I on 25 October 2025*

Reading Katabasis and finishing it, I have to say it was quite an experience. It’s not your typical story. The book follows Alice, a grad student who has to go to Hell to save her professor’s soul and Peter tags along with her. At first, I thought it would be a thrilling journey, but it turned out to be more about exploring difficult emotions like grief, loss, and how we process what people mean to us after they’re gone. It’s a bit of a slow burn and heavy on academic theory, which honestly took some getting used to. If you’re not into deep, intellectual stuff mixed with fantasy, this might feel a little dragging. One thing that really stood out in Katabasis was the characters and the way the story is told. Alice is complicated and honestly a little frustrating at times. She’s driven by this obsession with magic and academia that makes her relatable when you’ve been through tough school or career struggles. On the other hand Peter Murdoch, is kind of mysterious and distant at first, but as you get deeper into the story, you see more layers to him. The way RF Kuang writes is really rich and detailed, but sometimes it gets bogged down with a lot of explanations and philosophical musings, so the pace is slow in parts, but it feels intentional. I’ll admit, sometimes it felt like I was back in a classroom with all the dense conversations and theory discussions. If you enjoy slow-building stories and don’t mind a bit of frustration along the way, this book has a unique blend of dark academia, and fantasy.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wonderful book to read
*by V***R on 14 November 2025*

R.F. Kuang's Katabasis transports to the infernal depths of academic ambition and sorrow. converting myth into a somber meditation on tiredness, ego, and the impossible pursuit of perfection. One chilling statement aptly expresses this: "Trust the lie—it's all you have. Stay within the cage and adorn it." Such observations reveal how academia manipulates its students into intellectual servitude. The novel's atmosphere is fraught with loneliness. "Surely no one else lived like this—haunted by every insignificant detail as if it carried cosmic weight," says Alice. Despite the quiet of that pain, moments of delicate kinship emerge: "Even in this abyss, there was someone who resonated at her same frequency". Katabasis is dense but bright, and it resists easy comfort. As Kuang puts it: "A story about going to Hell turned into a question about why we stay" . It's an uncompromising masterwork, a study in brilliance destroyed by its own fire.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Katabasis (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Novel
- The Devils (Devils, 1)
- The Strength of the Few (2) (Hierarchy)

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*Product available on Desertcart South Africa*
*Store origin: ZA*
*Last updated: 2026-01-23*