Katabasis

AI Rating: 9/10 - R. F. Kuang's "Katabasis" (2025), a dark academia fantasy about rival classicists descending into Hades for a lost manuscript, aligns with her pattern of embedding progressive themes. Expect heavy identity politics (likely Asian or POC leads critiquing Western canon/academia), anti-colonialism, feminism, and class/race power dynamics, as in "Babel" and "Yellowface." Kuang prioritizes social justice messaging—exposing elitism, cultural appropriation, and imperialism—often over pure storytelling, per her oeuvre and previews. High woke intensity.