{"id":178866,"date":"2025-08-27T04:56:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T04:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/178866\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T04:56:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T04:56:13","slug":"author-r-f-kuang-launches-new-fantasy-book-tour-in-boston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/178866\/","title":{"rendered":"Author R.F. Kuang launches new fantasy book, tour in Boston"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBooks\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAt a nearly sold-out book tour show in Boston, the phenom writer announced a new coming-of-age, literary fiction work to come out in 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\tR.F. Kuang and the cover to her novel \u201cKatabasis.\u201d
\n Harper Collins\/John Packman\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Molly Farrar<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 27, 2025 | 12:01 AM\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

2 minutes to read<\/p>\n

Boston-area novelist R.F. Kuang\u2019s newest novel features two doctoral student rivals traveling to the depths of hell to save the soul of their advisor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHell is other people, I\u2019ve heard,\u201d says Alice Law, the main character of \u201cKatabasis<\/a>,\u201d Kuang\u2019s sixth novel, which hit shelves Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, Tuesday night at the Wilbur in downtown Boston, hell wasn\u2019t other people. Kuang, 29, nearly sold out the thousand-seat venue to launch the new book and her U.S. book tour. <\/p>\n

Fans of her fantasy novels like \u201cBabel\u201d and \u201cThe Poppy War\u201d trilogy, as well as her satirical \u201cYellowface,\u201d bubbled with excitement, wrapped in a line around the corner. Each was handed a hardback copy of the new fantasy book, adorned with a design on the sprayed edges, and Kuang took questions at the end from a few readers.<\/p>\n

Kuang also partnered with independent Somerville bookshop Narrative<\/a> with a \u201cKatabasis\u201d pre-order campaign, including a deluxe collector\u2019s edition book<\/a> and other merch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In conversation with Emiko Tamagawa<\/a>, a senior producer for WBUR\u2019s Here & Now, Kuang dived into how her academic background influences her stories and her characters, as well as more details already about her next novel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy hell?\u201d Tamagawa asked Kuang, who is currently pursuing her PhD at Yale University.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019re in Boston,\u201d Kuang quips back, before acknowledging, \u201cactually, Boston is the greatest city in America, but we\u2019re in Boston, the city of depressed PhD students. Who hasn\u2019t fantasized about accidentally killing their advisor and then having to go to hell and rescue them for a recommendation letter?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kuang was funny and bright, discussing abuse in academia that affected her characters with her own experiences and some levity. \u201cKatabasis\u201d was partly a way for her to cope with a difficult time for her and her husband, who was very ill.<\/p>\n

\u201cKatabasis can also refer to just any situation where the protagonist is at their lowest, at the pits of despair, when it feels like they have no reason to keep going,\u201d Kuang said. \u201cIt was just like a nightmare for the semester. I was always driving back and forth between New Haven and Boston. We\u2019re at the hospital all the time or waiting for answers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The author discussed her other iconic characters, some based on her husband, and her own connection to Law, a frazzled and confused student who travels to the depths of hell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m delusional. She\u2019s delusional,\u201d Kuang said, and the crowd roared. \u201cAlice feels betrayed by her own mind for a lot of reasons. When I started the novel, I did too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kuang confirmed her next novel Tuesday night at the Wilbur. The award-winning author\u2019s next work won\u2019t be fantasy but instead a coming-of-age, literary fiction work called \u201cTaipei Story,\u201d a direct nod to the 80s film of the same name. The main character, studying abroad in Taipei, doesn\u2019t learn Chinese before her grandfather unexpectedly passes.<\/p>\n

The book\u2019s anticipated release is in September of 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote the book after my grandfather passed away,\u201d Kuang said. \u201cThe book is my way of grappling with what happens when all you have is empty space to pose your questions to?\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.<\/p>\n

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