R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis isn’t just another dark academia fantasy. It’s a descent into the underworld of intellect, guilt, and ambition. Two rival grad students, Alice Law and Peter Murdoch, literally go to Hel to save their mentor, but what they find there says more about academia than it does about demons.Set in 1980s Cambridge, Katabasis turns the university into its own inferno, powered by obsession, genius worship, and the belief that brilliance excuses everything. It’s sharp, haunting, and honestly kind of unhinged in the best way.In this episode, we’re breaking down:How academia becomes its own circle of HelWhy ambition and morality can’t coexist hereThe pull between logic, memory, and madnessWhat it means to lose yourself in the pursuit of knowledgeWhy Katabasis might be Kuang’s darkest and smartest book yet📲 Follow us on Instagram → / always.bookd 🌐 Visit our website → https://www.alwaysbooked.net✨ Subscribe for more dark academia breakdowns, book discussions, and chaotic literary therapy sessions.
No persons identified in this episode.
This episode hasn't been transcribed yet
Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.
Popular episodes get transcribed faster
Other recent transcribed episodes
Transcribed and ready to explore now
#2425 - Ethan Hawke
11 Dec 2025
The Joe Rogan Experience
SpaceX Said to Pursue 2026 IPO
10 Dec 2025
Bloomberg Tech
Don’t Call It a Comeback
10 Dec 2025
Motley Fool Money
Japan Claims AGI, Pentagon Adopts Gemini, and MIT Designs New Medicines
10 Dec 2025
The Daily AI Show
Eric Larsen on the emergence and potential of AI in healthcare
10 Dec 2025
McKinsey on Healthcare
What it will take for AI to scale (energy, compute, talent)
10 Dec 2025
Azeem Azhar's Exponential View