Kwe's Reads

My first impression of Katabasis I really liked was how after reading Inferno by Dante and not being into it, my next one discredited its content. Pulling from so many sources must've been hard but I think Katabasis has done the best it can. I specially appreciated that Alice was immersed with the chinese references, even if I am not familiar with them, because there's so much more of the world than the western standard.

Magic system

I think this is where it lost me. The magic system is the antithesis of mathematics, of the only thing that makes sense to me. It feels like cheating, cheating with infinite possibilities. I'd be scared of a world like this because can you imagine giving this power to the greedy?

Every time they talk about the spells, my brain immediately rejects it. It was a NO full stop.

Academe as a cult

I quickly noticed that delusion was an important part for the magic to work. Only later on did I realize how much worse it was; that Alice was basically in a cult. She had to believe that Grimes was a genius despite being a bad person. After learning that he has a tendency to steal the work of his students, and even after having inappropriate experiences with him herself, she was still hyper focused on his mind. I actually find it the most selfish thing Alice has done. It was all for her future, she just had to endure it all now. At least now I understand professionals who turn a blind eye and support violence and genocide.

Her (and Peter's) reason for going to hell for her professor felt unconvincing to me. And despite the twists and turns throughout the story, I was still unconvinced. I don't know if I needed her character to be more delusional or less.

Hell in Katabasis

Maybe I just live in a third world country but this version of hell is only for the educated. I know that it could be built like this because Alice and Peter were academics, but still, I hope we got a glimpse of the bigger picture. Everyone they encountered were either magicians or professors or students too.

Speaking of the people they encountered, I wish we got to see more of hell's characters and not new ones. I want to see Charon, Cerberus, or the angels (Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Lucifer). I'd even settle for Odin and Thor in Valhalla. I want to get to know new characters from a different (classic) version of hell. Have I expected too much?

Alice and Peter

The facts surrounding Alice and Peter's maybe history is everything I am looking for. I loved that twist and then having to part immediately after. What started as a long uncertainty now has no time left for reflection. I can't believe I am saying that I wish their romance was centered more.

Okay my review overall sound a bit too negative, but the book had its moments too ❤️‍🔥