R.F. Kuang is one of the hottest names in books today. At just 29 years old, this talented writer has sold millions of copies of her stories. She mixes fantasy worlds with deep ideas about history and culture. Her latest book, “Katabasis,” is a big hit on bestseller lists. Now, she has a new deal with HarperCollins to write four more books. This news shows how fast she is rising in the writing world. Fans can’t wait to see what she creates next. In this article, we look at her journey, her past hits, and what’s ahead.
1. Who Is R.F. Kuang? A Quick Look at Her Life
R.F. Kuang, whose full name is Rebecca F. Kuang, was born in China on May 29, 1996. Her family moved to the United States when she was four years old. She grew up in Dallas, Texas, and went to Greenhill School. There, she found her love for reading and debating. Kuang studied history at Georgetown University. She was great at debates and even won big contests.
After college, she took a gap year in China to coach debates. That’s when she started writing her first book at age 19. She is super smart and has studied at top schools. Kuang got a Marshall Scholarship to study Sinology at Cambridge University. She earned an MPhil in Chinese Studies there. Then, she went to Oxford for an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies. Right now, in 2025, she is finishing her PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University. Her studies help her write stories that feel real and full of details about history and languages.
Kuang lives in Boston with her husband. She loves mixing her own life experiences into her books. For example, her time in Taiwan inspired her next story. She has won many awards, like the Nebula and Locus Awards. Time magazine named her in the 2023 Time100 Next list. Forbes put her in the 30 Under 30 for 2024. Her success comes from hard work and fresh ideas that mix fantasy with real-world issues like war, race, and power.
2. Her Breakout Books: From Fantasy to Satire
Kuang’s writing career started young. Her first big hit was “The Poppy War” in 2018. This book came out right before her 22nd birthday. It’s a fantasy story set in a world like ancient China. The main character, Rin, is a poor girl who joins a war using gods and magic. The book mixes real history, like China’s wars in the 1900s, with exciting fights. Critics loved it. Publishers Weekly called it a “strong and dramatic launch.” It won the Crawford Award for Best First Novel.
The story grew into a trilogy. Next came “The Dragon Republic” in 2019, where Rin fights for change in a broken country. The final book, “The Burning God” in 2020, ends with big battles and tough choices. Time magazine put the first two books in its list of the 100 best fantasy books ever. Fans love how Kuang shows war’s dark side, like the Nanjing Massacre, but with magic.
In 2022, she wrote “Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution.” This book hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list. It’s a fantasy about magic from translated words in 1800s Oxford. The story fights against British empire and racism. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel and Blackwell’s Book of the Year. But it faced drama when it was left out of the 2023 Hugo Awards in China over its themes.
Then, in 2023, Kuang tried something new with “Yellowface.” This is not fantasy but a satire about the book world. It tells about a white writer who steals an Asian author’s work and pretends it’s hers. The book looks at racism, jealousy, and social media fights in publishing. It became a bestseller too, hitting eighth on the Los Angeles Times list. Kuang called it a “horror story about loneliness” in a tough industry. These books show how she switches styles but always tackles big topics like identity and power.
3. The Hit “Katabasis”: A Fresh Take on Hell and School
Kuang’s newest book, “Katabasis,” came out on August 26, 2025. It’s already a bestseller and getting rave reviews. The story is a fantasy where two PhD students at Cambridge study “magick.” They accidentally kill their professor and must go to hell to bring him back. They need his help for their careers, like letters of recommendation. The book mixes dark academia with a trip to the underworld, like Dante’s Inferno meets school rivalries.
Reviewers say it’s smart and fun. The New York Times called it full of “devastatingly real characters and absorbing world building.” Kuang’s writing is “delicious” and funny, they said. NPR praised its gothic horror and jabs at academia. Library Journal gave it a starred review, saying it’s for fans of Naomi Novik or Lev Grossman. It’s 541 pages long, published by Harper Voyager. A deluxe edition has cool features like stenciled edges.
“Katabasis” shows Kuang’s love for school life. As a PhD student, she knows the stress of studies and competition. The book roasts academia’s power games while exploring grief and friendship. It’s a standalone, not part of a series. Fans say it’s her best yet, with twists and deep ideas. It sold fast and is on many “best of 2025” lists already.
4. Big News: Four More Books on the Way
On September 17, 2025, HarperCollins announced a deal for four new books from Kuang. This comes after her huge success. The books split into two fantasy ones for Harper Voyager and two literary ones for William Morrow. Liate Stehlik, the publisher, said the fast success of “Katabasis” proves Kuang’s great storytelling and fan connection. She called the new books an “exciting slate.”
One book is already set: “Taipei Story,” a literary novel coming in September 2026. Kuang finished the first draft in April 2025. It’s a coming-of-age story about a college freshman in a language school in Taipei, Taiwan. The main character deals with her grandfather’s sudden death and learning Chinese. It’s inspired by Kuang’s own time in Taiwan. She calls it a “love story” in the style of Elif Batuman or Patricia Lockwood. It’s not related to the 1985 Taiwanese movie with the same name.
The other three books are not named yet. The deal shows HarperCollins’ trust in her. Kuang mixes fantasy with real life, so fans expect more bold stories. Her books often win awards and spark talks about culture and history.
5. Why R.F. Kuang Matters in Today’s Book World
Kuang’s rise is special because she writes about tough topics like colonialism and racism in fun ways. Her books appeal to young readers who love fantasy but want smart stories. She has over 2 million ratings on Goodreads, with an average of 4.01 stars. Fans on Reddit debate her work, some love her changes in genre, others want more fantasy.
At 29, with a PhD and bestsellers, Kuang is a role model. She shows you can be a writer and scholar. Her next books will likely keep mixing magic, history, and personal tales. As she said, she loves mastering rules and breaking them. With four more books, her extraordinary rise is just beginning.
In summary, R.F. Kuang’s deal for four new books marks a big step. From “The Poppy War” to “Katabasis,” she has won hearts and awards. “Taipei Story” is next, and more adventures await. Book lovers should watch this star.
