An Evening with Rebecca F. Kuang

Following her sold-out appearance in October 2024, Manchester Literature Festival is delighted to welcome back Rebecca F. Kuang—bestselling author, literary phenomenon, and one of the most compelling young voices in contemporary fiction. Join us for an exclusive evening as she discusses her highly anticipated dark fantasy novel Katabasis.

Praised by Leigh Bardugo as "a witty, gory, harrowing ride" and hailed by Olivie Blake as "a formidable, timeless work," Katabasis plunges readers into the dark depths of the underworld, where two academic rivals embark on a rescue mission to save their advisor.

Grad student Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become the brightest mind in the field of analytic magick. But the only person who can make her dream come true is dead and – inconveniently – in Hell. And Alice, along with her biggest rival Peter Murdoch, is going after him. If she’s going to get out of there alive, she and Peter will have to work together. That’s if they can agree on anything. Will they triumph, or kill each other trying?

2025’s most unexpected love story is going to be hell…

Kuang is renowned for her sharp, genre-defying novels. Her previous novel Yellowface was the publishing sensation of 2023—a number one Sunday Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club pick, a BBC Radio 4 at Bedtime and Foyles Fiction Book of the Year. A Marshall Scholar and PhD candidate at Yale, she has earned accolades from the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, and British Book Awards for Babel and The Poppy War trilogy.

This is an exclusive opportunity to join Rebecca in one of her limited UK appearances and to buy copies of Katabasis before it goes on general sale.

Please note: Rebecca will sign and / or dedicate ONE copy per customer at the event.

Access bookings can be made by email, phone or in person at Aviva Studios. To book access tickets and essential companion tickets by phone please call 0161 817 4531 (Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm) or email access@factoryinternational.org

This event will be BSL interpreted.