*
By 5D writer & book obsessive, Laurie S. Bachmann
If you would like to donate & support the 5D Pop Culture website & keep informed of more features like this as well as some additional treats for supporters only – go here: https://ko-fi.com/5dpopculturewebsite
*
I have, in recent weeks, fallen down a rabbit hole. A deep dark rabbit hole in fantasy – Dark Academia. Essentially, it is fantasy or magical realism that is set in a school or educational setting. There have been a number of attempts made to emulate the power and prestige of Harry Potter and the original wizarding school, but not all Dark Academia has to have magic at its core.
*
Magicians by Lev Grossman
*
Yes, the failed TV series, but the books are far superior. They follow the story of Quentin Coldwater who discovers a secret university in New York and embarks on a journey to become a wizard. At Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, there is no “silly wand waving” instead students learn maths, physics and really old languages nobody speaks, with gruelling hand movements to weave magic together. As if the school isn’t weird enough, the students find themselves in a Narnia-like world where they are anointed as kings and queens, they assault gods and threaten the very existence of magic.
*
There is a lot of intrigue at work in the books, which as always were far superior to the series – the series was enjoyable as well though. I found Quentin to be a little obnoxious and quite hard to enjoy at times. The other characters in the book seemed insipid at times; however, I found some queer representation and a little splattering of diversity among the classmates. In all it was a good read, there were elements within the book that really worked, and then there were elements that just didn’t.
*
It did, however, fulfil the needs of the sub-genre. The characters were hard to love – which is a staple for success, there were elements of the darkness of human nature and the plot was convoluted often taking you in directions that were strange and unpredictable.
*
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
*
Galaxy Stern – Alex, is not your typical ivy league choice, being a dropout and the sole survivor of a horrible unsolved crime. Yale will be her fresh start, but the free ride to one of the most prestigious universities was obviously going to come with a catch.
*
The catch, Alex must monitor the behaviours of the secret societies at Yale; societies that have held some of the most prestigious people in politics, society, and academia. With a dead girl on campus, Alex may be the only person not buying the causes behind her death. Because she knows that societies are playing with dangerous magics, magics that are forbidden.
*
This book blew me away, I do enjoy dark academia as a genre and I have struggled to find books that bring plot and tropes together well and in a way that hasn’t been overdone. This book did this. Alex is a character that can at times be hard to empathise with, but this doesn’t distract from the story, rather it adds to the experience. This book takes the plots and twists that work and weaves them into something thoroughly enjoyable. The twist at the end was slightly predictable though, the true villains not so much.
*
Leigh Bardugo has definitely grown as an author, I was not blown away by the Shadow and Bone series. I didn’t hate it, but I felt Six of Crows did a better job of character development and building upon the Grishaverse. In this series (the Second is released in January) Leigh surpasses Grisha, creating a world that is flawed by intent, which seems to be perfectly managed and they delve deeper into the cracks of both the world and the characters. No one is ever as they seem.
*
Legendborn by Tracey Dion
*
Follows the story of Bree, a black 16-year-old girl who is grieving the loss of her mother, she accepts a position in a prestigious pre-college programme at the University of North Carolina. While she is there she discovers the existence of a secret society, descended from the Knights of the Round Table, with the sole mission to keep darkness and evil at bay. The scions of each house take on the mantle, characteristics and powers of their ancestors the original knights.
*
My Love of this book is no secret. I had taken a nine-year reading hiatus following my studies of literature. I was burned out and I couldn’t enjoy a story that wasn’t playing out on a screen before me. My ADHD in recent years has also become more bothersome when focusing on a specific task. However, I discovered BookTok and thus this book and decided what the hell, it’s Arthurian – something I had been thoroughly obsessed with as a younger me, and it has a kickass female main character – FMCs were heavily dominated by the judgement of where they lie on the Buffy scale, and often usually pale in comparison.
*
*
This Book rocked, there is no other word for it, as someone who cued at midnight on release day for Harry Potter, I had a void and this filled it. The character development was on point, Bree handles grief and discrimination within this book in a way that anyone can relate to and empathise with, it’s three-dimensional and tangible in her depiction. The other characters are well-written and vibrant, and their inter-character relations within the plot are both diverse and feel through the pages, even though it is set in a world that is truly implausible.
*
Book 2 is out now and I cued for this one too, you had better hurry for yours as the supply has not met the demand.
*
Atlas Six by Olvie Blake
*
The Alexandrian Society are the custodians who guard lost knowledge, and six magicians have been offered the opportunity to join its ranks. Saying yes is the easy part. The Alexandrians have power and prestige but every 10 years six are invited and only five are asked to stay.
*
With this mix of characters, including inseparable enemies Libby Rhode and Nico DeVerona, Telepath Parisa Kamali, Naturalist Reina Mori, Empath Callum Nova, and Tristan Caine – whose powers mistify himself. The students have to survive the trials of the mysterious Atlas Blakely over the course of one year.
*
I had high hopes for this book, and it didn’t disappoint. One of the things a good dark academia book is dependent on is character interplay and plot. If you have one badly developed character, then the whole flow of the interactions suffers and the plot stumbles. Olivie takes a lot of time to build and develop the inter-relationships between their characters, and thus the plot can seem a little slow moving at times; this was necessary though in order to arrive at the finale and when I reached the end I was glad of the attention given to this development. You will know why when you read it.
*
The Plot twists in this felt predictable and then boom it was like inceptaplot, with twists within twists which you don’t ever feel lost in. There has been some criticism with regards to the prose in this book. I would agree that at times descriptors went on a little longer than necessary, but it is beautifully written as well.
*
There is Bisexual and Pansexual representation in this book, with trauma explored so check your trigger warnings before you purchase.
*
Book 2 is out now and it’s just as spectacular as the first.
*
Babel by RF Kuang
*
Follows the story of Robin Swift, who is stolen from Canton to be raised by a successful linguist and Oxford Professor, to Study at the Babel Campus, world-leading in its creation of Bars and magic. Magical Silver Bars run the world, from transport to lighting to medicine. They keep bridges and buildings aloft, the roads smooth and the infrastructure of nations running. No one does it like Babel. They take people from all over the world to exploit their language in the creation of this power and educate them to the highest degree.
*
There is political intrigue, power plays and revelations galore in this book. RF Kuang is an immaculate storyteller, whose plots are sheer perfection. They build worlds that bare a striking reflection to our own, and magic systems that are reliant on the breaking of people to construct and maintain. Their debut series Poppy War was one of the most gruelling, heartbreaking and soul-destroying things I have ever read, but once completing the series you are left with the greatest of afterglows where nothing can quite live up to it. With Babel, RF Kuang once again knocks it clean out of the park with their unique take on characterisations.
*
*
There was also a hidden joy with this book, the footnotes and exploration of language as a means for control. As a linguist, I found this added depth wonderful, where words and roots were explored to add depth to the magic system, the commonalities and differences highlighted as well as the cultural dependence and awareness of word shapes and meanings.
*
If fantasy isn’t your thing, but you still want to experience the wonders of Dark Academia, then the following options may be a good choice for you. They both carry the same motifs of Dark Academia with character inter relationship-driven plots but forgo the “magical” elements.
*
Lessons in Vengeance by Victoria Lee
*
Felicity Morrow returns to Dalloway school after a year’s break following the death of her girlfriend. The new girl Ellis Haley is a writer determined to uncover the truth about the demise of 5 young girls in the 1700s believed to have been witches.
*
This story centres on Dalloway school, an all-girls boarding school. The story follows an urban legend of witches, a group of girls who come together to practice magic – a subject that Felicity is infatuated with. There is a question throughout the story as to whether the magic is real or whether mental health is at play, it constantly alludes to our protagonist undergoing psychiatric support and therapy.
*
The twist at the end is on trend with Dark Academia, the first-person narration constantly makes you doubt what is real and you feel the spirals that the protagonists have throughout. You have serious unreliability in Felicity, whose manic episodes happen in a creeping and surreal way. You never quite know what is real and what is delusion in this book.
*
If we were Villains by M.L. Rio
*
Follows the story of Oliver Marks, who is released from prison following a 10-year sentence for murder. The victim was a fellow student and a close friend. On the day of his release, he is visited by the detective who put him away, Detective Colburn. Colburn wants the truth of what happened that night because he never believed the narrative that was constructed.
*
Told in two timelines, Oliver notices that his fellow classmates at an elite Shakespearean conservatory seemed to play the same characters on and off the stage, the villain, the temptress, the hero, and the tyrant. Oliver is seemingly doomed to play secondary roles to his best friend. One night this changes, and it sets in motion a series of downfalls leading to the inevitable – treachery and murder.
*
This one was very intriguing, the school’s focus on Shakespeare was heavily reflected in the story construction, with the book separated into acts and each act following the structure for mystery and revelation often used in Shakespeare’s tragedies. The opening of the book sets the scene for the characters and shifts between the present day and the past are almost soliloquy-like in their delivery. The mystery was well hidden within the tangles of the plot, there were times when you get lost in the intrigue and dramatisations of the scenes. You root for the characters, you cry with them and it was a masterpiece. It is one of my favourite reads of 2022. I cannot wait to see where this writer goes or rather soars.
*
There you have it, the best Dark Academia has to offer for the moment. It’s a growing sub-genre and one that appeals to a very specific audience. It takes the darkness of human nature, and really delves into the questions of good and evil, reality and what villainy really looks like; placing these discussions in an educational setting. A place where, as human beings, we are meant to grow and be shaped, where we question the very nature of things.
*
If you would like to donate & support the 5D Pop Culture website & keep informed of more features like this as well as some additional treats for supporters only – go here: https://ko-fi.com/5dpopculturewebsite
*