Pick of the paperbacks: RF Kuang’s BABEL ( , out now, HarperVoyager). Set in an alternate Oxford in 1836, it centres on the Royal Institute of Translation, where scholars learn how to work enchanted silver bars to produce magical effects, whose use underpins the growing power of the British Empire. We said: “A novel that lulls you with the rhythms of Victorian fiction, but ultimately leaves you feeling punched in the face by the injustices of the world.” Paul McAuley’s