Katabasis

R.F Kuang is certainly catholic in her output.  Katabasis (#1,347) is her take on a classic trope of a journey through the Underworld.  Here Asian, classical and Inferno references all have a place.  The question is, can you stick through the extended philosophical flights long enough to return to the upper world?

An American graduate student wins a place at Cambridge with a world-renowned Professor of Analytical Magick.  In reality, he's a misogynistic, bullying parasite who expects absolutely everything from his hapless advisees.  Alice Law is never quite sure whether or not she deliberately messed up her pentagram which caused Grimes to explode.  But that creates a problem for her; Grimes hasn't approved her dissertation yet.  She frantically researches spells for entering the Underworld with the thought of retrieving Professor Grimes.  Just as she's about to complete the pentagram, her nemesis Patrick appears and jumps inside the form with her.  Her academic rival is the very last person Alice wants accompanying her on a trip to Hell; but isn't that appropriate?

Do they succeed?  Is Professor Grimes really worth saving?  Will either Alice or Partick or both survive to re-emerge in the upper world again?  It's only a considerable investment of your precious time to find out.