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beththebookdragon 's review for:
The Just City
by Jo Walton
First: you Do Not have to have read Plato's Republic, or even parts of it, to thoroughly get into this book (I hadn't). A slight familiarity with classical Greece & Rome is helpful.
The concept of gods and classical-world-loving humans setting up Plato's description of an ideally just society is carried out well--in some cases too well as some elements of the Republic make little sense to anyone with a decent grasp of human nature. Of course, compromises and changes are made, some officially, some secretly. Characters are well-rounded, there's misery and beauty and love of many kinds and Sokrates and robots and seeds of rebellion that sprout.
Recommended to SF and fantasy fans who already like Jo Walton's work, who have an attraction to the classical Greek & Roman era, who enjoy character-based stories with good plots and science, and/or who want to read something off the beaten path of either genre or novels in general. If you like it, the sequels are already out: "The Philosopher Kings" and "Necessity."
The concept of gods and classical-world-loving humans setting up Plato's description of an ideally just society is carried out well--in some cases too well as some elements of the Republic make little sense to anyone with a decent grasp of human nature. Of course, compromises and changes are made, some officially, some secretly. Characters are well-rounded, there's misery and beauty and love of many kinds and Sokrates and robots and seeds of rebellion that sprout.
Recommended to SF and fantasy fans who already like Jo Walton's work, who have an attraction to the classical Greek & Roman era, who enjoy character-based stories with good plots and science, and/or who want to read something off the beaten path of either genre or novels in general. If you like it, the sequels are already out: "The Philosopher Kings" and "Necessity."