A review by madhu42
The Just City by Jo Walton

reflective fast-paced

4.0

A fascinating thought experiment into the potential strengths and downfalls of setting up Plato's Republic in real life, drawing upon the expertise of iconic figures (and gods) across history - past, present, and future. As a former philosophy student, I was positively surprised by how authentic and fun the socratic dialogues felt, I honestly felt like I was reading Plato at times. The characters were a little flat, though I loved Sokrates himself, but this is because the book is about 80% dialogue and often relies on characters to function as argumentative pawns. It's a very fast read but the setup to the climax/final debate is well paced, thought-provoking, and satisfyingly chaotic. 
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