The Just City, by Jo Walton

People all across time have been praying to Athena for a chance to live in the Just City of Plato's Republic, and she’s finally interested enough to help them do it.  She collects those who prayed, recruits the willing, puts them on Atlantis before it sinks, and starts building a city.  She and the "masters" of the city rescue ten-year-old slaves to populate the Just City and to educate them in the style of The Republic, which promotes excellence and fairness.  However, it is soon obvious that Plato’s thought experiment doesn’t really translate well to an actual, living city.

The story of the city is told from three points of view: that of Maia, a master of the city; of Simmea, one of the children of the city; and of the god Apollo, who has made himself mortal as Pytheas to experience the city as one of the slave children himself.  It is very interesting to see how these three narrators interact with the city; they all love the city for different reasons but recognize its faults, and because they're all wildly overeducated they analyze all the reasons why it works and doesn’t work.  It’s a great novel for those who like philosophical conversations, but maybe not great for someone looking for action and adventure.

--Alison McCarty, Callahan Branch Library

Find The Just City in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog.

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