7.6 /10 1 Votes
Language English Publisher Tor Pages 368 (Hardcover) Originally published January 2015 Followed by The Philosopher Kings Page count 368 (Hardcover) | 3.8/5 Goodreads Series Thessaly Publication date January 2015 ISBN 978-0-7653-3266-0 Genre Fantasy Fiction Country United States of America | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Similar The Philosopher Kings, My Real Children, Among Others, Tooth and Claw, Half a Crown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Just City is a science fiction/fantasy novel by Jo Walton, published by Tor Books in January 2015. It is the first book of the Thessaly trilogy. The sequel The Philosopher Kings was published in June 2015, and the final volume, Necessity, in July 2016.
Contents
Synopsis
The Greek gods Athene and Apollo collect 10,000 human children from throughout history, and place them on the island of Thera prior to its volcanic destruction. There, a collection of adult supervisors (who are likewise from throughout history) will raise the children to achieve the ideal society as described in Plato's Republic – which becomes much more difficult when Socrates arrives.
Reception
At NPR, Amal El-Mohtar called City "(b)rilliant, compelling, and frankly unputdownable", comparing it to a Socratic dialogue, while at Booklist, Michael Cart described it as a "remarkable novel of ideas", conceding that it may be somewhat "abstruse", but emphasizing that this does not detract from the quality of its plot and characterization.
Publishers Weekly stated that City was "impressively ambitious", but criticized Walton for overuse of sexual violence and for a "reductive" portrayal of the Greek gods. Similarly, Kirkus Reviews considered the protagonists to "have a certain appeal", but stated that the novel was "more thought experiment than plot".