When the god Apollo seeks to understand the workings of the mortal mind and heart, he asks his sister, Athene to help him. She reveals a project in which she has gathered together philosophers from across time and space and put them in a settlement called, “The Just City”. In this city, set near a volcano that will one day explode and destroy all evidence of the project, a group of men, women and children will try to recreate the hypothetical state described in Plato’s “Republic”.
Apollo asks to join this group. And our story begins.
The city itself shone in the afternoon light. The pillars, the domes, the arches, all of it lay in the balance of light and shadow. Our souls know harmony and proportion before we are born, so although I had never seen anything like it, my soul resonated at once to the beauty of the city.” pgs 35-36
But what is perfect in theory turns out to be not-so-perfect in practice. Among the thornier problems, the city has shared marriages and children raised by the group, not families. This causes predictable jealousies and secret romances. There’s also something strange going on with the robotic workers Athene brought from a future time to help with the mundane tasks of civilization, like raking the roads and planting the vineyards.
“We are in a time before the fall of Troy. And we are on the doomed island of Kallisti, called by some Atlante.” Even I had heard of Atlantis.” pg 45
Another major issue, caused because they were pulled from different points in history, are the different philosophers’ views on gender equality. Consent in the Renaissance doesn’t mean the same thing as consent in the Victorian Age.
“You love this city,” Pytheas said. That was what we had been debating that day. “I do,” I said, spreading out my arms as if I could hug the entire city. “I love it. But Sokrates has made me see that it’s only the visible manifestation and earthly approximation of what I really love, the city of the mind.” pg 131
Though I enjoyed this book, the pace was what spoiled it for me somewhat. It marches forward towards an inevitable conclusion far too slowly. The debate scenes are interesting, but simply too plodding.
There’s also a rape, so please be aware if you have potential triggers.
Recommended tentatively for readers who love the classics or historical fiction and can stand a slower-paced read.
Thanks for reading!
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