This is an interesting small book that in a way reminds me of I am
Legend by Richard Matheson. By this I mean the book is pretty typical
story until the ending, in which there are two significant plot twists
that change the story back upon itself. Afterwards you will find
yourself in a state of shock and more importantly, thinking of the
events that lead to ending because you won’t see it coming, at least I
didn’t.
The setting is in the near future in which the world has just got done fighting what is known as The Last War. Soon after the war, a Great Plague has affected the world’s population killing the majority of the people. A leader known as Plato has broken off from the world and formed his nation known as The Republic. The Republic is a city that is located on island and is walled off from the rest of the world. Plato rules his city with an iron fist and the citizens are forced into one of four classes, Laborers, Soldiers, Technicians and Philosophers. Children are separated from their parents at a young age. They are tested to determine which class best suits them and then trained for that job. There is no descent against the state as everyone has their place society.
The story line insinuates that the events of the novel take place right after downfall of The Republic government. The narrative is told in an interesting fashion. It follows Anaximander or Anax as she is given four-hour oral question and answer session to determine if she will be accepted into the Academy. So basically, you are reading a transcript of the interview with a few paragraphs in between telling the characters thoughts and motivations. Luckily, Anax is a historian so she goes into the history of The Republic and then focuses on the history of a man called Adam. They cover two important time periods during Adam’s life which has forever changed The Republic. There is a lot of discussion between Anax and her interviewers as to what it means to be human and what sets us apart from machines.
Then the ending comes along and it is completely shocking. It fits perfectly with the story and I applaud the author for taking risk with his story.
What I liked: This is one of the few books that hit me at the end in a similar way that I am Legend did. The expression I felt was one of shock, since I did not expect this ending but once you sit with it for a minute it makes total sense. I was just mad at myself for not seeing it sooner. I found myself thinking about this novel over the next several days which is pretty rare that a story rattles around in my brain for any length of time.
What I didn’t like: The main issue I have is the price of the novel. The page count is 150 but in reality there are only about 140 pages at a cost of $20.00. Should the author have made the story longer? No, I think the length works in its favor but I would have recommended that some short stories be included in with the book. He could have fleshed out the world or provided additional insight as to what occurred to The Republic.
I also began to get weary of the back and forth discussion. This is a Philosophy teacher’s wet dream. Going over the same issues over and over and arguing over the fine points really began to test my patience during the second half of the book. After the ending, you understand the purpose of it but it still seamed drawn out a bit.
Last word: The old axiom applies, good things comes in small packages. Mr. Beckett has written an ole fashion tale in the vein of Matheson or Asimov that will entertain and force readers to reflect upon the meaning of humanity.
The setting is in the near future in which the world has just got done fighting what is known as The Last War. Soon after the war, a Great Plague has affected the world’s population killing the majority of the people. A leader known as Plato has broken off from the world and formed his nation known as The Republic. The Republic is a city that is located on island and is walled off from the rest of the world. Plato rules his city with an iron fist and the citizens are forced into one of four classes, Laborers, Soldiers, Technicians and Philosophers. Children are separated from their parents at a young age. They are tested to determine which class best suits them and then trained for that job. There is no descent against the state as everyone has their place society.
The story line insinuates that the events of the novel take place right after downfall of The Republic government. The narrative is told in an interesting fashion. It follows Anaximander or Anax as she is given four-hour oral question and answer session to determine if she will be accepted into the Academy. So basically, you are reading a transcript of the interview with a few paragraphs in between telling the characters thoughts and motivations. Luckily, Anax is a historian so she goes into the history of The Republic and then focuses on the history of a man called Adam. They cover two important time periods during Adam’s life which has forever changed The Republic. There is a lot of discussion between Anax and her interviewers as to what it means to be human and what sets us apart from machines.
Then the ending comes along and it is completely shocking. It fits perfectly with the story and I applaud the author for taking risk with his story.
What I liked: This is one of the few books that hit me at the end in a similar way that I am Legend did. The expression I felt was one of shock, since I did not expect this ending but once you sit with it for a minute it makes total sense. I was just mad at myself for not seeing it sooner. I found myself thinking about this novel over the next several days which is pretty rare that a story rattles around in my brain for any length of time.
What I didn’t like: The main issue I have is the price of the novel. The page count is 150 but in reality there are only about 140 pages at a cost of $20.00. Should the author have made the story longer? No, I think the length works in its favor but I would have recommended that some short stories be included in with the book. He could have fleshed out the world or provided additional insight as to what occurred to The Republic.
I also began to get weary of the back and forth discussion. This is a Philosophy teacher’s wet dream. Going over the same issues over and over and arguing over the fine points really began to test my patience during the second half of the book. After the ending, you understand the purpose of it but it still seamed drawn out a bit.
Last word: The old axiom applies, good things comes in small packages. Mr. Beckett has written an ole fashion tale in the vein of Matheson or Asimov that will entertain and force readers to reflect upon the meaning of humanity.
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