SFF

The Philosopher Kings

by Jo Walton
Tor. (Just City, Bk. 2). Jun. 2015. 352p. ISBN 9780765332677. $24.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466800830. FANTASY
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The original experimental community set up by the goddess Pallas Athene in The Just City fell apart after the Last Debate, when the children brought up according to the Platonic ideals of The Republic started disagreeing with their teachers and Athene turned Sokrates into a fly. Now there are numerous cities, each arranged according to its own interpretations of a perfect society. Conflict between the metropolises has been escalating as the story opens, leading up to the death of the god Apollo's beloved Simmea. Apollo, who has been living as a mortal to better understand the human experience, leaves the Just City in his grief, wishing vengeance upon the splinter group he believes is responsible for Simmea's death.
VERDICT This continues Walton's fascinating exploration of what it might be like if people lived according to Platonic ideals but with messy human emotions and urges complicating matters at every turn.
Reviewed by Megan M. McArdle , May 15, 2015
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