The Just City

The Goddess Athene has an idea that seems foolproof: What if she could create a real-life version of Plato's Republic by bringing together all of those throughout history who have ever prayed to her and have them build and govern the Just City? Her brother Apollo is not so certain of the possible outcome but is intrigued enough by the idea—and worried enough by a recent romantic rejection by a human—to turn himself into a human and take part in the experiment. And so Walton's novel follows the creation of this city, as told by three narrators at three different levels of the society: an Egyptian slave bought by the Republic to be one of the children who will be taught and trained to become a philosopher king; a young woman from Victorian England who will be one of the first set of teachers of the young children; and Apollo himself, in his guise as one of the children. From these three perspectives, readers see the various successes and failures of the Republic and the eventual crisis that comes from the central question of what it means to be truly just. No knowledge of Plato's Republic is necessary to follow this powerful work, and teens who enjoy dystopian novels should be particularly interested in Walton's account of how a dystopia forms: by beginning as a utopia.