This story was the final one on my previous batch of reviews to do before I started taking a break, which I still intend to do following this, but I decided to read this regardless but at a slow pace. I am slowly becoming more assimilated with my daily routine and life, but I still generally want to reprioritize. I consider reviews to be a community service, so while I want to do it I am becoming comfortable with the thought of focusing on my own story, my own development as a person, etc, over this. Not for a lack of commitment, as the reviews will continue, but as priority of time.
I read the story from beginning to end, which was fairly long, and took some time to think about what I read. I'll be honest, I come up short. While I have some concerns and thoughts, I also find the book with everything from its themes to its execution to be of a grade beyond my abilities. I will explain why. None of the less, I will give it my best shot.
TLDR; An ideological satire of a satire satiring satires satiracally or Lord of Flies: Philosopher edition.
Something to take special note of is that I believe the intended audience is a more specific group than the general population. This is not to say it is limited to this audience, but it is aimed for and written with them in mind. I do not consider this necessarily to be a positive, as it creates limits, but nor is it a negative, because the author knows what he wants to do and sets out to do it. I would like stories to generally be reached out to everyone, but that is my goal, not the authors. For this reason alone, if I wanted to, I could find many problems with the story, but I would also have to disregard just as many critiques because it is all part of the authors plan and my critiques would be pointless, empty, and not helpful in the long run. I do have critiques, but I hope what I find and point out is within the scope and plan the author has in mind.
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Main Character: Sacrificed at the Altar - The most immediate and constant thing to take note of is that the story lacks a true and honest to god main character, as we come to know one. Rather it can be said that 'the heart of the school' is the main character as all of the side characters fight over her, and act as her, and change her over the four year time frame the story covers. Every character is a side character that weave in and out of the tale at a reasonably even pace. I have never, in my life, between all of the novels and classics, the fanfictions, the online stories and wattpad unfinished drafts, seen a story that goes out with a goal of making a story with no main character, and know how to do it. Normally a story with no MC falls flat on its face with no driving force forward, but this story overcomes that.
It is a bit of an uphill struggle at first, both creating the momentum of plot and recognition of individuality between the side characters to tell them apart as they all fulfill the same basic role for the first several chapters. They are either students or teachers. Not really much to set them apart until they show and develop over time, nor was there a central theme for them to all interact with. Everyone associates by coincidence of proximity. But once the story truly begins in chapter 7-8, then we develop a central theme to tie them together, and the story really starts to shine. That is not to say to say the first several chapters are by no means pointless, they show us character and relationships starting out the gate, but this is merely a dozen plots and stories that have no connection at war with one another to decide who will become the story. Who will prevail and take command of pacing and where the story goes.
