FEATURED AUTHOR - After graduating from Duke University, Glen Dawson owned and operated a flexible packaging manufacturing plant for 23 years. Then, he sold the factory and went back to school to get his Master's degree in biostatistics from Boston University. When he moved to North Carolina, he opened an after-school learning academy for advanced math students in grades 2 through 12. After growing the academy from 30 to 430 students, he sold it to Art of Problem Solving. Since retiring from Art of Problem…
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Recent comments: User reviews
Most of the prose is written in first person plural, which makes for lyrical and quaint sentence constructions that sound nearly biblical in their peculiarity. The character(s) are likable and admirable. The plot is mostly pleasant and predictably standard science fiction: misunderstood hero rises above circumstances to find love and truth.
The biggest flaw in the book is the philosophical false dilemma presented in the last two chapters. Rand describes two possible human societies: one based on grey socialistic uniformity and the other of prismatic individuality. The book would have been more interesting if there had been more options that were presented, and in a more nuanced way.
Second, there are a lot of characters to keep track of, and many have names that are too similar for me. Mrs Curtis, Mrs Conway and Mrs Carter? I never figured out who was who. Sullivan and Simon and Stuart also threw me for a loop. Then there were the descriptions: the lady with the bronze hair and the one with the dark hair? Were either of these a Curtis or a Conway? I still don't know.
Still, the main characters were entertaining and kept my interest even as the plot became more convoluted and improbable.