[that Anax was an artificial robot of some sort (hide spoiler)

First of all, I'd like to draw your attentions to Jim's fantastic review of this book. It's well worth a look, I assure you; especially since he has included some of the more beautiful quotes from the book (something I was too scared to do myself!). Both of us read the book at roughly the same time, and enjoyed it immensely. Now, let's move onto the actual review..............This must have been the easiest five stars I’ve ever given a book. And that includes Stephen King’s works of genius, too. I just came onto Goodreads, typed in the name, and clicked on the fifth star, so naturally, without a moment’s hesitation or contemplation. BecauseThis book…it’s a five-star book. But really, five stars seem so measly an offering for such a spectacular achievement. If I could give all the stars in the sky as a thank-you to and for this book, I would. I swear to you that I would. Dramatic, but true. Because,, the second book of Bernard Beckett’s which I’ve read and loved, is. Honestly.When I read, his first book, I was 16 and thirsty for knowledge. I wasn’t satisfied with mild, un-intellectual reads anymore. I wanted a challenge. I wanted a surprise. And that’s what Mr Beckett gave me. If anybody is interested in the kinds of issues which are raised in this book, thenis the next logical step for you. I promise you’ll not be disappointed. Through, I realised that Beckett had a penchant for philosophy, and that he was damn good atintricate philosophical debates, with an elegant, deceptively simple writing style.I found the same in. Now, I must warn you. I agree with all the other reviewers, and urge you to walk into the story blindly. If you haven’t read this book yet, please just stop reading now in case I spoil anything for you. You’ll regret not listening once you’ve read the book; trust me on that. I have only included mild spoilers, but nothing you wouldn’t know about by the 20th page. Proceed at your own caution.The time-frame is four hours, butthese four hours, a whole dystopian civilisation is brought to life before our eyes, and then picked apart. We learn more about the past 100 years of the society than the present four hours. And I loved that. The whole book was like a history lesson, but not the kind you’d ever have in a classroom (unless, of course, you had Mr Beckett as a teacher). Now, IHistory. Detest it. It’s among my least-favourite topics, after Maths and Sciences. But, even though 95% ofroams the past, I never once found myself gritting my teeth or flipping the pages in frustration. I was hooked. So, please. Don’t be put off by the historic aspect. It barely registered with me, and I am a self-confessed hater of the genre.Much of the story is set within an interrogative context; Anax (short for Anaximander), is being evaluated by a panel of examiners who represent The Academy. She has chosen a revolutionary young man of the past as her specialist subject, but this originally specific arrangement soon scatters, and we explore much broader issues which move beyond that of a 17year old boy’s.The examiners are distant and unreadable. Anax is unnerved and yet equally confident, because she feels she has a connection to this Adam Forde, and feels she knows everything about him. The exchanges between the examiners and Anax are nerve-wracking and fraught with tension. Some moments, I actually felt my heart beating a little faster when thingsheated up. It was fantastic; so terrifying and so, so exciting.You know, for a book of less than 200 pages,covered a lot of ground. Make no mistake; the brevity of the book does not translate into brevity of the content.is philosophically dense. Pages and dialogues are justwith concepts and theories and risky ideologies. There is rarely room for your brain to breathe once you get sucked into the latter half of the story. I found myself reading and re-reading certain beautiful passages with a little half-smile of wonder on my face, awed by the author. Awed by his sublime sense of logic, by his overall intelligence. Awed that he somehow managed to make certain characters more alive than they had any rational or reasonable right to be, and awed that, for all the dense theoretics he was throwing my way, I still managed to keep up, and keep moving to the heart-stopping place he was taking me. I loved that the Chinese Room, one of the more intriguing concepts I’ve come across, made an appearance and was ripped apart by cold logic. I loved that Bernard Beckett actually challenged us about notions like this, and didn’t let us blindly swallow the standard line, that you don’t need to understand something to be successful at it. He actually changed my thinking. About the Chinese Room, about artificial intelligence, about the state of consciousness, and about a thousand other things. And how many other authors can claim to have done such a thing? Isn’t that the whole point of books? To open the reader’s eyes?Originality is extinct, I always say. It was something like my catch-phrase in my Sociology class. I was always spouting those words, so convinced of their truth. Originality is especially extinct within certain branches of literature (such as Young Adult Romance). But I guess Bernard Beckett never got this damning memo. And thank God he didn’t. Now, there are some books which are original for originality’s sake; for the novelty. Other books are original, but unpleasantly so. Not, though. The originality ofis startling and staggering, and brilliantly so. I cannot compare this book to any other. Which, I suppose, is the highest form of praise I can give it.The ending knocks you sideways. I guessed part of it about half-way through (view spoiler) , but I hadn’t grasped yet what a skilful writer Beckett is. After the last line, however, I was under no such illusion anymore. Bernard Beckett writes books which are so close to perfect it hurts. If you’re looking for a teenage dystopian, then I suggest you look elsewhere. This probably won’t be the book for you. But if you’re looking for startling moments of clarity and intelligence, if you’re looking for a challenge to your perceptions of certain issues, thenmay just be perfection on a page for you. I dare you to read it and hate it. I dare you to try. I dare you not to fall in love.