I don't think we actually give enough credit to how shit the lost cities actually are.
They are not a flawed utopia, and they are not some fantastical unknown version of a dystopia.
The Lost Cities is a nation governed by definition a authoritarian surveillance state.
Elections in KOTLC use candidates pre-chosen by the council- meaning the citizens actually have no say in who's elected at all. That's not a democracy. Not to mention we have no idea what to voting system in KOTLC actually is (first past the post, approval based, etc), meaning we have no idea how votes are counted (but that doesn't matter if theres no choice for the people about whos even up for election)
The lost cities have no checks or balances for those in power, trials do not have a judge or jury, and punishments range as un-harshly as a slap on the wrist to causing someone to have a severe psychotic break and then locking them up alone.
Speaking of shattering: Prentice was not shattered because they thought he was a terrorist- common misconception- he was shattered because they thought he was a traitor. It wasn't because he was a danger to the public, but because he was a danger to the state.
Elves wear tracking collars under the guise of national security, ones that we know from bk 8.5 regularly record the conversations and video of those wearing them.
The Matchmaking system upholds eugenics principles simply to allow the "greatest version of the elvin race" to presist.
It's mentioned several times that children at Foxfire are not taught comprehensive history about really important events that are covered up the council (ie the first gnomish plague). The council hides important facts in caches that are then hidden away from everyone.
It's even pointed out in the Peace Summit- the fact the other leaders of other intelligent species feel its just as important to hear from the Neverseen- which can either be seen as a group of terrorists or freedom fighters- as it was to hear from the Council.
Elves also use electronic currency, which means the council has full access to birth funds (basically the only real sense of money we get in Kotlc). Which means, if they truly wanted to, they could simply cut your income off for a perceived slight to the council.
The council commits so many war crimes throughout the series that I just need to make a separate post to go through all of them.
I'm pointing this out, because Shannon seems to believe her own book shows a flawed utopia, but it doesn't. If the so-called utopia (a life with a pre-chosen spouse where your constantly monitored and forced to keep up a mask, lest your life and sanity get stripped) only is allowed for some people and even then, only truly is allowed for those at the top, with no option for anyone, its not a fucking utopia.
"It's facism wrapped in red, blue, and white"
- "THREAT LEVEL ORANGE" by Earth to Eve
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