Classic of science (and mathematical) fiction — charmingly illustrated by the author — describes the adventures of A. Square, a resident of Flatland, in Spaceland (three dimensions), Lineland (one dimension), and Pointland (no dimensions).

The novella is written from the perspective of a square who lives on a 2-dimensional plane. Many years ago I saw (one of) the 2007 film(s) based on the book and have wanted to "get around" to reading the source material since, but I finally did it, only took me a decade to read the short book.

The story is well-written, but being from 1884, it uses sentence structures and vocabulary that seem slightly out-dated for a modern reader. The use of exceedingly long sentences, (what we would consider to be) 12 dollar words, and spellings like "shewn" instead of "shown" make me wonder how this book would be received by someone in another 140 years. Sadly I will never know.

The story is interesting for as bleak as it is. The different perspectives of creatures from different spatial dimensions (0,1,2,3) and the ways that they structure their societies intrigues me, and I wish there was more. The first half of the book is just dedicated to explaining life and society in Flatland, and I'm sad that this rich exposition isn't more heavily used. The author did a wonderful job of world building and then wrapped up the story quickly.

One thing that does pique my curiosity is the possibility of the future of Flatland society. As it is described in the novel, I feel there is a possibility of great social upheaval and revolution in Flatland, with perhaps even a return of painting. From my reading, it seems like the societal structure and caste system detailed is largely artificial. I suppose this was an intended take-away.