It tells the story of a boy growing to manhood in the
land of Shant, a society composed of many different, and wildly individual
cantons, some of which are run by cults. Each adult wears an explosive
device around their neck — a "torc" — which
can be exploded by remote command, bringing about instant death by
decapitation. The torcs are controlled by an anonymous dictator, The
Faceless Man, whose identity is literally unknown. Because those whose
heads are exploded are selected primarily by the cantonal leaders,
for violations of local law, the Anome is able to operate with only
a handful of assistants, or '"Benevolences"', who themselves
do not know his identity.
"'The Anome'" contains fascinating discourses
about social structures, and the story of how this bizarre form of
government evolved in Shant.
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