I keep thinking about this.  When I first started the book, I mentally rolled my eyes a few times because I THOUGHT I knew where it was going.  Boy was I wrong.  There was almost a "Village" movie vibe at first.  Isolated community where only a few "elders" know what is really going on behind the scenes.  That was why the mental eye roll started.  Trust me, that only lasted a few chapters.  Cronin is one of my all time favorite authors, his world building is complex and layered.  I really should have known that it wouldn't be that easy to figure out.  There are a lot of characters in the mix here, but I never felt that any of them were one dimensional or not fleshed out.  As the story unfolds and you think you understand motivations, there is always an undercurrent of confusion, both Proctor's confusion and mine.  So many elements seem mystical and shrouded in secrecy in Prospera it's hard to know if Proctor is slowly going crazy or if there is a reason behind the madness.

The reason behind the madness blew my mind.  I literally had to put the book down and think it through.  Re-read some pages.  Think about it some more.  I am in no way going to spoil this, but holy cow!  Buckle up.  The social and political unrest of the Support Staff was a biting backdrop to Proctor's personal issues.  I'm so impressed with how Cronin tied everything together and delivered another completely original engrossing story.