Arch-Conspirator

Product Information

I haven’t read anything by Roth before this, and only heard conflicting opinions of the Divergent series. But for some reason, this novella caught my eye and I thank Veronica Roth, Tor and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Arch-Conspirator is the latest release from Veronica Roth. This novella blends heavy science fiction dystopia – think reproductive control and consciousness – with Greek mythology. It reminds me of like Altered Carbon and Greek figures and The Handmaids Tale. And I think that might be one of my issues, Roth bites off a lot in Arch-Conspirator. While I think that some of those topics work well together, by the end of this novella, I was left with more questions than answers. Arch-Conspirator” is different from “ Divergent” in many ways, mostly because it is based on the Greek myth. But it’s dystopian, post-apocalyptic world where common people are labeled based on their genes, there are some similarities, and fans of “ Divergent” won’t be completely lost. Despite some criticisms, Arch-Conspirator is a cool story and a really fun retelling, I only wish I felt it was all able to be more effectively juggled. Which isn’t really Roth’s fault as it would require an absolute master of literature to pull all this off in such a short space while also feeling polished and powerful. It just feels like biting off more than one can chew, though it still isn’t bad. Antigone is a great story and it was fun to see this done in a sci-fi setting. Speaking of Kreon, I think it was interesting that Roth changed him from being Jocasta’s brother to being Oedipus’. Honestly, it kind of makes sense—being Oedipus’ brother makes a more direct foil between those two, and Antigone’s relationship with her brother. It was kind of clever, and I can’t complain.

Arch-Conspirator - Macmillan Arch-Conspirator - Macmillan

Not gonna lie, I probably should’ve been paying more attention in high school when my Lit class did Antigone, but hey, apparently enough got through. There’s a lot to appreciate about Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth, not least of which is how closely this sci-fi retelling hews to the original Athenian tragedy by Sophocles.Arch-Conspirator is a gut punch of a story. Roth takes everything fragile about love, everything powerful about certain doom, and blooms with it. You’ll be holding your breath until the very last word.”—Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own. Nikias moved away from Kreon, no doubt sent on some small mission. My uncle’s eyes lifted to mine. He nodded in greeting. An elegant, pressingly relevant Antigone retelling, with a fascinating chorus of viewpoints that both complicates and elucidates its complex themes.”—Shelley Parker-Chan, bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun

Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth | Waterstones

If you have read Antigone, then I think you have a good chance of enjoying Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth. This is not a retelling with a specific lens (feminist, marxist, post-structuralist, etc) – instead it is what it says on the tin, a sci-fi reimagining. This is not my usual type of book. I have no prior knowledge of Antigone and her siblings. I didn't know this was a retelling of a play. I saw Veronica Roth's name and I said bet, get me a copy. I'd read Antigone in 9th grade for school, but I had forgotten what happened, so I needed to wiki it first. I really enjoyed this retelling of it, and I definitely related a lot more to this version of her than the original (from what I can remember about her at least). I also really liked the multiple POVs and the way that we were able to get the POV of everyone involved. I loved almost all the characters (and I especially loved getting to read from Eurydice's POV).The ending of the story, though likely not a spoiler (this is an ancient Greek tragedy, after all), feels somewhat disappointing. After getting to know Antigone, you wish for a different ending for her. But the rather hollow victory that Kreon has, also laced with sorrow and pain, lends a decent amount of complexity to the situation. It’s not that the villain wins, it’s that no one really does. But at the same time, if you look at it a certain way, Antigone wins. Passing into the Archive should be cause for celebration, but Antigone’s parents were murdered, leaving her father’s throne vacant. As her militant uncle Kreon rises to claim it, all Antigone feels is rage. When he welcomes her and her siblings into his mansion, Antigone sees it for what it really is: a gilded cage, where she is a captive as well as a guest.