Format: Hardcover, 128 pages
Release Date: February 21, 2023
Publisher: Tor Books
Source: Library
Genre: Science Fiction / Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic
In this gripping and atmospheric reimagining of Antigone, #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth reaches back to the root of legend and delivers a world of tomorrow both timeless and unexpected.
“I’m cursed, haven’t you heard?”
Outside the last city on
Earth, the planet is a wasteland. Without the Archive, where the genes
of the dead are stored, humanity will end.
Antigone’s
parents—Oedipus and Jocasta—are dead. Passing into the Archive should be
cause for celebration, but with her militant uncle Kreon rising to
claim her father's vacant throne, 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.
But her uncle will soon learn that no cage is unbreakable. And neither is he.
In Arch-Conspirator, Roth reaches back to the root of legend and delivers a world of tomorrow both timeless and unexpected. Roth creates an unusual reimagining of Antigone in a futuristic sci-fi world. Antigone is an Athenian tragedy written by Sophocles in (or before) 441 BC and first performed at the Festival of Dionysus of the same year. It is thought to be the second oldest surviving play of Sophocles, preceded by Ajax, which was written around the same period.
Outside the last city on Earth, the planet is a
wasteland. All goods are scarce, buildings are decaying, and blowing dust covers everything. Without the Archive, where the genes of the dead are stored,
humanity will end. A quasi-religious value is attached to these
Archives — the stored samples represent immortality for the dead, a way
of saving and then resurrecting their souls.
Antigone and her siblings are considered soulless abominations — their parents conceived them naturally, rather than going through genetic manipulation to achieve best results. They’re scorned and shunned, but as the living children of the murdered king and queen, they also represent power and legitimacy. Antigone’s parents—Oedipus and Jocasta—are dead. 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. But her uncle will soon learn that no cage is unbreakable. And neither is he.
Roth provides multiple viewpoints to the characters which add complexity to the story. Arch-Conspirator is also a thin volume coming in at a little over 100 pages, which made for a quick read. I have no knowledge of the original story but I don't think that hampered my understanding of this. The main flaw with this was the amount of different perspectives there was for such a short text.
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