It just seemed like too much crammed into a book that was 120 pages, and I wish the author had gone more into it.

Arch-Conspirator (ARC) – Righter of Words Book Review | Arch-Conspirator (ARC) – Righter of Words

Veronica Roth’s Arch-Conspirator, is something rare and magnificent―a novella of epic voice and scale. In Arch-Conspirator, Roth reaches back to the root of legend and delivers a world of tomorrow both timeless and unexpected. Overall, this feels like the older, more mature cousin of Divergent—a story exploring the last remnants of society surrounded by a wasteland, a focus on genetics, and a tragic heroine. A retelling of Antigone was not what I was expecting to see as the latest book by Veronica Roth, but this science fiction reimagining of the Grecian tragedy is fantastic!

Some of the details about how reproduction works here seemed a little murky, but it didn’t affect my comprehension of the overall story. After the death of her brothers, Antigone is desperate and her final act of revolt leads her uncle to banish her, in lieu of execution. Whether you are familiar with the story of “Antigone” or not, this novella will capture your attention. Much of the nuance wasn't given time to develop or breathe and thus my emotional connection to it was little to none. The world building was cool, and could've been explored further to enhance the themes of autonomy, life versus death, power etc.

Arch-Conspirator review: Ancient Greek tragedy spun into sci

As you can see, there’s no shortage of challenges to writing a sci-fi reimagining of an ancient classic, which requires bringing together elements that by all accounts should not mix well or readily. It is a great reminder that most of the worst evils in the world are done by people convinced it is the right thing to do.

Important details of people, events, and places from Antigone are woven into the greater dystopian backdrop which includes exploration of subjects like love, freedom, duty and power, both on personal and societal levels. Roth has written an entirely different story with “Conspirator”, but it still managed to engage and entertain.