Arch-Conspirator

Product Information

It had moments of goodness. There some great quotes and I liked Kreon thru other’s eyes but for a short story, not much was explained. The full narrative was engaging, and I find myself still living in that world in my head – which is disturbing!

Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth | Goodreads Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth | Goodreads

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. It was hard to imagine a time when it hadn’t been this way — when plants grew untended in the wild, maintained by their own seeds spreading; when the plains beyond the city were overrun with animals that we had not bred ourselves; when genes persisted through the generations, presenting a person with their grandmother’s brow, their great-grandfather’s jaw. Everything required effort now. Everything required editing. That said, I don’t know that Kreon’s stance makes much sense here. Without going into specifics, he believes that Antigone and her siblings have no soul, and therefore there is no use in saving their genes. I’m not sure this makes sense, since obviously these people have an understanding of genetics, so I would think that having viable DNA and eggs/sperm in such a dire world would still be valuable, souls aside. But maybe I missed something.

Discussion

I carried many of yesterday's woes. Antigone carried too many of tomorrows. And Polyneikes carried too many of todays." 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. I did appreciate seeing the ancient world remade into a futuristic one and this was only a novella-length story, so perhaps should not have wished for too much to be included, but I did still hope that a bond with the principal characters and for more fleshed out personalities to be included. Antigone’s parents once sat upon the throne but then they were murdered by her Uncle and now he takes their place. She, along with her siblings, must reside with him inside the palace walls but whilst she allows pleasant smiles to play upon her lips, murderous and traitorous thoughts fill her heart.

Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth - BEFOREWEGOBLOG Review - Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth - BEFOREWEGOBLOG

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.

Seven houses crumbling on a Theban street. One’s got no fire, one’s got no heat. One’s got no water; one’s got no meat.’

Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth | Waterstones

Perhaps it wasn’t because we were family—perhaps it was because we were children of Oedipus, warped though we were by our genes. And Oedipus had almost started a revolution—he was a symbol, and so were we. And what better way to take the power from a symbol than to claim it as your own? 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. It’s one of the story’s many ironies that Kreon sees Antigone as the arch-conspirator of the title, which in some senses she is and isn’t: she is kept out of the conspiracy and acts either entirely alone or with only Haemon’s help, but she is also the person whose defiance of, and unjust punishment by, Kreon shatters the stability of his regime. I imagined he was right—it was a difficult job, keeping a tight fist for so long. But I wasn’t sure any amount of ivy could make this place beautiful to me. I’m not sure what I was expecting with Arch-Conspirator. As a teen fan of the Divergent stories, I was intrigued, even though I didn’t love Poster Girl. Find out my full thoughts on this dystopian meets Greek mythology release in this book review. Summary

Review

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. 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 Great review, Mogsy:). I don’t recall the story of Antigone, other than it didn’t end well for the female protagonist – but then, that’s the norm for Greek myths anyway. I love the sound of this one.