Arch-Conspirator - by Veronica Roth (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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.

"Roth is a masterful conjurer, summoning both classic myth and visceral dystopia to weave a breathtaking tale of love, avarice, and the timeless desire for revenge." -- Ryka Aoki, bestselling author of Light From Uncommon Stars

Review Quotes

"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

"Tragic and triumphant in equal measure. Roth is a storyteller who reaches new heights with every tale."--John Scalzi, bestselling author of The Kaiju Preservation Society

"Fascinating. . . an inventive, fast read."--Buzzfeed

"Veronica Roth has already proven herself to be one of the best dystopian writers right now, but this Antigone retelling takes it all to the next level. Not only does it bring a completely new spin to a familiar story, but it's also the kind of speedy read that will kick you out of a book slump."--Cosmopolitan

"Roth's powerful retelling of Antigone transforms a bleak classical tragedy into a story of ferocious, bittersweet triumph--all set against the backdrop of a ravaged post-apocalyptic future."--Sunyi Dean, bestselling author of The Book Eaters

"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

"Queen of Dystopia Veronica Roth packs a lot of cool worldbuilding into Arch-Conspirator, offering a fresh take on a classic tragedy. If you're a fan of mythology and schemes, definitely put this one on your list."--Tor.com

"Heartbreaking, intimate, inevitable. The worldbuilding tightens around the neck in a way that perfectly matches the noose-tension of the dramatic tragedy."--Max Gladstone, co-author of This Is How You Lose the Time War

"[A] taut, defiant reenvisioning of Sophocles's Antigone.... The plot preserves the shape of the original without ever losing the capacity to surprise and, more importantly, prod reflection and recognition. This powerful tale of reproductive oppression is sure to wow."--Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

"Veronica Roth's Arch-Conspirator, is something rare and magnificent--a novella of epic voice and scale. Roth is a masterful conjurer, summoning both classic myth and visceral dystopia to weave a breathtaking tale of love, avarice, and the timeless desire for revenge."--Ryka Aoki, bestselling author of Light From Uncommon Stars

"Roth deftly handles extensive world building, character development, and plot. Readers familiar with Sophocles' original story will have an extra dimension of appreciation, but those without that background will still race through the pages to learn Antigone's fate."--Booklist

"Roth uses the familiar tale of Antigone as a vehicle to tell a story about desperation, hubris, tyranny, and revolution. Combined with the dystopian setting of the dying planet and the tyrannical rule of the surviving city state, the story gives readers a heroine to root for, a despot to revile, and a thought provoking ending."--Library Journal

About the Author