Arch-Conspirator

Written by Veronica Roth

Narrated by Dion Graham and January LaVoy

"Stunningly performed by narrators Dion Graham and January LaVoy...together, they capture the propulsive motion and ominous atmosphere of this compelling story."- AudioFile Magazine (Earphones Award Winner)

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

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Feb 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9781250882981

Veronica Roth

Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series (Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, and Four: A Divergent Collection), the Carve the Mark duology (Carve the Mark, The Fates Divide), The End and Other Beginnings collection of short fiction, Chosen Ones, and many short stories and essays. She lives in Chicago.

Reviews for Arch-Conspirator

[Theo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Veronica Roth is not a stranger to dystopia, and in this reimagining of Antigone, she once again visits a bleak future. They may well be the last group of people on a planet that has been destroyed, and their survival is contingent on gene-editing that allows dead citizens to "live" once again. Antigone and her siblings are different, though. Their parents made the decision to have children naturally, which means they are outcasts even though they are high-born. This short novella didn't leave a lot of room for world-building, and while I was intrigued by the glimpses we got, I wanted more. Antigone's father was a democratically elected leader before a coup led to his death, so why then are Antigone and her siblings seemingly the only natural born children? Wouldn't a respected leader's choices have led others to do the same? The science also felt uneven. A future where genes can be extracted so easily, but we still need women's bodies to grow children?

[Christa J Seeley · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The narrators were great but the story lacked any world building or character development.