Stone Blind / Arch-Conspirator

  

I received a copy of these releases from the publishers in exchange for honest reviews.

Title: Arch-Conspirator 

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Tor

Release Date: 2.21.23

Publisher’s Summary 

From dystopian visionary and bestselling phenomenon Veronica Roth comes a razor-sharp reimagining of Antigone. In Arch-Conspirator, Roth reaches back to the root of legend and delivers a world of tomorrow both timeless and unexpected.

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.

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.

My Review

You can't turn around these days without a fairytale or mythological retelling popping up. Some are smart and provide genuine joy at reading a new twist on an old story and some are just "easy to read" versions for the "modern" reader. I was not impressed with Stone Blind but am appreciative that it may educate more people about the details of this terribly problematic myth (weren't they all?) and the fact that Medusa was indeed the victim. However, if you are looking to experience a science-fiction, dystopian, and feminist retelling of Antigone, let me direct you to the short story/novella (128 pages) Arch-Conspirator. There are viruses, gene editing, power plays, citizen uprisings, arranged marriages, and a spaceship--this is definitely unlike any other mythological retelling I've ever read.