A fun sci-fi novel that brought together a lot of parts of other series and franchises into an interesting world: a solar-system spanning oligarchy with a caste system backed by geenric engineering whose ruling class reveres the ancient Romans more than any enlightenment-era political theorist.

Some parts will stick out as a bit derivative: the main setting of the book is a Hunger Games-esque battle royale, and the strategies and political theory the main characters use to win felt very reminiscent of Ender’s Game. Even so, the book was able to weave in its own themes. I found the narrator’s internal struggles interesting to follow along with and generally the book was a page turner.