Red Rising

This book is bloodydamn amazing, for starters. It's set in a dystopian society, which seems like it'll be the typical "protagonist introduced, protagonist gets loved one taken away, protagonist rises up and fights" type storyline, but it is inherently different and vastly intelligent. The reader gets a sense of a brutal honesty in the mind of Darrow. His character does not mask his feelings for his wife or his desire to get ahead at the Institute or anything, really. That particular take on a first person narrative is refreshing. There were many twists that I liked, ones that the reader may believe to go one way (because it would seem to be the obvious way), but then would completely surprise them. This book may pull on some dystopian show more themes to start, but it goes in a completely different direction. I'm also a sucker for anything using Roman and/or Greek mythology, so naturally this book was a win for me. Pierce Brown definitely has a bright future ahead with Darrow and with this series, and I can't wait to read Golden Son. show less

This book is bloodydamn amazing, for starters. It's set in a dystopian society, which seems like it'll be the typical "protagonist introduced, protagonist gets loved one taken away, protagonist rises up and fights" type storyline, but it is inherently different and vastly intelligent. The reader gets a sense of a brutal honesty in the mind of Darrow. His character does not mask his feelings for his wife or his desire to get ahead at the Institute or anything, really. That particular take on a first person narrative is refreshing. There were many twists that I liked, ones that the reader may believe to go one way (because it would seem to be the obvious way), but then would completely surprise them. This book may pull on some dystopian show more themes to start, but it goes in a completely different direction. I'm also a sucker for anything using Roman and/or Greek mythology, so naturally this book was a win for me. Pierce Brown definitely has a bright future ahead with Darrow and with this series, and I can't wait to read Golden Son. show less

Set in a far distant future on Mars, Darrow works hard mining below the surface. Mars’s caste system has kept the population, and especially the Reds like Darrow, working hard for a better, brighter future for their children for generations. However, Darrow loses much even as he gains knowledge of the great betrayal perpetrated by the ruling classes. Now he’s determined to up end things, even if it takes becoming what he most despises.

This was an excellent book, one of my favorites of the year so far. It has depth, a brilliant plot, a unique and gripping setting, and characters with teeth. The story is told through Darrow’s eyes. His story arc for this book takes him from hard working family man to accomplished upper-crust show more warrior. Generations past, those terraforming Mars set up a caste system, complete with color coding. The Reds, which is Darrow’s caste, is the lowest of the castes. The Golds are the rulers of the planet and live in comfort and excess. Initially, Darrow is quite happy to spend his life working hard to provide a better future for the next generation. He has a loving wife Eo who he dotes on. She is the first in the story to hint that there is something more to be had and she encourages Darrow to dream bigger. Then tragedy opens his eyes to the reality and he undergoes a bit of terraforming on his own body and mind in order to infiltrate the Golds and set in motion a long-term plan to up end the caste system. Darrow was a hard man to start with. He had to be in order to be the brilliant, talented Hell Diver he was on the mining crew. What he undergoes by the end of this book chisels him, mind, soul, and body, into an even harder person.

The secondary characters are just as brilliant. Darrow expected all the Golds to be the same but his time at the Institute, a kind of war games training ground for the up and coming Golds, shows him that not all Golds are the same. Alliances must be made in order to dominate the game, but they are playing for keeps and this means there will be serious injuries and even deaths. It’s a brutal sifting to remove the chaff from the grain.

I loved all the references to Roman deities and the use of Roman titles in the military hierarchy. The setting for the war games is little more than Medieval – no indoor plumbing, being hunted by wolves, castles to lay siege to, etc. There are a few bits of cool tech that come into play and there’s references to human colonies on other moons/planets in the solar system. The author does a great job of keeping us focused on Darrow’s circumstances while also hinting at the larger picture.

This book brought out some strong emotions for me, which I always love in a book. Darrow lives through some harrowing things, but he also has to do some heinous things. There are plenty of tough choices for him in this book. Several of the other characters also held my attention, such as Sevro and Pax. Sevro’s family history makes him interesting but then Sevro himself beat the odds against at the Institute, surprising everyone. Cassius is another curious character, capable of great loyalty and true brotherly affection. Yet if he is betrayed, his vengeance can be a game changer. Quinn is a scary, scary woman. I definitely wouldn’t want to cross her. There is also Mustang, who kept her loyalties close to her chest throughout the story.

All together, it’s a brilliant science fiction setting coupled with the brutality of a tale of the Roman Empire. I very much look forward to reading the next installment.

The Narration: Tim Gerard Reynolds did an excellent job with this book. His voice for miner Darrow had a bit of an Irish accent, and accent that the character must dampen as he morphs into a Gold. Reynolds did a great job of portraying this with his voice talents. His character voices for the other characters were each distinct and his female voices were believable. He also did a great job of imbuing Darrow’s voice with emotion. show less

It's hard to believe that I almost didn't read this series. The opening line is one of the best I've read, and the first 50 pages has readers calling for justice. It does slow down around the midway point, feeling very Lord of the Flies, until secrets shake up the savagery and the depths of political corruption are exposed. A true underdog story with a cunning hero who keeps readers guessing. When conflicts continue to rise, however, he may end up wondering just how far can one can go before they become the thing they hate. Stellar.

I bloodydamn loved this book. The characters felt real, visceral, and yet nobody felt invulnerable; the consequences felt real, for every character, even for those the reader comes to love. The protagonist is complex, and has complex relationships with many characters; and this is so clearly an anti-totalitarian, pro-class solidarity novel that I highly recommend.

Break the chains! Four and a half stars, aspiring to five.

This is the most ridiculously rewarding read I have ever encountered. Each time I had to put the book down, I found myself more than a little upset. Brown has a magnificent voice, the characters are well crafted, and each time I think I may know what's about to happen, I'm proven (pleasantly) wrong. The book felt like a mix between Brent Weeks and Neil Gaiman and was a great read to escape into!

"Rise, there are duties for you to fill. Ride, there are honours for you to take. Rise for glory, for power, for conquest and dominion over lesser men. Rise, my son. Rise."

This is the first time I've really appreciated the book but totally hated the main character, and I'm not kidding (the only exception is Clary Fairchild). On the book cover is even written "Ender, Katniss and now Darrow".
Where the goryhell is that... lunatic, pitiful, manipulative, creepy, crazy, scheming Reaper (Darrow) similar to my dear Katniss?! He. Is. Not. And I totally can't stand him. I'm still mourning poor little Eo and trying to understand what did she find so amazing in him.

But ok, let's skip this painful topic. During the first fourth of the book my show more reaction was "Why have I started this thing?". I was completely social classesconfused by all , groups and subgroups, organizations, Houses, and roles. Really, really too many divisions. Not to mention that naming social classes with colors' names is a bit... childish? It reminded me of the Teletubbies, to be frank.

"The Golds dance in pairs, Obsidians in threes, Greys in dozens. We dance alone, because only alone do Helldivers drill. Only alone can a boy become a man."

So yes, as you can understand my first approach was a total disaster. But, but. There's a huge but. Because all the part regarding the Insitute and the "war" between the Houses was so amazing, well described... such a brainwave! It was like a written version of a strategy videogame, and I was totally into it. Alliances, traps, fights, cheats, clamorous discoveries and unconceivable relationships. I remained speechless more than once do to some amazing coups de théatre that I didn't think possible.

Not to mention the wide variety of characters, each one with his/her own story and personality. Without any doubt my favourite one is and will remain Sevro. Sarcastic, mysterious, sometimes vicious, yes, but also very loyal. It's a shame that some characters (like Mickey or Harmony) are left aside, because they made me quite curious.

The big question is: is it worth it reading? Well, I'd definitely say yes. show less