Morning Star

The Conservative Mask Slipped

This book broke me.

I adored Red Rising, looking past the sexism, homophobia, and downplay of the seriousness of sexual assault and torture. This love continued through Golden Son, which continued with alarm bells starting to ring, but the quality of writing and my emotional hook to the characters pulled me through.

I made the mistake of believing there might actually be something to this series and the message the author was trying to get across, but the mask slipped badly here. The sexism and homophobia continued throughout this series, hitting new highs with a confrontation that vaguely implied that noone is out as Queer in the Society without any kind of thought or discussion, the reversal of nostalgia show more into misogynistic denigration of Eo, and the 'pro-life' discussion of her pregnancy. Revealing a founding member of the Sons of Aeries as an 'ethical' capitalist who soliloquies about how capitalism is the only way for innovation and exploration, without any questioning or exploration is disgusting, false, and propaganda.

I long had concerns about the 'great man' approach of Darrow and authoritarian organisation of the resistance, but him as figurehead and those with the knowledge and skills to lead in the consuming war was one thing, but the utter callousness with which abhorrent decisions are made that effect hundreds of millions of innocent people and the 'acceptable' civilian casualties that are given no emotional weight in a series that has stood out because of the strength of inner conflict and emotion, especially when juxtaposed with the reverence with which a fascist former friend is lovingly laid to rest made me sick.

This book left me uncontrollably sobbing, but not for the right reasons. I cried because a series I had become so invested in and an author I thought I could have at least a little trust in their political message truly showed centre right, liberal conservative hand, disregard for human life, and a seeming lack of understanding of their own characters and their motivations. People and characters can do awful things, but when shown to have emotional intelligence and capability to wrestle with difficult emotions and situations, but when they don't seem to care and the author clearly doesn't care enough to discuss them, that's vile. There's also a difference between being unable to feel and discuss, and just not including it.

I tried to come back and push through that last quarter, but funeral for a fascist and not a thought for those left in bondage and needlessly murdered in what was never addressed to be a monumental atrocity of a war crime left me in tears of rage again.

I had no expectations of this series actually aligning with my anarchist communist leanings, but I didn't expect this to be the literature equivalent of 'soft boys' using progressive language to manipulate and abuse, but honestly that's what this is.

I'm beyond disappointed. show less

Morning Star by Pierce Brown is the conclusion to the Red Rising trilogy that began with Red Rising and followed with Golden Son. This trilogy got off to a terrific start with Red Rising and with Golden Son it actually developed into a far better story growing in epic scope and character development. So the expectations for Morning Star were very high indeed. To that all I can say is -

Gorydamn!
Gorydamn!
Gory...mother...@#$**&....DAMN!!!

Darrow is captured. Held prisoner and tortured by his friend, his surrogate brother, Adrius Augustus known as The Jackal. Isolated in a box, the size of a coffin, used by The Jackal as little more than a coffee table. A decoration. To show off to the rest of the empire the fall of the great Reaper. The show more Golden Son lies in ruins. Broken and shattered. Betrayed by the friends that he himself was deceiving. So begins Morning Star.

It is difficult to give background on this book without reaching back into the two prior novels and giving away spoilers. Something I detest doing because I do so believe in the enjoyment of reading the tale myself. So I will be concise and quick with the background and give as little away as possible.

The world of Red Rising tells the story of humanity, 700 years after it has ventured into space and colonized the galaxy. But little has changed for mankind. Men are separated into classes based on the color they are branded with. At the top of the hierarchy are the golds, physically and mentally superior, they rule with impunity and ruthlessness. At the bottom of the classes are the lowly Reds, who serve deep underground, mining and terraforming so that the other races who live on the surface can survive the inhospitable planet of Mars.

Darrow is one such Red. Living his life of poverty and darkness with his wife Eo and his family. Until the day Eo is accused of treason and hanged. But with the lack of gravity, it is up to a loved one to end her suffering on the noose by pulling her legs as she hangs and killing her. As Eo prepares takes the stand to be executed she sings out her song. A cry for freedom for all. As she dies, Darrow ends her suffering by pulling on her legs and strangling her as the whole community watches. In grief, Darrow cuts down his wife's body and buries her. An act for which he also is accused and hung. But Darrow is not allowed to die and wakes to find himself in the hands of a rebellion. The Sons of Ares are a group of rebels who have banded together to fight back against the oppression of the Golds. With the song sung by Eo as their battle cry and with the grief and desire for revenge in Darrow, they hatch an incredible plan. They will surgically change the lowly Red Darrow into a Gold. With such a disguise, Darrow will infiltrate the Golds and become one of them. But to do so he must pass a challenge that all young of Golds do. He must be trained in the art of warfare and kill off the weaker Golds, so only the strongest of the Gold survive. His reward for surviving this test will be to become part of the ruling families. His choice of family is none other than that of Mar's Governer, Nero Au Augustus, the man who ordered the death of Darrow's wife, Eo.

Darrow becomes one of the Gold's greatest young warriors and is called the Reaper. Ignorant and uncaring of the Red Rebellion below them, the Gold's are in a civil war of their own and Nero decides to rebel against the Empress Octavia Au Lune. The legend of the Reaper grows in the ensuing war and it is as he wins his greatest battle that he is betrayed and unmasked by his friend,
Adrius Au Augustus.

Which brings us to Morning Star and the conclusion of the Red Rising trilogy. Trapped in a box, his spirit broken and his body crushed, Darrow does not know if he is alive or dead. All of the Sons of Ares believe him perished except for the madman Sevro, his greatest friend and leader of the renegade Howlers. When Sevro comes into contact with a communication between The Jackal and the emissaries of the Empress Octavio, he becomes convinced that Darrow is alive and hatches a mad plan to free his friend. But how much of the Reaper still lives in Darrow. Can Sevro free him and can Darrow take his place back at the head of the rebellion and fight against the Golds?

Gorydamn!

With each tale, the story of Darrow changes as does the character of Darrow himself. He has gone from grieving and vengeful spouse, to powerful and terrifying warrior, to finally this last variation of Darrow. A warrior who has grown tired of war and a widow who does not even remember the love of his wife. All he has left is the cause and the need to finish his work. But with every move he makes, every life that is taken or forfeited, Darrow feels them. His betrayal of his friends and their betrayal of him are scars that are deeper and more painful than anything the Jackal has done to him in captivity.

Morning Star is epic. A finale that does not simply bring this terrific story to its conclusion, but rises it even higher in plot and subterfuge. Brown has done an incredible job with his characters. This is not the story of just one man but of a group of men and women who must battle not only that which is around them, but with their own inner selves.

Read Red Rising.
Read Golden Son.
Read Morning Star.

Read these books before the movie comes out, because it will.

This is Ender's Game, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones lever of epic and grand scale storytelling. It is intense and bloody. It is just a hell of a lot of fun! show less

Note: You really need to read the previous books in this series to understand this book.

Book 2, Golden Son, left us on a hell of a cliffhanger. Luckily, Book 3 picks up where things were left, which was right in the middle of a mess. Our hero-to-be Darrow, the Reaper, is in desperate straights. Things went horribly wrong with an unexpected betrayal. Friends and allies have been killed or imprisoned. Others, such as Mustang, are off on their own, their intentions unknown.

The author doesn’t disappoint with this book. The mix of tension, action, betrayals, loyalties, saving people, executing people, adventure, dismemberments, and body enhancements continues to be excellent. Darrow continues to yank the feels out of me by a fishook! show more He’s at the center of this rising, doing his best to maintain his own humanity and yet sometimes he has to sacrifice it in order to bring it out in others. In Book 1, Red Rising, the story started off with Darrow and his Red family. Book 2 hints that Darrow’s family is at his core, the thing that makes him strong. In Book 3, it’s very satisfying to see that come full circle with Darrow’s family, both biological and the family of friends he’s built, standing strong behind him.

This book should get an award for creative cursing. Oh, dear Severo! He made me laugh so hard, and sometimes inappropriately, with his flagrant curses. He’s such a harsh man and he seems to revel in being crude or disgusting. While Darrow was temporarily out of the picture, he had to rise above and become more than he thought he could be. However, the eventual, and perhaps inevitable, butting of heads between these two friends had me gnashing my teeth! After the unexpected betrayal at the Book 2, I was constantly on the look out for the next breaking of friendship or betrayal or splitting of paths. I need a back massage just from being so tense throughout this book!

Without giving much away, I really enjoyed the visit to Ragnar’s homeland. It was so different from what we had seen so far. And his isn’t the only alien landscape our heroes visit. There’s the moons of Jupiter as well. The author did a great job of maintaining realistic travel times between all the points of interest in the solar system.

Towards the end, when I was down to the last 6 hours or so, I wasn’t sure how the author was going to wrap up everything that still had to be done. I was a bit worried that things would get rushed towards the end, unrealistic compromises, etc. tossed in just to wrap things up. However, our author wasn’t that clumsy. Things did unfold in a realistic way and everything got wrapped up nicely. I was quite satisfied by how things came to be in the end. Yes, there were plenty of deaths and sacrifices. Yes, not every person who committed some despicable act was killed. Yet I felt that Darrow and his close friends have laid solid ground work for a new regime. In the end, I so enjoyed this book I wanted to go back and listen to the series all over again.

The Narration: Tim Gerard Reynolds once again does this series justice. I really enjoyed his accent and voices for the new characters we meet on Ragnar’s home world. His creative cursing as Severo is very entertaining! His range in accents and character voices make this an excellent listen! show less

A phenomenal 5 stars. Morningstar was a rollercoaster. More betrayals, more heartbreaking moments, more humor and more action.

The action scenes were out of this world (no pun intended). This is my first space opera and while I was intimidated by it for the longest time, I’m surprised to say it was quite easy to follow. The space battles were incredible. The ingenuity, creativity and ability to paint a clear image of the battle is a true talent. I just kept picture star-trek / Star Wars type ships going head to head. I was in awe the entire time.

There are so many heartbreaking moments throughout this book. Torture, death, hopelessness… but it all has a purpose. I never felt like a scene was dragging or pointless. I truly believe show more that all of these moments fed into each character arc and helped the story progress.

The pacing was *chefs kiss*. I’m a fast- paced girly and I LOVE action which Morningstar (the entire trilogy) has an abundance of.

Is this a love story? No. But I loved that it’s a driving factor throughout the entire series. It all comes back to love and loss of that great love. How it challenges us, haunts us, pushes us to do and be better.

I love Pierce Brown’s humor. The unhinged comments throughout the series were perfectly timed and really helped to lighten the mood. In a story built around devastation and rebellion, the humor really helped cut the tension.

I truly feel this is a series everyone should read and I especially think the graphic audio is a must. The cast, sound effects, music truly elevated the series and made me feel as if I was there throughout it. They did an absolutely fabulous job with the production and I will definitely need to listen again in the future. show less

A phenomenal 5 stars. Morningstar was a rollercoaster. More betrayals, more heartbreaking moments, more humor and more action.

The action scenes were out of this world (no pun intended). This is my first space opera and while I was intimidated by it for the longest time, I’m surprised to say it was quite easy to follow. The space battles were incredible. The ingenuity, creativity and ability to paint a clear image of the battle is a true talent. I just kept picture star-trek / Star Wars type ships going head to head. I was in awe the entire time.

There are so many heartbreaking moments throughout this book. Torture, death, hopelessness… but it all has a purpose. I never felt like a scene was dragging or pointless. I truly believe show more that all of these moments fed into each character arc and helped the story progress.

The pacing was *chefs kiss*. I’m a fast- paced girly and I LOVE action which Morningstar (the entire trilogy) has an abundance of.

Is this a love story? No. But I loved that it’s a driving factor throughout the entire series. It all comes back to love and loss of that great love. How it challenges us, haunts us, pushes us to do and be better.

I love Pierce Brown’s humor. The unhinged comments throughout the series were perfectly timed and really helped to lighten the mood. In a story built around devastation and rebellion, the humor really helped cut the tension.

I truly feel this is a series everyone should read and I especially think the graphic audio is a must. The cast, sound effects, music truly elevated the series and made me feel as if I was there throughout it. They did an absolutely fabulous job with the production and I will definitely need to listen again in the future. show less

Read from February 25 to March 01, 2016

Pierce Brown! How did you trick me into reading a space opera?! This series starts out as a readalike for The Hunger Games/Ender's Game/Lord of the Flies with the whole Institute battle stuff, but after that...BAM! Space battles. Iron rain. Spaceships. The man takes these super complex battles and the society's complicated caste system and makes it so darn interesting. Plus he writes characters with depth and flaws and emotions and it's just great.

I don't want to give anything away about this last story, but there are twists and turns the entire time. A bloodydamn good series.

So, now that I've just finished reading this great novel, I've lined up a whole bunch of spoilers for you. Are you ready?

Just kidding.

This is easily one of the most satisfying pure SF space-opera-ish revolutionary high-tech adventures I've ever read. I've mentioned before that I love the pacing, the story is strong as hell, and the characters are all pretty much awesome.

Well this time, I can also say that any of my previous concerns about the culture, such as the Reds and how they actually fit into the revolution or the question about why they'd have to keep mining if there's so many robots around to do the work for them, are both answered almost as if the author had taken me aside and given me exactly what I had asked for. (So show more obviously I'm tickled pink.)

I only had one tiny quibble that showed up at the very end that kinda pissed me off, but every single thing else about this novel was delightful fun, full of exciting action, perfect character development, and a shameless pandering to my deep-down desire to have things work out wonderfully. What more could I ask for? The story was excellent and believable, from making me love those damn siblings at the open, through making me freak out about Mustang, making me cry for the bromance with Sevro, all the way to the moment when the Kwisatz Haderach walked into the throne room... oh... wait... wrong book. :)

This book was simply so much unabashed fun, full of clever, full of excellent storytelling, full of life and love and strive, strive, strive. I can't imagine there being a better capstone to this trilogy. It fully succeeds with everything we were promised at book one, and that's impressive mainly because we were promised a damn lot.

*giddy dance*

I am a FAN. :) :)

This is what good SF is!

That is, if you're looking for the pure revolutionary high-tech splendor, of course. :)
Woot!

So all you other authors... Why don't we have more of this stuff? Eh? I want more wonder and less dystopia, please. I think it's time for the wheel to turn. :) show less