Iron Gold

Pierce Brown delves back into the world he created with his phenomenal Red Rising trilogy, and it does not disappoint! Ten years after the events that broke the chains of Society, the war still rages and the aftermath is still being felt. Pierce gives you four different POV’s to follow: a young Red girl, the Gold boy, now man, who saw first hand the wrath of the revolution, a disillusioned Grey who self medicates as he maneuvers through the criminal underbelly, and Darrow, is he the hero of the Rising or the destroyer of everything?
The multiple storylines give this story depth and varying purposes. It is a glimpse of what happens in the aftermath of revolution, nothing can be solved overnight, and not everybody lives happily ever show more after.
Darrow and the Howlers are not young rebels any longer. They have families and responsibilities as well as political positions. Darrow in particular is interesting to revisit, as Red Rising was truly about his mission to tear Society down. Now, the people created the Reaper condemn his actions. I mean, if Sevro is your voice of reason, you are well and truly fucked up. 😉
Lysander was just a boy when the Revolution stormed his home and destroyed his way of life and his family. Cassius saved him and the two of them have been traveling the realm protecting people. However, Lysander still holds the ideals of the Golds as something to aspire to. Cassius is still in search of redemption in some form. The two of them are set on a course that will alter their lives, again.
Ephraim has every reason to hate the new world order as he blames it for killing His love, Trigg. But his latest shady job will either get him killed, or, no, it will probably kill him.
Lyria represents the people who were supposed to benefit from the Rising. Instead of the freedom and equality, her family lived in camps. When the Red Hand murders her family, Lyria and her nephew have an unexpected chance out of the camp. But is it a better life, or more of the same?

All of this is brought to technicolor life by Pierce Brown’s amazing writing. This promises to be another full throttle ride into that man’s gorgeous imagination, and I for one, cannot wait!! show less

You know when you read a book that's so good you do one of two things, devour it in one sitting or try to pace yourself because you already cannot stand the thought of it ending? I was the latter. Ever since I read Pierce Brown's first book "Red Rising" I have been obsessed with this series. I think it may have actually taken the place of my first science fiction love, "Dune" by Frank Herbert. This man is an absolute poet with the way he uses words. I would get this feeling in my chest of pure emotion that made me feel as if I were to burst out cheering or crying.
Needless to say, I loved this book. I literally screeched at work when I got the email that I got an ARC of "Iron Gold", and I work in a public library ;)
This story takes up show more 10 years into the rebellion and Darrow and the remnants of his Howlers have gone against the wishes of the government led by his wife Mustang in a last attempt to end the battle that has raged for years. The story is also told from the point of view of three other characters. One is a new character, a young girl by the name of Lyria. Her family has been rescued from the mines of Mars only to live in a refugee camp forgotten by their saviors. Ephraim, survivor of the original rising, he makes his way through life as a smuggler but will he get drawn into something far bigger than he can imagine? And lastly, Lysander, the heir to the throne of the empire. His grandmother was Octavia au Lune, the Sovereign of the Society. He has been hiding from his birthright but his past may have caught up him anyways.
This book was, as I knew it would be, incredible. I still recommend the Red Rising Trilogy to anyone not fortunate enough to have read them. It will definitely be part of my all time favorite book series. show less

I don’t know how I feel about this one. On one hand there were some really cool and intense scenes: quite a few heists, torture, high stakes but I was left wanting more when it came to Darrow’s POV. It seemed like this book took forever to finish and usually I can get through audiobooks pretty quickly, especially from this series. I know Iron Gold is the least favorite of a lot of people and as of now, I’d have to agree. I love all the new characters though and Ephraim is definitely my favorite. I loved the duality of his scenes and that we have both perspectives, not knowing who or what to root for. Made for an interesting dynamic in the book and in my head.

Ten years after the Red Rising trilogy plot ends, this new book revisit our old friends. This time we see the story unfold from four POVs; a red named Lyria, gold heir to the throne Lysander, Holliday’s brother-in-law Ephraim, and of course Darrow.

The novel tackles the impact war has on everyone from the soldiers who fight it to the orphaned children it leaves behind. It was bleak, but good.

“I suppose that is what every man must tell himself in war. That there will be an end, and when it is done, enough of himself will remain. Enough to be a father. A brother. A lover. But we know it isn’t true. Don’t we, Darrow? War eats the victors last.”

“I know it may be impossible to believe now, when everything is dark and broken, but show more you will survive this pain, little one. Pain is a memory. You will live and you will struggle and you will find joy.” show less

Maybe I was hoping for something else, but this one didn't work for me. I've really enjoyed the first three novels of this series (enough to have re-read the first three a second time in preparation for this one), but it all fell apart for me in book four.

Brown's writing style changes dramatically here, as he moves from first-person present-tense with one character to the same thing with multiple characters. Approximately halfway through the book, the characters finally started to feel distinct from each other with different personalities, but even then it's so thin on the ground that I'm unlikely to finish the series, despite having already purchased volumes 5 & 6, new.

This is a grim work. If you're looking for a fun-filled romp show more through the galaxy, don't stop here. show less

I hardly know where to begin. Brown switches from the single first person POV he used in the original trilogy, to four POV narrators. This gives a much wider scope to the story. There are some great new characters and I am very grateful to Brown for not indiscriminately killing off original characters just for the heck of it (a la GRRM). Yes, there’s a body count, and it’s high. However, the deaths we do see make sense, even though they may be painful.

I spent most of the book with my heart in my throat, nervous and nauseated. The ending left me frustrated with Darrow, crying, and inches from tossing my book across the room. This seems to be Brown’s preferred method of ending, so I’m not surprised. I expect to be equally show more horrified and traumatized by Dark Age and can only hope that the third book of this second trilogy has as much hope at the end of it as Morning Star. show less

Wow. So, this went in a few unexpected directions. At first, all of the new characters and their seemingly random stories was a little disconcerting. But, as always, I trusted Pierce Brown and the journey and it was worth it.

Ten years later, and Darrow is a different man. He ended up the only way that I think someone could end up after a decade of war and uprising: sad, lonely, and full of regret for not being a better father. His decisions have been between the greater good of the society and his family, which came after the initial events of the Red Rising trilogy. This is not the Reaper of the original books--he is older and tired of war but is caught in the cycle of war that seems to be never ending.

The other stories that came show more together were great. I really enjoyed the separate strands coming together and was genuinely surprised a few times.

I'm excited for the next book and was worried that Pierce Brown would overstay his welcome with Darrow. I was VERY wrong and the way he has gone about this is brilliant. This is a different Darrow. This is a different time. show less