Red Rising

As a fan of dystopia series generally I am surprised that it took me so long to get round to this, but with the third book in the trilogy due out early next year, I thought I'd finally give it a go. I am very glad I did, and will no doubt be polishing off the second book pretty quickly in anticipation of the concluding instalment. It is true to say that the plot to Red Rising isn't going to win any prizes for originality. The first fifth of the book sets the tone, with the protagonist, Darrow, finding out that his arduous life as a 'Red' mining precious minerals to ensure the survival of the human race is not all it seems. Not by a long shot, actually, as it turns out that the 'Reds' are effectively slaves in a society run by 'Golds', who rule from a position of luxury and power at the expense of all others. Darrow finds himself in a position to infiltrate and challenge the 'Golds', and so the main part of the book charts his progress through a very Hunger Games esq artificial scenario whereby he is one of a group of teenagers that must work out not only how to lead their own group, but how to ultimately conquer and win over the other groups that have been placed in the same environment. If the actual blurb of Red Rising threatens to be lost in what is a very competitive genre, the writing ensures that it has the quality to very much stand out. Simply put, this book is written very well indeed, and is driven by the myriad of flawed characters that Brown manages to make both relevant and distinct. The narrative moves quickly but is engaging, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader hooked. The fact that the 'arena' section involves groups of teenagers rather than just an 'every man for himself situation' results in the plot as a whole having a lot more depth then Hunger Games. It's also significantly more brutal, and whilst it's not quite up to Game of Thrones level in terms of violence, it's certainly a good notch above what you would expect in a YA novel. It's also worth noting that whilst there are sic-fi elements to this, they are very accessible and do not suffer from the over complicated technical language that I find is present in a lot of sci-fi novels. Ultimately as first books in a trilogy go it's difficult to find much better examples in this genre. It really is excellent and I found myself flying through it with little concept of the passage of time, which is always a good sign. Despite having bought numerous books in the Kindle sale whilst I was reading this, I have just bought and moved straight on to the second book in the series. I hope that the trilogy lives up to the standards of this first book, but until I find that out for myself I can only recommend Red Rising as an excellent sci-fi dystopia novel.

Red Rising: “I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.” So I can safely say that all the praise this book gets is well deserved! I always a little bit nervous when reading works of an author I have not read before, and even more so when said books are so widely loved. Not in the sense id be worried about rating it low, because that doesn’t overly bother me, it is that your expectations are set so high that they can often be the ruin of the book. It works both ways, I have watched films and read books that’s have been slated and loved them because I had such low expectations. Thankfully, those who have praised this book are people who I respect the opinions of and having cracking taste! It usually takes me a good chunk of time to fall into the rhythm of a new authors writing, especially when in first person. I have nothing against first person, it’s just that for some unknown reason it takes me longer to get into the grove of the writing. However, this was not an issue at all with this book, I fell into it almost too easily. I have described writing before using words such as clean, simple and sharp. Though, never have I read writing quite so sharp. Pierce does not over embellish his writing, it is straight and to the point, while not seeming inferior or of a lesser standard. There is a quick feeling to his prose, they are swift and effective. That's not to say there isn't description there most definitely is, it just felt less prevalent. There is something surreal about Pierce's writing. At first I thought it more magical, when Darrow was describing the beauties of nature he sees or cities but I realised it was actually a part of Darrow. It emphasises the point that he believed his world was baron and red and that it would never be more, that he would never be more. It was incredibly immersive and truly brought out Darrow’s character more and more. I found Darrow easy to love, I liked him from the start and that didn’t change. It was very interesting to see the two sides of Darrow, not in a two faced way but we as the reader see a truer version of him whereas the other characters of the book see the image he puts forth. There is a duel at one point, one of the opponents says ‘to yield’ while Darrow shouts ‘to the death’ and it just clicked how differently the rest of the characters see him to how we see him. I was really cleverly done, I don't doubt other books do it to some degree but I really saw it in this. “Yielding,” Pax says impatiently. “To the death,” I correct. Really it doesn’t matter. I’m just screwing with them at this point. All I have to do is give the signal. “To yielding,” Mustang confirms.” I felt like I was able to resonate with some of the initial emotions that Darrow experiences. I live in a tiny town, so when I moved to the city for university it was a big shift in gear. I remember I was walking from my university accommodation once and I saw a tractor rolling through Leeds and I nearly peed I was that excited, it is so strange to go from a place you know near everyone and where everyone but the grumps smile at you to a city of drones. A place where you are the strange one for smiling at the person walking past you! “In Lykos, I would have been jostled by men I’d grown up with, run across girls I’d chased and wrestled with as a child. Here, other Colors slam into me and offer not even a faint apology. This is a city, and I do not like it. I feel alone.” Pierce also gave us so many other great characters, Sevro was brilliant! Some had past dealings that would make you think them oily and sneaky, others you would pity and some you hated. Pierce makes you feel every brutal emotions for these characters and more. “Sevro snorts. “What do you think I’ve been doing this whole time, you silky turd? Wanking off in the bushes?” The descriptions in this book are beautifully done, the forest, the baron slums Darrow lived in, the busy cities full of Colours, are all so vivid and creative. I said earlier that Pierces writing, through the eyes of Darrow, seemed surreal and often magical and it does but Pierce also managed to show us an utterly savage world one win which life is not fair, it is not equal and you do not win. The story gradually gets darker and darker, while still holding tight the dream that this all begun for. “On Mars there is not much gravity. So you have to pull the feet to break the neck. They let the loved ones do it.” This book is so fast paced, and it is utterly relentless. I didn’t feel like there was a single point I could put this book down the wheels of the game just kept on churning! Which is probably why I was up until the butt crack of dawn reading this book. So, if you starter reading this book do so early and make sure you have the day free because you will not want to stop. It is a brilliant start to the series and I cannot wait to read the next book, which is already downloaded on my kindle and ready to be read once I have posted this review! “Alter the paradigm.”

I absolutely loved this book! Red Rising is a YA dystopian novel, which was recommended to me and described as 'The Hunger Games in space' - I was obviously completely sold! Set in the future, society is separated into a colour-caste hierarchical system that dictates your whole life from how you live to how you die. “My people sing, we dance, we love. That is our strength. But we also dig. And then we die. Seldom do we get to choose why.” The protagonist male, Darrow, is a lowly Red, which means that he works as a Helldiver on Mars to ensure that it will be a livable planet for future generations. He is playing a huge part in changing the future of humanity... or so he believes. Red Rising has a whole host of fantastic, complex and vivid characters. There are few series that I can think of where I have enjoyed SO many different characters as I have in this book and trilogy. Darrow is a great protagonist. Even when things are at their worst, he does not wallow in self-pity (a character trait I cannot abide in a protagonist), he is intelligent, very human and bloodydamn well written! The plot of Red Rising is more complex than a lot of other YA dystopia. The opening is enjoyable and has a good pace despite it introducing you to so many different ideas at once. It lets you get to grips with the world, how things work and then throws you straight into the main story line. There is friendship, death, love, anger, betrayal... and most importantly, surprises! It certainly has a lot of familiar elements but the world is so much richer, the plot thicker and I personally found it to be less predictable than books in the same genre. The tone and pace of the book are also spot on! Red Rising is a great book, which I constantly recommend to people! It is frequently mentioned alongside The Hunger Games, although it is different and has the strength to stand alone but you have to forgive the comparison because if you like The Hunger Games, Divergent or are just a YA/dystopia fan you will love this.

So, I'll be upfront here, I loved this book! In fact I loved it so much that I couldn't concentrate on anything else once I'd finished it so immediately bought and read book 2 because it was the only thing I wanted to read. I've also bought book 3 but am holding off on that because I don't want to get into the position of reading book 4 and then having to wait months to find out what happens next. This book grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let me go. The characters are all richly detailed without extraneous detail used on those who are only in the story for a page or two. I felt like I was with Darrow every step of his journey, felt every emotion he felt and wanted the same goals as he did because I could understand why they were so important to him. The locations, while not obviously places we are familiar with, felt alive to me, the descriptions were so clear and well-written. I read this story on my kindle and have since bought the paperback and therefore seen the map that is in it, something I didn't have in my ebook. The descriptions were so clear throughout the story that my imagined layout that I had in my mind was almost identical to the map in the book, that's how good the writing is. This isn't a non-violent book but I felt the violence there was fitted with the story. It's also not a book with a complete ending as it is the first in the series, however, the ending does tie things up to an extent so there is a feeling of an ending of sorts which I liked and don't always get with books that are part of a series. If you're one of the few people on the planet who have not yet read this book then I would urge you to give it a go. It might not be your usual genre but why not step outside of it and try something different. Life can be boring if we never try new things, at least occasionally. For anyone who wants a fast paced, well-written read that will keep them glued to the book for hours then I highly recommend this one. The only regret I have in reading this book is that I didn't do it sooner.

I want to say it's been a long time since I came across a book that deserves the hype it's been given, but I can't - but that's only because I've been reading a lot of awesome books lately. This is definitely another book that deserves it's hype. I've had this on my Kindle since the beginning of the month and I kept putting it off and putting it off and putting it off. The more I read the blurb, the more I started to think that this was going to be a complete Snoozefest. I'll be the first to admit, the world building does take some commitment - especially the lingo - which, for the first few chapters I did cringe at a bit - but Pierce Brown does it all in such a way that it isn't boring and it isn't just pages and pages of info-dumping. You go straight into the story and it all becomes a part of it; it's very naturally done. I struggled a bit with the narrative and Brown's writing style for a while in the beginning. Short sentences, minimal descriptions and at times, things could be very abrupt. However, once I had gotten used to this, I realised just how much I liked it and how much it adds to the book. Besides, there's so much happening that the book would have been 5-times longer if it hadn't been like that. Ok, I need to put this one down now. The Ancient Rome influence and parallels definitely bumps it up immeasurably for me. I love that s***. I never went to University, but if i had, it would have been to study Ancient History. Love me some Greeks and Romans. Darrow was incredible. As a character he's what you look for as a reader: Everything you wish you could be, and yet undeniably flawed. He's still human (I think). He lets himself get carried away, he makes mistakes, he can't help himself at times. But he's strong, and intelligent and cunning. He knows how the game is played and doesn't shy away from it in the way that a lot of Dystopian Heroes and Heroins tend to do. He does some horrific things, faces hard decisions and makes bad choices. It's gritty, and morally ambiguous and I love it! Pierce tackles some gritty topics, too. Most notably inequality and racism, the breakdown of civilization, society and morality during times of war and the corruptability of power and what lengths people are willing to go in order to gain or maintain it. And he does this through a host of characters who have more dimensions than, I think, a single read can really convey. I can already tell, this is one of those books which is going to give you something new to think about every time you re-read it. And re-read it I will. READ THE BOOK!

Amazing book, fantastic art. It’s just a shame the foil rubs off so easily. Only been reading this just over a week and it has almost completely come off.

Originally posted on Oh my word. Now THAT was a book! I just ... I can’t even. Red Rising is the story of Darrow, a low-caste Red who lives below the surface of Mars. He spends his day in abject poverty, mining the necessary ore that will be used to terraform the surface of Mars for future generations to inhabit. It’s a grim life, but he and his fellow Reds have been sold the idea that they are pioneers, so by and large Darrow (rhymes with ...) is okay with his lot in life. That is, until tragedy strikes and he is offered the chance to infiltrate the upper-caste Golds and change things from within, with plenty of betrayals and intrigue along the way. Sound familiar? Don’t let that put you off. This book is amazing. You know when people say YA/crossover? I don’t think I truly comprehended the meaning of that saying until now. Yes, I guess this is YA in that the protagonist is seventeen, but some of the situations (hell, most of them) are so adult that I think this is best suited for older YA really. The characters jump off the page and probably, like, wrestle you to the floor and stick you with a pulseBlade or whatever. I didn’t particularly like Darrow, but I don’t think I was supposed to. I empathised with his plight, but he was such a mardy little git that at times I just wanted to slap him. Suffice to say, he grows as the story progresses. For me, the thing that rocketed this book right up in my estimation was the worldbuilding. It is, without a doubt, the best worldbuilding I have ever read. And I’ve read a bunch of books. The world Pierce Brown describes is pretty bloody awful, Plus, he’s amaster of ‘show, don’t tell’, which always wins in my book. It’s just ... God, I’m finding it so hard to find adjectives. Okay, so there’s this part of the plot where Darrow is in this massive Hunger-Games-style arena with a bunch of Golds essentially playing an evil version of Capture The Flag. Every time someone gets injured, a medBot flies down to heal them. So what’s a medBot? Brown never actually tells us. Not properly. And yet I know exactly what they are. Hell, I can even picture them in my head (kind of like the tiny, scuttling, insectoid robots that all the household appliances get turned into in that god-awful Michael Bay dick-fest, Transformers 2). Pierce Brown gives us a made-up noun and the briefest of descriptions, and leaves you to fill in the blanks. And it totally works. And medBots are only one of the awesome things Brown has created in this world. So I felt the weakest element of the book was the plot. Not the scene-by-scene action, which was amazing, but the over-arching plotline. The whole ‘down-trodden hero from the lowest caste of society gets plucked from their lame life by fate and put into a fight-to-the-death situation in order to overthrow the evil hierarchy’ has been done a bunch of times now and while this was a refreshing version of it, this theme is so prevalent that it’s now a trope. But the thing about tropes is that they’re tropes for a reason. They’re popular. People like reading them. There’s nothing wrong with them, they’re just not terribly original. And actually this book did the down-trodden hero trope really well, so it was fine. And when the least-best aspect of a book is merely ‘fine’, I think you’re onto a bit of a winner. I’m currently reading How To Be Bad - a contemporary YA story - simply because I need something to reset my mind and calm me down a bit before I launch into the second episode of this trilogy. 4.5 stars

In a colour-coded society of the future, the Reds have been fed a lie. They believe their toil is to make the surface of Mars liveable for future generations. Unknown to them, humanity already reached the surface of Mars a long time ago; the Reds are nothing more than slaves. When Darrow, a Red, already mourning the loss of his love, learns this truth, he embarks on a mission to infiltrate the Ruling Society of Golds. He will have to prove himself at the Institute, competing against the elite to rise amongst their ranks, in order to destroy the enemy from within. I thought the book got off to a strong start focusing on Darrow and the lives of the Reds, and the initial heartache and betrayal that Darrow suffers is what drives him throughout the book thereafter. The process he has to go through to become a Gold was intriguing, and the fact that he essentially has to physically transform into the face of the enemy is a fascinating idea. Thereafter the rest of the book is taken up by his time at the Institute, and here is where I ended up having more mixed feelings about the story. I thought the Institute got off to a strong start with the Passage, which was genuinely shocking and really set the stakes, as well as allowing for some intriguing follow up and character dynamics. Furthermore, I did enjoy some of the friendships formed during this time, perhaps that between Darrow and Cassius most of all, simply because it was fraught with inevitable complication, and I am intrigued to see what happens between these two characters in the future. Cassius may actually have been my favourite character, because I enjoyed the layers to his character and that he wasn't one-dimensional. I liked Mustang too, and Sevro. There were some plot twists at the Institute that I didn't see coming and enjoyed, and I appreciated the overall analogy of what the Institute was supposed to represent, the strategic thinking involved in the warfare that was at play, and how Darrow ultimately challenges the status quo. However for me personally I did feel that the warfare at the Institute took up too much of the book. Once Darrow enters the Institute we have no further contact from the Sons of Ares, and the focus seems much narrower. I appreciate this is only the first book of a longer series and that we will undoubtedly come back to the larger issues that were presented at the start of the story, however, overall I probably enjoyed this book most before Darrow arrived at the Institute, simply because the endless warfare became a bit monotonous. I also think the book had rather a YA feel, particularly at the Institute, which I am hoping given that part of the story is now done, will be less the case for the rest of the series. I also have mixed feelings about Darrow himself. I appreciated his backstory and drive, and also the moments where he has more vulnerability, however, at times he just came across as too arrogant, which I don't think was helped by the writing. He becomes some sort of legend at the Institute, but I am not sure I ever fully believed why everyone was so happy following his orders. Take the friendship with Sevro for instance, it does not feel like a friendship between equals, but rather of someone who worships Darrow and is willing to serve him, the same with Pax. I have heard that the rest of the series is a step up from this first entry, and certainly I am intrigued enough by the story to continue. 3.5 stars

Good book

Blog: irenadams.com Caution, mild spoilers ahead. "Funny thing, watching gods realize they’ve been mortal all along." I was going to leave for a trip for 3 weeks and couldn’t bring physical copies of the books with me. At least not as many as I would want to. So, for the first time in years I bought kindle versions of a few books. I decided to clean my want-to-read and owned-to-read shelves and this is one that’s been on one of those lists for a long time. I don’t think the synopsis really convinced me and I wasn’t sure the book would be worth buying. I regret that I formed an opinion before giving it a real chance. I think I might want to have it on a shelf of my bookcase so I can re-read it or just flip through the pages to savor the good passages. This is one of those books that really surprised me. There was action, a bad-ass character, suspense… Everything you want in a good novel that takes you in its grip and doesn’t let go before you flip the last page. The future that this book is painting is simple but evil. It has been compared to The Hunger Games, and I thought the same by the middle of the book but P. Brown created something new. It may be another dystopian future, another example of our flaws and habits, but it is also an example of what we might become if a handful few can grab the seats of power and impose their will, hiding the rest of us in the dark for the next centuries. If I only knew that there would be Greek and Roman mythology involved I would have picked the book sooner. P. Brown used the names of the gods and their characteristics and attributes to show the different battling houses of the Golds, but at the same time mentioning the differences between Greek and Roman mythology. The main character is not perfect, but deep and easy to connect to. He might be above average in his skills or strength, but then again, it was all built for him. And throughout the pages P. Brown shows us the change in the protagonist, his doubts, his fears, but also his never ending will to push forward.We get to presence his evolution and the adjustment to his new role in the society. The story is gripping and full of twists. Even though some of the turns of the events are easy to foresee, the story is ever changing. The fluid relationship between the characters and the protagonist is sometimes surprising like with Tactus, Servo and Pax, other times not so much as with Mustang. But the author is not afraid to kill one or several of the characters you liked or started to like, leaving you on the edge of the seat to see what will happen next. It was a good ride and I hope you will take it too.

I'm so glad that I got this book as the introduction to my first reading spree in years. The first maybe 100 pages can feel a little bit slow, as usual with in-depth stories that need foundation, but then it's just amazing. I was mindblown by the environments that is showcased and, being on the 4th book now, I still think about this first one a lot.

Red Rising é uma obra impactante que explora profundamente temas como opressão de classes, hierarquia social e desenvolvimento pessoal. A trama acompanha Darrow, um Vermelho cuja visão de mundo é desmantelada ao descobrir verdades ocultas sobre a sociedade em que vive. Motivado por essas revelações, ele inicia uma jornada de ascensão e rebelião contra a estrutura vigente. A construção de mundo é imersiva e detalhada, povoada por personagens complexos que evocam reações genuínas, variando da empatia à aversão. A narrativa possui um ritmo consistente e a escrita em primeira pessoa cria uma conexão real, permitindo que o leitor experimente as emoções e dilemas de Darrow de forma intensa. Vale ressaltar que este é apenas o primeiro volume de uma saga, servindo como uma porta de entrada explosiva para este universo. Leitura altamente recomendada.

Wonderful book... was hooked every second I read it