This is a brief review of the books Red Rising, Golden Son, and Morning Star.
Content Warning: The trilogy is pretty violent, and there’s a decent amount of vulgar language in it. So while I’m about to recommend a great trilogy for its suspense and story-telling, be forewarned that it’s a mature read.
I think I’ve found some of my new favourite novels.
This doesn’t happen often, especially when you’re up against The Lord of the Rings and the Ender Quartet.
That said, Pierce Brown’s Red Rising trilogy-turned-ongoing-series is as epic and heart-pounding as they come. They are without a doubt instant sci-fi classics.
Characters are flawed but interesting, the story wild and well-paced. Environments scour the solar system, and the believable society sets the stage to drive a plot that borrows liberally from other dystopian dramas like the Hunger Games. The similarities to Suzanne Collins’ recently popular works may cause you raise your eyebrows if you think about it too much, but the strengths, uniqueness and mature tone of Brown’s work make it shine all on its own.
You will attach yourself to Darrow and his friends – friendship is a rich theme throughout the series – and the journeys they go on are the kind that make for the strongest and most nostalgic of bonds. There is frequent payoff for these relationships, as well as conflict that hurts and divides. Like in real life, no bond is invincible. Challenges put relationships at risk, and when you’re dealing with the massively significant issues in Red Rising, no relationship is going to be safe. You feel it, and Darrow’s limited first-person perspective is perfect for creating the isolation and misdirection that keeps the plot and friendships thrilling and suspenseful.
While the focus is on the sci-fi world, action, characters and plot, the trilogy asks bigger questions too: How do we make a free society? Must we be willing to do anything and everything for freedom? What makes a leader? What does it look like to really be in someone else’s shoes? How do we treat our enemies when we realize they’re human just like us?
While there are deeper spiritual things here, Darrow and his friends are no Jesus. They are flawed, and you can’t help but sympathize. Hard times mean quick decisions and desperate action. I wouldn’t have done things the way Darrow did all the time. But I probably wouldn’t do a lot of my own decisions over again, either.
You’ll keep guessing until the very end. You’ll cry, laugh, and feel the pain that comes with any real adventure. And each page will have been worth it.
If you can handle a mature read, do yourself a favour and pick up Pierce Brown’s excellent saga.
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