Red Rising

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pierce Brown’s relentlessly entertaining debut channels the excitement of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

Red Rising ascends above a crowded dys­topian field.”—USA Today

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—
Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, Shelf Awareness

“I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.”
“I live for you,” I say sadly.
Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.”


Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he toils willingly, trusting that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power.  He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Praise for Red Rising

“[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender’s Game. . . . [Red Rising] has everything it needs to become meteoric.”Entertainment Weekly

“Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.”—Scott Sigler

Red Rising is a sophisticated vision. . . . Brown will find a devoted audience.”Richmond Times-Dispatch

Don’t miss any of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga:
RED RISING • GOLDEN SON • MORNING STAR • IRON GOLD • DARK AGE • LIGHT BRINGER

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Published Jul 15, 2014

416 pages

Average rating: 7.76

1,176 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Red Rising* delivers a gripping dystopian sci-fi with intense action, vivid world-building, and memorable scenes. Many praise its addicti...

BMC
Feb 13, 2026
10/10 stars
Incredible. Once you're in, you're not getting out until Darrow is out.
The.readrose
Jan 28, 2026
4/10 stars
RTC.
biddyy
Dec 23, 2025
IYKYK
nmimms
Jul 22, 2025
8/10 stars
Fantastic first entry into an incredible series. This book doesn't disguise itself for what it is and doesn't make apologies for being over the top. To whet the appetite, just call it hunger games in space. Just better in practically every way. Highly recommend this one to anybody who is a fan of sci-fi or space operas in general.
natalietriano
Feb 22, 2026
8/10 stars
While I’m not a big fantasy fan, I was able to look past it because of the dystopian sci-fi element. It was very interesting and entertaining.

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