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
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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Community Reviews
Audiobook listen. I’m normally more of a fantasy reader than sci-fi/dystopian, but I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down. Darrow feels so real and relatable. I’m excited to read the rest of the series.
I really wasnât sure how I would feel about this book as itâs totally out of my comfort zone, not something I would typically read. I am so impressed. It was such a good read I can not wit to read the rest!
I wanted to like this book more than I did. The plot wasn't necessarily bad and I enjoyed the writing style. But so much of this has been done before. Societal betrayal, sacrifice of a loved one to spur the protagonist on to a larger, grander goal... Roman names...
Seriously, why do authors have such a penchant for the Romans?? Like, why is the name "Pollux" so appealing to you? Why are the Greek and Roman gods so revered? Is it because everyone wants a beard like Socrates?
Anyhow, I digress. Long story short, dude who's basically a slave leads a short, meaningless life because that's the way it is. Something happens to show him that's not how it has to be, then he gets chosen to be the leader of the uprising. There was even a competition where the weak got culled. It was very Hunger Games meets The Escape meets Latin nerd.
And therein lie most of the problems. There are really cool ideas, but when you boil it down it's not terribly original. My other big problems:
1. Didn't realize this was a book series. Was all like, "Dang, they're spending so much time on this competition!" Sigh.
2. I didn't really care for the competition. It was the central event of the book and I just kept thinking, "Alright, alright, let's move this along and get this over with." That's not a good sign.
3. It turned out to be wayyyyyy too gory for me. My god. Especially the teeth descriptions. Holy hell, I felt those.
4. It was actually a little predictable. I saw several plot twists coming before they happened, which is unusual for me. And yeah, there were a couple I didn't see, but this game was supposed to be full of epic strategy and it didn't really feel like it to me.
5. I'm so tired of series. I just want to read a single book and have it all resolve the first time. I'm so sick of needing to go on to the next one.
Anyway, long story short: Enjoyable but not terribly new and I'm not sure if I'm going to keep reading the series.
Seriously, why do authors have such a penchant for the Romans?? Like, why is the name "Pollux" so appealing to you? Why are the Greek and Roman gods so revered? Is it because everyone wants a beard like Socrates?
Anyhow, I digress. Long story short, dude who's basically a slave leads a short, meaningless life because that's the way it is. Something happens to show him that's not how it has to be, then he gets chosen to be the leader of the uprising. There was even a competition where the weak got culled. It was very Hunger Games meets The Escape meets Latin nerd.
And therein lie most of the problems. There are really cool ideas, but when you boil it down it's not terribly original. My other big problems:
1. Didn't realize this was a book series. Was all like, "Dang, they're spending so much time on this competition!" Sigh.
2. I didn't really care for the competition. It was the central event of the book and I just kept thinking, "Alright, alright, let's move this along and get this over with." That's not a good sign.
3. It turned out to be wayyyyyy too gory for me. My god. Especially the teeth descriptions. Holy hell, I felt those.
4. It was actually a little predictable. I saw several plot twists coming before they happened, which is unusual for me. And yeah, there were a couple I didn't see, but this game was supposed to be full of epic strategy and it didn't really feel like it to me.
5. I'm so tired of series. I just want to read a single book and have it all resolve the first time. I'm so sick of needing to go on to the next one.
Anyway, long story short: Enjoyable but not terribly new and I'm not sure if I'm going to keep reading the series.
There is A LOT of world building and politics. It was interesting. I'm not sure i'll continue the series.
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