Pierce Brown

Darrow is a Helldiver. A pioneer of Mars.

Born to slave beneath the earth so that one day, future generations might live above it.

He is a Red - humankind's lowest caste. But he has something the Golds - the ruthless ruling class - will never understand.

He has a wife he worships, a family who give him strength. He has love.

And when they take that from him, all that remains is revenge . . .

Red Rising Saga #1

Red Rising

Hannah Dee

I am Darwin’s scythe. Nature scraping away the chaff. 

All this for a little adventure. All this for a night under the stars with the man she loves. Yet she is calm. If there is fear, it is in me, because I feel a strangeness in the air. Her skin prickles as they lay her across the cold box. She flinches. I wish my blood had warmed it better for her. 

Jordan

I look down at my hands. They are what Dancer called them-- cut, scarred, burned things. When Eo kissed them, they grew gentle for love. Now that she is gone, they grow hard for hate.

“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." 

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Noah Cross

She's almost right. But she thinks like a Gold. Someone. scream as they see Sevro and his Howlers cutting their way t of the stitched-up bellies of the dead and bloated horses that litrh mud up to the gate. 

Brandon Liew

Kesar Varma

"You do not follow me because I am the strongest. Pax is. You do not follow me because I am the brightest. Mustang is. You follow me because you do not know where you are going. I do,"

raia – inactive

I had thought it would be over, but not all scars heal. Not all sins are forgiven.

I miss the small cot I used to share with Eo. She's been dead now longer than we were married. I'm surprised how much it hurts to realize that.

Mars and Jupiter can battle it out for all I care. I'll come back for both later.

"I know you cry in your sleep for a girl named Eo."

"Now you're looking at me and you're realizing that we don't bloodydamn like it down there. Red is rising, Mickey."

My dreams are cruel things to wake from. In them, Eo comforts me, but when I wake, she is nothing but a fleeting memory.

"Dreamers like your wife are limited, little Helldiver. The only power they have is in death. The harder they die, the louder their voice, the deeper the echoes."

My beautiful wife shone too bright to live long.

If only I could save her from this. If only I could protect her; but the world is cold and hard to me. It does not bend as I wish it to bend. I am weak. I watch my wife die and my haemanthus fall from her hand.

Then they are dragging me to the side. They leave my blood. I’m sure I screamed, sure I shamed myself. I hear them bring out my wife. Her skin prickles as they lay her across the cold box. I wish my blood had warmed it better for her.

She kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.”

"All ears yearn for a voice to lead them through darkness.”

Stars glow soft and graceful in the slick black sky, like the lights that dangle above our township. Eo looks as though she could join them.

In her eyes, I see my heart. In her breath, I hear my soul. She is my land. She is my kin. My love.

I instantly knew after reading this from the first chapter that the Red Rising Series was going to be my new binge-worthy obsession. 

bookmole

I just watched and thought it a shame that he died dancing but without his dancing shoes. 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.

a bit predictable but still a fun sci fi read

deacon

world building is 10/10. felt like the writing got “better” as we went further, i think it was intentional. half a point off because the violence was a little tedious at points, not overly graphic or anything but just not super useful to the plot. but - not a big deal!

Nina

I LOVED this book! The writing is on par with other YA dystopian books, but the plot and the characters are so compelling. Darrow is our hero, but is not a flawless archetype. He experiences the depths of love, grief, outrage, and fear as he faces various tests (with differing degrees of success). I can’t wait to continue this series. 

Rachel Stratton

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, BUZZFEED, GOODREADS AND SHELF AWARENESS Pierce Brown's heart-pounding debut is the first book in a spectacular series that combines the drama of Game of Thrones with the epic scope of Star Wars. ********** 'Pierce Brown's empire-crushing debut is a sprawling vision . . . Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow' - Scott Sigler, New York Times bestselling author of Pandemic '[A] top-notch debut novel . . . Red Rising ascends above a crowded dystopian field' - USA Today ********** Darrow is a Helldiver. A pioneer of Mars. Born to slave beneath the earth so that one day, future generations might live above it. He is a Red - humankind's lowest caste. But he has something the Golds - the ruthless ruling class - will never understand. He has a wife he worships, a family who give him strength. He has love. And when they take that from him, all that remains is revenge . . .

Red Rising Series 1

Eva Ströberg

Pierce Brown - Red Rising
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⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Red Rising is an interesting YA novels, a mix of Hunger Games and Dune, with a dash of sci-fi as everything is set on the red planet, Mars.
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The 16-year old Helldiver (some sort of advanced miner in Mars), poor and belong to the Red caste was the main protagonist. His young wife Eo wanted him to lead the revolution, to break free from the slavery and to contest Gold caste - the highest caste, prime humanoids in the solar system
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I can imagine how enchanting all this for YA perspective, but I was not patient enough to learn all the details, the names of characters, the places and so on. It was too much details at once and I found myself having to flip the pages back and forth trying to remember who’s who. So three stars from me. (I read somewhere that they’re going to make Netflix series out of this series)
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#redrising #piercebrown #yanovels #currentlyreading #2023reads #bookstagram

okay I have so many actual thoughts about this book so here is a rare Real Review:

I love how this book shows not tells, like the writing is direct and not at all purple, but it really makes the most of its words from the get go. The opening scene is crazy good, and lets you know right away who exactly your main character is and what he does. He’s brash, smart, and not afraid to take it to the next level.

I love how I knew nothing going into this book, because at about the 50 page mark it not only shifts plots but tone and almost genre. You, like our main character, kinda get lost in the smaller plot of this book and forget the roots. 

This book has taken inspiration from so many influential classic books, it’s Plato’s Republic, Goldman’s Lord of the Flies, Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and Homer’s Iliad all set in space. Like what’s not to love???? Darrow is so Achilles-coded. You really can’t help but root for him. It also has so many other references to classical myths but like I thought it was the coolest thing how this book translates so many things directly from Plato’s Republic in particular and puts them in such a unique sci-fi world. 

MILD SPOILERS BUT if i had a nickel for every sci-fi dystopian book set in the distant future about a sword-wielding hero with references to the iliad and classical mythos in which different houses must compete in a trial game I’ve read in the past year, I’d have two nickels. which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice (not really weird though bc that is My Type)! 

in conclusion I’m obsessed. brb picking up golden son now. 

fris🐝

YOU ALREADY KNOOOOW THIS IS FIVE STARS! 

okay I have so many actual thoughts about this book so here is a rare Real Review:

I love how this book shows not tells, like the writing is direct and not at all purple, but it really makes the most of its words from the get go. The opening scene is crazy good, and lets you know right away who exactly your main character is and what he does. He’s brash, smart, and not afraid to take it to the next level.

I love how I knew nothing going into this book, because at about the 50 page mark it not only shifts plots but tone and almost genre. You, like our main character, kinda get lost in the smaller plot of this book and forget the roots. 

This book has taken inspiration from so many influential classic books, it’s Plato’s Republic, Goldman’s Lord of the Flies, Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and Homer’s Iliad all set in space. Like what’s not to love???? Darrow is so Achilles-coded. You really can’t help but root for him. It also has so many other references to classical myths but like I thought it was the coolest thing how this book translates so many things directly from Plato’s Republic in particular and puts them in such a unique sci-fi world. 

MILD SPOILERS BUT if i had a nickel for every sci-fi dystopian book set in the distant future about a sword-wielding hero with references to the iliad and classical mythos in which different houses must compete in a trial game I’ve read in the past year, I’d have two nickels. which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice (not really weird though bc that is My Type)! 

in conclusion I’m obsessed. brb picking up golden son now. 

great plot; bad writing but make do bc plot is great 

Shohini Gupta

Patrick Book

Ryan Mateyk

I'm actually blown away by how much I ended up enjoying this. It starts a bit slow, but after about 50 pages I was hooked. It's an awesome story that definitely has elements of other similar novels (it gets the Hunger Games comparisons a lot), but I found it to be very original and well-written. In a way, I'm glad I waited so long to read this book because I can now binge my way through the rest of the trilogy. Perks of procrastination!

such an immersive world - i blasted through this book in one plane ride. clever and thrilling 

Daphne Li-Chen

Really enjoyed this.  Liked that the MC made mistakes and learned from them.  Also liked all the Roman references. 

Jenny Engel

A Percy Jackson house war gone brutally violent and political. So many twists and turns and expert strategies that only the most depraved and ambitious can come up with. Questions of morality and dismantling a system so intensely ingrained that it seems incredibly infeasible. It leaves me with the burning question of whether Darrow will become a Paul Atreides or a Katniss Everdeen.

Very well written but I bit too much Sci-fi for my taste. I enjoyed it but was confused at times. I don’t know if I will continue the series or not but if you’re into science fiction/ fantasy you will like this, it had aspects of both.

Camron Swartzendruber

Großes Science Fiction Spektakel mit gewissen Längen.

Braucht etwas um reinzukommen. Viele Charaktere und Häuser, die an Game of Thrones erinnern...

Jeremy Mano

Großes Science Fiction Spektakel mit gewissen Längen.

Braucht etwas um reinzukommen. Viele Charaktere und Häuser, die an Game of Thrones erinnern...

Wer gehört jetzt nochmal wo hin ... ?

Anjorin Molayo 

oh roman based systems how you enthral me

anya

Only as high of a rating because I liked the general concept and plot. But most of the characters felt very 2D and obviously written by a man. Book also felt needlessly long, almost considered DNFing. Will not be continuing with the series. Would have been much better if written by a woman or at least had more than 2 female characters!

claudia alford

think of it as a bro fantasy book but in the best way 

Valentina Williams

Christine

3.5 stars
First half of the book was only about 1.5 stars. I hated the characters in general. Flat, boring. (view spoiler)[Was I supposed to feel something when Eo died? Idk. (hide spoiler)] 2D. Also, a lot of impossible stuff, even with the strange sci-fi
But then I hit the mark where he starts the battle against Mustang & House Minerva and everything got way better. 4.5 stars, I guess. I still didn't like Darrow but...Mustang and Milia and Nyah and Sevro and Pax and the Howlers and everybody else, they were real, amazing people. I forgot they were Golds, and all I could think of was destroying Apollo and Jupiter. 
But yeah, I anticipate something between Mustang and Darrow later *shrug*

Great book, lots of character development and action.

Monji Bat-Erdene

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 NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, BUZZFEED, AND 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

Zugzug

Darrow, Servo, Pax, oh where to start. Martyrdom, sci fi, world building, consistent fast paced action scenes, if any of these sound good to you this may be a worthy read for you. To me this felt like Hunger games meets Warhammer 40k if that gives any reader of this something to work with. For a basic synopsis the existing descriptions do it fair justice but I would say be prepared to stick with the main character Darrow through some transformation, plot twists, and some crazy adaption to changing circumstances. My one critique is hopefully resolved later in the series but aside from Darrow many of the other characters could be fleshed out more. I enjoyed my time here and from what I have heard the series only gets stronger as you move further into the series. So guess I am in for quite a ride.

3/3 okay. I’m sad that I didn’t feel the same WOW that everyone else who reads this book seems to feel. It was good, but not compelling enough for me to read the rest of the series.

Jillian Roberts

Red Rising is one of the only books that I feel could rival my favored author, Brandon Sanderson. The world building is done well and the writing is phenomenal. 

Syahla Aurel

There is goodness in Golds, because in many ways, they are the best humanity can offer. But they are also the worst. What does that do to her dream? Only time will tell.

I truly loved the strength of the worldbuilding in this book. There's so much to explore, and my curiosity kept growing as I delved further into the story. I won't lie; I believe it's rare nowadays for a first book to present such strong concepts that set the stage for how the story will unfold in the next books. I appreciate knowing that the author has a clear vision of what they're doing and how far the narrative will go. And Darrow is a stinky boi.

Red Rising Red Rising Saga #1

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