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

This is YA political science fiction & it's fast paced & crazy. It's about taking down an unfair society similar to the hunger games, but the plot is different. Super compotent & powerful hero, found family, love, betrayal, craziness, easy/fast paced writing. The first book is usually said to be the weakest, but I love it all. First part is a trilogy then a ten year time jump with four more books. The last book hasn't been finished yet, but you can just read the first trilogy to start if you want. I really enjoyed listening to the dramatized adaptation audiobook (its all acted out with sound effects).

Sephirra

hessensitive

She kisses me cheek. "Then you must live for more."

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.

Speechless. I am way too excited to see what this epic story has in store for our Darrow

Alison Hinklom

Follows predictable dystopian/sci-fi patterns, but an exciting and addictive read regardless. So excited to pick up the next in the series.

Hayley Jolliffe

somewhat slow to start but background foundations are necessary. a very complex layering of both story progression and ambition development; we’re given such  great insight to how Darrow thinks and how this changes with the events of the book. brilliant introduction to the series, excited for the next book. 4/5

kenway

Katie Avila

It’s okay. The games got a bit tedious. Darrow isn’t my favorite character, but I’m going to see the series out. I love Sevro, that psychotic little goblin. Ooooowwwwww *wolf howl *

Kelsey 

“i would have lived in peace. but my enemies brought me war.”

it’s done, i finished it. i simply do not know what to say—if i should even be saying anything. there comes a time where a book steals all of your language and renders you speechless. this is that, that time has come.

開花

“i would have lived in peace. but my enemies brought me war.”

it’s done, i finished it. i simply do not know what to say—if i should even be saying anything. there comes a time where a book steals all of your language and renders you speechless. this is that, that time has come.

The ending was somthing that left you wanting more. Like nothing was solved. The characters was well developed. All around a really good book

Aleksander.G

This book starts off pretty rough IMO. Kinda boring and very basic in plot, also the (spoilers for chp 5) fridging of Eo is really bad. But I kept reading just because, and I did start to have fun with the characters. The story is very easy reading and overall its a fun time, but nothing about it will blow your mind. 

Max Riley

I’m very glad I finished this. The first couple chapters had me rolling my eyes a lot but once it gets down to business, it’s sooo good. The pacing was just right for me and I appreciated that not all of the action was meticulously detailed but was simply talked through almost in bullet point format? Which sounds like a dig but I swear is not. I feel like doing that kept the plot centered on the overall story of all the shifting dynamics involved in setting Darrow up for his mission rather than getting lost in the violence of it all. Very politics focused as opposed to just watching the action unfold, which I like so much more.

Emilee Keawe Oldroyd

Great way to start my 2025 reading challenge. 

I read this last year and HATED it, but having seen no one slate this book, I realised it must have been me and not the book. And so I gave it another go. This time via the graphic audio version. It was definitely me that was the problem. I really enjoyed it. Still got a bit lost, there are so many characters, but enjoyed the experience. Will absolutely be continuing with the series…….. where possible via graphic audio! 

Aims

Ngl guys i got the audiobook version for when i was driving down to Hawkes Bay and got so confused on where in the story I was - good book though

rebecca

Por muito desse livro eu achei que as pessoas tavam mentindo pra mim falando que esse livro era ótimo, mas do nada fui surpreendido com o fato delas estarem completamente certas. Estou completamente capturado pela história de Darrow e o “jogos vorazes no espaço (para homens 🧔🏻‍♂️)” e não vejo a hora de ver o que me aguarda no restante dessa série.

Pedro Rodarte

This was a great book! Very much like Hunger Games in space. It does a great job of illustrating the main character’s inner struggles about the morality of both himself and the society in which he lives. My only critique would be that the world building can be tough to keep up with; you’ll often find yourself wondering what that random new word is.

Panisa Sed

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. 

Red Rising Red Rising Saga #1

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