Red Rising

Red Rising and its sequels have a special place in my heart. They’re about war, violence, terrorism, tragedies, and betrayal, but there’s a stronger thread woven throughout the pages: love. Love of your family, of your brothers, and your kin. It’s this love that drives the characters to rise up against godlike enemies. To fight for a better tomorrow.

The bromance that’s on display between Darrow and Sevro is so moving, especially when either of them fall on hard times (which is often). Whenever I feel lost or depressed, reading about these broken, beautiful, loyal characters helps me to find… show more.

This book took everything I’ve ever loved about sci-fi franchises like Star Wars, The Expanse, and The Hunger Games and somehow managed to jam it all together and turn it all up to eleven. (This one goes to eleven!)

At present, I have three more books left to read in this series (next up for me is Iron Gold), and that thought is just so darn exciting I could dance. (I won’t because I’m currently walking on an under-the-desk treadmill… But I could.)

For me, this book and the books that follow are a collective masterclass in worldbuilding, dramatic… show more.

I need a fun adventure once and a while to distract from the heavy subject matter I usually read. Red Rising is a fight-the-system, battle-royale sci-fi set on a terraformed Mars.

The civilization is fierce and mercilessly stratified into castes based on job roles. These job roles are color-based and affect all people in the solar system down to a genetic level, with cyberpunk-level modifications. Red has been stamped on too long, and it’s time for them to rise.

When they did, I felt like I did as well. If I had all of the money, I would produce it… show more.

This didn’t quite go the way I thought it would. I’d not read anything into this book or the series before starting it, I just knew they were incredibly popular books, and I thought I’d see what all the fuss was about! I am delighted to say the hype is real!

A brilliantly imagined novel told through the voice of a powerful POV. I’m no sci-fi fan, but these books really are extraordinary.

I read the entire 6 book science fiction series in two months, gripped by each plot twist and the relationships that build between characters over each book. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming, brutal and beautifully human, and masterfully crafted to maintain emotional engagement.

Set on Mars in a future where humans have colonised the galaxy and the society is separated into a ranking system defined by colours, the world-building is original, immersive, and blends elements of science, space opera, philosophy, political musing, ancient Roman history, and Viking Lore.

What starts out as a teenage rebellion when Darrow, a Red, learns… show more.

Red Rising is fast-paced science fiction that follows the journey of Darrow, a low-caste member of a society divided by color, as he rises up against the tyrannical rulers of his world. There’s a single sentence on the first page that I think bridges sci-fi with human emotion in such a striking way that I had to stop and say out loud, “If I were a publisher, I would buy this book right here, on this crazy-good concept alone because whatever comes next has got to be amazing.” The writing is engaging and immersive, and while set on Mars, the… show more.

I binged Red Rising and its sequels over a weekend because it’s a non-stop thrill ride with countless characters to fall in love with. It’s a character-driven sci-fi story, which makes it easy for readers to pick up, and they don’t have to fear encountering confusing technobabble. Red Rising is the book that reinvigorated my passion for storytelling because it is a masterclass of showing an extremely competent yet incredibly flawed protagonist.

Red Rising is a great science-fiction fantasy novel, that I would consider to be sci-fantasy. It takes place within our solar system and has a memorable ranking system of colors where reds are at the bottoms and the silvers and golds are at the top. Pinks are sex slaves, blues are doctors, blacks are personal guards for the golds, etc. This book is full of twists and turns that you don’t see coming and the first three books of the series are absolutely incredible. With book 6 coming out July 2023, it is the perfect time to dig into the… show more.

Red Rising, the first book in the series, sets up monumental scenarios, as large as the universe the story takes place in. This first installment, as futuristic as it is, has a Game of Thrones meets space opera feel, which is entirely unique to the author. The twists and turns kept me guessing and happily surprised. I couldn't put this book down until I got to the last lines... then I ordered the next book in the series, which I'm sure you'll do too.

“Damn! He did it better!” was my reaction reading Pierce Brown’s Red Rising while I was working on my debut novel. Brown’s writing is epic, fast-paced, and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. Set in a not-too-distant future, Darrow, a young hell-diver of the “Red” caste helps to terraform Mars but is transformed by a secret rebellion into an overseer “Gold” when his young wife is murdered and he learns the truth: that Mars was terraformed long ago and his people have been enslaved by the lie. Red Rising is a fascinating adventure tale. Brown’s story rises… show more.