Are you a fan of The Hunger Games? Game of Thrones? Red Queen? If so, Red Rising by Pierce Brown is the next perfect dystopian, sci-fi read for you. Set on a futuristic Mars society defined by a caste system, the novel follows a red miner named Darrow as he infiltrates the levels of elite golds.
Pierce´s writing style and world building is captivating. As I delved into the book, I was immediately struck by how action-packed the story was and I enjoyed the pacing. There was never a dull moment, and I found it hard to put the book down. Through grand imagery of time, space, and different characters of various color castes, Brown develops a world that you feel immersed in as you follow Darrow’s story. In the novel, there are 14 colors, from gold, to silver, to obsidian, all the way down to red that defines one’s work and class, along with different planetary houses that control the political sphere.
Additionally, part of the reason I found the novel so interesting was how realistic the characters were and how they displayed different aspects of human nature. As the novel mainly focused on Darrow’s journey within the institute and their survival games, I found the strategies and teams interesting to read about. Even though the book is solely told in Darrow’s point of view, many characters felt so real, humane, and complex. Although there is a heavy amount of violence and warplay throughout the story, it wasn’t extremely gory in my opinion and it was interesting to see how people changed to gain power. Overall, I found the book very intriguing with it´s various twists and turns, and it took me through a range of emotions.
If you’re a fan of young adult fantasy and sci-fi novels, Red Rising is the perfect book to read if you want to explore a more serious and complex area of the dystopian genre. Even by just reading the first page or first line, you’ll be hooked. I personally really enjoyed the book, and I’m excited to read the rest of the Red Rising trilogy and the subsequent tetralogy!
