Red Rising

Red Rising is definitely one of those books that improves with re-reading. It’s been touted as the next big thing, a book that will knock you off your feet and fill the void left by The Hunger Games. When I finished my first read of the book, I couldn’t decide whether the hype was justified or not; Brown blew me away in the first few chapters, failed to wow me in the next few, and then alternated between “pretty good” and “outstanding” for the remainder of the book. There were times when I struggled with the believability of Brown’s world, when I felt he wasn’t being consistent with his characterization or was losing the thread of his story. At other times, though, there were moments of true greatness, where I glimpsed the tremendous potential of this trilogy. When six months had gone by and I still couldn’t stop thinking about Red Rising, I decided to buy a copy and read it again. The second time, I was blown away. I found myself describing it to friends as “epic,” “spectacular,” and “out of this world,” and it's become one of my favorite books. Red Rising takes place on Mars hundreds of years in the future, when a person’s station and function are determined by the Color they’re born into. The Reds, for example, are tasked with toiling in the underground mines of Mars to collect the elements that will be used make the planet inhabitable. One of these Reds is Darrow, a young man respected and loved by his people for his quick hands and sharp mind. Working conditions may be hellish, living conditions bleak, but Darrow is proud to do his part for the good of humanity. His wife, on the other hand, views the Reds’ toil as slavery and urges Darrow to use his reputation and talents to free their people. Darrow, head-over-heels in love with his wife and unwilling to risk her safety and the life they’ve built together, resists. It’s only after tragedy strikes that Darrow is forced to rethink his world view and realize his wife’s dream is one worth fighting for. Transmuted by grief and rage, Darrow joins a rebel force in a plot to bring down the Golds, the elite who rule all the other Colors. Darrow undergoes an extensive and painful transformation to pass as a Gold, the plan being for him to fight the Golds from within and rise through the ranks to a position of influence where he can start a revolution. The first step in this ascension is to enroll in the Institute, a training ground for young Golds. Unlike traditional schools, the Institute is less of a college, more of an immense, high-stakes game of Capture the Flag or Risk. The students are divided into 12 houses and thrown into the wilderness, the objective being for one house to conquer all of the others. This is where most people begin comparing Red Rising to The Hunger Games. While there are definite similarities, such as the fact that young people are fighting one another in an arena-like field, there are key differences between the two. The principle way Red Rising differs from The Hunger Games is that the game of Capture the Flag is not a free-for-all where only one can be left standing at the end. To succeed in the Institute you need allies, an army. You need to become a leader, bring people to your side, rally and unite your troops. You need strategy and inspiration. Watching Darrow figure out how to become not just a victor, but a leader and a legend, is one of the biggest selling points of the book. I would say Red Rising feels more reminiscent of Braveheart than The Hunger Games, mostly due to the setting and to Darrow himself. The game of Capture the Flag is played out in a land of castles, highlands, forests, and vales. There are battle cries, ferocious warriors galloping around on horseback, animal pelts, and war paint. And like William Wallace, Darrow is fighting against oppression and has an inner fire and charisma that win people’s hearts and loyalty. Darrow is everything you could ask for in an epic hero. For one thing, he’s self-aware and able to make sacrifices and tough decisions because he knows they are required. He regrets some of the things he must do in order to get ahead but recognizes that those actions must be taken in order to realize his wife’s dream. He’s brilliant and strong but not infallible; a leader, but one who must trust and rely on others for his ultimate success. His victories are epic, but so are his failures. I’m in awe of him and can’t wait to see his meteoric rise continue in the rest of this series. The supporting characters in the Institute also played a huge part in winning me over. Darrow may be the grand hero, but don’t let that fool you into thinking the rest of the story's cast are lesser beings. There are some serious power players in this book, and they each feel like real, distinct, memorable people. They’re not just characters, they’re titans, and without them Red Rising wouldn’t be half so successful. Were there problems with Red Rising? Certainly. It can be overwhelming at times, slow at others, and there are moments when it feels like Brown is writing not a story, but Ideas, with a capital "I." Ultimately, though, this is a brilliant book. It wowed me, moved me, and left me stunned, and I am rabid to know how the trilogy will proceed. This review can also be found on my blog,http://AngelasLibrary.com.

This book was superbly phenomenal. Heartrendingly painful and breathtakingly sweet. The first book to give me goosebumps every other page! Be that because of the sheer brilliance of Mr Brown's writing, how his characters felt so real and made me scared and nervous and suspicious and sad with every second breath, or just the life these characters took on all by themselves. Either way, it has climbed all the way up to my top 10 favorite books of all time. A quick note: Those who couldn't get past the first few pages: **Push your little bum through it!** I felt this struggle in the beginning too and actually put this book away for 2 years (!) , but when I came back and just jumped in, hit that 50-ish page mark, I was complete trash for this series and the author's writing! The things that stood out to me about this book the most was the writing, I loved the highLingo `( camel-case (programmers unite!))` and the colored tiers. The hierarchy, how this all fits into a sci-fi world. How the world out there is so big and yet when we start reading, we can't even fathom the chaos and vastness of it all that is brewing right atop our favorite character's mine(read: home). We get to learn and journey along with Darrow and see the worst and some of the best parts of this new Terra-formed Mars and the world they live in through Darrow's dry-wit and perspective. We get to see him grow as a character tremendously and I can go on and on about the fine young man he has become after the events of this book. They are forced to make some of the hardest decisions in their lives during their testing, and seeing the character growth is in and of itself something to admire, if nothing else. But, once the ball gets rolling, no amount of bodies piled up together can stop it, so enjoy helldiver Darrow-life while you can. This book is unapologetically clever, thought-provoking, ruthless, cunning, captivating, scary, and most importantly, it makes you reevaluate a lot of very important topics in society, not just in this fictional world. It's relevant right now. <<<Spoilers to follow from here>>> I made a note of when I officially fell in love with Darrow, Sevro, Pax, and Mustang(Virginia) on page 166. One of the sticky notes with less context simply stated: "all the goosebumps all the gorydamn time!" Books don't do that for me. I can usually see plot twists and characters being forced to say and do things to seem "good" in the reader's eye straight away, yet nothing was forced here. I was smacked upside the head every time there was a twist. I was still guessing right up until the last page. A few more things I adore about the writing and the world/characters: - The color castes and how you can be carved into a completely different person, not on the inside, my friends, all outside. Super strength, extremely good looks, a really tight little bum, some jingly bits, whatever you want, but inside...ohhh, inside they are still the same pigs/broken children/men/woman, etc. They talk to one another in such a way that it just makes you feel like you could easily fit in with them. Some are vile and just plain rude, others slap you in the face with a really well-crafted set of words. It feels like they could be my friends. I only speak for myself here, but I am extremely sarcastic and would fit right in using this kinda lingo! It's often said that those who are more verbose and non-beat-around-the-bushers are some of the most honest/loyal humans you get. - ALL the betrayal, high stakes, very much of the Adrenalin, very much of the kill-kill and some stab-stab(okay, a lot). What got me shaking my head when I finished this was how real and utterly heartbreaking every second of their trial was. The loss and the betrayal and the realization of a society that is corrupt, as many are, and then when the trials were done and our brilliant little cinnamon roll Darrow and co. kicked some butt, it was over, just like that. - He overthrew a freaking corrupt structure/society and did something no one would have dared. He took the fight to the ruthless idiots watching kids being murdered and tortured and doing nothing, and he then proceeded to stick their heads where the sun don't shine, one by one. Also, Epic battle scene! And to get back to my point, here we have this high-stakes, life-and-death situation, and then when it's done, nothing. It's like it wasn't that serious, like lives weren't lost and that friends hadn't died and friends hadn't betrayed. This makes me loves these books even more. It shows how terribly ruthless and full of sh$t this society and the hierarchy of it is. How we need Darrow and his band of misfits to overthrow society. To make a change or to just slingBlade an ArchGovernor's head off his fake body ^.^ (no this didn't happen bit it should!!) Bloodydamn brilliant read. 10/10 would suffer the feels again! R.I.P my sweet little Pax, you teddybear, you </3

Good book

Blog: irenadams.com Caution, mild spoilers ahead. "Funny thing, watching gods realize they’ve been mortal all along." I was going to leave for a trip for 3 weeks and couldn’t bring physical copies of the books with me. At least not as many as I would want to. So, for the first time in years I bought kindle versions of a few books. I decided to clean my want-to-read and owned-to-read shelves and this is one that’s been on one of those lists for a long time. I don’t think the synopsis really convinced me and I wasn’t sure the book would be worth buying. I regret that I formed an opinion before giving it a real chance. I think I might want to have it on a shelf of my bookcase so I can re-read it or just flip through the pages to savor the good passages. This is one of those books that really surprised me. There was action, a bad-ass character, suspense… Everything you want in a good novel that takes you in its grip and doesn’t let go before you flip the last page. The future that this book is painting is simple but evil. It has been compared to The Hunger Games, and I thought the same by the middle of the book but P. Brown created something new. It may be another dystopian future, another example of our flaws and habits, but it is also an example of what we might become if a handful few can grab the seats of power and impose their will, hiding the rest of us in the dark for the next centuries. If I only knew that there would be Greek and Roman mythology involved I would have picked the book sooner. P. Brown used the names of the gods and their characteristics and attributes to show the different battling houses of the Golds, but at the same time mentioning the differences between Greek and Roman mythology. The main character is not perfect, but deep and easy to connect to. He might be above average in his skills or strength, but then again, it was all built for him. And throughout the pages P. Brown shows us the change in the protagonist, his doubts, his fears, but also his never ending will to push forward.We get to presence his evolution and the adjustment to his new role in the society. The story is gripping and full of twists. Even though some of the turns of the events are easy to foresee, the story is ever changing. The fluid relationship between the characters and the protagonist is sometimes surprising like with Tactus, Servo and Pax, other times not so much as with Mustang. But the author is not afraid to kill one or several of the characters you liked or started to like, leaving you on the edge of the seat to see what will happen next. It was a good ride and I hope you will take it too.

I'm so glad that I got this book as the introduction to my first reading spree in years. The first maybe 100 pages can feel a little bit slow, as usual with in-depth stories that need foundation, but then it's just amazing. I was mindblown by the environments that is showcased and, being on the 4th book now, I still think about this first one a lot.

Wonderful book... was hooked every second I read it

A visceral, high-octane introduction to a dystopian universe that feels both hauntingly familiar and grandly operatic. Set on a terraformed Mars, the story follows Darrow, a Red laborer mining helium-3 for a future he believes he is building. The narrative begins with a crushing revelation: the surface has been habitable for centuries, and Darrow’s people are enslaved to support the decadent Gold caste. This betrayal sparks a revenge-driven mission as Darrow undergoes a grueling transformation to infiltrate the Golds and dismantle their Society from within. The novel’s strength lies in its relentless pacing and brutal world-building. Once Darrow enters the Institute—a proving ground where young Golds wage war to earn their status—the story shifts from a "chosen one" trope into a savage study of leadership and survival. Brown doesn't shy away from the horrific costs of war; the stakes feel lethal, and Darrow’s internal conflict is palpable. He must adopt the cold, calculating traits of his oppressors to defeat them, risking his own humanity for the sake of justice. While drawing inspiration from The Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies, it distinguishes itself through a rich Roman-inspired aesthetic and philosophical weight. The supporting cast is equally compelling, featuring the enigmatic Mustang and the volatile Sevro—the kind of loyalist who proves you haven't lived until you get yourself a friend that will hide in a dead horse for you. These allies challenge Darrow to look beyond vengeance toward a new social order. 🍵Final Verdict A gripping exploration of power, sacrifice, and the morality of revolution. Red Rising is a rare debut that manages to be both a page-turning epic and a thoughtful commentary on class struggle. It sets a formidable foundation for the series, leaving readers eager to see if a man born in darkness can truly bring the dawn.