Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Blurb:

“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

Review:

This is like Hunger Games in space crossed with Camp Halfblood gone feral, but make it Roman. What a wild ride! 

An empire cannot be destroyed from without till it is destroyed from within. 

Despite owning this book for around a decade, I’ve only just now read it for the very first time. How crazy is that?! I’ve been told by numerous friends and acquaintances over the years that I really need to read it. It’s been on more than one 10 Before the End stacks of priority reads I’ve posted on Instagram. And still, it never got read. Totally insane that I’ve been missing out on such a great book and series all this time. The fomo finally won out. 

Red is rising

But is this a true sci-fi?? When I think of the genre I think along the lines of Star Wars or Star Trek: TNG (I really need to read more I know) and this is unlike either of those. All I really knew about it is that it's been described as a sci-fi Hunger Games. It’s actually much, much more than that. It’s got some sci-fi, yes. But there’s also the dystopian blending throughout (which yes, there are definitely some HG influences sprinkled here and there), plus the mythological influences, which also made me think a lot of the Percy Jackson with the different House breakdown for the varying gods and their chosen youth. But the main basis of this story is the heavy inspiration drawn on from ancient Rome, from the politics to the military, etc. I’m a huge fan of Roman influenced stories, so this was a nice surprise. Now this next comparison may shock some, but there’s this one part near-ish the beginning that totally put me in mind of the chick flick Miss Congeniality with Sondra Bullock. That’s an unexpected take, am I right? Well, if you’ve seen that movie, then you’ll probably know which part of this book I’m referring to. I don’t want to say it specifically since it’s sort of spoilery? At least, it is if you prefer going in as blind as possible. But that’s just my hot take of this book in a nutshell. 

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

Now, you would think that by now I would’ve been hugely spoiled for various things about this book and series since it’s been out for so long. And with such a huge fanbase posting about it literally everywhere, it’s a total shock to me that I haven’t had the story ruined by seeing spoilers accidentally on some platform or another. But I’ve been so fortunate that that hasn’t been the case. I’m always saying I love going into books blind these days, and in spite of this being around for years I did well and truly go in blind. Like pitch dark blind. I only knew Darrow’s name, the hierarchy was based on colors, something happened to his wife, and it's a sci-fi/dystopian. Even my copy of the book gives you nothing in the blurb, which is like all of two lines long. 

To say this book blew my mind is a serious understatement. It was more like my brain was under siege by repeated assaults of just wow moments. I saw a review recently of someone saying this book was boring, slow, etc. And I couldn’t help but wonder if we were reading the same book?? Because it seemed like hardly a couple pages would go by before there’d be something happening. Was it all moments of action? No. But the political intrigue, the betrayals, the duels and battles, the secrets, the bonds made and broken. Lord, I had to keep putting the book down to update my StoryGraph with my thoughts, fears, and just awesome quotes O_O There just aren’t words to describe what this book made me feel. I am shooketh. I am numb. I am in pure awe that this ball buster of a book was Pierce Brown’s debut. Like, are you serious???? It’s because of books like THIS that I get so excited about debuts! You never know when you’ll discover one that totally makes your brain implode. 

I am the Reaper and death is my shadow

This is the kind of book that is befitting of Samuel L. Jackson's memorable line from Jurassic Park, “hold onto your butts.” For being such a slender book this little nugget doesn't pull the punches. I was shocked to see the first death occur within forty odd pages. Like, I know that was supposed to be the catalyst to set Darrow on the path to rebellion, but still! I don't think Hunger Games was even that hungry for death. Actually, come to think of it, I don't think even Song of Ice and Fire had a death that quickly. Does this mean that Pierce Brown is even more bloodthirsty than George RR Martin?! Maybe. Maybe not. I need to read more of the series first before giving a verdict 🤭I jest, because no one can be more bloodthirsty than Martin. But still, I was just taken aback at how quickly this book blitzed its way out of the gates.

I forget that [names redacted for potential spoilers] and I are enemies. Red and Gold. I forget that one day I might have to kill them all.

Oftentimes with a rebellion story the perspective just favors one side. You’re not meant to sympathize with the other side, the big bads. You’re not supposed to see that there are good people among them, and the lie of universally consolidating everyone of one group or another into a specific “one box fits all” categorizing system. In this one, however, Darrow starts out burning to overthrow the Golds, as you would expect, but as he progresses through their world he meets & befriends Golds his own age and finds out they're not all evil bastards like the ArchGovernor, the MineMagistrate or the Sovereign. The inner turmoil he struggles with then, he starts to wonder how things will go once the Reds rebellion begins. What will happen to these Gold friends? And just like Darrow, you as the reader have come to care a great deal about these Golds we were supposed to despise. While reading this, I too, was worrying over what would become of these friendships once the true drama unfolds. I've grown to really like this little band that Darrow's formed. What will become of them in the future?? I desperately need to find out!

Speaking of his feral little band, there's some names I've heard mentioned over the years on social media, like Mustang, Reaper, the Howlers, Sevro, etc. and it's been such a treat to finally learn who they all are! I also now understand why this series has such a rabid fan base if just this first book is anything to go by. I can't wait to see what's in store in the rest of the books.

I am the spark that will set the worlds afire. I am the hammer that cracks the chains.