Red Rising

Pierce Brown

Jan 2014 · Red Rising Series Book 1 · Sold by Del Rey

About this ebook

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pierce Brown’s relentlessly entertaining debut channels the excitement of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

“Red Rising ascends above a crowded dys­topian field.”—USA Today

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, Shelf Awareness

“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.

Praise for Red Rising

“[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender’s Game. . . . [Red Rising] has everything it needs to become meteoric.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.”—Scott Sigler

“Red Rising is a sophisticated vision. . . . Brown will find a devoted audience.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

Don’t miss any of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga:
RED RISING • GOLDEN SON • MORNING STAR • IRON GOLD • DARK AGE • LIGHT BRINGER

Ratings and reviews

More of the drivel being spoon-fed to the masses that girls actually fight AND die in WARS and do so "just as good as boys," that it's not sexist to refer to planets, countries, etc. as "she," that society can't/won't develop past antediluvian notions of ridiculous chivalry, blah blah blah. Just another version of "Hunger Games" and the like, really ... and despite the male protagonist, wholly based on the selfless sacrifice of his sainted wife, which makes it ridiculous.

The books started off slow, but once it picked up, it did it fast and brutal. I surprisedly could not stand Darrow, the main character. He was cocky and arrogant. However, I understood his persona had to evolve in order to survive the Insitute. i enjoyed the supporting characters, especially Servo-- and others. There is so much to unpack with this story of harship, opppression , power, and rebellion. I look forward to book 2!

The book was an enjoyable read, but I can't call it a great book because everything feels too rushed. For example, a main character dies and it doesn't really seem to matter, as if his death was only there as a plot point. All of the other characters immediately move on to something else, there is no real grief and after the death the character's name is only mentioned in passing. It's like watching a cop drama where everything is condensed into 45 minutes and we only see the "key" parts.

About the author

Pierce Brown is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Rising, Golden Son, Morning Star, Iron Gold, and Dark Age. His work has been published in thirty-three languages and thirty-five territories. He lives in Los Angeles, where he is at work on his next novel.