Red Rising

Today’s post is on Red Rising by Pierce Brown. It is the first in a trilogy. It is 382 pages long and is published by Del Rey. The cover is black with a red wing coming up the bottom. There is language, talk of sex and rape, and lots of violence in this book. Because of the intense violence in this book adults only. The story is told from the first person close of the main character Darrow. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- “I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she days. “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 check.
“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 spends his life willingly, knowing 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 already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks 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 it is means he has to become one of to do so.

Review- This was Rome on Mars. The way that the Society works, the way that the caste systems works, everything about it just screams Rome in Space. I feel that I have been readings a lot of books about Rome lately. Maybe that is what is going to be the next big thing then. Rewriting history in the future and Rome is a great place to start. Just looking at what little I know about Roman history there is murder, rape, wars, blood feuds, and so much more to work with. That said it is well written. The characters are mostly three dimensional. The dialog was used correctly; it moved the story along and gave some character development. The violence can be stomach turning but it fits the story. What happens is terrible but that is the way the world is. Brown is a good writer. He creates a dark adult world about people with very hard lives. That said at times it dragged a little. When we get to the school the story really slows down. The story slows down and the violence ramps up. So if you are looking for a very intense space opera try this one.

I give this book a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.