This is not a self-published novel by an indie author.
Red Rising is the first book in the
Red Rising Trilogy.
THE BLURB:
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 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.
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.
MY THOUGHTS:
This book was pretty darn good. In some ways it's a bit like The Hunger Games for adults, but better still.
A corrupt ruling class wields power over the castes below them. They can be ruthless, invested in keeping themselves in power. Our main man Darrow is going to help start a rebellion against them, but first he must place himself in their midst, disguised as one of their own, and earn their trust.
Book 1 follows his transformation from a lowly Red into a valued member of Gold society. In order to advance among the Golds, their youngsters must prove their worth by being thrown together in an engineered situation of war and conquest, which is meant to weed out the weak and raise up those with qualities the Golds admire. Here is the meat of the story told in the first book - dozens of young men and women split into Houses based in Roman mythology and pitted against one another. They strategize, they form alliances, they meet in battle. Some go beyond the others in the levels of violence they are willing to commit against their peers.
This book had me hooked once we reached this part of the story. I stayed up waaaay too late to keep reading! It was exciting and fun, and also touched on some poignant subjects. My only complaints have to do with the ending - things wrapped up rather quickly. We are told that person A captured the much feared person B, but we don't get to see it unfold, and we're not even told HOW they managed it. We don't get to see the reactions of those involved. I can only hope book 2 gives us glimpses of those moments and the emotions involved.
I greatly look forward to the next book to see how things advance from here for the rebellion, for the characters we have grown fond of, and for the relationships amongst them. Oddly, I find myself hoping we get to see more of the Jackal. His character was kind of fascinating, in a creepy sort of way
A corrupt ruling class wields power over the castes below them. They can be ruthless, invested in keeping themselves in power. Our main man Darrow is going to help start a rebellion against them, but first he must place himself in their midst, disguised as one of their own, and earn their trust.
Book 1 follows his transformation from a lowly Red into a valued member of Gold society. In order to advance among the Golds, their youngsters must prove their worth by being thrown together in an engineered situation of war and conquest, which is meant to weed out the weak and raise up those with qualities the Golds admire. Here is the meat of the story told in the first book - dozens of young men and women split into Houses based in Roman mythology and pitted against one another. They strategize, they form alliances, they meet in battle. Some go beyond the others in the levels of violence they are willing to commit against their peers.
This book had me hooked once we reached this part of the story. I stayed up waaaay too late to keep reading! It was exciting and fun, and also touched on some poignant subjects. My only complaints have to do with the ending - things wrapped up rather quickly. We are told that person A captured the much feared person B, but we don't get to see it unfold, and we're not even told HOW they managed it. We don't get to see the reactions of those involved. I can only hope book 2 gives us glimpses of those moments and the emotions involved.
I greatly look forward to the next book to see how things advance from here for the rebellion, for the characters we have grown fond of, and for the relationships amongst them. Oddly, I find myself hoping we get to see more of the Jackal. His character was kind of fascinating, in a creepy sort of way
MY RATING:
5 booksies!
The Red Rising Trilogy will continue with Golden Son, due out January 2015
Author website: http://www.pierce-brown.com/red-rising-trilogy.html
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