Summary
The Earth is dying. Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and all humans to live on it. The Reds are humanity's last hope.
Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie. That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. A class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave labor, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.
Until the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down the oppressors from the inside. But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda.
Review
Red rising was a gripping read, one that captured me and made me read till the last page was read. Sadly I couldn't complete it in one sitting which was very hard not to do. Why you ask, because the story line was "bloodydamn" unique that it made me want to know what was going to happen to Darrow, to Eo all because of one sighting of the true beauty that lay behind all the waste they have been brought up to believe was their destiny. This novel not only outlines the way people are treated but also shows how one will rise above all to save his people; the Reds not with superhuman powers but the driven instinct to protect those he loves from the lies that have been showered upon them from birth. What amazed me the most was where it was set, come on it was on Mars now if that's not unique then I don't know what you think is. Living on a planet only to make it habitable for people of Earth. Becoming a Helldiver to provide for his family and his wife, to make a name in his community to be loved by all.
Darrow is a Red, born on Mars. Knows when to stand up for what he believes in and will carry on the dream of his wife, Eo, to "break the chains" that have been wrapped around all Reds, to bring an end to the Golds reign. But for Darrow that's not all; for him it's also to see the one who hanged his wife suffer, vengeance to fill the hollowness in his heart. There are no words that can describe Darrow, no other way to put it other than the instant connection I felt towards Darrow when I first started reading this book. His simplicity at the start, his love for his wife and his memories of his father who died just like his wife had died; as Martyrs singing the song of death and Reds rising above all.
The plot line was so very intriguing, Pierce had done a great job with setting the government and having them play a big part in the academy's "activities". Everyone was distinct from each other, each playing a key role in gaining the Primus. What once was described as a school activity became a battle in war, between Houses of Mars, Minerva, Jupiter, Venus and the most feared of all The Jackal the one who is a ghost among the players, the one who has no identity. And what Pierce does to uncover who The Jackal really is, it's just mind blowing. Seeing various characters to develop but mostly see Darrow learn how to become a leader once again after being killed by Cassius - I really did enjoy reading of their friendship, really did hope it wouldn't end the way it did - only to return as someone stronger and more intent on ruining those who played with his life as a Red. And for that to happen and for all do the above to happen, Darrow must become a Gold to break the foundation in order for the whole empire to fall.
Many of the supporting characters helped Darrow to become who he is. Sevro the wolf howler also the Goblin, Pax a cocky "goodman" who became a character whom I dearly loved, Roque the poet who deserved more than to see the one he loved die, Titus the only other Gold who has a secret that only Darrow can and will figure out and Virginia known as the Mustang of House Minerva. All played a part that cannot be described even with an infinite amount of words. But that plot twist, oh the plot twist kept me teetering at the edge of my seat. I was eating ice-cream while reading the last couple of chapters, of course it all melted by the time I could coherent a single word other than "bloodydamn".
I could go on about everything in this novel but Pierce Brown has brought a whole new level of awesome with just one book and it has to be read by all, and I simply cannot wait for Golden Son the second installment, this wait is going to be excruciatingly long I can feel it. This book cannot be compared to any other of the same genre, cannot be compared to The Hunger Games as most people are doing. Why? Because they are two complete different books, which I love both immensely and cannot compare them. EVER. This novel brings a stunning first book Red Rising, a fight for a new life, continued journey to complete a loved ones dreams, but most of all to conquer over all those who have lied and made all live a life of slavery. All will be done by a 16-year old man who seen more hell fire than others, a Red.
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