Red Rising

Disclaimer: I won a copy of Red Rising by Pierce Brown in a Goodreads give away.

I have been on a run of exceptionally good books recently and Red Rising has admirably extended that streak. This is a fabulous read. Red Rising is the first in the Red Rising Trilogy, Followed by Golden Boy and Morning Star. I look forward to finishing this series in the future.

The book at hand is an excellent first installment. Although Red Rising is setting up future books, it does a fine job of relating a compelling story of its own. Many times first installments spend so much time setting up what is to follow, the story suffers. Not so here. As the reader will see, the genre of "Dystopian" fiction only partly describes this work. Red Rising Is Dystopian yes but like other giants in the genre it is so much more. The story starts somewhat reminiscent of Hunger Games, but quickly veers into a world all its own, and any similarities to other works in the genre are erased.

The beginning is heartbreaking, absolutely heartbreaking, immediately hooking the reader and providing a character to root for. As in any engrossing story, there are good guys and bad guys aplenty to love and hate. Sometimes simultaneously. Author Pierce Brown masterfully creates a complex and terrifying world full of brutality, beauty, honor, deceit, and political intrigue.

There is of course, violent action (lots of it), extreme brutality, treachery, people stripped of their humanity, strong conquering weak, all the examples of mans' inhumanity to man any reader could want.

Balancing the horror of the society they live in, the characters are able to find some semblance of personal connection. Some can love, others don't know how. But as always there are those who can still find humor in there bleak existences.There is so much going on here it is hard to adequately describe without resorting to spoilers, but you know by now: I don't do spoilers.

I would like however, to share a quote from the book that spoke to me. I don't think it will be a spoiler, but it is powerful, so powerful that I remembered what page it was on when I finished the book. And it came fairly early. In my copy, page 124.

"Society has three stages: Savagery, Ascendance, Decadence. The great rise because of Savagery. They rule in Ascendance. They fall because of their own Decadence"

Whew, that's heavy. (I hope I don't get in trouble for quoting that here, but I think it the most powerful statement in Red Rising).

Red Rising by Pierce Brown, blew me away. I expect the rest of the trilogy will as well. Enjoy!


Mike