Red Rising
enter the explosive first book in the globally bestselling dystopian space opera series
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4.6 • 523 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.
The dazzling first book in the explosive global sensation from Sunday Times and #1 New York Times bestselling author Pierce Brown.
Darrow is a Red, a member of humanity's lowest caste, toiling beneath the surface of Mars to make the planet liveable for future generations. Believing that his sweat and blood will create a better world for his children.
But everything Darrow has been told is a lie. Humanity reached the surface long ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet, while Reds like Darrow suffer in the dirt.
Driven by revenge - and the memory of lost love - Darrow will sacrifice everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power.
There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies. Even if it means becoming one of them . . .
READERS LOVE RED RISING
'A ridiculously good book with complex world-building, riveting characters, and a crazy sci-fi space school. What more could you want in a story?' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'What an intense, visceral, twisty story. There's a lot more of Lord of the Flies here than Hunger Games or Ender and it just builds and builds to a heck of a conclusion' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This was such a clever beginning to this series!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Debut author Pierce shoots for the next Hunger Games with mixed results in this melodramatic SF series opener. Sixteen-year-old Darrow is a Red miner, the lowest worker caste on Mars. Darrow's people live in hellish conditions underground and mine the precious silvery helium-3 needed to terraform the planet. Darrow's father was hanged for performing a traditional dance, and when Darrow's wife, Eo, discovers that Mars's surface has been livable for centuries and then sings a forbidden dirge in public, she too is executed. Awash with grief, Darrow is recruited by the rebel Sons of Ares to infiltrate high-caste Gold society and help overthrow the government. After weeks of surgery and training, Darrow enters Mars's most selective school, but being accepted at the Institute is one thing; surviving a murderous hazing, ruthless power struggles, and a brutal war game won't be so easy. Determined to lead his people to a better future, Darrow will do anything to win. Pierce offers a Hollywood-ready story with plenty of action and thrills but painfully little originality or plausibility.
Customer Reviews
Thoroughly Enjoyable
I don't normally write reviews but I felt this book deserved more than one poorly written negative comment so here we go.
Red Rising is a damn good read. The story is fast paced, neatly balanced between detailed yet never dull.
Darrow the protagonist was a joy to read. My first impressions of him had me grinning and shaking my head and later nearly on verge of tears.
My only complaint would be it occasionally reads as a plot summary rather than a story, but considering the timeline and the sheer amount of info packed into the pages it a forgivable sin.
Final thoughts are to just read the book. Chapter one will have you hook line and sinker, no exceptions.
One of the best novels I’ve read in years
One of the best sci-fi novels I’ve read in years, can’t wait to start on the next novel! Thank you Pierce!
What a start to a series…
Red Rising completely pulled me out of my reading slump. The premise had me hooked — the class system, rebellion, politics and the idea of Darrow having to become the very thing he hates in order to destroy it.
I especially loved Darrow’s transformation. It wasn’t made to feel quick or easy; the physical process was brutal, but the bigger change was watching him slowly exist somewhere between Red and Gold. The Institute was where the story really took off for me, and characters like Sevro, Mustang, Cassius and Roque gave me plenty to speculate about.
My biggest criticism is the pacing. So much happens, so quickly, that I sometimes felt the story needed more room to breathe. There were relationships, political details and parts of the world that I wanted to sit with for longer rather than immediately moving on to the next event. Having now read Golden Son, that difference is even more noticeable — there was depth missing here that I didn’t realise I wanted until I got it in book two.
Still, this was a very strong start to the series. It gave me exactly the kind of story I enjoy: an oppressive society, rebellion, complicated loyalties, morally questionable decisions and a protagonist infiltrating a system from within. The ending also left the story wide open for something much bigger.