Red Rising
2014
- franchise:red rising
- series:red rising trilogy
- series:red rising saga
- form:novel
- genre:science fiction
- fantasy
- fiction
- dystopia
- young adult
- resistance to government
The story
"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "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 cheek. "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 if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
What it’s like
Hard-edged and cinematic on the page: a propulsive first-person voice, sweat-soaked and fast, with sensory detail that swings between cramped red-lit mining tunnels and the dazzling, sun-warmed excess of the surface cities. Sentences are short and punchy when the action spikes, and the prose loosens into lush description when the story turns to splendor and cruelty, all gold light, marble halls, and rolling green parks. The vibe is fierce and feverish, with a current of grief and defiance under the momentum. It suits a long commute, a weekend read that won't let go, or a late night when you want to be swept along. The violence is frequent and graphic: the Institute's contests are brutal, with close-up deaths, bloodshed, and bodily harm, and the sexual content is present but not the focus. The tone is dark and furious rather than hopeful for most of the book. It is for readers who want a sprawling, high-stakes rebellion with a protagonist who is willing to become the thing he hates, and who can handle relentless intensity from start to finish.
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