Author: Pierce Brown
Publication: Jan 28th 201 by Del Rey (Random House)
Book Description:
Book Description:
The war begins...
Darrow is a Helldiver, one of a thousand men and women who live in the vast caves beneath the surface of Mars. Generations of Helldivers have spent their lives toiling to mine the precious elements that will allow the planet to be terraformed. Just knowing that one day people will be able to walk the surface of the planet is enough to justify their sacrifice. The Earth is dying, and Darrow and his people are the only hope humanity has left.
Until the day Darrow learns that it is all a lie. Mars is habitable - and indeed has been inhabited for generations by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. The Golds regard Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.
With the help of a mysterious group of rebels, Darrow disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside.
But the command school is a battlefield. And Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda...
Darrow is a Helldiver, one of a thousand men and women who live in the vast caves beneath the surface of Mars. Generations of Helldivers have spent their lives toiling to mine the precious elements that will allow the planet to be terraformed. Just knowing that one day people will be able to walk the surface of the planet is enough to justify their sacrifice. The Earth is dying, and Darrow and his people are the only hope humanity has left.
Until the day Darrow learns that it is all a lie. Mars is habitable - and indeed has been inhabited for generations by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. The Golds regard Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.
With the help of a mysterious group of rebels, Darrow disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside.
But the command school is a battlefield. And Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda...
My Thoughts:
Red Rising was a a big surprise to me. I only happen to learn about it by its good promotion of the bookstore here in Canada. And I thank the book gods that day that led me to that book section that day and look what is the synopsis of the books. Just by reading what the story is I am already hooked. The next day I immediately ordered online (I always order online here since it is cheaper by a couple of dollars ). It was one of the things that kept me excited and once I got the book I immediately devoured it,
One of the first thing that kept me hooked while reading it was that it was an easy read. Sure we are introduced to some new in-book terminologies, but once you get the hang of it you will not be able to put the thing down.
Characters: Darrow is a character you can easily symphatize with and you will grow to love him immediately. What I like about him is that he adapts but still stay true to what his ideals are and who he is as a person. With all the fake-ry the story did to him, at the end of the book he is still him and I appreciate that. Also his character development is just spot on for me.
The supporting characters too are not just some throwaway people created just for the sake of supporting characters. I don't know how to explain it properly but for me they are just as strong as the main character Darrow. They can hold themselves within the universe. There's this one character which I really really like, probably more than Darrow.
The world building was also awesome because the details are scattered properly through the books. And I still feel there's still a lot of potential over the next few books that can still surprise us. Damn I can't wait for the Golden Son already next year.
Pacing was 90 percent to my liking. I feel like it hit a sweet spot between the very good climatic events and some soft mellow stuff.
Romance is something I feel like forced on the latter part. There were two romance angles and the first one felt more natural. The second one I think was just born out of loneliness and weakness in Darrow's part. (In real life don't do that. Don't go to a relationship just because you are feeling alone and wants a partner. Do it because you are in love. lolol sorry for the love advice)
I am really excited about the future of this book series. I hope that Pierce Brown becomes more successful. I feel like he is also a cool guy. He replies and interacts with his fans on twitter. He even replied to one of my tweets.
Easily one of the big books this year and it really deserves the buzz. One of the best books for me this year.
5 Whales!!!
Hi JP! This wasn't really in my radar but now that I finished reading your review, I'm excited to read it. Thanks for the great review.
ReplyDeleteI've found a few books just because of the promotion of a bookshop. This book sounds good, although I don't like it when romance is forced. I'm not a big fan of too much romance in books, so I prefer it to be more natural.
ReplyDeleteI've seen some good promotion for this book, and I wouldn't be surprised if it became the next big phenomenon. Your review solidified that thought - it sounds well-paced enough to have readers hooked. I also appreciate how you complimented the world-building because that is one of the most important aspects in a book like this. I'm glad you loved Red Rising so much, and I hope the rest of the series doesn't disappoint you!
ReplyDeleteI like when authors interact with their fans. :) I'm so glad you enjoyed this! I didn't review it, but I really liked it too. The world-building was probably my favourite thing about it, though I do wish I had felt more of an emotional connection to the characters. Despite that, I look forward to reading the sequel. Great review! :)
ReplyDeleteI really can't wait to get a hold on that book! Thanks for the review JP!
ReplyDeleteIt's great this worked for you so well, especially after knowing little about it initially (sometimes the books that suddenly strike you can be the most amazing reads!). I really hope the rest of the series keeps up this standard/rises above it- it's never nice when the first book is better than all the others.
ReplyDelete