The Red Rising Trilogy (a review)

Earlier I posted a review of Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I have now finished the trilogy (well, the first three books of the series). While the first book had the feel of The Hunger Games, the series as a whole feels more like A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R. R. Martin. There are lots of houses vying for power and a lot of shifting loyalties. Politics as well as battles. Unlike A Song of ice and Fire, The Red Rising series has more of a space opera feel to it. But whether the events are happening in space or on the firm ground of a planet or moon, there is lots of action: battles, duels, strategy, and tactics.

Just when you think you know where the story is headed, it takes a jarring twist in a new direction. This is a good thing. I don’t like books that are completely predictable. But there are sad twists too. Just like Game of Thrones, no character is safe. It is at times heartbreaking, but it is a good kind of heartbreak, the kind that adds weight to the cause they are fighting for. Also, knowing who to trust is unpredictable. We start second-guessing every character we meet. Are they a good guy, a bad guy, or somewhere in between?

In The Red Rising series, humanity has conquered the Solar system. The Moon, Mars and other planets and moons have been terraformed and colonized. We follow a society defined by class. Each class is identified by color: Reds, Blues, Violets, Silvers, Yellows, Obsidians, Pinks, Golds etc. Reds are at the bottom of the strata, little more than slaves. Golds are at the top. Golds run the government. The head of government resides on the Moon as is referred to as "the Sovereign." Nominally elected, she is in fact an empress with very little check on her power. No dissension is tolerated. All the members of the society are conditioned to this state of affairs.

We see the main character Darrow and his followers building coalitions. They try to reframe the narrative that placed the Golds in power. At the same time, they are not trying to just overthrow the Golds, but to make the whole power structure fairer. It is a difficult pill for many who are accustomed to the status quo. A good argument for joining Darrow’s side is the conquering of territory and ships. With each victory they become more legitimate. But the path to the top is not a straight one. Victory can be followed by failure.

This is a story about rebellion. Rebellion is always seen differently depending on which side you are on. Each side starts out believing they are in the right. Each side views the other as villains. The truth seldom survives unscathed in any war, let alone a rebellion. Each side has their own truth. Each side calls the other, liars. To the Golds, Darrow is not just an enemy but a traitor.

The series is well worth the ride. Lots of action, lots of characters to latch onto, and lots of surprises.

Star Liner

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