• Golden Son

  • Book II of the Red Rising Trilogy
  • By: Pierce Brown
  • Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
  • Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (44,234 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Your Plus plan is $7.95 a month after 30 day trial. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Golden Son  By  cover art

Golden Son

By: Pierce Brown
Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $27.40

Buy for $27.40

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender's Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown's genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within.

A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown's continuing status as one of fiction's most exciting new voices.

©2015 Pierce Brown (P)2015 Recorded Books

Featured Article: Our Editors Recommend—Further Listening for Star Wars Fans


With more than 150 books in the Star Wars audioverse alone, there's certainly no shortage of adventures in our favorite galaxy far, far away. But let's say you've absorbed the very best of both Canon and Legends, watched the films and television shows time and again, and have exhaustively played through extended universe games (video and tabletop alike). If you're looking for something new, our Audicted to Sci-Fi editorial team has you covered.

What listeners say about Golden Son

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    37,112
  • 4 Stars
    5,800
  • 3 Stars
    1,025
  • 2 Stars
    194
  • 1 Stars
    103
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    35,862
  • 4 Stars
    3,754
  • 3 Stars
    470
  • 2 Stars
    66
  • 1 Stars
    47
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    32,995
  • 4 Stars
    5,609
  • 3 Stars
    1,130
  • 2 Stars
    236
  • 1 Stars
    106

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

IS THIS A JOKE? DO YOU SEE US LAUGHING?

PRIDE IS JUST A SHOUT IN THE WIND
At times I thought of The Gladiator, Outlander, Dune, Game of Thrones, and several fantasy epics. The book has a lot of good sparks to it and Brown is a very smart guy. The book has about everything, space battles, sword fights and lots of politics.

EVERYTHING IS POLITICS
The first two hours are excellent and did remind me of The Gladiator. Brown humiliates his main character, in what seems beyond repair. That was followed by two hours of inner strife. Than there is a really good sword fight. The next seven hours was mostly politics and conversations. Like most fantasy epics, there is a lot of talk about this family, that family, the histories of these families and the violence they did to each other and why they hate each other. I don't mind a little inner strife or even the history on certain houses, but not seven hours of it. If you stick with this occasionally something exciting will happen, you just might have to wait several hours. The politics got confusing and I had trouble figuring out who I was suppose to be for and who were the bad guys or why I should care. After twelve hours I lost patience and moved on to another book.


HORIZONTAL DIPLOMACY
The narrator is very good, he does a great Scottish accent. He did not have a huge range of voices and at times I was confused on who was speaking.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

154 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Modern Classic Which Will Endure

Where does Golden Son rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Golden Son is among the finest audiobooks I have ever read. My reading habits tend somewhat towards classics, and I am frequently disappointed by modern fare. I took a chance on Red RIsing, and couldn't get the characters out of my head when I finished. Golden Son is a greater achievement in every way when compared to its predecessor. The plot pulls the reader frantically from set piece to set piece as Darrow struggles with failure, guilt, disillusionment, and hope. The characters, introduced well in the first novel, become organic in this novel in a way I have not experienced in a novel since reading The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.While I was reading, I briefly forgot about the world outside as I was so invested.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Roque, the warrior poet of the first novel, returns to this world in grand fashion. His continually deepening alienation with Darrow makes the reader compulsively question the state of that friendship even when reading about other characters. While the love story between Virginia and Darrow was compelling, it was practically an obligatory aspect of the novel. Roque's growth as a character was highly original. I had no idea what he would do until he acted. At the same time, I fully empathized with his situation and understood his motivations for his actions once he acted. He is a masterfully executed character.

Which character – as performed by Tim Gerard Reynolds – was your favorite?

Ragnar was voiced wonderfully. While the character was essentially a replacement for Pax, the voice acting imbued his journey with dignity, grace, and magnificent resonance. However, each character was read well. I could not imagine simply reading a book like this. It must be experienced through audio.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending. All I will say.

Any additional comments?

This is my first review on audible.com, as this is the first time I have felt so strongly about a book that I needed to share my opinion. It is a work that takes the best of current trends from novels like The Hunger Games and adds the power and philosophical complexity more commonly found in classical literature. Pierce Brown, if you are reading this, please take your time in completing the third book. This trilogy has the potential to truly endure once it comes to the public at large's attention, but a slapped together finale could easily destroy the world you have so carefully built.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

89 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinary work

Exceeds the first in its brilliance--well worth the credit. It is books like this that create a void in their wake as I try to find something half as good (an experience that I love as I'm listening and hate as the book ends and i scrabble around for something else). I can count on one hand out of hundreds of series the times I have felt this way--and this is one of them. Other fingers listed below.

Four other audible series I've had the same reaction to:
The Kingkiller Chronicles by Rothfuss: the Name of the Wind and the Wise Man's Fear
The Stormlight Archives by Sanderson: The way of Kings and words of radiance
Raven's Shadow novels by Anthony Ryan: Blood song/tower lord
The Outlander Series, some better than others but in the end an amazing 300 hours of listening bliss

I'm glad to add another series to my "I really can't stand the wait" list. Now if only someone could give me a list--like this--of books I've never read and they'd work for me as well as these!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

43 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Em
  • 06-24-15

The Second Book Is Better than the First

Don’t get me wrong. I am RAVING about Red Rising to everyone I possibly can around the office. And if you haven’t picked up this series yet, you need to start at the beginning. But Golden Son is even better than the first book – which is such an unheard of rarity and a delightful surprise that I had to review this book first. I don’t want to give away any spoilers here, and it’s hard to say much without doing so, but I can say that this series is a total genre-bender: I’d call this “Post-apocalyptic-dystopian-YA-crossover-military-sci-fi-with-history-and-general-awesome-geniusness”. All these elements shimmer here and meld together into one whip-smart saga that stays with you for months after finishing it. Needless to say January (when the third and final book in Brown’s trilogy releases) can’t get here soon enough.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

39 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

You liked the first one? You'll like this one.

If you could sum up Golden Son in three words, what would they be?

gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, action

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ragnar. His monologue near the end.

What does Tim Gerard Reynolds bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Reynolds is well-known, his reading is gripping and his voice exceptional.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"BRING SOME TISSUES"

Any additional comments?

It's worth the bloody damn credit.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing 2nd Book

The notion that this series remains unknown is a travesty. These are some of the best books, the best story, of any genre. The young adult classification simply means these are books for anyone. I recommend them to everyone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

A Decline in Quality

The intelligent story of Red Rising continues with Golden Son, which moves off of Mars and details a painfully boring war across planets. Yes, it's difficult imagining that would be boring, but this story manages it. Having enjoyed Red Rising, I never would have expected to reach the last hour of Golden Sun with absolute apathy in my heart for whatever was going to happen next. Not caring whether one character lives or died. Without the spine of Red Rising's war games, Golden Suns degenerates into one spat of violence after another, with every character in the galaxy hopelessly incompetent save for the story's hero--who is mind numbingly good at breaking every record ever all the time without even knowing it. Golden Son is not like its predessecor, a smart grounded scifi, but merely the story of a god crushing two-dimensional plywood cutout characters.

Save your money and remember Red Rising fondly.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

i love this story

I love the way this book flows and ends. My heart aches, my blood pumps, and the hair on my arms stands tall.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

A bit disappointed

I found this sequel to be a bit disappointing. I'm not sure if it was the length or the lack of depth, but I just didn't connect with it nearly as much as I did with Red Rising. Also, contrary to what The Empire Strikes Back would have us believe, middle stories need an ending, too. The book should stand on its own rather than relying on the knowledge that there will be a continuation of the series, and should have some sort of conflict resolution, rather than starting an entirely new conflict in the last ten pages of the book. But what do I know? Clearly I'm not an author.

All I can say is, I enjoyed Red Rising much more than this book, and I hope that Morning Star is a vast improvement over it.

3 stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

never trust anyone

The theme of this book is "betrayal." Everyone is backstabbing everyone else. After the 3rd time, you'd think that it'd be over, but no. It just continues on the entire book. It becomes a game of "Who is going to backstab Darrow now?" You start to get numb to it by the end. Ulg. I don't want to go on to the next book because it's all so depressing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Skegg
  • Skegg
  • 05-01-15

Dune on amphetamines

It's a sci-fi super blockbuster. More grown up than the Hunger Games but with the same pace and Jack Reacher as the principal character instead of a teenage girl. Don't read this until you have read Red Rising as it's quite a complicated scenario already and Golden Son moves at such a pace, you'll never catch up.

The plot picks up with Darrow a couple of years after the events of Red Rising. He's doing pretty well for himself but it turns out he should have heeded the old adage about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer, so before too long, he is right back in the action which does not let up for a full 19 hours!

Yes, some of the plot twists are a bit predictable and the characters are ludicrous but I can honestly say I've found this story absolutely irresistible, listening at almost any opportunity. It's good, clean fun and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys an all-action sci-fi fantasy story. Possibly some who don't too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Iron Duke
  • Iron Duke
  • 01-12-16

Getting better and better 

Much less derivative than the first in the series and so a more interesting story. There's a lot of signposting of the way characters are going to develop but there are one or nice surprises. Being critical, there's a lot of a) plan for a fight, b) fight doesn't go to plan, c) miraculous event happens d) rinse and repeat which began to test my patience by the end. That said, I did marathon listen to this book and I will definitely get the third in the instalment.

The narrator has eased off on the anti-British with bad guys having slightly less pronounced English accents in contrast to the humble underdogs' Irish brogue. Sadly, there's some butchering of some new accents here: the Scandinavian is painful to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Kolif
  • Kolif
  • 08-31-18

Wonderful follow up from the 1st book

The plot twists are sublime, superb, memorising. Makes you cannot and will not want to stop the story. I listened the first book in two days and this one in another two days. Now straight onto the third book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Kimberley
  • Kimberley
  • 01-12-15

Good

I loved the first book, but just feel like this was a bit rushed/less immersive

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Trine_DK
  • Trine_DK
  • 06-26-23

Too much adversity

I really liked the first book. In this, towards the end, I just couldn’t stomach any more suffering, so I skipped over some if it.
The first had some greater triumphs. Something that made you go “yes!”. In this one, not so much. Also, even more politics.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User
  • Anonymous User
  • 08-15-18

Remarkable

i started with Red Rising on a recommendation. Complex, engaging and enormous fun. Brown, you have a reader for life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Carpetman8020
  • Carpetman8020
  • 08-02-18

As gripping as the first book

Having found Red Rising a wonderfully written and totally gripping read, I couldn’t wait to dive straight in to the sequel and second book in the trilogy. I was not disappointed... Pierce Brown really knows how to create a character and tell a story. Brilliant storytelling. Bring on the third book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Louise Hartgen
  • Louise Hartgen
  • 08-17-15

Golden Son, Not Exactly Sunny!

Where does Golden Son rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As I've probably listened to thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of audiobooks in my life, that's a hard question. I was expecting a lot from this book. I ranked Red Rising as one of the best books I've read in a very very long time. Having to put all the ingredients in the pot again, stir them and make the same kind of cake, or even better, is a hard ask. I do think Pierce Brown pulls it off, but there are some reasons, which are purely a matter of taste, which meant I couldn't give it a 5.
The story is as well written, but very much darker. I think for me if I'm going to read a lot of dark I have to have light strokes, either from humour or more happy, hopeful or at least slightly lighter notes. Maybe I'm a wimp but unalloyed bleakness just makes me shut down. The story, particularly in the second half, became difficult for me to read.

If there's one thing I really do object to it's following a character for hours and hours and hours of book only to find a sad, shocking, gruesome end. It just makes the whole exercise feel pointless. Having said all this, Pierce Brown makes you care right from the get go, or he makes me care. This book is beautifully written, wonderfully narrated and is a great sequel which leaves you wanting more.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Daro has to be my favourite character. He is everything a real, true hero needs to be. He is a great leader, clever and resourceful with the ability to make people follow him through thick and thin, but he is flawed. He is vulnerable. He doesn't get it right all the time, but neither does he do anything petty or cruel.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

A hard one to answer without giving a spoiler. Let's just say there's one place in the book where I thought: "Oh finally! Finally!" When you read it you'll know where I mean. It's beautifully written and nicely understated.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Oh that's a cynch! Break The Chains!

Any additional comments?

Just one. I want more! When can I have more?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for MICK
  • MICK
  • 01-16-15

Bloodydamn brilliant!!!

What a book! Really enjoyed it. Look forward to Morning Star.

Narration was first class.

I have sent my kid the print versions.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User
  • Anonymous User
  • 09-23-23

Fantastic

Technically brilliant, entertaining, such a vast world of depth to the characters and world. Sci fi doesn't get much better.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Sean Mulligan
  • Sean Mulligan
  • 07-29-20

A perfect book for a 15 year old boy

Doesn't suck - but neither is it top shelf spec fiction. The series is YA in disguise. Did not finish due to:

1. The PROFOUND insights by the main character that are largely chringe worthy
2 . The train smash of chivraldric single combat and modern warefare that have no business being near each other.
3. The constant emotional whining by the main character.
4. The constant stupid actions by the supposedly ubermensch main character to increase drama

After two book my main takeway is the overwhelming need to shoot the main character in the face

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Chris Gander
  • Chris Gander
  • 03-10-16

One of the best books I've ever read!!!

Pierce is an author at the very top of his game. His handle on story, dialogue and pacing rivals that of George RR Martin. Golden Son is flawless in every possible way. It really got to me... moved me... made me invest emotionally in Darrow and his quest. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates quality writing and storytelling.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Ross
  • Ross
  • 02-10-16

Easy listen

Fairly cliche storyline and the market is saturated with the likes of these tales where from the suppressed classes rises a hero. In typical fashion they make friends with enemies and enemies of friends, fall in love and go through many a trial and tribulation. Just as they seem to reign it crumbles... I guess that's how marketing works and let me tell you this despite being cliches and nothing original- it's characters are well established its an easy listen and you can tell it'll be a blockbuster when released on the big screen. By the end you'll be downloading the next instalment , despite the tack purely because you need to know if good conquers evil, if love lifts you up, if the little guy gets his day in the sun , because the narrator isn't to hard on the ears, there's nothing to watch on tv and it's simple !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Dandle
  • Dandle
  • 12-01-15

Great story and a perfect narrator

A thoroughly enjoyable follow-up to the first book - I was captivated from start to finish. Moments of laughter and horror - what it does, it does well. a bloody damn great novel.

Tim Gerard Reynolds as the narrator is perfect, and brings a lot to the story. Wonderful performance.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User
  • Anonymous User
  • 08-28-23

Faultless

No words. Great continuation of the first and sets up the 3rd perfectly! Amazing and i cannot wait to continue!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Hayley
  • Hayley
  • 08-26-23

Love the series

Loving it, and I’ve not read space science fiction but it’s great. Had to really concentrate

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Thanh
  • Thanh
  • 05-22-23

Hard to follow

Besides the constant battles and feeling down, enraged, then repeat, there is nothing else to it. Sacrifice was easy to make for Darrow because he had no relationship with his supposed to be friends, nor did he have the willingness to build them. So the whole story is just from one battle to another, more deads that mean little.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Mike Borg
  • Mike Borg
  • 04-08-23

Like Game of Thrones and Dune combined

Complex characters, manipulations, betrayals. This is heavy, but hard to stop. Performance by the narrator is so good, he brings the characters to life. The author is on another level to have made such an engaging story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for sweeney
  • sweeney
  • 04-06-23

Great read

Enthralling and psychologically astute, a real journey, lots of fun, exciting, motivating, sad, and moving.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User
  • Anonymous User
  • 04-05-23

Well paced

The story is well paced with good narration. Complex characters and hard to put down.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!