Red Rising

By: Pierce Brown

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

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 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.

©2013 Pierce Brown (P)2014 Recorded Books

Thrilling and powerful

This book got quite a bit of pre-release hype on some websites. I am happy to report that, at least for my tastes, it has fully lived up to that hype. I've read hundreds of books in the last few years and this one is in my top 5. I couldn't put it down. I hesitate to say too much about it for fear of spoiling the plot, but the comparison to Ender's Game and The Hunger Games is accurate. If you loved those books, you'll probably love this one, too.

Excellent start to new trilogy

While the themes of this book have been done before, that should not stop anyone from listening/reading this story. Let's face it, there are not that many original ideas, but Red Rising takes those familiar themes of dystopian societies, class division, revenge, war games, adolescence...among others, and mixes them together into an excellent, engaging sci-fi novel.

For the first third of the book I thought I was listening to a Sci-Fi version of Braveheart (especially with the narrator's accent), but then it moved into a Hunger Games/Lord of the Flies hybrid.

There are many characters to follow throughout, so it is a little difficult with the audiobook to get them all straight. However, the story moves at a quick pace and by the end I was wanting more.

Can't wait for the next installment.

Wow!!!

Best book I've read in a long time. Hunger games meets Uglies, meets Ender's game. Absolutely worth the read. A page turner if I've ever read one.

Absolutely worth the time

Red Rising is the story of love and the struggle to rise above the life that has been dealt out to one man. The love for his wife and the love for his people, Darrow is on a journey to free them from the caste system that has made them slaves to the Golden.
Darrow finds friends in the Golden along the way, as he continues to hate their way of life. He makes poor choices and good choices, but his goal remains the same. Free his people, The Reds.

I am in love...

I am almost positive there is not enough room for me to write my FULL opinion of this story. So the simplified version is that I am in love! Pierce Brown has a way of making this story come to life. The production company and narrator of this story has me on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE length of this feature. I have not been able to stop tweeting, texting, and sharing this book since I first heard it. The characters are easy to identify with, the background is so well written that I had a hard time separating myself, and the plot itself is something compared to many in it's genre....but it sets itself far beyond its predecessors reach. No spoilers here, because this is one book you NEED to read for yourself. Furthermore...after reading it, you need to listen to it. The production was stellar! It sounded and felt so...so RIGHT! I applaud the narrator for making the scenes and characters jump out of the book and come to life!

Phenomenal

Why yes, I do realize this book has been out for a few years and everyone besides me has read it. Well, I love me some Tim Gerard Reynolds so I purchased the audiobook via Whispersync so I could move it up the TBR and see what you all have been talking about in regard to Red Rising. I have to say, whoever said this is in the same league as Hunger Games and lead everybody else to believe it was dead wrong. This book is SOO much better.

We are introduced to Darrow, a 16-year old miner (known as a “Hell Diver”) on Mars. His belief, as well as his fellow miners, is that they are working toward a better life for future generations by making the surface of Mars livable (terraforming). He is a Red, the lowest caste in a society where your color means everything. What he soon comes to understand is that the livable surface they are working so hard for has already been realized; as well as on other planets and moons in the system. He and the other Reds are, simply put, slaves. Peons to the Golds who rule and lord over all of the other classes. Meant to toil for the greater good of everyone else.

And when Darrow loses his one spark of hope for the future, he becomes angry and roused to bring down the Golds. But in order for him to do so, he will have to become one. He will have to power though the Institute: a place where all Golds must prove themselves worthy to become the next generation’s overlords. He will have to put his life on the line against, what can only be considered as, some of the Gold society’s most ruthless killing machines. Darrow will have to prove himself worthy of being called the Primus and will have do to so without showing his Red past and while becoming what he hates the most. What he doesn’t expect is the make friends of his enemies.

The entire novel is shown, in first person, from Darrow’s point of view but we are introduced to several fleshed-out characters throughout the story. Each one has a specific personality attached to them and they all have their own motivations to make it through the Institute. I also thoroughly enjoyed the world building. You begin in the claustrophobic suit of Darrow and are toured through the confines of the mines, until you reach the surface and are overwhelmed by the ever expanding civilization that has transformed the planet.

Though there are some similarities to The Hunger Games (the Institute, a young protagonist among a young cast of characters, and a high-class society that overlooks everyone else), Red Rising cannot be tagged as YA. The content itself deals with rape, cannibalism, and some pretty brutal violence that, IMO, is not for younger audiences.

Brown’s writing is crisp and refreshing and definitely deserves all of the praise it has received. I am looking forward to continuing the series with The Golden Son and will, once again, be listening to TGR’s beautiful narration.

Slow build into greatness

A really good listen if you give it time. It starts slow. I put it down several times but once I get past the establishing 3rd it ramps up. Give it a listen.

Among the best!

Thank you Pierce Brown for this masterpiece of literature. Bravo, Bravo! This book will stir emotions and win hearts. I do have to admit that I was hesitant at first, but my fears quickly dissipated as the book took me on a journey like non other.

Absolutely Stunning

It's rare a book brings out such a primal emotion out of me. The Author has such an ability to write that never fails to envelope me in his world and it's wonderfully paired with the excellent story telling of TGR. I had this on my plan to read for so long and I can't stop kicking myself for not experiencing it sooner. Don't make my mistake.

Took a chance and fell in love

I bought this book on a whim while it was in the "sale selection." I am SO glad I did! I was listening to random stuff looking for a book to draw me in. Red Rising did it and the series was spectacular. I hadn't heard of the series (I don't follow much in the world) and then started looking at things once I was hooked. Sounds like there might be a show one of these days. That might be cool.
Get ready to binge all the books in the series...and to cry quite a lot. It isn't as brutal as GOT but there are some gut wrenchers.
I will admit that I am rating this first book after reading them all - so it's hard to tease the first from the series. I do recall being a little skeptical at first because there was an air of the Hunger Games and it was semi annoying. Once that was gone I was better able to settle in. I definitely recommend it. Tim Gerard Reynolds is an excellent voice actor. By the second book you know who is speaking by their voice and I absolutely love that in an audiobook. Really lends itself to full immersion.