Red Rising

By: Pierce Brown

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Wow, what a performance and what a story

I don't remember the last time I stayed up all night to read a book, but this one had too much intensity too much momentum to put down. I just had to finish. Darrow's story is rich with memorable characters and emotion and had plenty of suspense. It's one that I'll remember for a long time. I can't wait for the second novel.
Tim Gerard Reynolds makes it come alive. his accent brings the story a perfect edge and he does the wide variety of characters justice.
A must read.

Hunger Games for adults

I have seen this book compared to the Hunger Games, but don't be fooled. This book is way, way better. It

pulls no punches and the author has no problem killing off characters if it helps to move the story along.

I believe it is marketed as a young adult book, but I would think it is definitely not for the younger age

range of this spectrum.

The story itself has a slow start, but once it gets into its stide it is really excellent. Lots of twists

and turns and plenty of action.
The ending may seem obvious from a ways off, but the journey geting there is certainly worth it.

One of the best parts of this book is the narration by Tim Gerard Reynolds. It is simply fantastic.

By the way, Disregard the comment of one of the reviewers, Tim Gerard Reynolds is irish, and just because he lives in LA, doesn't mean he was born there.

I've already bought the sequel which is probably the best indicator of how good this title is.

I am the Reaper and death is my shadow.

Pierce Brown creates a dystopian future where mankind has populated the solar system and created a hierarchical caste system of colors. Strict rules and roles are assigned to each color, some of which are: Reds who provide the manual labor, Pinks who master the arts of pleasure, Blues who pilot the starships, Obsidians who fight the wars, Silvers who run the businesses, and Golds who rule society.

Darrow is born into this society at the bottom of the totem pole as a Red who works in the mines of Mars. As a Helldiver he risks his life manning a drill in the dangerous helium-3 mines but he accepts his role without question. He knows that mankind has ruined the Earth and helium-3 is needed to terraform Mars to provide humanity with a new home. He is proud of his work and understands that the Reds are sacrificing themselves to save humanity. Except it is all a lie....

Pierce Brown's tale of rebellion in a dystopian future is often compared to the Hunger Games and the parallels between the two are obvious; however, I would say that Red Rising is bigger in scale and darker in story. Darrow's coming of age is a wild ride and he goes through a brutal awakening as he learns the truth of the world he lives in. Darrow comes to hate the Gold ruling class because of the terrible things done to him and his people but it is not an inherent part of his nature. Thus he is conflicted as he faces the prospect of turning into the type of person he hates in order to successfully fight back.

Of course this is a Young Adult (YA) coming of age story so it does have some of the common weaker plot points contained in such novels. The one the bugged me the most is how easily certain powerful adults were overcome when the teenagers decided to push back against society's structure. It was too easy and convenient and that's why this one lands at 4 stars for me and not 5. Despite that fact I definitely enjoyed this more than the first book of the Hunger Games and I eagerly moved on to book 2: Golden Son.

Tim Gerard Reynolds is an awesome narrator and he was one of the reasons I decided to give this book a try in the first place. He did not disappoint and he really brought the characters to life by voicing them with his typical excellence.

Top 5 series of all time - start it right now

Absolute must read. Everyone who has finished it has become a total fanatic. It is the greatest series of its kind. Book 1 is thrilling and then you must continue to book 2 - it has some of the best moments in any book I’ve ever read.

The writing is stellar, narrator is awesome. So amazed by the author.

Only downside is that it will hurt your sleep schedule. Hard to ever turn it off. Last 4-5 hours are a rush.

PS - ONLY read books 1-3. Books 4-5 completely ruin the series. Wish I had never read them, literally some of the worst books I’ve read in years.

Stop everything you're doing..

Because this audio book is impossible to pause. I stayed up late listening and turned it on even at work. I've listened to dozens of audio books, and this is the first I just couldn't pause.

End(er) of Hunger Games for adults

Pierce Brown's Red Rising is the opening salvo in a dystopic future themed coming of age tale that doesn't pander to a juvenile audience. In the distant future when mankind has colonized the solar system, a class system has arisen after overthrowing Earth based rule. Each person is born into a particular color with golds at the top and reds at the bottom, figuratively and literally as in the lowest of the low living underground supporting mining operations on Mars terraforming purposes. After being sentenced to death (for burying his dead wife), Darrow, a boy of 16, is mysteriously saved by a terrorist group that seeks to transform and insert him into gold society for an eventual overthrow of the color system. The first installment revolves around the "Institute" which represents a mashup of Hogwarts and Hunger Games where the students compete for entry into the upper echelon of gold society.

The sci-fi elements are extensive, but muted. Space flight is standard with a moderate degree of weaponry and advanced medical interventions. The main draw of the tale is the detailed complexity of a viable, but distasteful societal organization and Darrow's navigation throughout. Rather than following a single trajectory, Darrow makes many mistakes and is constantly re-evaluating his approach. At the same time, he has been kept completely in the dark as to any master plan. He is also both tremendously insightful as well as introspective which provides more than adequate reflection on the structure of society that becomes a draw for the story. Lastly, there is real love (rather than mere lust) and true friendship that allows for the characters to endure and survive.

The narration is acceptable, although given the large cast of characters, there could be better distinction among the various roles. Female voices in particular lack gender differentiation. Pacing is solid with edge of seat action scenes, interspersed with jovial comradeship and introspective thought reflection that results in an enjoyable and satisfying listen. This opening foray augers well for a great trilogy.

Fear the Reaper!

If you could sum up Red Rising in three words, what would they be?

Amazing, Unexpected, Twists

What was one of the most memorable moments of Red Rising?

I don't want to give any part of this story away but just the transformation from the beginning of the book to the battle and emotions that ensue are incredible.

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

Darrow

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Could not put this novel down. This is ten times better than Hunger Games.

It like if the hunger games, but for men.

This is an outstanding novel. I saw it in my suggestions so many times, but each time I past it by because the reviews said it was something like the Hunger Games and I found those books juvenile and all around lame. This on the other hand is similar, but altogether a more grim and entertaining monster. It does take a bit to get going, but once your in, that's it your hooked. I loved this book immensely and I can't wait to rush off and get the second one.

What you wished Hunger Games or Divergent was.

This is the best dystopian novel I have read, and I have read them all.

Better than Hunger Games

This book better than the hunger games. The characters are strongly developed. Very nice picture creation of a new world based on The future solar system.