Morning Star

Book III of the Red Rising Trilogy

By: Pierce Brown

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Length: 21 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society's mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.

Finally, the time has come.

But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied - and too glorious to surrender.

©2016 Pierce Brown (P)2016 Recorded Books

Suspenseful, Powerful, Perfect ending!

I had been looking forward to the third installment to Brown's trilogy since finishing Golden Son. I was not disappointed. It was a bit slow starting, but as time passed, the story line became much tighter and focused. Brown did an outstanding job keeping the plot plausible, edgy, suspenseful, emotional, dark (but not too dark). There are some very humorous and even touching moments in the story that are very endearing. The characters are flawed, but what depth in terms of their development. They deal with difficult choices, horrific events, and real loss. Tim Gerard Reynolds pulls out all the stops with this story and treats the listener to another wonderful performance. It is the relationships that have been forged in the first book that make this trilogy so special. The end is wonderfully done, very satisfying. Kudos to the team of Pierce Brown and Tim Gerard Reynolds that have given us a story for the ages.

Don't miss, you gory dammed pixies.

I thoroughly enjoyed the series, but this last book in the trilogy surpassed my every expectation. I can't remember the last time I was so satisfied as a reader.

Listen. Enjoy.

Great story. A bit wordy

Pierce is a masterful storyteller. And I love the delicious accent of the narrator. I have to say though this 3rd book lost me a few times with over descriptive thoughts and action scenes that I couldn't follow well. I think it could've been at least two hours shorter and just as awesome.

A fitting end

Very much enjoyed the book. Maybe not the stellar performance of the previous two. Loved the ending though!

Consistent Through Entire Series

With Morning Star, the Red Rising trilogy comes to a satisfying conclusion. The denouement is full of action and pathos and perfectly continues the momentum built up in the previous two volumes. Although not a perfect series for me, I greatly enjoyed both the book and audio narration.

Story: Darrow has been captured and mentally/physically tortured by The Jackal. But his enemies have once again underestimated his resourcefulness - a flaw that will provide the opportunity for Darrow and his allies to overthrow the Empress and free the Reds.

Morning Star follows Darrow's unique ability to build a rebellion through acquiring allies. As with previous books, he does so with grit and leadership skills while secretly doubting himself throughout. Author Brown has some great twists especially in this last volume as well as important character development arcs. He allows stories to come full circle, twisting and turning things on their heads. Commendably, events/people of the first book aren't forgotten by this third book and figure prominently in Morning Star.

When I say this isn't a perfect series, there are two standout issues for me. First, having an unreliable narrator is a writing conceit that feels more like a betrayal of the reader just to create interest. I.e., if our first person narrator creates a diabolical plan and knows the outcome, we should know about it too (since he wouldn't be worried or afraid as his plan unfolded as expected). Second, there is a lot of torture porn here - it's a bit over the top at times. Brown greatly enjoys the physical and mental deprivations he puts his characters through, that's for sure.

At the same time, I appreciate that the bad guys aren't superbly evil, that people can change their minds/alignments, and not everything is as it seems on the surface. All those nuances are especially played well in this third book. The things that killed Darrow's successes and friends in books one and two are the same things that will save him and win the war. As well, the action is well written and keeps a reader invested to see how it will all play out.

In all, this is a series I highly recommend. It was listed as dystopian originally but clearly this is science fiction. The audio narration was good as well.

Wow. Great story.

This was a great story and narration was well done. Characters are really well developed and I could definitely see this as a screen production. Ending does not disappoint!

Gorydamn EPIC or should that be Bloodydamn EPIC

Whether you say Gory or Bloody, this is a truly epic trilogy that should be read by all Science Fiction fans and anyone else who believes in equality and freedom.

Pierce Brown is a master storyteller who can spin a tale that pulls you inside and does not let go. His prose, character and world development are magnificent, and Darrow’s speeches are awe inspiring.

At the end of the adventure I find myself sleep deprived and bit bereft because what do I do now? There are very few books or series in the same class as this one and this one ranks at or near the top of those.

The series begins approximately seven hundred years after man began to migrate out into our solar system due to the discovery of helium-3 on Mars which is used to terraform the planets and moons. It begins with love that quickly turns to tragedy and the overwhelming desire for revenge and justice, then enlightenment, the deep bonds of friendship and the learning of honor all while shaping great leader, and finally, hope for the future. His faith in his closest friends will make you smile, shock you, and break into bouts of sniffles or tears, both gloriously happy and heartbreakingly sad.

Tim Gerard Reynolds is again brilliant. His rhythm and timing gives us a perfect pacing for the story and his characterizations are superb. He is a master at capturing each character's voice and personality. He does it so well that it sounds like a multi-person cast of narrators. All the characters are wonderfully done but my personal favorites are his portrayals of Sevro au Barca (aka Goblin, Gold), Ragnar Volarus (stained Obsidian), Trigg Nakamura (Gray), and of course Darrow (aka Reaper, Red/Gold).

Kudos to Joel Daniel Phillips for the well thought out and meaningful cover art.

For those yearning for more from Pierce Brown we only have to wait until 2017 when Iron Gold is released, the first in a new trilogy set in the same universe. It takes place approximately ten years after Morning Star.

I am really going to have to figure out how to use the statement "gorydamned pixies" in everyday conversation. Laughed my bloodydamned head off every time I heard it.

Break the Chains!

This is one of the best scifi series I have read

This might be one of my favorite scifi series I have ever read. Wonderful characters, captivating world setting, and a story that manages to take a common concept and deliver an uncommon experience. I have only the highest praise.

great every time

it's been multiple read throughs and this book just gets better and better. the performance as well. both masterful

Amazing brutal true to life in a fantastic future way

If you have ever been at war you relate to somebody in this book on a visceral level.
If you have not been to war you get a glimpse of what it would be like.
Death begets death begets death.
And some must die.
If you can't stand pain suffering and raw emotions stay away.
If you enjoy the hard truth with hope this is for you.