Light Bringer

It will take me a while to recover from this book. It's a thrill ride of near-miss triumphs and terrifying reversals, full of gasp-out-loud twists and ruthless betrayals by good guys as well as bad.

Set in a solar system of genetically engineered castes, its ruling classes fetishize ancient Rome, emulating not only its traditions but its quest for territory, a dangerous itch in an age of weapons able to burn planets to ash.

The resulting fight scenes and space battles are spectacular, the best I've ever read, but the real brilliance is in its characters. I know from online… show more.

Pierce Brown is a master of plot, character, and pacing.

The writing is exquisite, with well-turned phrases and fabulous memorable dialogue and quotes. The battles are epic, the personal drama intimate. Each character is so flawed, and so deliciously compelled to do the right thing in their own way, I couldn’t help but read with one hand half covering my eyes silently screaming ‘no! don’t’ as they made poor choices and cheering with the heroic ones.

The penultimate battle was a tidal wave of drama and raucous action, while a final betrayal left me heartbroken for a favourite character. And… show more.

The Red Rising series is one of my all-time favorites.

I can’t think of another set that packs as much high-octane action.

The latest installment, Light Bringer (book six), does not disappoint. Not only was I once again riveted by the action and the characters that I’ve grown so familiar with over the years, but I kept asking myself how it’s possible Pierce Brown sustains this level of high-quality drama and invention across six books. It’s a herculean accomplishment. Reading these books makes me feel like a kid again.

This is just some of the best fiction writing in any genre today, hands down. Genius world-building, memorable characters, soaring prose, great story, biting humor to offset the often gruesome violence—I want to write like Pierce when I grow up.

This is the 6th book in the Red Rising series and, thankfully, not the last. He does something many science fiction writers can never do: make you care deeply about the characters. It’s a long wait between installments—usually, I go back and reread the other books because there’s so much richness I missed the first few times.