Red Rising

I recommend this book because it is my favorite modern sci-fi series. What gripped me with this was the overall premise of the story.

This story starts with the curtain being dropped for the book’s MC, and he realizes his life is not what it seems and his people are nothing more than slaves for a higher order. He sets out to change that. It is an amazing story that took the battle-school trope that I loved in Ender’s Game to a whole new level. I instituted the trope into my book and feel it has a good balance between… show more.

This book is not a book I thought I would like. It has a male protagonist and threatens to dive deeper into sci-fi than fantasy. Yet, once I got started, it became incredibly easy to root for Darrow.

The world-building was fantastic, dividing people into fourteen colors representing their social class. It was such a unique take, but it wasn’t the only thing. The blending of classic Greek mythology made this book different from any other dystopian I had read. It marked every box on my checklist and more.

This book was a fast and furious ride.

It started with an intriguing plot and then didn’t let me go as I was forced to flip pages until the book was done. The heart-pounding, thrilling pace, coupled with Darrow’s cunning, left me wanting nothing more than the next book. 

The world was a brilliant mix of relatable trials but with a plausible futuristic setting. The clever tech made me want to fly alongside Darrow and I was surprised at how seamlessly I fell in love with the world. Throughout, I felt each of Darrow’s triumphs and I felt my heart… show more.

This is one of those books that sticks with you. It permeates your thoughts; it entangles itself in your psyche. I find myself wandering into the world of Red Rising on the regular because he built his characters to be real and so flawed.

When I read this book, I was in a personal state of turmoil, which drew me closer to the characters and the rigorous trials they faced. I identified with their fierce desperation and often modeled my mindset after Darrow, the main character.

The first in a series of six (but soon to be seven), the story… show more.

Red Rising and its sequels have a special place in my heart. They’re about war, violence, terrorism, tragedies, and betrayal, but there’s a stronger thread woven throughout the pages: love. Love of your family, of your brothers, and your kin. It’s this love that drives the characters to rise up against godlike enemies. To fight for a better tomorrow.

The bromance that’s on display between Darrow and Sevro is so moving, especially when either of them fall on hard times (which is often). Whenever I feel lost or depressed, reading about these broken, beautiful, loyal characters helps me to find… show more.

This book took everything I’ve ever loved about sci-fi franchises like Star Wars, The Expanse, and The Hunger Games and somehow managed to jam it all together and turn it all up to eleven. (This one goes to eleven!)

At present, I have three more books left to read in this series (next up for me is Iron Gold), and that thought is just so darn exciting I could dance. (I won’t because I’m currently walking on an under-the-desk treadmill… But I could.)

For me, this book and the books that follow are a collective masterclass in worldbuilding, dramatic… show more.

I need a fun adventure once and a while to distract from the heavy subject matter I usually read. Red Rising is a fight-the-system, battle-royale sci-fi set on a terraformed Mars.

The civilization is fierce and mercilessly stratified into castes based on job roles. These job roles are color-based and affect all people in the solar system down to a genetic level, with cyberpunk-level modifications. Red has been stamped on too long, and it’s time for them to rise.

When they did, I felt like I did as well. If I had all of the money, I would produce it… show more.

This didn’t quite go the way I thought it would. I’d not read anything into this book or the series before starting it, I just knew they were incredibly popular books, and I thought I’d see what all the fuss was about! I am delighted to say the hype is real!

A brilliantly imagined novel told through the voice of a powerful POV. I’m no sci-fi fan, but these books really are extraordinary.

I read the entire 6 book science fiction series in two months, gripped by each plot twist and the relationships that build between characters over each book. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming, brutal and beautifully human, and masterfully crafted to maintain emotional engagement.

Set on Mars in a future where humans have colonised the galaxy and the society is separated into a ranking system defined by colours, the world-building is original, immersive, and blends elements of science, space opera, philosophy, political musing, ancient Roman history, and Viking Lore.

What starts out as a teenage rebellion when Darrow, a Red, learns… show more.

Red Rising is fast-paced science fiction that follows the journey of Darrow, a low-caste member of a society divided by color, as he rises up against the tyrannical rulers of his world. There’s a single sentence on the first page that I think bridges sci-fi with human emotion in such a striking way that I had to stop and say out loud, “If I were a publisher, I would buy this book right here, on this crazy-good concept alone because whatever comes next has got to be amazing.” The writing is engaging and immersive, and while set on Mars, the… show more.