There are books that you read and move on from and never think of again. Then there are books that grab on to you and refuse to let you go. Red Rising by Pierce Brown won’t let go of me.
Red Rising has been the most exciting book I’ve read so far this year, and quite possibly will remain as such as 2014 progresses! The lead character speaks with such a strong voice that you’re drawn into his world completely and truly experience everything as he does.
Imagine toiling your life away in slave like conditions deep within a mine never to see the light of day, the only promise the future holds for you is an early death. But you work. You slave away because you and your people are the pioneers of humanity! You’re slaving away in the deep mines of Mars to help make it habitable so that humanity can escape a dying earth. Your life is miserable but you hold on because you’re fighting for the future if humanity.
Then imagine all of that is a lie. Humanity conquered Mars generations ago. Your people are slaving away not for a better future but so that your masters can enjoy their lives.
That is where Red Rising starts. From there you’ll find the book impossible to set down as it combines action, adventure, romance, philosophy, war, politics, and espionage all into what might stand as one of the most exciting books I’ve enjoyed in a long time.
Very much looking forward to the sequel as well as any other stories that Pierce Brown writes.