If you are into sci-fi dystopian worlds, the “Red Rising” series by Pierce Brown is a book you do not want to miss. It will have you feeling pumped about fighting against the hierarchy. There were times I felt like I was standing right beside the characters. I laughed, cried, and felt proud.
“Red Rising” was released during the Hunger Games era. Although the first book relies on the familiar trope of surviving a brutal test to prove oneself, the story quickly develops into something much bigger, exploring deep themes of oppression, identity, and revenge versus justice.
The reader is placed on Mars, within a society strictly segregated by color-coded castes. Darrow, the protagonist, is a “Red” who lives below the surface with his family. He spends his days working as a Helldiver, mining helium-3, an essential component needed to terraform Mars. His wife, Eo, is a skeptic who tries to convince others that the Reds are merely slaves for the ruling class, but no one supports her theories.
One day, Eo shows Darrow a hidden room resembling a garden dome. They lay eyes on living things such as trees, grass, and even the stars for the very first time. However, their amazement is short-lived. They are caught by the high-society “Golds” and sentenced to death for their crimes.
Darrow manages to survive his execution, only to be rescued by a rebel group called the Sons of Ares, whose mission is to overthrow the Sovereign and break the chains of their oppressive society. Darrow is given the chance to undergo a dangerous transformation to become a Gold and destroy the system from within. Driven by grief and rage over his wife’s death, Darrow endures grueling physical and mental changes through “The Carving” to infiltrate the elite class.
When Darrow finally journeys to the surface of Mars, he is shocked to find fully built cities. Realizing this, he fully grasps the extent of the lie. Reds are being kept underground in perpetual slavery.
Reds sit at the very bottom of the hierarchy. Their sole purpose is to extract helium-3 to power cities, spaceships, and war machines. They are intentionally isolated from the rest of the world to prevent rebellion, and they are forced to compete against each other for necessities like extra food and clothing.
Brown effectively highlights the brutal reality of their existence by detailing their cramped living conditions, such as their tiny homes carved out of rock for extended and blended families. They are raised to believe that mining is an honorable duty, and their lives are governed by the fear of breaking the status quo, which results in public lashings, starvation, or death.
Throughout the novel, Darrow struggles with an identity crisis. The psychological weight of navigating Gold leadership, manipulating allies, and even killing others for the sake of the mission, including fellow Reds, leaves him feeling isolated. He often looks back at his past self, feeling like he no longer recognizes the person he has become. He is trapped in this lonely new life — no longer a true Red, but an imposter Gold.
While his initial drive is fueled by a desire for vengeance, Darrow’s fiery anger begins to waver as he forms genuine friendships and even starts to fall in love with the very Golds he meant to destroy. Once viewing them as monsters, Darrow realizes his mission is much larger than simple revenge. He comes to understand that the system itself is the enemy, concluding that the world needs a total reformation where all colors live as equals under fair, universal justice.
Brown seamlessly demonstrates the paradox of Darrow’s situation. He must fight to free his people, yet harm them to keep the mission alive.
I enjoyed this book fully. With fantastic worldbuilding and parallels to Earth, this book will get you thinking. Not to mention, you will read chapters that will have your jaw on the floor from just reading a single page.
Everyone goes through a period in life of figuring out their identity and virtue. Brown forces the reader to question morality, making us ponder if there is another way to achieve societal change. If you are seeking substance that discusses these topics and look forward to participating in funny banter and serious moments, this book is calling out to you.
