Red Rising

By: Pierce Brown

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet.

Darrow - and Reds like him - are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies...even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

©2013 Pierce Brown (P)2014 Recorded Books

Excellent!

This is certainly the best book I've listened to all year! Excellent story by Pierce Brown and a great performance by Tim Gerard Reynolds. I love the Irish accent! Not a bad singing voice either. The reaper's song is etched into my mind now. This reminded me a little of The Hunger Games, but I think this is much better! Can't wait to start book 2!

A gory-damn great book, my goodman!

Their are many different shades of grey when we judge our cultural preferences. Even the complications that arise from distinguishing good and great can't easily be communicated. Especially when one is reduced to using a system relegated by 5 stars. My own tastes as to what the best books I have read has different sub-categories. Their is the high literature that shaped my youth thus making it personal in my adoration: from Celine's Journey to the End of the Night to Rimbaud's poetry and the counter culture genius of William Burroughs. Nothing can quite touch those books that formed the consciousness I now live in. Then comes the literature that isn't as personnel but nevertheless peerless in its craft and cultural impact: Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and Nabikov's Lolita even Knut Hamsun's Growth of the Soil. However, at this point in life what I look for is not a read or listen that will shake my critical socks, so to speak, but something I can enjoy, something that can transport me out of my middle age existential malaise, something that will make me smile and maybe raise the hairs on the back of my neck. Mostly, it is fantasy or science fiction that I reach for. The Dark Tower and The First Law being the pinnacle and not because King and Abercrombie are the most skilled writers or that either book is without flaws but they strike a vibration that seems to harmonize with my sensibilities. That's how most of us form our opinions. Certain types of stories move us due to characterization, pacing, mood, language and most importantly narrative identity. It's completely subjective. Regardless of my meager opinion or where exactly I would place Red Rising on my list of favorites, this is a stellar book that works on so many different levels: from the excellent narration to the allegory of class struggle to the wholly entertaining narrative of a young hero sacrificing his future for the betterment of his family, his people and the memory of his lost love.

You might read a few reviews which comment on the books slow start, but people tend to forget it takes time for any reader to occupy the space of a novel. One must adjust to the narrator, the 'voice' of the writer, get familiar with the motivations of the characters and understand the theme(s) the author hopes to communicate. So understanding the adjustment period for any reader starting a new novel and coming to terms with our own responsibilities in engaging the narrative might enable us to be patient with difficult beginnings. A slow start usually just means there wasn't much action, but Red Rising doesn't lack for action in any section of the book. Of course the real drama doesn't start until Darrow becomes a gold and has to fight for the privilege of being the highest class. From here Mr. Brown slams his foot on the accelerator and never lets up.

Red Rising wears its influences on its sleeve. At first glance it could even be judged as derivative. The game that comprises most of the narrative, a type of 'king of the hill' where students vie for territory by killing and capturing other students, will be familiar to readers of Hunger Games (which, by the way, is an unabashed rip off of the Japanese novel Battle Royal) and the societal structure might resemble aspects of Divergent. However, anybody that criticizes Red Rising for these aspects clearly did not read the book with any sort of intelligent perception. It far surpasses both books in its ability to delve deeply into the philosophical implications of how a revolution works: its historical problems, it's human vulnerabilities and its eternal ability to solve very little problems. It also addresses the personal sacrifices the hero, Darrow, must come to terms with on a deeply emotional basis. Divergent had an incredibly adolescent love story that mired its plot in melodrama. Red Rising, on the other hand, presents us with an emotionally complex and adult love story that goes beyond the self indulgent myopic yearnings of a teenager. It is rare to find a book, especially one that some have labeled Y.A., that presents the reader with an interesting love story. One that doesn't succumb to the trappings of adolescence. Here we have a story of lost love and the difficulties of learning to love again, after such a wound, that is tangible and that grows and evolves with the main character. This is the crux of what makes Red Rising such a worthy endeavor, sure it uses many pop fiction tropes, but it manages to create something wholly unique by the sum of its parts. The depth of character, the complexity of societal structure and the diversity of ideological voices all gather into a very interesting and colorful world.

As this review becomes a novella and I still have only scraped the barrel of what makes Pierce Browns book so god damn good, I shall abridge myself and take up the other fascinating complexities of the Red Rising trilogy in the next review for Golden Son. Before I go, I must say a word on the narrator Tim Gerard Reynolds. What a fantastic job he does with the different voices and bringing an emotional impact to Darrow and the narrative, in general. Mr. Reynolds makes such an impact on the tone of the novel and how I am experiencing it that I have to question whether I would have enjoyed the book as much reading it. His Irish accent also fits the story perfectly and it's hard not to make the association with the struggles of Ireland and it's bloody sacrificial rebellion of England. I doubt their could have been a more appropriate voice for this trilogy.

Red Rising was one of the best Audible experiences I have had in the last 4 years. It is an absolutely superb book and the only thing I regret is that the last book in the trilogy is not out already. Do yourself a favor, if you are a fan of genre books, and get Red Rising now and relish the ride.

Wow!

I've been listening to The Expanse series and then decided to listen to this one and was blown away. The first two hours of the book were slow and claustrophobic which caused me to be unimpressed. But after the two hour mark it really rockets off and continues through an amazing story all the way to the end. I was majorly impressed and immediately bought the sequel. Don't let the first two hours dissuade you. Even though they are slower they are vitally important to the overarching point of the entire series.

This series is amazing

Everything is done well the story is paced well with good twists and turns. also it is cohesive and well thought out through out both books.

Wow!

Loved the book! Nothing mind blowing about the premise but I immediately fell in love with the characters. I cheered, laughed and cried with them. The narration probably enhanced the book but the writing style is quick and witty and keeps your attention. I couldn't wait to listen the next day. I had finished a series which dragged and this was refreshing!