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Red Rising
by Pierce BrownSeries: Red Rising Saga #1
Published by Del Rey on January 28, 2014
SubGenres: Dystopian, Science Fiction
Format: eBook
Pages: 382
Source: Purchased
Audience: 18+/Adult
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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 toils willingly, trusting 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 lush wilds 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.
It’s been a while since I read a Sci-Fi or Dystopian book, and I knew right away Red Rising by Pierce would put me through the wringer. As soon as I started, it reminded me of a mix of Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games, especially with its caste-based system and survival games.
The book is told in first person (Single POV). The main character, Darrow, is part of the lowest caste, the Reds, and loses his wife at the very beginning. He is chosen to help with the rebellion against the other castes, particularly the Golds, by transforming into a Gold and infiltrating them. He quickly learns that nothing is as it seems, and he has been lied to for years. Forced into a survival game with other Golds, he discovers they feud with each other, and the game is rigged for him not to win, but that won’t stop him. He will do anything to win, even betray people he has befriended.
I don’t want to spoil too much, so I’ll stop with the plot details here. As I read, I kept thinking of Lord of the Flies, probably because I read it back in school. The survival games also reminded me of The Hunger Games. I was hooked right away and really felt for Darrow through everything he faced. The book is full of violence, gore, and death. It’s not what I usually read, but it made me realize I should try different genres more often this year (2026). I can’t just stick to Romance or Fantasy; I need some Dystopian stories in my life again.
Pierce Brown is a new author for me, and I’m glad I finally picked up this book. His writing is vivid, dark, and full of action. Sometimes it was a lot to take in, especially when I tried the audiobook, so I switched to reading the physical book instead. Plus, I didn’t really care for the audiobook narrator, but that’s on me and not the narrator.
Overall, I give this book 4.5 stars and I’m excited to start the next one in the series. Pierce Brown kept surprising me with twists, especially near the end, and the story ends on a big cliffhanger after Darrow’s decision. I can’t wait to see what happens next as he works with the Golds and faces the person he wants revenge on most.
Cliffhanger: Yes.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you like Dystopian Science Fiction, you should add this to your TBR.
About Pierce Brown
Pierce Brown spent his childhood building forts and setting traps for cousins in the woods of six states and the deserts of two. While trying to make it as a writer, he worked at a startup tech company, the Disney lot at ABC Studios, as an NBC page and as an aide on a U.S. Senate campaign. Currently he lives in Los Angeles, where he scribbles tales of spaceships, wizards, ghouls, and most things old or bizarre.
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