Please read dawn of wonder by Johnathan renshaw. It is a fun exciting fantasy novel. While not my favourite.( WOT, ASOIAF, Brandon Sanderson lord of the rings, and Harry potter are my favourite). Dawn of wonder is a great read though and I would recommend it. The audiobook is pretty good to
where have you bean? look at the time!! Do you even know who the Goblin is? Did you complete the book? Did you read the Golden Son or Morning Star? He fucking cut his hand off dude. Ragnar is the best character, easily.
Dan's 'Bout to learn that we love the series, not because of book 1 which was *fine*, but because books 2 and 3 are basically epic fantasy with Sci-Fi coverings and are both absolutely incredible!
Re-reading the series again, still in book one, before red god and I'm so excited to get to Golden Son! It definitely holds a special place in my heart, it sold me on the series and the final battle is SO COOL.
Best part of the whole Red Rising saga is Pierce Brown’s character work. The dialogue and relationships between characters is what keeps me coming back for more!
For me red rising is one of the few book series in which the first book is easily the weakest, with book 2 and 3 moving entirely away from the hunger games style trope to being far more original, as well as going deeper into the sci-fi, space wars, etc genre. So if you have the time i would strongly recommend continuing the series
One more note about the sexual violence critique: this is supposed to be a futuristic Greco/Romanesque society, so the sexual violence is literally a part of their hyper-masculine/hyper-toxi-masculinity culture just as it was a commonplace occurrence thousands of years ago.
I’ve noticed that That Daniel is critical of perceived immaturity related to sexism, or sex. He probably just has deeply held beliefs, and things like that just grind his gears quickly. It’s a thing to note in his reviews.
@@DanielGreeneReviews Oh for sure, I didn't mean to imply that you needed to like it, but rather push back against the oft post-modern criticism of "sexual violence as character development" which, in this case, I think is valid for the context of the story. Personally, it works for me where plenty of stories that utilize it even LESS don't for the very postmodern criticism I mention above. But I understand your take on it.
The sexual violence to me felt like it was just there in order to make Darrow look better as a protagonist by simply saying “hey he did this bad thing, but these other guys did a much worse thing”
Oh wait till book 2 and 3, they were just fantastic. I liked book 1 but it put me off the series, so I didn’t pick up book 2 till 3 years later, and blasted through 2 and 3 in the space of a few days
Even though this is one of my favourite series I agree with a lot of the negatives you pointed out but imo it gets a lot better mainly because it moves away from the battle royal of the first book so my advise is - keep on with the series, it gets better
I agree with your review. Do get to the second book "Golden Son", IMO it's superior to "Red Rising". I cant say anything about the others as I havent gotten to them yet but I want to go through the third one in the next month. So. Much. To. Read...
He was referring to “The Jackal” aka Adrius, the son of ArchGovernor Augustus. The Proctors kept interfering to make sure he won; Adrius was the Chosen One, not Darrow
Book 1 is Hunger Games-esque, 2 and 3 are very different and Space Opera. Really recommend the audiobook series, they have one of the best narrators in the business.
When I read this book I was blown away by how fun I found it I was always wanting to read the next page and the rest of the books in this saga are amazing
A great birthday present to wake up to! Brown definitely grows as a writer, and as the series goes on some of the big issues you had with this one aren’t as prevalent. Golden Son is my favorite in the series so far, but I have immense love for the series as a whole, and this was a great review!
Please continue with the series. While I loved the first book, it's the second and later books that will explain it to you best as to why so many people love this series (my personal fave of all time tbh). Am curious about your opinion for the second one if you do read it~
I'm wondering what your thoughts are on "The Three-Body Problem" by Liu Cixin. It's "modern" Sci-Fi, but has strong influences from the old. There is an adaptation in the works, so now would be the time to read the trilogy.
I totally agree that these books can be rather dry, almost dehydrating at times. I did find myself struggling a bit to continue after book one but, I had never listened (audiobook) to such a strange and detailed story before. It was so different from western style of Scifi/fantasy I know and love that it intrigued me enough to take on the 2nd and 3rd book. I simply had to find out what was going to happen and hoped it all would/should/could end in way that justified the length and arid nature of the series. Full disclosure, It's gonna take quite the commitment to get through the three books and understand what the hell is going on! lol It's not always easy reading/listening but, if you can push through to the end, I think you'll be satisfied with the finished product. I still find myself thinking about this series, even years after reading it. I hope you give if a chance and that you find it as interesting as I did.
@@BooksRebound I personally found the first book to be pretty intriguing, though I normally like things other people find dry so who knows, and you'll just be getting more of the same in the next books. I thought of it less as an alien invasion story than more of a look at the nature of survival, though I'm not sure I thought of it that way before reading the later books. It reminds me of classic SF in many ways (mostly Childhood's End), so if you can tolerate that you might like the later books more.
One of my favorite series. I recommend you keep going, it does get better. Book 2, Golden Son, is probably the best in the series so far (in my opinion). Can't wait for Dark Age.
I didn’t enjoy The Hunger Games, so for me Red Rising did what that series couldn’t. It really took it to the next level. More violent, faster pacing, lots of fun twists, and Darrow just takes care of a business the way a lot of protagonists don’t really get a chance to.
it's a new story and at first you might feel a little letdown but Iron Gold acts more for a set up of Dark Age which in my opinion completely blows the other books out of the water. It is more complex, mature, and it fixes a lot of the other issues in the series with everyone seemingly orbiting around Darrow. It diversifies the story and it reads like a roller coaster ride. It is amazing.
@@levystubbs4301 obviously I’m way late to this video, but I just have to say I respectfully disagree. While books 4, 5 take place 10 years later they are absolutely part of the same story! The first trilogy is about breaking the chains, the 10 years time jump is about building a republic, and the second trilogy is about whether or not darrows republic can stand the test of time. I would wholeheartedly recommend reading books 4 and 5 if you haven’t in the year since this comment!
Just read Red Rising, really enjoyed it. I agree with some of the things you said but it was a book I couldn’t put down until I was finished. I thought Brown was really creative and it brought me into a different world where I could see life from multiple angles. Fun read.
Seems this guy embodies the "white knight" narrative as well as the hunger games comparison. There are only two characters which use sexual violence as a part of their motive. Both of which have back stories justifying the inclusion as well as alternative motives. Using the narrative of excessive sexual violence when regarding this book is very inaccurate and is honestly, a nonsensical argument. And the hunger games comparison only holds up on the most surface of levels. Seems like this guy read/listened to a synopsis of the book.
Brilliant review, Daniel! It looks like this book will make me sad again. Dystopian stories have this power to disturb me once I finish it. The Handmaid's Tale did traumatized me for a day. Still, I look forward reading Red Rising and will look like Pierce Brown after lol.
I'm so happy that you've reviewed this book! I really hope you continue with the series, because it only gets better from here. I was reading it and just had to continue reading when I wanted to stop. It was more a stepping stone into the series, and I'm just glad you took your first step! Though I disagree with your take on sexual violence being rampant, it is a main part of their society with Pinks being literally bred for pleasure. I wish you'd have talked about their class system and the oppression held on them, but that's for the next book for sure, as this was more contained to show what can happen in the future. Thank you for the review, I am waiting for Golden Son review, my personal favourite of the series. Much obliged Daniel, peace!
I have to disagree with Dan on the sexual violence. Now don't get me wrong IT IS THERE! Although it is not nearly as prominent as he makes it out to be. I've read the whole series. When I found this review I was surprised to see how much he emphasized on it. I know that this is almost a year old thread, but if you haven't read it already I definitely recommend it!!
AGENCY is exactly the word I should've thought of when reading this book. I kept thinking while reading that it was a lot like an RPG where all the other characters just sort of sit around and do nothing unless the protagonist is there, at which point their dialogue activates. And everything they do is centered on the protagonist. No one ever seems to actually be doing anything off screen unless it's directly there to motivate Darrow. Even characters like Antonia, Cassius, Titus, the Jackal, and the Proctors just kind of passively exist until they get activated by the plot to do something directly to Darrow, but even when they do act they never actually manage to set him back for more than a chapter (I guess Cassius does set him back a couple chapters, but even then it's ultimately to Darrow's advantage).
I disagree. I think the reason it feels that way is just because the book is from the protagonists perspective. Because we don’t get to see the work of the other characters from their point of view, it doesn’t feel like they’re actually doing anything, but that’s clearly not the case. Spoilers: Sevro and the Howlers went off on their own and Sevro even tried to kill the Jackal. We just didn’t see it from his view. Cassius waged an entire war with the rest of the Mars group at his disposal while Darrow was gathering his forces. We just didn’t see it from his view. Mustang was living and surviving on her own when the rest of her group got conquered. We just didn’t get to see that portion. I think there are soooooo many fantasy and sci-fi books these days with multiple perspectives that we’ve come to expect seeing everyone’s work and accomplishments. This is a first-person account with a character who is cleary meant to be a classic power-fantasy role: a low-born who loses something precious to them, and rises to legend after the fact, dramatically shaping the world around him in the process. And because of that, it’s gonna feel like he has the most agency no matter what. Though I see what you mean about his setbacks being too temporary. But I guarantee, that’s MUCH different in book 2.
I love Red Rising, but it’s more fantasy in space than sci-fi. If not for that random gravity references in book 1 I kept forgetting we were supposed to be on Mars
I just finished reading the original trilogy and it's become one of my new favourites for sure. Book 2 is leaps and bounds above the first, and that's saying something because I loved the first book. Definitely give Golden Son a try!
I think I’ve read more than your average fellow, but you’re right. I am extremely partial to the classic version of the genre and am borderline hesitant to get into the modern for petty reasons. Though I have LOVED several modern sci-fi books.
@@DanielGreeneReviews I get it. But I think modern sci-fi well deserves a few more shots. I'm sure it will be really easy for you to find more and more new instant classics just by checking the most anticipated releases in the last couple of years. Be brave! 💪🏻
Daniel Greene Not hard to see why. Modern sci-fi puts the science fiction elements in the backseat for plot and character, essentially making it regular fiction sprinkled with some futuristic elements. That is not what I am looking for when reading sci-fi. I want to explore the ”What If”
A bit random but do you ever read Transgressive fiction and do you have any favourites in that genre? Transgressive fiction novels are my favourite reads; horror and weird fiction coming as my second favourite books. I enjoy your videos because they give me insight on fantasy which I haven’t read much of especially ‘The Wheel of Time’. I also love when you make videos that have to do with Stephen King.
One thing İ really like in this book is how the important events don't always happen to the main character, the final battle against the jackal for example.
Book 1 is ok, I liked Darrow but got kind of bored during the 'hunger gamesy' bits. Glad I stuck with it though, just finished book 2 and its so much better, actually cried at one point haha.
Interested to see what you think about the two follow-ups in the trilogy. They really expand the universe - literally. The thought on political systems and cultural control that is put into the books is quite profound.
The only series i have ever re-read. They are one hell of a roller coaster :P Its also fun seeing people review the first book knowing what will happen xD
I have a rock between my ears hahaha! Did not see the ending coming at all, but to be fair to myself, RR is the first sci-fi dystopian novel I have ever read.
Well, I know which book I'm not going to read. Thank you for your in depth reviews, I especially love how you always mention 'hey, this thing is fine for me but I know some people don't want to read that, so if you're one of them, this is not for you'. Okay this review might not be the best example but I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciate it in many of your reviews
I enjoyed the first one, but book 2, Golden Son is probably my favorite. Some critiques you had are actually handled in Golden Son. My least favorite so far is book 4, Iron Gold. But my brother tells me Dark Age is fantastic.
Iron Gold is by far the worst in my opinion. Dark Age though🤯!! I am so glad I pushed on to read, because after Iron Gold I didn't want to pick up another book in the series. When I was done with Dark Age I was screaming!! It's amazing
I've read it twice, and the second time through the most notable thing was how often he relied on twists and turns and surprise moments. It was interesting to experience the book without those constant exciting moments enhancing the story, because they definately impacted the overall experience a lot for me personally. I really like this book regardless of the re-read having less of an overall enjoyment factor, and i definately love the series overall. It's always interesting to hear your thoughts. Cheers
Are you planning on continuing with the series? I just read this book in July too and I feel pretty much the same way you did. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't great. I'm debating whether to continue but I'm leaning towards not.
To be fair Hunger Games is a derivative of the book Battle Royale by Koushun Takami which was released like ten years before The Hunger Games. Sidenote it’s a great book and I’d recommend reading it. All books are influenced on some level by the books the author has read. Whether it’s as simple as not doing something because they didn’t like it in another book. Or taking the entire idea and expounding on it.
Hey Daniel, just found your channel in the past day or so. Red Riding has grown to be one of favorite series, but I respect your reservations (I had many of the same when the first book myself). I will say the series takes a MASSIVE step forward in book 2. Also in regards to your comments about differences between this style and Classic Sci-fi, I've read interviews where Pierce himself has said that he doesn't really think of this as a Science Fiction story. If anything, I'd call it space fantasy 🤷♂️.
This book has been sitting on my shelf for 3 years.. I just couldn't get myself into it. I think I made it through some 5 chapters or less. I bought it around the time when I was obsessed with Gentleman Bastards, Malazan, The First Law, Mistborn etc. until I just gave it no mind at all. And I consider myself a Sci-fi fan as well having read all of Dune and other titles. I probably should give it a try now.
I loved the book at first, though once it got to the wargames part in the second half, I got totally lost. It felt like I needed to lay down a map and put game pieces on it to understand where everyone is, where they’re going, and who’s allied with whom. Given that this series has a board game, I could totally believe that this was the mentality that Pierce Brown wrote these scenes in.
I find it VERY interesting that you praise his writing so much. I had the opposite reaction to the book personally. The characters and story compelled me to keep reading. But I just really did not care for the pacing and his writing style in general. Maybe it’s nitpicky but switching between kilometers and miles felt off. There was one sentence where he said “beneath my feet” twice back to back without even a period between them. Lot of little things like this add up. I’m new to Pierce Brown so I don’t know if this is his first book ever but it definitely felt like a first book. Reminds me of Sanderson using “maladroitly” every five words in Mistborn. I LOVED the story but sometimes just the way it’s written takes me out of it
I'm on chapter 2 of book 1 and I must admit I am really struggling not to just let this one go to the "Tried and Failed" pile. Firstly, I *really* dislike stories told in the first person. "I do this, and I do that" - seriously, is this how books should be written - like a diary? That aside, the story feels like kids sci-fi. I hate to leave a book unfinished, but this one is testing my will
So I finished Red Rising 5 days ago. Book store didn't have the 2nd so while I waited for it to be delivered I started Brent Week's Black Prism... And now I'm speed reading it because Golden Son arrived 3 days early. FML.
Yay just keep it up with these nice reviews. I was so excited to read RR, but now after watching this review, I'm less excited tbh.. you pointed out so many things that I wouldn't enjoy in the book as well. Yet, I will still give it a try..
I'm currently struggling to finish the audiobook of this. The start was promising, but my interest in the story went downhill fast once the battle royal part started. Not because I don't like battle royals, but because I felt like all the important and interesting bits were put on the back burner, and I didn't feel like there were a lot of stakes. (Minor spoilers below) 95% of the time in the battle royal part I've listened to so far - Darrow is barely occupied with his primary goal. He's only thinking of his immediate goals of surviving and playing the game well. - His identity isn't in danger of being found out. - There aren't really any clever plans or twists. - There isn't any world building, just your basic teens trying to survive in the wild (which I've seen dozens of times, and hours upon hours of only that doesn't interest me) - His life isn't even really in danger in most of the action. - While many characters felt very distinct to me before Darrow's infiltration, now they're all basically variations on "pampered teen thrown in the wilderness" and I struggle to keep them apart (which, to be fair, is also on me being bad with names) Sure, there are exceptions to each of those points, but the vast majority of the battle royal part is like that. Apparently the thrill of a survival game with warring factions doesn't do it for me by itself. Or maybe I was too tired or distracted while listening to pick up on the interesting nuances, I don't know. I came here in part to see whether it's worth slogging through the final hours of the book, or whether I should just drop it. Luckily, many commenters are saying that book 2 is much better and goes in a very different direction. That encourages me enough to also give book 2 a try, and gives me a reason to continue with book 1 other than just getting it over with. Thanks, guys.
I read all 3 first books all in one week. And that’s the best experience for this series. Like it’s just builds really well. And Golden Son is one of my fave books, and Morningstar just builds on that greatness
I find your hangup on the sexual violence a bit weird. It´s not that big part of the story and it's not too explicit either. I started reading the spellmonger series and quit after book one because of too much unmotivated explicit sex scenes. It was just silly. I acknowledge that Spellmonger isn´t taking it self too serious, but still, it was not good writing compared to Red Rising IMO. I´ve watched the Expanse along with listening to Red Rising, and it was difficult not to compare because of the latin names. I think Red Rising is much more compelling based on tv show and books, but books vs books might be different. I would love for Red Rising to be HBO's next Game of Thrones. Lots of drama and betrayal and gore. But it needs to be GoT level of quality production. If not it will feel like a B-show like the Expanse and others.
Hope you try book 2 at some point. Like everyone is saying it gets a lot better and the world expands quite a bit. I also think if you ended up finishing the first trilogy you might really like Iron Gold, the first book in the 2nd trilogy. It is multiple POV(4 POV's) with 3 brand new character POV's. Most people say Brown's writing has gotten a lot more polished in Iron Gold.
I pictured the Reds and Darrow as being Irish, so when I heard the audio books (years after reading it) I was like, “I KNEW IT! I KNEW THEY WERE IRISH!”
Read, red rizing twice, the first time I loved it, the second I got past the tropes and wasn't nearly as engaged. Really I'd love for you to read, or listen to the powder mage trilogy.
I agree with your review basically. The premise was quite interesting, but then by the third book some aspects began to wear thin. There was limited depth to the world/characters. What you see is basically what you get. Their inner lives are pretty stunted. It also suffered from an obvious desire to craft the narrative for a transition to the box office, since the constant use of action to move the plot forward reminded me of many Marvel movies and other summer blockbusters - eventually I became numb to these 'epic battles' in the same way as I do with comic-book movies. I would like to see your review of Old Man's War by John Scalzi.
You have roughly the same thoughts on this book as I did, but my main issue was the protagonist's melodrama (an issue in all the books). Book 2 was my favorite, but I thought Book 3 was disappointing.
The Red Rising trilogy was one of the only things I have read where I wasn’t sure that the protagonist was going to succeed. The amount of twists was almost absurd. It made me take breaks because it was a bit exhausting. But other than that I really enjoyed it.
You can buy the book in the description, or you can start a rebellion in real life! Who wants to fight some golds!?!
You should consider reading Memory Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams. As you may know it was one of the inspirations for ASoIaF.
Please read dawn of wonder by Johnathan renshaw. It is a fun exciting fantasy novel. While not my favourite.( WOT, ASOIAF, Brandon Sanderson lord of the rings, and Harry potter are my favourite). Dawn of wonder is a great read though and I would recommend it. The audiobook is pretty good to
I'm ready for the revolution!
You are going to love Golden Son. Pretty much addresses all the complaints you have about the first.
You should read sea of rust by c Robert Cargill
This review didn’t completely focus on Goblin. No thumbs up for you boyo.
Goblin? Oh you mean the greatest being of all time
where have you bean? look at the time!! Do you even know who the Goblin is? Did you complete the book? Did you read the Golden Son or Morning Star? He fucking cut his hand off dude. Ragnar is the best character, easily.
Ragnar is just really cute
@@Sevro720 ragnar is also fucking awsome but in my opinion i like sevro better but it still sucks that ragnar died
Dan's 'Bout to learn that we love the series, not because of book 1 which was *fine*, but because books 2 and 3 are basically epic fantasy with Sci-Fi coverings and are both absolutely incredible!
@Ian Edmands That's interesting to me. I thought book 2 was a big step up and I still love book 1.
Not the biggest fan of book 3 (I liked Iron Gold better than book 3), but book 2 had one of the best endings of any book I've ever read.
Ian Edmands the third book is hard to start. But totally worth finishing
Agreed. Book 1 was good, but books 2 and 3 were spectacular. If Dan keeps on reading, he’s in for quite a ride.
exactly....it really is fantasy, just in a futuristic dystopian setting. People shouldn't go in to it looking at it from a sci fi point of view.
The Hunger Games comparisons basically go out the window after book 1. I see many have said this book 2 and 3 are far superior to 1. Just wait.
Absolutely this. Review the next two but do it as a double review
I prefer how Pierce described it as Ender’s Game meets Lord of the Flies.
Yes they totally grow into so much more
Golden Son is one of the best sequels I have ever read. It hits the ground running and DOES NOT STOP.
Re-reading the series again, still in book one, before red god and I'm so excited to get to Golden Son! It definitely holds a special place in my heart, it sold me on the series and the final battle is SO COOL.
Best part of the whole Red Rising saga is Pierce Brown’s character work. The dialogue and relationships between characters is what keeps me coming back for more!
The Red Rising Trilogy is my absolute favourite fictional work, of any medium.
Joe Marshall same
I say this all the time. So amazing.
Not really a trilogy Anymore
I know I love the first trilogy. Have yet to decide on the second. Though I imagine I'll love it too.
Joe same
For me red rising is one of the few book series in which the first book is easily the weakest, with book 2 and 3 moving entirely away from the hunger games style trope to being far more original, as well as going deeper into the sci-fi, space wars, etc genre. So if you have the time i would strongly recommend continuing the series
Agreed 100%
One more note about the sexual violence critique: this is supposed to be a futuristic Greco/Romanesque society, so the sexual violence is literally a part of their hyper-masculine/hyper-toxi-masculinity culture just as it was a commonplace occurrence thousands of years ago.
Good point. That certainly adds another dimension to the persistent nature of sexual assault in the book - makes it seem slightly less asspulled.
Oh I can see what he was going for. The whole having people named after God’s was a major sign. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it 🤷♂️
I’ve noticed that That Daniel is critical of perceived immaturity related to sexism, or sex. He probably just has deeply held beliefs, and things like that just grind his gears quickly. It’s a thing to note in his reviews.
@@DanielGreeneReviews Oh for sure, I didn't mean to imply that you needed to like it, but rather push back against the oft post-modern criticism of "sexual violence as character development" which, in this case, I think is valid for the context of the story. Personally, it works for me where plenty of stories that utilize it even LESS don't for the very postmodern criticism I mention above. But I understand your take on it.
The sexual violence to me felt like it was just there in order to make Darrow look better as a protagonist by simply saying “hey he did this bad thing, but these other guys did a much worse thing”
Oh wait till book 2 and 3, they were just fantastic. I liked book 1 but it put me off the series, so I didn’t pick up book 2 till 3 years later, and blasted through 2 and 3 in the space of a few days
The 'space' of a dew days lmao
Even though this is one of my favourite series I agree with a lot of the negatives you pointed out but imo it gets a lot better mainly because it moves away from the battle royal of the first book so my advise is - keep on with the series, it gets better
I've never read books as fast as I read this series.
The second book is better than the first. Third has some frustration, but I highly recomment Golden Son
Laura Maisano Morning Star was a blast, tf you on.
@@Sevro720 Morning Star was fantastic, with some minor criticisms, but Golden Son was the best one.
It sounds like the writer keeps getting better in the world he created. The Red Rising saga is wonderful. Every single book is great
I agree with your review. Do get to the second book "Golden Son", IMO it's superior to "Red Rising". I cant say anything about the others as I havent gotten to them yet but I want to go through the third one in the next month. So. Much. To. Read...
I disagree with Darrow being a chosen one. Especially in light of Titus.
He is just a boy who has the weight of millions on his shoulders.
He was referring to “The Jackal” aka Adrius, the son of ArchGovernor Augustus. The Proctors kept interfering to make sure he won; Adrius was the Chosen One, not Darrow
Book 1 is Hunger Games-esque, 2 and 3 are very different and Space Opera. Really recommend the audiobook series, they have one of the best narrators in the business.
Tim gerrad Reynolds is a beauty
When I read this book I was blown away by how fun I found it I was always wanting to read the next page and the rest of the books in this saga are amazing
Hail Reaper!!
Just also had to say that.
King Of Cringe Hail Libertas!
OMNIS VIR LUPUS!
HAIL LIBERTAS
A great birthday present to wake up to!
Brown definitely grows as a writer, and as the series goes on some of the big issues you had with this one aren’t as prevalent.
Golden Son is my favorite in the series so far, but I have immense love for the series as a whole, and this was a great review!
Please continue with the series. While I loved the first book, it's the second and later books that will explain it to you best as to why so many people love this series (my personal fave of all time tbh).
Am curious about your opinion for the second one if you do read it~
I'm wondering what your thoughts are on "The Three-Body Problem" by Liu Cixin. It's "modern" Sci-Fi, but has strong influences from the old.
There is an adaptation in the works, so now would be the time to read the trilogy.
Here here! That is a VERY fascinating story! I would love to hear Daniels thoughts on this book.
I totally agree that these books can be rather dry, almost dehydrating at times. I did find myself struggling a bit to continue after book one but, I had never listened (audiobook) to such a strange and detailed story before. It was so different from western style of Scifi/fantasy I know and love that it intrigued me enough to take on the 2nd and 3rd book. I simply had to find out what was going to happen and hoped it all would/should/could end in way that justified the length and arid nature of the series. Full disclosure, It's gonna take quite the commitment to get through the three books and understand what the hell is going on! lol It's not always easy reading/listening but, if you can push through to the end, I think you'll be satisfied with the finished product. I still find myself thinking about this series, even years after reading it. I hope you give if a chance and that you find it as interesting as I did.
I've heard only good things about this book, I think I first heard about it on Kalanadi's channel. She's huge into SFF.
@@BooksRebound I personally found the first book to be pretty intriguing, though I normally like things other people find dry so who knows, and you'll just be getting more of the same in the next books. I thought of it less as an alien invasion story than more of a look at the nature of survival, though I'm not sure I thought of it that way before reading the later books. It reminds me of classic SF in many ways (mostly Childhood's End), so if you can tolerate that you might like the later books more.
Book 2 sets up then knocks you the f out last couple hundred pages. Its incredible.
One of my favorite series. I recommend you keep going, it does get better. Book 2, Golden Son, is probably the best in the series so far (in my opinion). Can't wait for Dark Age.
I didn’t enjoy The Hunger Games, so for me Red Rising did what that series couldn’t. It really took it to the next level. More violent, faster pacing, lots of fun twists, and Darrow just takes care of a business the way a lot of protagonists don’t really get a chance to.
The first 3 books were great. Haven’t read book 4 yet because I thought book 3’s ending was good enough to end the series on.
Daniel Stewart I actually haven’t read the forth because of the same reason. And I’ve been told it’s not really part of the same story
@@levystubbs4301 No, it's not really. It's a new story of how the world is 10 years latet
it's a new story and at first you might feel a little letdown but Iron Gold acts more for a set up of Dark Age which in my opinion completely blows the other books out of the water. It is more complex, mature, and it fixes a lot of the other issues in the series with everyone seemingly orbiting around Darrow. It diversifies the story and it reads like a roller coaster ride. It is amazing.
@Kai Hoadley agreed
@@levystubbs4301 obviously I’m way late to this video, but I just have to say I respectfully disagree. While books 4, 5 take place 10 years later they are absolutely part of the same story! The first trilogy is about breaking the chains, the 10 years time jump is about building a republic, and the second trilogy is about whether or not darrows republic can stand the test of time. I would wholeheartedly recommend reading books 4 and 5 if you haven’t in the year since this comment!
I couldn't put my review into words and you have done it for me thank you I totally agree except writing style wasn't for me
Just read Red Rising, really enjoyed it. I agree with some of the things you said but it was a book I couldn’t put down until I was finished. I thought Brown was really creative and it brought me into a different world where I could see life from multiple angles. Fun read.
The sexual violence made sense in context of the setting
I only remember two instances of SA, one with Titus and the other with tactus. Can someone let me know the others he's talikng about?
Seems this guy embodies the "white knight" narrative as well as the hunger games comparison. There are only two characters which use sexual violence as a part of their motive. Both of which have back stories justifying the inclusion as well as alternative motives. Using the narrative of excessive sexual violence when regarding this book is very inaccurate and is honestly, a nonsensical argument. And the hunger games comparison only holds up on the most surface of levels. Seems like this guy read/listened to a synopsis of the book.
Brilliant review, Daniel! It looks like this book will make me sad again. Dystopian stories have this power to disturb me once I finish it. The Handmaid's Tale did traumatized me for a day. Still, I look forward reading Red Rising and will look like Pierce Brown after lol.
I liked Red Rising but Golden Son is one of my favorite books ever. I hope you read it.
as someone from ireland, it’s nice to hear you compliment our accents!
Listened to the graphic audio version after listening to the audiobook and I have to say graphic audio did a damn good job.
Anyone reading this get into this trilogy it's fantastic!
I'm so happy that you've reviewed this book! I really hope you continue with the series, because it only gets better from here. I was reading it and just had to continue reading when I wanted to stop. It was more a stepping stone into the series, and I'm just glad you took your first step!
Though I disagree with your take on sexual violence being rampant, it is a main part of their society with Pinks being literally bred for pleasure. I wish you'd have talked about their class system and the oppression held on them, but that's for the next book for sure, as this was more contained to show what can happen in the future. Thank you for the review, I am waiting for Golden Son review, my personal favourite of the series.
Much obliged Daniel, peace!
Damn almost at 50k. Great review btw. I wasn't sure about reading this book
Now you are sure... Read it. It's fantastic.
I have to disagree with Dan on the sexual violence. Now don't get me wrong IT IS THERE! Although it is not nearly as prominent as he makes it out to be. I've read the whole series. When I found this review I was surprised to see how much he emphasized on it.
I know that this is almost a year old thread, but if you haven't read it already I definitely recommend it!!
I think your opinions are pretty similar to most. I will say that I enjoyed it enough to read books 2/3, and those were amazingly fun.
AGENCY is exactly the word I should've thought of when reading this book. I kept thinking while reading that it was a lot like an RPG where all the other characters just sort of sit around and do nothing unless the protagonist is there, at which point their dialogue activates. And everything they do is centered on the protagonist. No one ever seems to actually be doing anything off screen unless it's directly there to motivate Darrow. Even characters like Antonia, Cassius, Titus, the Jackal, and the Proctors just kind of passively exist until they get activated by the plot to do something directly to Darrow, but even when they do act they never actually manage to set him back for more than a chapter (I guess Cassius does set him back a couple chapters, but even then it's ultimately to Darrow's advantage).
I disagree. I think the reason it feels that way is just because the book is from the protagonists perspective. Because we don’t get to see the work of the other characters from their point of view, it doesn’t feel like they’re actually doing anything, but that’s clearly not the case.
Spoilers:
Sevro and the Howlers went off on their own and Sevro even tried to kill the Jackal. We just didn’t see it from his view.
Cassius waged an entire war with the rest of the Mars group at his disposal while Darrow was gathering his forces. We just didn’t see it from his view.
Mustang was living and surviving on her own when the rest of her group got conquered. We just didn’t get to see that portion.
I think there are soooooo many fantasy and sci-fi books these days with multiple perspectives that we’ve come to expect seeing everyone’s work and accomplishments.
This is a first-person account with a character who is cleary meant to be a classic power-fantasy role: a low-born who loses something precious to them, and rises to legend after the fact, dramatically shaping the world around him in the process. And because of that, it’s gonna feel like he has the most agency no matter what.
Though I see what you mean about his setbacks being too temporary. But I guarantee, that’s MUCH different in book 2.
Morning Star and Golden Son forever
Will you continue reading the series?
What are your favorite dystopian books?
I love Red Rising, but it’s more fantasy in space than sci-fi. If not for that random gravity references in book 1 I kept forgetting we were supposed to be on Mars
if you haven't finished this series please do it please. I want your review on this whole series.
I just finished reading the original trilogy and it's become one of my new favourites for sure. Book 2 is leaps and bounds above the first, and that's saying something because I loved the first book. Definitely give Golden Son a try!
Perhaps your opinion of modern sci-fi would change if you actually read a few more modern sci-fi books? (Not being abrasive here, just curious)
I think I’ve read more than your average fellow, but you’re right. I am extremely partial to the classic version of the genre and am borderline hesitant to get into the modern for petty reasons. Though I have LOVED several modern sci-fi books.
@@DanielGreeneReviews I get it. But I think modern sci-fi well deserves a few more shots. I'm sure it will be really easy for you to find more and more new instant classics just by checking the most anticipated releases in the last couple of years. Be brave! 💪🏻
Daniel Greene Not hard to see why. Modern sci-fi puts the science fiction elements in the backseat for plot and character, essentially making it regular fiction sprinkled with some futuristic elements. That is not what I am looking for when reading sci-fi. I want to explore the ”What If”
A bit random but do you ever read Transgressive fiction and do you have any favourites in that genre? Transgressive fiction novels are my favourite reads; horror and weird fiction coming as my second favourite books. I enjoy your videos because they give me insight on fantasy which I haven’t read much of especially ‘The Wheel of Time’. I also love when you make videos that have to do with Stephen King.
I certainly have, but it’s not where my passion is with reading, so the amount of videos covering those types of stories will be less so.
Could Lolita be considered transgressive fiction?
J0n Hurry It is.
I thought it was an interesting book. I feel like it would make a great movie or TV series.
One thing İ really like in this book is how the important events don't always happen to the main character, the final battle against the jackal for example.
That beep was aggressively high pitched oh my god
Book 1 is ok, I liked Darrow but got kind of bored during the 'hunger gamesy' bits. Glad I stuck with it though, just finished book 2 and its so much better, actually cried at one point haha.
Interested to see what you think about the two follow-ups in the trilogy. They really expand the universe - literally. The thought on political systems and cultural control that is put into the books is quite profound.
You should say if there will or won’t be spoilers
I love the subtle tips I get from watching these reviews.
The only series i have ever re-read. They are one hell of a roller coaster :P Its also fun seeing people review the first book knowing what will happen xD
I finished all 3 books then immediately started re reading haha
I have a rock between my ears hahaha! Did not see the ending coming at all, but to be fair to myself, RR is the first sci-fi dystopian novel I have ever read.
Thank you for giving a trigger warning to the book. I will definitely be cautious when I pick it up.
Saw the red rising review and a fan totally predicted that u would like this one and the later entry more than the first book
I agree with many of the comments below, the first book is very much a setup for the trilogy, you need to reed the next two books.
Oh boy, just read the following three books, you'll ne absolutely hooked
Book 2 and 3 are much better than the first. Please keep going.
I will!
They are
@@DanielGreeneReviews You didn't.
Completely agree with the Audiobook comment, I thought the accents were so good, and the narrator really compliments the style of writing
Well, I know which book I'm not going to read. Thank you for your in depth reviews, I especially love how you always mention 'hey, this thing is fine for me but I know some people don't want to read that, so if you're one of them, this is not for you'. Okay this review might not be the best example but I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciate it in many of your reviews
What's people's opinion on the audio version?
I enjoyed the first one, but book 2, Golden Son is probably my favorite. Some critiques you had are actually handled in Golden Son. My least favorite so far is book 4, Iron Gold. But my brother tells me Dark Age is fantastic.
Iron Gold is by far the worst in my opinion. Dark Age though🤯!! I am so glad I pushed on to read, because after Iron Gold I didn't want to pick up another book in the series. When I was done with Dark Age I was screaming!! It's amazing
I'm curious, did you read the sequels? Red rising is a tiny compared to the world described in the sequels
Do you have an involuntary movement disorder?
I loved the scene where he took the lashings...because their crimes are his crimes... one of my favorite parts
Are you going to review the other books in the series?
Did he review any of the following books? I’d like to see his take.
I can't imagine waiting for the next book after reading the end of the second one
Have you read The Iron Druid.
I've read it twice, and the second time through the most notable thing was how often he relied on twists and turns and surprise moments. It was interesting to experience the book without those constant exciting moments enhancing the story, because they definately impacted the overall experience a lot for me personally.
I really like this book regardless of the re-read having less of an overall enjoyment factor, and i definately love the series overall.
It's always interesting to hear your thoughts. Cheers
Are you planning on continuing with the series? I just read this book in July too and I feel pretty much the same way you did. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't great. I'm debating whether to continue but I'm leaning towards not.
To be fair Hunger Games is a derivative of the book Battle Royale by Koushun Takami which was released like ten years before The Hunger Games. Sidenote it’s a great book and I’d recommend reading it. All books are influenced on some level by the books the author has read. Whether it’s as simple as not doing something because they didn’t like it in another book. Or taking the entire idea and expounding on it.
Hey Daniel, just found your channel in the past day or so. Red Riding has grown to be one of favorite series, but I respect your reservations (I had many of the same when the first book myself). I will say the series takes a MASSIVE step forward in book 2. Also in regards to your comments about differences between this style and Classic Sci-fi, I've read interviews where Pierce himself has said that he doesn't really think of this as a Science Fiction story. If anything, I'd call it space fantasy 🤷♂️.
@Daniel Greene will you be reading book 2?
This book has been sitting on my shelf for 3 years.. I just couldn't get myself into it. I think I made it through some 5 chapters or less. I bought it around the time when I was obsessed with Gentleman Bastards, Malazan, The First Law, Mistborn etc. until I just gave it no mind at all. And I consider myself a Sci-fi fan as well having read all of Dune and other titles. I probably should give it a try now.
So how was it?
please read any sarah j maas book. i’d want to see what you think about a book written for the female gaze.
I loved the book at first, though once it got to the wargames part in the second half, I got totally lost. It felt like I needed to lay down a map and put game pieces on it to understand where everyone is, where they’re going, and who’s allied with whom. Given that this series has a board game, I could totally believe that this was the mentality that Pierce Brown wrote these scenes in.
I find it VERY interesting that you praise his writing so much. I had the opposite reaction to the book personally. The characters and story compelled me to keep reading. But I just really did not care for the pacing and his writing style in general. Maybe it’s nitpicky but switching between kilometers and miles felt off. There was one sentence where he said “beneath my feet” twice back to back without even a period between them. Lot of little things like this add up. I’m new to Pierce Brown so I don’t know if this is his first book ever but it definitely felt like a first book. Reminds me of Sanderson using “maladroitly” every five words in Mistborn. I LOVED the story but sometimes just the way it’s written takes me out of it
I'm on chapter 2 of book 1 and I must admit I am really struggling not to just let this one go to the "Tried and Failed" pile. Firstly, I *really* dislike stories told in the first person. "I do this, and I do that" - seriously, is this how books should be written - like a diary? That aside, the story feels like kids sci-fi. I hate to leave a book unfinished, but this one is testing my will
So I finished Red Rising 5 days ago. Book store didn't have the 2nd so while I waited for it to be delivered I started Brent Week's Black Prism... And now I'm speed reading it because Golden Son arrived 3 days early. FML.
Yay just keep it up with these nice reviews. I was so excited to read RR, but now after watching this review, I'm less excited tbh.. you pointed out so many things that I wouldn't enjoy in the book as well. Yet, I will still give it a try..
I'm currently struggling to finish the audiobook of this. The start was promising, but my interest in the story went downhill fast once the battle royal part started. Not because I don't like battle royals, but because I felt like all the important and interesting bits were put on the back burner, and I didn't feel like there were a lot of stakes.
(Minor spoilers below)
95% of the time in the battle royal part I've listened to so far
- Darrow is barely occupied with his primary goal. He's only thinking of his immediate goals of surviving and playing the game well.
- His identity isn't in danger of being found out.
- There aren't really any clever plans or twists.
- There isn't any world building, just your basic teens trying to survive in the wild (which I've seen dozens of times, and hours upon hours of only that doesn't interest me)
- His life isn't even really in danger in most of the action.
- While many characters felt very distinct to me before Darrow's infiltration, now they're all basically variations on "pampered teen thrown in the wilderness" and I struggle to keep them apart (which, to be fair, is also on me being bad with names)
Sure, there are exceptions to each of those points, but the vast majority of the battle royal part is like that. Apparently the thrill of a survival game with warring factions doesn't do it for me by itself. Or maybe I was too tired or distracted while listening to pick up on the interesting nuances, I don't know.
I came here in part to see whether it's worth slogging through the final hours of the book, or whether I should just drop it. Luckily, many commenters are saying that book 2 is much better and goes in a very different direction. That encourages me enough to also give book 2 a try, and gives me a reason to continue with book 1 other than just getting it over with. Thanks, guys.
Be interesting to do a video about what is difference between modern and classic sci fi, with some example etc...
I read all 3 first books all in one week. And that’s the best experience for this series. Like it’s just builds really well. And Golden Son is one of my fave books, and Morningstar just builds on that greatness
I find your hangup on the sexual violence a bit weird. It´s not that big part of the story and it's not too explicit either. I started reading the spellmonger series and quit after book one because of too much unmotivated explicit sex scenes. It was just silly. I acknowledge that Spellmonger isn´t taking it self too serious, but still, it was not good writing compared to Red Rising IMO. I´ve watched the Expanse along with listening to Red Rising, and it was difficult not to compare because of the latin names. I think Red Rising is much more compelling based on tv show and books, but books vs books might be different. I would love for Red Rising to be HBO's next Game of Thrones. Lots of drama and betrayal and gore. But it needs to be GoT level of quality production. If not it will feel like a B-show like the Expanse and others.
Will you be reading book 2 as the was epic and would love to get you review on it, I think it would change your mind. Starting book 3 as I type 😱
Hope you try book 2 at some point. Like everyone is saying it gets a lot better and the world expands quite a bit. I also think if you ended up finishing the first trilogy you might really like Iron Gold, the first book in the 2nd trilogy. It is multiple POV(4 POV's) with 3 brand new character POV's. Most people say Brown's writing has gotten a lot more polished in Iron Gold.
Think you’ll continue on to Golden Son?
I also feel that the ending was a bit underwhelming but they couldn’t have too big of an ending otherwise it could take away from the following books
After 28 days the fifth book is going to release in this trilogy dark age on 30 July 2019
And yes I am a time traveler
I pictured the Reds and Darrow as being Irish, so when I heard the audio books (years after reading it) I was like, “I KNEW IT! I KNEW THEY WERE IRISH!”
Read, red rizing twice, the first time I loved it, the second I got past the tropes and wasn't nearly as engaged. Really I'd love for you to read, or listen to the powder mage trilogy.
Editing has been on point lately my man 10/10 meme usage lol
Does anyone have some book recommendations that are in similar setting to red rising?
I agree with your review basically. The premise was quite interesting, but then by the third book some aspects began to wear thin. There was limited depth to the world/characters. What you see is basically what you get. Their inner lives are pretty stunted. It also suffered from an obvious desire to craft the narrative for a transition to the box office, since the constant use of action to move the plot forward reminded me of many Marvel movies and other summer blockbusters - eventually I became numb to these 'epic battles' in the same way as I do with comic-book movies.
I would like to see your review of Old Man's War by John Scalzi.
You have roughly the same thoughts on this book as I did, but my main issue was the protagonist's melodrama (an issue in all the books). Book 2 was my favorite, but I thought Book 3 was disappointing.
The Red Rising trilogy was one of the only things I have read where I wasn’t sure that the protagonist was going to succeed. The amount of twists was almost absurd. It made me take breaks because it was a bit exhausting. But other than that I really enjoyed it.
Thank you youtube algorithm for recommending Dan, Also im Irish soooooo get ready to melt