Book Review
Aug. 27th, 2021 08:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariRed Rising
by Pierce Brown
This dystopian novel is set in the future, on Mars. Human society has become extremely stratified, with the Reds on the bottom, living as serfs, performing grueling manual labor to provide the raw materials needed for terraforming and otherwise supporting life on Mars. At the top are the Golds, the ruling elite. In between are the other color-coded castes, each of which also has an assigned role: artists and entertainers, doctors and scientists, etc.
Darrow is a Red. After the loss of his wife, he catches the attention of a rebel group. They transform him into a Gold so that he can attend the Institute, in which young Golds learn the ways of power and war. Darrow must triumph there so that he can gain access to the inner circles and workings of the Golds in order to undermine them and foment revolution.
There was a lot to like about this novel. The writing is compelling and the pacing is very good. I always wanted to know what happened next. Darrow is scrappy, focused, and has a firm grip on his humanity in the face of everything he goes through. I especially liked that the Reds had a distinctive culture and way of life, one that continued to be meaningful to Darrow even after his transformation into a Gold. In too many dystopian novels, the oppressed underclass often seem to have had all the art, music, traditions, etc. crushed out of them. The Institute itself is a bit derivative; it's kind of a cross between Hogwart's and the Hunger Games, but the houses are akin to warring medieval fiefs and the goal is not kill off the other students but to conquer them. However, the way things play out and how Darrow ultimately wins is a very good tale of ingenuity and personal growth.
by Pierce Brown
This dystopian novel is set in the future, on Mars. Human society has become extremely stratified, with the Reds on the bottom, living as serfs, performing grueling manual labor to provide the raw materials needed for terraforming and otherwise supporting life on Mars. At the top are the Golds, the ruling elite. In between are the other color-coded castes, each of which also has an assigned role: artists and entertainers, doctors and scientists, etc.
Darrow is a Red. After the loss of his wife, he catches the attention of a rebel group. They transform him into a Gold so that he can attend the Institute, in which young Golds learn the ways of power and war. Darrow must triumph there so that he can gain access to the inner circles and workings of the Golds in order to undermine them and foment revolution.
There was a lot to like about this novel. The writing is compelling and the pacing is very good. I always wanted to know what happened next. Darrow is scrappy, focused, and has a firm grip on his humanity in the face of everything he goes through. I especially liked that the Reds had a distinctive culture and way of life, one that continued to be meaningful to Darrow even after his transformation into a Gold. In too many dystopian novels, the oppressed underclass often seem to have had all the art, music, traditions, etc. crushed out of them. The Institute itself is a bit derivative; it's kind of a cross between Hogwart's and the Hunger Games, but the houses are akin to warring medieval fiefs and the goal is not kill off the other students but to conquer them. However, the way things play out and how Darrow ultimately wins is a very good tale of ingenuity and personal growth.
