Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Pages: 401 pages
Method: Kindle
Rating: 5/5

If you want to read a highly entertaining, fast-paced, science fiction book that is extremely thought provoking, then this is the book for you. It’s a dystopian novel and it toes the line of being somewhat in our world, using Earth, its moon and the other planets of our solar system as a setting, while also being fantastical in a way that removes you from our current world. 

The author uses colors to distinguish the people, both in physical appearance, ability, and role in society and it brings into question the prejudices and systems with which we operate today. It’s done in a way that is realistic enough to make you question our society, our government, and your own personal views, but it doesn’t feel like he’s trying to push an agenda or make you feel a certain way. It makes you examine your opinions and realize that maybe things aren’t always black and white.

I loved the main character in this book because his personality and actions fit the setting with which he was living. He is young but mature for his age given where he grew up and what he had to do to survive and provide for his family. He didn’t act immature or deny when he made mistakes but learned from them. He accepted who he was (a man filled with rage) and learned how to channel it. 

The driving story is truly a big picture plot because he is trying to take down the reigning color’s Society from the inside, therefore, he needs to garner trust. I always have respect for authors that can create stories that span great lengths of time but are intimately connected in ways you don’t know until you get there. I wasn’t sure how far he would take the story in the first book because I knew there were more books in the series, but I was pleasantly surprised with the pace and the fact that the author left enough loose threads and openings that I am motivated to read the next book.