By Ananya Sharma, Staff Writer
Red Rising is a 2014 science fiction dystopian novel written by Pierce Brown. It is a gripping novel, with intricate world building and a fast paced and thrilling plot.
The story begins on Mars, far into the future. Society is divided into different castes, with the powerful and godly Golds being at the top and the Reds, who work underground on Mars in mining colonies, at the bottom. 16 year old Darrow is the youngest Helldiver for his mining colony, and he and his colony are mining for Helium3, an element that will make Mars habitable for the rest of the castes. Despite their brutal work and the harsh and cruel treatment they face from the other castes, they are still content since they are made to believe that they are pioneers that will save the rest of humanity.
But after Darrow’s wife, Eo, is taken, Darrow learns the hidden truth and his whole world comes crashing down. Darrow is rescued from his fate by a rebel group that appoints him to a special mission: to infiltrate the Golds and become one of them. If Darrow can survive and succeed, he can become powerful enough to help the rebellion destroy the current society, but if he fails, then the Reds will never become free.
The tone rapidly shifts between the different parts of this book, and after each change the reader is left feeling shocked. The plot contains many twists, turns, and unexpected developments. When I first started reading Red Rising, I was worried that it would come off like a cliche dystopian novel, but I was genuinely surprised at how unique it was. The story was a little slow and morose at the beginning, but it picked up quickly.
The characters are also all exceedingly complex and drew a vast range of emotions from me, whether it be pure hatred, love, pity, or sorrow. Surrounding Darrow are some of the most cruel people imaginable, but the characters all have some sort of motivation or cause and none of them are one-dimensional. The various conflicts, betrayals, and mistrust, as well as the backdrop of war, serve to form very interesting character relationships. The author builds up many likable characters, only to have them brutally killed, so I wouldn’t recommend getting attached to any of them.
Darrow himself is a very complex character. In many similar books, authors make their main characters perfect heroes, who are strong, kind, and selfless to a fault. At first I thought Darrow would fall into this trope, but even though Darrow is a selfless and loyal person, it is in a more realistic way. He doesn’t always make the right decision, and to survive in his society he has had to do many cruel and horrible things. By the end of the book, he is in many ways unrecognizable to his former self. He is an extremely intelligent and strong character, and his quick-thinking and fiery personality make the book really interesting to read.
The setting adds to the story, and helps make Red Rising as interesting as it is. The setting starts underground in Mars, and the somber, dusty description of the mining colonies highlights the crushing oppression that the Reds face. As the story progresses, we are taken to vast, bustling cities, rolling fields, and medieval castles, and each setting perfectly highlights the part of the story it accompanies.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you are interested in fantasy, science fiction, and dystopian books. If you liked the Hunger Game trilogy, then this is a good book to read, as it has a few similar elements. But if you don’t like reading about violence and character deaths, then this might not be a good book. Overall, Red Rising was very compelling and it felt like one of those books that are almost impossible to put down. The complex characters, intricate world building, and the fast paced and suspenseful plot make it into one of the best sci fi novels of the past decade, and I can’t recommend it enough.