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# Trilogy Review: "Red Rising"
- URL: https://www.griffinmajor.com/trilogy-review-red-rising/
- Published: 2026-09-19T12:30:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-19T12:30:22.000Z
- Description: Perhaps a bit too critical considering I do recommend this 😅
- Author: Griffin
- Tags: Book Reviews, Sci-Fi

[Get Trilogy Here](https://amzn.to/4qIN9U2?ref=griffinmajor.com)

## Trilogy Brief

Beginning beneath the surface of Mars, *Red Rising* follows the perspective of Darrow, a 16-year-old Helldiver whose life is confined to the mines below. Like the rest of his colony, Darrow is a Red—the lowest Color in the Society—and his lifelong purpose is to extract key resources needed to terraform the planet.

Darrow soon discovers, however, that they have been deceived by their Gold overlords: Mars has long been terraformed, and his people’s hardship and sacrifice were built upon a lie. When given an opportunity to infiltrate the Society soon after, he accepts and vows to destroy it from within.

Over the three books, the reader follows Darrow as he ascends the Society and becomes entangled in its internal power struggles. To succeed in these conditions, he is forced to build alliances, manage competing loyalties, and defeat formidable power players—all while keeping his true identity a secret.

- **Author:** Pierce Brown
- **Published:** 2014-2016
- **Genre:** Science Fiction / Dystopia
- **Page Count:** 416 | 464 | 576
- **Personal Taste:** ⭐4/5
- **Craft**: 📐 5/10
- **Bandwidth**: 🟡 5/10

✅ **Recommended for:** Mature sci-fi readers who enjoy political intrigue, warfare, and shifting alliances.

❌ **Skip if:** You dislike violence, political intrigue, or if you prefer a slower and more polished storytelling.

## The Trilogy

### Context

Before turning 18, Pierce Brown had been diagnosed with a learning disability and changed schools frequently. As a result, he struggled academically and socially, but would later go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in political science. After graduation, Brown worked briefly in politics until the idea for *Red Rising* came to him.

Much of Brown's experiences are mirrored throughout the *Red Rising* trilogy. According to an [interview](https://pepperdine-graphic.com/pierce-brown-best-selling-author-alumnus/?ref=griffinmajor.com) with his alma mater, Brown felt connected to the series’ protagonist, seeing himself in both Darrow’s fiery personality and inner conflict. 

Brown's political background also explains much of the books’ themes and ideas. In the same interview, Brown describes the story’s scale as “macro politics,” and explains that the color-caste system mirrors people’s tendency to think in hierarchies. Other story elements also reflect his realpolitik: the contradictory nature of revolutions, morally situational leaders, and the paradox of an oppressive government that also holds a fragile society together.

### Contents

*Red Rising*, *Golden Son*, and *Morning Star* make up the original trilogy of the saga, the first major arc of Darrow’s story.

1. *Red Rising*: Establishes Darrow’s character and follows his infiltration of the Society.
2. *Golden Son*: Expands the story beyond Mars, centering on Darrow’s relationships with companions and rivals as he consolidates power.
3. *Morning Star*: Brings the trilogy’s major narrative arcs together in a final confrontation.

While the original trilogy tells a self-contained story, the complete saga currently consists of six books with the final seventh on the way.

## "Should I Read This?"

### On one hand:

1. *Red Rising* suffers from a rushed start. This makes it hard to get acquainted with the characters and gives the impression that Brown just wants to get to a point in the story that unfolds later.
2. By contrast, *Golden Son* has a much slower start—a hurdle for readers who may feel uncertain about continuing after the first book.
3. The first two books also struggle with imagery. In *Red Rising*, settings can be difficult to visualize at times, while in *Golden Son*, Brown overcorrects by using more flowery and poetic language.
4. The Series as a whole is weighed down by a few notable quirks:
  1. Many characters, locations, and themes are heavily derivative; an amalgamation of tropes and clichés that are easy to spot. A few examples would include *Game of Thrones, Hunger Games*, and *Ender’s Game*.
  2. The dialogue is often whimsical and quippy. There are many cringey punchlines that read more like snappy Twitter posts than they do mic-drops.
  3. Brown struggles with “show, don’t tell,” explaining what the reader should think or feel rather than trusting that the writing can speak for itself.
  4. At times, conflicts are resolved too quickly after they are introduced, weakening moments that are meant to feel tense.
  5. Many characters are protected by some degree of plot armor, so the outcomes of conflicts are often predictable. Character deaths do happen—and sometimes surprisingly—but only after surviving a few unrealistic saves first.
  6. For a story aiming to be a sprawling universe, the boundaries of a single solar system can feel like too small a playing field.

### On the other hand:

1. The writing improves substantially by *Morning Star*, showing how Brown matures as a writer from book to book.
2. And even though the writing can be quirky, the lack of depth is a trade-off for giving the story a constant state of adrenaline. This creates momentum that makes it easy to read through all three books.
3. The plot armor, tropes and clichés also serve a purpose. For one, they lull the reader into letting their guard down—so it’s exciting when expectations are broken. Second, they give the story a familiar foundation which allows Brown to explore more original themes and ideas.
4. And those original elements of the series are especially interesting:
  1. Darrow’s character evolves as he ascends the Society. However, he becomes more alienated from his people as a result, and this complicates the relationship he has with them.
  2. The characters are a diverse cast of men and women—and instead of this feeling forced, Brown makes inclusivity feel natural without breaking immersion.
  3. Many characters do not fit cleanly within moral or political boundaries: protagonists are flawed, villains are humanized, and others behave situationally.
  4. The story is morally ambiguous. Reading is less about rooting for a character and more about watching how their actions contribute to a gathering storm.
  5. Despite the books’ political realism, there are many fun and human moments to break up the dark mood.
5. As you read through the books, the story begins to make more sense in retrospect; what often appear as unresolved questions or odd creative choices are delightfully reconciled later on.

## Judgment

*Red Rising* fights for its place in an already competitive science fiction genre. Standing out, then, requires experimenting with new ideas while using familiar ones as a safe foundation.

Yes, the dialogue can be whimsical, quippy, and full of clichés. Yet those same qualities make the story engaging, fast-paced, and full of adrenaline. And yes, some characters are insufferably tropey, but expectations are shattered often enough, and many others stand out as relatable, nuanced, and original.

I did have doubts throughout reading, but the story was so entertaining that this alone outweighs those writing quirks. Ultimately, *Red Rising* was fun and kept me engaged—even if reading the remaining saga is something I get to later.

### Learned to Love It

## Buy: "Red Rising" Trilogy 

[Order on Amazon](https://amzn.to/4qIN9U2?ref=griffinmajor.com)