Dark Age

This book was horrifying, disgusting, and made me feel the entire spectrum of negative emotions.

And you know what?

I respect it.

A stellar beginning and ending held back only by a stalling middle. This book took me a long time to finish due to losing momentum in the middle and getting caught up in other books so the fact it is still getting 4.5 stars from me is testament to the highs that this novel reaches. The author continues to excel in detailing fight scenes, which is handy because these 800 pages are full of them! The use of Mustang's narration was a pleasant surprise and resulted in some of the most thought-provoking chapters. The ending sets up the next entry in the series perfectly and I will certainly be coming back for more.

This series is so good! I have to knock off a star for some parts where I feel the decisions made by the character were made for plot sake and did not come off as genuine based on their character's persona. But I will continue this series until the end and be very sad when it's over.

I don't know why I even got this far. The writing itself is excellent, the world (universe?) is fascinating, and the characters are interesting. But the violence is so omnipresent, it feels like there's no reason to even get to know the characters, as they will just die in a book or two. After the attack on Mustang in this book, I just had to stop. I shouldn't even have tried to get this far, really. If you don't like violence, this is not the series to read.

I no longer know what to make of the Red Rising series. I loved the original trilogy, but was less taken by Iron Gold. Dark Age feels like more of the same. After a tidy and rewarding end in the original trilogy, Brown has gone all in on the flair for dramatics that made the series so fun.

Early on in this book, the MC describes another as "horny for violence", and honestly that's a fantastic encapsulation of the entire series. While it originally felt like a way to define itself beyond The Hunger Games comparisons, now it's become its own absurd calling card. Every experience of the main characters needs to be as gruesome as possible, although they themselves gleefully slaughter enemies in the thousands without a passing thought. It's over the top, but it works for the world Brown has created, although I find myself more tired of it than in the past.

One big weakness in the book, besides its length, is Lysander essentially gaining supernatural abilities to make him a better foil for Darrow. Which, sure, I get. I can see how down the road it will end up as a very satisfying arc for the characters, but in the moment it feels extra cheesy. Brown makes this worse by putting Lysander through absurdly lethal situations and he makes it out of each with ease. I suppose the same could be said for Darrow in every book, but it fits with his character never giving up. With Lysander it just feels clunky.

In conclusion, I've written far more about this book than I ever expected. In comparison to the original trilogy, the newer books have taken a dip in quality. Dark Age feels decidedly "mid".

Pierce Brown has outdone himself with Dark Age. If Iron Gold was his transition into a grander, more complex narrative style, Dark Age is his full mastery of it. The pacing is relentless from the very beginning, a full-throttle, no-breathing-allowed kind of read. It's an absolute page-turner that had me sacrificing sleep, telling myself “just one more chapter” over and over.I know a lot of people were put off by the use of multiple POVs in Iron Gold, but I actually liked it. In Dark Age, Brown takes it to another level. In Part I, he masterfully bounces between Darrow and Lysander, showing both sides of the same brutal conflict. The sheer scale of the battles, the way they unfold through different perspectives—it's nothing short of cinematic. The Institute in Red Rising feels like child's play compared to what Brown is doing here. He's fully stepped into the realm of grand space opera, with a complexity and scope that keeps you wondering what's next.Speaking of Lysander, I'm fully on board. He was already my favorite character in Iron Gold, and now, there's no doubt—he's my absolute favorite. His battle against Seneca and his men? I was practically jumping out of my chair. I know I might be in the minority, but I find myself deeply rooting for him, even when I probably shouldn't.Virginia's chapters, though, might have been my favorite POV. There's something about her introspection, her constant questioning, and her balance of intellect and leadership that resonated with me. “Or would I grow to be the villain in someone else's story?” That's the kind of question that lingers in your mind long after you put the book down.Ephraim really surprised me. He was already funny in Iron Gold, but here, he's even better. His humor doesn't feel out of place, and I genuinely enjoyed his chapters. More than that, his arc feels like one of the emotional cores of the book—this could easily be called his redemption story.Lyria, though, might be the biggest improvement. I didn't dislike her in Iron Gold, but she felt more like a plot device than a fully developed character. Dark Age completely changes that. She's full of personality now, and I found myself loving her journey. I'd be so excited for a spin-off about her adventures as a freelancer.And then there's the big twist— the Jackal clone. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it's a wild, exciting development. On the other, it does feel a bit like a cheap plot device. The fact that the clone is ten years old and so brilliant immediately made me think of Ender Wiggin. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I'll give Brown the benefit of the doubt.Finally, the ending. No massive, shocking revelation, but a rock-solid setup for what's next. Brown leaves a lot of threads open—more than in any of his previous books. It's not a conclusion; it's a launching pad. And I can't wait to start [b:Lightbringer 72174599 Lightbringer (Red Rising, 6) Pierce Brown https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1691857705l/72174599.SY75.jpg 49466217].

I think Mr. Brown's writing abilities have reached new heights. The way the scope of the world just blows open in this book is stunning. The political power plays, the twists and turns, the war, the action, the mysteries, the revelations!

The way the personalities of each character shine through in the prose. Lysander's being so flowery and youthful (despite the subject matter often being neither), Lyria's echoing an early Darrow. Virginia's intellect, cunning and strength finally being put on full display in first person. Ephraim's bitterness melting away and confidence coming forward as time goes on. Truly wonderful to read and witness.

I think this has been my favorite book of the saga so far. Really looking forward to Light Bringer!

8/10

Start and end was amazing. Part 3 feels like it could have almost been a spinoff short story.

8.5

A 700 page long consequence to the previous 4 books reveals itself in a brutal fuckfest. Its called dark age, so its really damn dark. mouth agape “why the hell would a human do that to someone else” dark. It has by far the best emotional highs, action-highs and writing-highs. Seeing side-characters be as badass -if not more - as our beloved little darrow is so fulfilling. When its not constant, brutal and genius warring and fighting, the political and worldbuilding moments feel equally as gripping.

⭐4.5⭐

It would be a 5 star if it wasn't for the first part. I couldn't wait to get it over with...

However, the rest of this book is a masterpiece. Pierce Brown is a great writer and knows exactly how to keep a reader engaged and on the edge of his seat. The emotional impact was really great and the different story arcs left me just speechless at some points.

The different POV's are written way better then Iron Gold, so that was also a big step up from book 4.

Emotionally exhausted, from cover to cover. I had to take long breaks between reading sessions because I knew that once I picked it up it would be bloodydamn hard to put it back down again.

Great pacing, great character moments, and some of the craziest plot twists of the entire series. This book will make you laugh, cry, and hate with your entire being!

Pain from first to last page, 10/10

What a Read. Strange to be giving a book 5 Stars to a book as bleak and full of moments that made me pause for a day or two but the characters pierce brown has created had me so invested in their journey/struggle that I can't rate it anything else.

"Somehow, he Survived": The Novel.

I think this is probably the weakest entry since the first one. There's a lot of good here, but it's very long and if I wanted to spend what felt like several thousand pages in a desert, I'd have read Dune.

“I would die for the truth that all men are created equal. But in the kingdom of death, amidst ramparts of bodies and wind all of screams, there is a king, and his name is not Lune. It is Reaper.”

i dont give a shit about the viking people they can fuck off lyria is a disaster too she can also fuck off. No one who believes in shamen should be allowed in space, they can stay in their little ice world forever. also im not even sure why peirce brosnan bothers naming characters cause they are just gonna get their spines ripped out by darrow/flavor of month antagonist who hasnt yet had his spine ripped out by darrow.

5.00/5.00

What can I say about this series that I haven't said already? For those who are worried about this book being dark and hard to read. Yes, it's dark and gruesome. But it's entirely engrossing. In the last few chapters I could not sit down and read, I had to walk around and jump and scream as the final battle raged. Pierce Brown has done a spectacular job with dark age, his writing of action and battle is unparalleled.

The new POVs were much more enjoyable in dark age. Darrow-Lysander action is my favorite part of this book, it is better than any other battle in the red rising saga.

On the downside (as minor as it is), the political drama was less impressive than Iron Gold. IMO nothing beats the political scenes with Romulus (Iron Gold, Morning Star). Looking forward to more Moon Lord drama in Light Bringer. Virginia's POV does some of the political drama heavy lifting but it's just her going through stuff.

4.75

4.5

Wow. Just wow. This series amazes at times. This book is one of the darkest I have ever read, and it sets up the final two books of the series—gonna be an epic conclusion to what has become an epic series...what started out as a Hunger Games Sci-Fi clone has turned into so much more.

Dark age is a brutal horrific story I have ever read
I did not cry, but there were moments where I stood and stared in horror for what I was reading -

I love these characters, even stupid a Darrow and his stupid Decisions but it broke my heart, and Lyria surprised me. Went from hating her, to liking her in this book.

Virgina was a nice head to be in, seeing behind the brilliance. I may be one of the few who like Lysander

This book made me screen, I KNEW IT while at work - if you've read it you'll know.

A excellent book.

I find it difficult to believe that over and over again 20 year old somethings keep overpowering the older, more experienced commanders. Lysander's escape at the end of the book is hardly believable, even with a time lag, no communications, with other parties, no backup to carry out such a complex plan without funking up when missiles fall all around, either he is incredibly lucky or more clever than anyone else (which is not apparent from the book.Not quite clear what is Lysanders motivation. Hate of Republic? Revenge? How does he feel about slavery? Who does he think anyone is worthy to replace the sovereign?It also feels like too many villains with separate plans and visions are crammed into one book. It feels a bit too much. One elaborate plan by one villain and perhaps few accomplices would be sufficient to send them to dark age.

Listened to on Scribd

Wow have I been reading this since APRILLLL!!!! Okay wow, wowowowowoow

So I think I liked this more than Iron Gold and allow me to start by saying if anything happens in the next book to Darrow or Lyria I am going to cry so just keep that in mind.

Lyria is a really cool character, she was introduced in iron gold and has quickly become maybe my favorite character in the whole series, and whole dynamic btwn her and volga and victa was so cool. I just love how Iron Gold and Dark Age split the stories between different characters, it feels like you're watching infinity war and everything is slowly building to a crescendo. You know these characters are going to meet at some point and then they do and then it's incredible.

So yeah I'm just going to be waiting around doing nothing until 2023 dono bout you guys tho.

Note to myself: This book was really good, you should watch a recap when the next one comes out, drop what you're reading, and start reading that. Because you really liked this one a lot and if I were me in the future, I would be soooo mad if you had the chance to read a page of #6 but didn't.

Wow. After reading number 4 I was dubious about continuing the series beyond the original 3 but this has proved me wrong. Thrilling story with brilliantly well written characters. Can't wait for number 6 now!