Dark Age

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".