Red Rising

Misogynistic, derivative, and formulaic.

For more eloquent reviews, click the links below.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1143151488

https://alltherabbitholes.wordpress.com/2015/09/10/the-red-rising-trilogy-and-lip-service-feminism/amp/

Hunger Games. Auf dem Mars. Mit römischen Flair.

Hakt eigentlich alle Punkte eines “dystopic young adult novel” ab. Trotzdem sehr unterhaltsam.

This was my second attempt at read/listening to this book. I DNF the book several years ago and decided to give it another go. I wish I would have DNF a second time but I stuck it out and finished listening to the audio book. To me this book was a complete mess, it started out as somewhat science fiction but then turned into this weird conglomeration of different genres. The story went from future mars, to a game that felt more medieval than scifi then throw in references to Roman gods all in a hunger game like setting on some planet. Getting through this book was absolutely torture, I hated almost every second of listening to this book, the story was uninspiring and the characters were just boring. I can not say there was any character in this book that I have any feeling for except hate. The “Game” was absolutely boring and unrealistic even for scifi. The only thing I like about this series is I find the cover art really well done but I will never read another book in the series. Huge waste of time, I would never ever recommend this book to anyone.

Originally posted at Squirtoon's Bookish Blog

How many books can I say I started at 10pm, and finished at 3am? Not that many. For that reason alone, it's 5 stars. I value sleep like little else, but this made me forgo sleep to see what would happen next.

At first, when I first read about this, I was unimpressed. It seemed like every other YA, dystopian novel out there. How many books have the classes separated by something? Whether that be numbers, colours, looks or something else? It's now a new concept. This was a breath of fresh air for this genre for me.

I was more invested in the characters than I'd care to admit. Darrow, Mustang and Servo were just great characters. If you don't like Servo, then I think there's probably something wrong with you. He was my favourite character because he wasn't perfect like the other golds. He wasn't traditionally handsome and tall, but boy was he smart.

To be honest, parts of it aren't YA. This is a quote from the first few chapters, and when I really started paying attention to this novel:

On Mars there is not much gravity. So you have to pull the feet to break the neck. They let the loved ones do it.

I HATED THIS GROSS BOOK SO MUCH >:(

http://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-110-red-rising/

Holy crap, this book was so good. The characters were interesting, the stakes were top-shelf, the storytelling was solid.

The cover of this book includes a quote by Scott Sigler which reads, “Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.” I could not do a better job explaining this book. For all its sci-fi-ness, it is delectably medieval. I think this book could easily appeal to a very wide audience. Be aware, this book has some delightful violence that may be quite intense for some. But, I believe the author did a hell of a job handling that intensity.

I literally put the book down, muttering “holy crap,” at least one time per chapter in the final 1/3 of the book. I'm talking, through the finish, people.

Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Do not visit the jail until you read this book.

Starts off with a cliche “chosen one” plotline and none of the female characters have any value beyond acting as a love interest for the protagonist but otherwise an entertaining read.

I read this for a book set on a different planet. It reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games as other reviewers have said. I am curious to see what happens so I may have to read the rest of the trilogy.

Seri Red Rising ini mengingatkanku pada begitu banyak seri, antara lain Harry Potter untuk asrama2nya, Percy Jackson untuk nama2 asramanya, The Hunger Games untuk pertarungan & kekerasan rating R untuk menjadi pemenang. Ender's Game untuk taktik & strategi, serta A Song of Ice & Fire untuk permusuhan antar klan/keluarga. Disamping rasa orisinal yang terasa menggabung-gabungkan segala seri, alur & world building seri ini cukup memikat.
Darrow seorang Merah, penambang di bawah permukaan Mars. Misinya adalah mengumpulkan elemen-elemen berharga yang kelak akan dimanfaatkan untuk menjinakkan permukaan Mars dan memungkinkan manusia hidup di sana. Kaum Merah adalah harapan terakhir umat manusia.
Itulah yang mereka yakini, sampai Darrow menyadari semua itu kebohongan besar. Mars sudah layak huni—dan sudah dihuni—selama ratusan tahun, oleh orang-orang yang menyebut diri mereka kaum Emas. Mereka adalah golongan yang menganggap Darrow dan kaumnya hanyalah budak remeh yang bisa dieksploitasi dan disingkirkan tanpa ragu.
Sdh beberapa lama menumpuk di rak, akhirnya menjamah seri ini dan ternyata aku suka sekali, langsung menuju buku 2, Golden Son.

This first installment was entertaining enough, but I won't be reading on to see how Darrow continues his journey.

Brilliant premise for a book. Starts off really exciting and break-neck. Unfortunately it suffers from a little waffle throughout the book that may make you lose attention.

However, as with any first book in a series, it makes you instantly want to start the next. I really enjoyed the combination of sci-fi and raw surival. Two elements rarely combined and done this well!

The world created was believable and immserive too. Always can appreciate a world that's believable yet easily understandable!

Definitely worth a read for any fans of Hunger Games or anyone looking for a really good sci-fi series to begin (based on reviews of the future books)

Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R25KEG3P2YDZS1?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl

I liked this book far more than I really should have.

I purchased and started reading [[ASIN:B01LX8EFGX Red Rising and Philosophy: Break the Chains! (Popular Culture and Philosophy)]] before I had even heard of the Red Rising trilogy. I am addicted to the Pop Culture and Philosophy series, and the articles that looked at the issue of whether Darrow remained the same individual during his transformation or discussed the implications of a culture organized around occupation-based “colors” seemed interesting. So, purchased the first book as an audiobook and a digital book.

It is a captivating page-turner. The story begins with the teenage Darrow, a “Red” miner on Mars, working like the rest of his class to harvest helium-3, which will be used to transform Mars into a livable environment. The first several chapters deal with Darrow's discovery of the corrupt treatment of his clan of Reds, who are defrauded into pushing themselves to the limit by promises of bonuses they will never receive. Darrow's beloved wife, Eo, is executed by the White Governor of Mars, which pushes Darrow into his own act of rebellion for which he is punished. Darrow is then sucked up into an underground revolutionary movement, the Sons of Ares, and is genetically redesigned into passing for a White.

Then, Darrow is admitted to the Institute, which separates the rulers of White society, a society that includes all the planets of the solar system. The Institute turns out to be an anarchy where the students are again split up into “houses” based on personality types. Darrow is placed in the House of Mars, which is for the wrathful.

From here, we see the students murder, betray, plot, die, torture, maim and fight. Unlike a lot of other YA Dystopias, these are presented as real events; White's die. A nod is given to the concept that White culture is organized around evolutionary/eugenic principles and that these deaths are intended to promote the vigor of the White class. Maybe, but it does seem wasteful. The same concept shows up earlier in the book when Darrow displays an uncanny agility; the Reds are evolving, also.

In one passage, there was this exchange:

“He shrugs. “Doesn't count for much.

So I'll give you facts, brotherman. This is the system. The lower Colors have their children by use of catalysts. Fast births, sometimes only five months of gestation before labor is induced. Except for the Obsidians, only we wait nine months to be born. Our mothers receive no catalysts, no sedatives, no nucleics. Have you asked yourself why?” “So the product can be pure.”

“And so that nature is given a chance to kill us. The Board of Quality Control is firmly convinced that 13.6213 percent of all Gold children should die before one year of age. Sometimes they make reality fit this number.” He splays out his thin hands. “Why? Because they believe civilization weakens natural selection. They do nature's work so that we do not become a soft race. The Passage, it seems, is a continuation of that policy. Only we were the tools they used. My ... victim ... was, bless his soul, a fool. He was from a family of no worth, and he had no wits, no intelligence, no ambition,” he frowns at the words before sighing, “he had nothing the Board values. There is a reason he was to die.”

The “13.6213 percent” figure seems familiar. I'm not sure if I read it in Mein Kampf or some work by an Amerian eugenicist.

Darrow performs brilliantly at the Institute, of course. He makes friends and enemies who will obviously be with him to the end of the trilogy. For example, the odd, oddly loyal and oddly deadly character of Sevro seems designed for the long haul. He also finds love in the form of Mustang, who, naturally, turns out to be the daughter of the Governor of Mars, and he finds an enemy in the Jackal, the son of the Governor of Mars. More importantly, Darrow discoveries principles that will enable him to bring about the revolution against the White society.

This story is a YA dystopia, and it seems to incorporate the tropes of this genre. Thus, we have teenagers on the verge of adulthood being sorted and trained for their future. We have the sorting into both classes, occupations and personality types. We have a testing to destruction of the teenagers, where to wash-out is to lose everything.

To me, though, it seemed to be more than a YA dystopia; it seemed like something of a throwback to pulp science fiction with an empire that spans the solar system and pulpy scientificish technostuff. I could almost feel the ghost of A.E. Van Vogt and Buck Rogers in the plot.

I enjoyed the audiobook where the narrator was able to present the Reds with a Scottish accent and the Whites with a plummy Brittish accent.

This is a plot-driven, pulpy, page-turner. It is a lot of fun. I'd recommend it to teens and adults with a lively sense of fun.

I found the first 20-30% pretty compelling, but the last half of the book dragged on and I don't feel particularly invested in the protagonist's continued journey.

Primera lectura oficial del año y ha resultado una decepción. Aunque ha empezado muy interesante y parecía original, ha derivado a una trama muy típica de las distopias juveniles de hoy en día, es decir, se transforma en unos pseudos Juegos del Hambre; con la vital diferencia de que no he conseguido creerme la infiltración del protagonista en los altos rangos, ni su desarrollo psicológico. Una pena, porque lo he abandonado y tenía muchas ganas de que me gustara esta saga.

Way more captivating than it has any right to be. I really hated the book until about 35% through, after which it started to feel like some weird mix of The Hunger Games & Ender's Game. When I started reading, I thought it was incredibly derivative, blatantly so, even. After finishing it... I still think so, but it's still just a really, really fun read.

My recommendation: don't read a synopsis. It'll give too much away. There's an early twist in the plot line where I thought the book was going to go one way but then it goes somewhere else (in such an amazing way!). Brilliant plot, funny dialogue, and a unique societal model.

Now one of my scifi favorites!

Second time through and goddamn this book is just so artful. Hurrying to reread the rest before the new book comes outttt.

I was hoping to abandon this book on the account of Young Adult genre, but other readers have questioned this classification, so I gave it a try.

I couldn't get past the author's prose style. As usual, no attempt to create empathy for the main character, no plot presented, boring introduction. I didn't care for the “life in Mars” scenario. Can't bring myself to be more specific.

Read 0:35/16:12 4%

This book was fantastic. The world building in it is phenomenal. It held my attention very well. The author expressed a healthy balance between explaining a scene or events but not over explaining and getting into boring detail. You are told exactly enough to picture the characters and scene in your mind.

I'm fascinated to find out what happens to the characters and to see if the author can keep up the quality demonstrated in Red Rising.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sci-fi or anyone who had enjoyed The Hunger Games or even Enders Game.

I read this book in bits and pieces in the beginning because it was taking a while to pick up, but once it did I couldn't put it down. Specifically from the part Darrow goes to the institute was fast paced, strategic and showed various faces of different types of humans.

In the end, I came to like a lot more characters than I initially expected: Sevro, Mustang, Pax, the Howlers in general, and Darrow himself. The protagonist is not arrogant, full of blind rage or even a complete inconsiderate person. He shows reason, fear, consideration and sees the good and bad in everyone. Most I've liked a character ever. Let's hope the trend continues in the other books.
There were no overarching conversations between characters and Darrow knew when to keep his mouth shut or when to avoid talking.

I also liked the way the author described the action scenes. Duels where everyone moves as if dancing. Elegant. The way it was written felt very new.

Also, the ending was a nice touch. Thinking logically, that was the best course of action for Darrow if he wants to climb faster.

P. S. The map in the beginning of the book really helped. I turned to it so many times to understand each time where everyone was when a house was raided.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started this book, but I will say that it far exceeded my expectations. I love books set in space, and the characters are amazing. I love seeing Darrow's progression. This book was beautiful and brutal, and I can't wait to read the next two in the series.

The first 30% of the book is a bit of a challenge, being somewhat slow and without a clear direction, however once the direction becomes clear, the book shifts into high gear and doesn't let up until the conclusion.

Hopefully the second book will keep up the same pace...

Barely readable. Would have been better as a screenplay. Some people can't write narrative fiction.

This was everything i wanted . I have no words to express my love exept i might howl because #howler !

Darrow
He's like a human monster that's really pretty too
Sevro
The smallest being on the planet but knows how to fight
Mustang
Don't mess with her please , i beg you .
There are a lot of the others that i also love to the mars and back !
this book is now my favourite
I want more from Sevro
the proctors are ridiculous
im glad all 3 books are out in the trilogy
do me a favour and read this , please .

Wasn't sure about this one at first, but it grabbed me twice over before it began in earnest. A friend's review called it “predictable,” and I can't disagree, but I thought the setup was worth it. Ended up really enjoying it, and am looking forward to the rest of the series.