Book Review | Golden Son by Pierce Brown (Red Rising #2)

Golden Son It takes only a moment for Darrow to be thrust back in to the heart of danger and desperation. Now the ward of the most powerful house on Mars, he leads a coterie of friends and nominal allies as he leaves the Institute and ascends to the Academy to learn the art of war in space. When disaster strikes, he will find himself with his back against the wall as war, betrayal, and death stalk his clandestine mission to infiltrate the highest ranks of the Society to bring down Gold and free Red from centuries of slavery…

Where Red Rising was a bildungsroman for Darrow, Golden Son sees Darrow begin to face what he has become–he may be the most sought after graduate of the Institute, but only because he is believed to be a Gold, not the minor born a Red deep under the Martian surface. This is complicated by a growing romance, a divide among the Sons of Aries, an agreement with a treacherous ally, and the constantly shifting alliances between Gold scions and houses.

As a middle book, Golden Son not only meets the levels of Red Rising, but fulfills promises made there. The stakes are constantly rising, and every scene is laden with potential. The drama is high, the politics intricate and deadly, and the fights intense and lurid. I can’t remember a single scene that didn’t move the action along, both internally and externally, with Brown never losing sight of his goal, the plots within plots, and the vivid imagery he’s created. Everything resonates, and Golden Son succeeds at not only referencing the depth of history upon which it is built, but also avoids imitation and creates something that feels new, fresh, and urgent.

There’s also the subtle pop culture nods that Brown makes that I’m not entirely sure are unintentional. In one scene Darrow shout “Never tell me the odds!” from the bridge of his ship, which sounds an awful lot like Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back. Later, Sevro riddles the Jackal with “What do I have in my pocket?”, a nod to Bilbo’s duel with Gollum in The Hobbit, Brown is whistling to those who have ears to hear.

When the end of Golden Son comes, it comes fast…and not a minute too soon. The sequel, Morning Star comes out next week, and I can’t remember the last time I was so excited to pick up a new novel. PAX AU TELEMANUS!

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Title: Golden Son
Series: The Red Rising Trilogy (Book 2)
Author: Pierce Brown
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Pages: 464

As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface of Mars, enduring backbreaking labor while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within.

A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love—but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind’s destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution—and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth. Though the road ahead is fraught with danger and deceit, Darrow must choose to follow Eo’s principles of love and justice to free his people.

He must live for more.