Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy #2) by Pierce Brown
Genre: Adult science fiction
Publisher: Del Rey
Release date: January 6 2015
Source: ARC from publisher
Pages: 464
The nitty-gritty: Bigger, bloodier, and bolder, Golden Son lives up to its predecessor in spades.
To my left and right, the falling soldiers look like raging lightning bugs jerked out of some Carver’s fantasy. I admire the one to my left. The bronze sun is behind him as he falls, silhouetting him, immortalizing him in that singular moment—one I know I shall never forget—so that he looks like a Miltonian angel falling with wrath and glory. His exoskeleton sheds its friction armor, as Lucifer might have shed the fetters of heaven, feathers of flame peeling off, fluttering behind. Then a missile slashes the sky and high-grade explosives christen him mortal once again.
**Mild spoilers ahead, only for those who haven’t read Red Rising.
Pierce Brown has done it again. After blowing me away with his debut, Red Rising, he’s brought back his larger-than-life, over-the-top characters and put them in even more danger and horrible situations, and still somehow managed to bring moments of quiet and beauty to his story. Golden Son was a non-stop rocket ship ride through space (literally!) that paused only long enough for our characters to recover from their wounds. If you are the type of reader who loves military fiction, then you will most likely love this series. Strangely, I am not that kind of reader, and yet Brown’s books work splendidly for me. If it’s even possible, Golden Son delves even further into the violence and depravity of the human heart than Red Rising did. There’s a lot of killing in this book, and not all of it makes sense. (In fact, I would have to say most of it doesn’t, just like war.)
What Pierce Brown does to reel me in, though, is this: he fills his story with beautiful writing; lets his characters see past the blood and destruction to the beauty that lies underneath it all; and gives them something to believe in, a reason behind all the fighting and killing. He also gives us lovely relationships between the characters and makes them more than just killing machines. (Because honestly, sometimes that’s how I thought of Darrow and his friends.) Much of the tension in the story lies in the things that are not said between characters: meaningful glances, tacit understands, and dawning realizations. These relationships are subtle and complex and ever-changing, and they are the reason I love this series.
I don’t want to spoil the story by talking too much about the plot, but I will set up the premise of Golden Son. Several years after the ending of Red Rising, Darrow has been taken in by Augustus, the man who killed his wife, and the man Darrow has sworn to defeat. But politics are complicated in this very dense story, and after several betrayals, Darrow’s mission becomes clear: to bring down the Sovereign, the woman who rules over the solar system, who keeps the Reds down in the muck as the lowest of the Colors. Darrow, who was born a Red but changed into a Gold in order to infiltrate and defeat them from the inside, gathers his most trusted friends from the Institute and forms a plan that will ultimately free all the other colors from servitude.
But things are not always as they seem. Friends become enemies, enemies become friends, alliances are made and broken, and only one thing is certain: you never know who to trust. And in order to be truly free, Darrow is going to have to start a war.
This is one of those stories where I can honestly say I never knew what was coming. Brown knows how to convince the reader that the story is going in a certain direction, and then he blithely pulls the rug out from under you. Just when you come to love a character, someone who seems to be allied with Darrow and his mission, that character either switches sides or proves to have never been on Darrow’s side at all! The result of this was that I became wary every time a character seemed worthy enough to be deemed a “good guy,” and so I found my expectations shifting.
One big difference this time around was the setting. Where Red Rising takes place mainly in a fairly small area, Golden Son expands into space. This book had much more of a science fiction feel to it, which I loved. Brown’s combination of futuristic weapons and space ships alongside characters whose dialog felt very much medieval at times, was an odd but strangely appealing contrast. My favorite weapon was the razor, a lethal sword-like contraption that is both flexible and rigid, depending on how you use it. I think more blood was spilled by razors than by all other weapons combined!
Some new characters make an appearance, and old ones return. One of my favorites was Ragnar, a “Stained” Obsidian who pledges to stand by Darrow no matter what. He was such a huge brute of a guy, and even Darrow was afraid of him at times, but I loved his steadfast loyalty. Darrow’s sort-of love interest Mustang returns, and I adored her in this book. Mustang has got to be one of my all-time favorite female characters. She’s brave, strong, loyal, and a really good liar. Plus she doesn’t take shit from Darrow or anyone else, which I appreciated.
The Howlers were some of my favorite characters in Red Rising, and they come back just in the nick of time to rescue Darrow from one of his many close calls. They reminded me of Robin Hood’s band of Merry Men, although I’ll say this for the Howlers (and all the other characters in Golden Son): don’t get too attached, because just like Game of Thrones, you never know who is going to get the ax next.
Brown throws in some humorous moments between characters, but they are few and far between. This is mostly a serious book about war and its consequences and how war changes relationships. In Golden Son, war is a solitary thing, no matter how big your army. As Darrow says to his comrades right before the final battle, “I’ll see you on the other side.”
Oh, and did I mention the huge, shocking cliff-hanger? Oh just kill me now, Pierce!! When did you say Morning Star (Book Three) is coming out?
Huge thanks to Del Rey for supplying a review copy! Above quote was taken from an uncorrected proof and may differ in the final version of the book.
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I’m so excited that Golden Son is as good as Red Rising. I haven’t read the first one yet, myself, but I gave it to my Dad last year and he’s been asking about the sequel. (I got it because his favorite book is Ender’s Game. Red Rising was actually the book that fixed quite a daunting reading slump for him — hurrah!) And if there’s more space and more military action, then I think he’ll be quite happy indeed. Which makes me quite happy, too.
Oh your dad will definitely love this! I’ve heard this one compared to Ender’s Game, mostly because it takes place in space.
I’m really looking forward to this. I enjoyed the first and this one seems to be already received really good feedback which is really good to read.
Lynn 😀
Lynn recently posted…My best reads for 2014
You will definitely love this if you enjoyed Red Rising:-)
Completely Agree! Absolutely loved this and can’t bloodydamn wait for the next one!
Lisa @TenaciousReader recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday – Half the World
Ha ha, yes me too! Couldn’t decide whether to use “bloodydamn” or “gorydamn,” I guess either would have worked:-)
The ending killed me. KILLED ME. I was pissed, but at the same time it’s like, Mr. Brown, please rip my poor battered heart out of my chest and stomp on it some more please! So addictive.
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…2015 Audiobook Challenge
I know, THAT ENDING!! But honestly, I expected nothing less:-)
Looks like an excellent read!
Sheila (Book Journey) recently posted…Good Night June by Sarah Jio
I am so glad you enjoyed this one, I just could not get into the first one – lacked the world building I normally love!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
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missie recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday with Ensnared
“Bigger, bloodier, and bolder.” *add to wish list* 🙂
Happy New Year!
E.J. Stevens recently posted…What Is Your Favorite Book Of All Time?
So when I opened your review I sat there SQUEEEING for a while and then I read it and wow, really wonderful review Tammy! I absolutely LOVE The space setting and this one sounds more brutal than the first book, I don’t know how Pierce Brown could have improved but it really does really fantastic! Can’t wait to read it now!
Jeann @ Happy Indulgence recently posted…2014 Recap & Blogging Highlights
What if i didn’t really go gaga over Red Rising? I like that this seems to change the tone completely. I had kinda decided not to read this one, but I could change my mind.
It’s hard to say. The style of writing is the same, but the setting feels really different. Lots of carnage, lots of emotional moments.
What a wonderful review, Tammy!
I am honestly a bit on the fence about “Golden Son” because I’m still (now 8 months later) undecided about my feelings for “Red Rising”! I loved parts of it to pieces, and then there were other parts that were just very “meh” for me, so I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue… But since your review, I think I’ve decided to give this one a try 😉
Thanks (oh, and a very happy New Year!)
Camilla recently posted…Bout of Books – January ’15
Thanks Camilla! I know these books aren’t for everyone. My initial feeling is that if you weren’t crazy about Red Rising, you probably won’t like this one either. And it is longer, so there’s that to consider. But thanks for checking out my review!
What does it mean when someone is “stained”? I’ve been reading Golden Son but can’t figure it out. Did I miss something somewhere? They keep referring to people who are “stained.” Please, someone help me understand!
YES YES YES YES YES!! I loved this one as well! I have a feeling that this series won’t end well, in general… Brown is probably going to ax everyone and call it a day. BUT I AM SO EXCITED FOR BOOK THREE!!
Excellent review, Tammy!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Alyssa Susanna (The Eater of Books!) recently posted…Review: The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn
This sounds like a series I really need to start reading! I heard quite a bit about Red Rising when it was released but nothing to make me add it to my TBR. But now, I have heard that this book is even more amazing than the first one! Added on the TBR for sure!
Just recently read this and it blew me away. I had thought nothing could topple Red Rising but I was wrong. Golden Son was more brutal and glorious and everything that you’ve spoken here. I love the space battles that happened, and Darrow’s fighting against the odds stacked against him. I do admit to being frustrated by the ending, because omg the betrayals, but you are right – it only means that you truly don’t know who to trust. This book is so cutthroat, I love it!
Faye M. recently posted…ARC Review: Golden Son by Pierce Brown
i was a little hesitant towards this series ,thus i waited for the 2nd book to come out but i will definately check it out now!thanks for another great review!^^
OK, you’ve convinced me! I gotta read this sequel to Rising Sun sooner than later. I need to find out what happens! Thanks for a very well-written review that certainly piqued my interest!
I really enjoyed book #1, so the positive reviews on this one are good to hear. 🙂
Sorry, but I don’t get it. What exactly is a Stained?