Why Red Rising Is the Best Science Fiction Series I've Ever Read

I recently reread Red Rising and Golden Son in preparation for the final book in the series, Morning Star. Don't know what this series is about? You can click the links to read my reviews, but here's a brief summary. Humans have successfully terraformed planets and moons. The have divided into an elaborate caste system of colors with Golds being at the top of the food chain and Reds being at the very bottom. The reds on Mars work underground tirelessly mining Helium 3, a vital substance to the terraforming process. They are told that they are the pioneers working diligently to make Mars a better place for the future. But the truth is that Mars is already terraformed and really they're just slaves. Enter our main character, Darrow, a Red that just wanted to live a happy life with his family. But when he finds out the secret the Golds have been keeping from them, he sacrifices everything to infiltrate the system and collapse it once and for all. Sounds cool right? IT IS COOL. And that's why I'm going to give you all the reasons that this is hands down the best science fiction series I have ever read. Yeah, shit's that bloodydamn* good.


*this is slang used in the books and you will probably see it used a lot in this post.

Elaborate world, yet still easy to understand

This world is crazy huge and elaborate. There are charts and maps at the beginning of each book telling us who the important Golds are, the important Reds, Pinks, Greens, Blues, etc. And the details get even crazier as you dive into the world. But it's easy to understand and follow and I was never once confused. 

Plots within plots within plots. But it all makes sense and ties together in an amazing mash-up of awesome.

I mean do I really need to explain that one more? So many subplots in this series and trust me, you will care about every single one. 

Characters that are smarter than me, more badass than me and that I love like family.

Okay let's see... which characters do I love? Darrow. Victra. Pax. Ragnar. Cassius. Roque. The Howlers. Mustang. Lorn. SEVRO. Pretty much every. single. damn. character. Pierce Brown is sooooo good at fleshing out his characters and making me care about every single one. Even the bloodydamn "bad guys". His characters have so many layers and depth to them. They are not perfect in the slightest. Each of his characters is flawed and a little screwed up. But god that's what made me love them. The characters absolutely make this series what it is. 

Action, action and more action.

Are you a reader who craves nonstop action and hates slow plot lines? None of that here people! It is nonstop. Even in the quieter moments you're on the edge of your seat because of all the information you're getting. But there aren't a lot of quiet moments. There are intense hand to hand combat fights. There are elaborate battles in space with warships. There is sneaky, guerrilla warfare type fighting. There's something for everyone in these books. 

Plot twists.

Just when you think you've got it all figured out, just when you relax a little bit and sit back, Pierce Brown is going to use his Jedi powers to smack you in the face with that hefty hardcover in your hands. It's going to hurt. But you're strangely going to love it? We are the masochists and Pierce Brown is the sadist. Sorry not sorry about it. I loved every second of these bloodydamn plot twists that nearly killed me at every turn of the page. 

Mind fuckery.

See above for plot twists. That's part of the mind fuckery. The characters will also screw with your head. The villains will continue to shock you at the level which they are willing to go. The heroes will do the same. You read the resolution of some subplot or the end of some battle scene and you wonder what kind of genius Pierce Brown is to have gotten the plot there. And have it all make sense. He is a mind ninja. 

Really fucked up villains.

The villains in this series will give you nightmares. One in particular will have your skin crawling the whole time reading and you will hate him with a fiery passion. These villains are fucked up and scary. Pierce Brown doesn't sugarcoat things with them. They will give you nightmares. The scariest part? He is able to humanize them. 

Violence (in a good way, i.e. intense battle scenes)

I talked about the action earlier, but I also loved that Pierce Brown doesn't sugarcoat the fact that the characters are at war in this book. War is ugly. It's brutal. Especially with the tech these characters have at their disposal. If you're squeamish, I might have to warn you away from these books. But actually no, the violence is worth it because it makes the books real. It will bring you to tears. It's authentic violence. It's not there for shock value. It's there because it's reality.

A cause that I believe in

Fuck yes I believe in this cause. The Reds are slaves to the Golds and they deserve a chance at life. They deserve to have the same opportunities as everyone else. I see the heartbreak these characters go through and I rally behind them. I root for them. I fight for them. I am a part of the Rising just as much as the characters in these books. 

Moving, beautiful emotional scenes amidst the violence

Will these books make you cry? Absolutely. And I loved that. I loved that amidst the violence, amidst the brutality that is these books, Pierce Brown would give us moving and emotional scenes that would leave tears streaking down my face. That's not an exaggeration. There were times during this series that I was straight up sobbing. Ugly crying people. Told you I'm a masochist. 

Humor

And then, amidst the violence, the emotions, the tears, the horror, there is laughter. Because these books are funny. Hilarious. Sevro cracks me up so much throughout this entire series. Pierce Brown knows just where to insert humor. To lighten the mood so you don't actually slit your wrists from all the other depressing shit. I'm not doing a good job of selling this series am I? 

The Howlers

Awoooooo! I would like to be an honorary Howler please. I say honorary because seriously I can't fight. I would die in the first five minutes of battle. But the Howlers are my favorite!!! Sevro (their leader) is definitely one of my favorite characters in the entire series. I love the camaraderie between the Howlers and the fact that they're all kind of misfits. I see myself as misfit so I related to them.  

Pax and Ragnar

These two giant teddy bears just put a smile on my face. Pax is introduced in the first book and Ragnar comes in the second. Pax is a member of the Telemanus family, which seriously just love the entire family. Uh that's why my Twitter name has changed recently... But both of these characters are these huge, terrifying guys, but really they're big softies at heart. I loved watching Ragnar discover a world he never knew existed and learning how to make his own choices. His was a beautiful journey. 

Is that enough reasons for you? If you're still not convinced let me know and I'll give you plenty more reasons to read. But alas, this blog post is already too long. I mean, seriously, if you're still with me kudos to you. Now leave this blog and go start reading this series! I promise you will not regret it and you will probably come to me in the midst of reading for therapy. I could not have survived this series without Wendy who I was buddy reading with. Read the books. Preferably with a buddy. But I'm always available to listen or as a shoulder to cry on when the books inevitably break your heart over and over again. *laughs evilly* *sobs quietly*

And as a reward for making it all the way to the end of this post, I have a free desktop background for you to download! Resolution sizes listed below. The Samsung Galaxy S size should work on all phones with larger screen sizes. Enjoy!

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iPhone 6
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Have you read this series yet? Are you as obsessed with it as I am? What are your favorite aspects of the series? Any reasons you think I missed?