Reviewed by Linda on
Red Rising is a well-woven story set on Mars, in a dystopian society, where the readers follow Darrow from the mines where he extracts precious helium 3 to help the population from earth to come and colonize the red planet. The Reds working and living deep inside of Mars have little food, and everything is done to make sure the clans do not band together with each other - only staying with their own. Many things are forbidden, but not many people dare to rise and try to make things better. When Eo brings her husband to a secret place she's found, a place that is fully terraformed already, Darrow has no idea what she means when she tells him they need to fight, and that he will be a leader to help the Red in the revolution.
At the start, Red Rising is about the hardship of the Red, the way they live and die, and how people look old already when they're in their thirties. All of this is soon proved to be a lie, and Darrow goes through incredible things in order to change himself to become a Gold, the highest race, so that he can bring justice to all. Intricate politics, a complex world, and a new but not at all easier life awaits him, as he enters the institute so that he can become a person of power. And the tests he and his peers are put through are horrific to say the least.
Just before the middle of Red Rising, I was thinking about similarities to a movie, where Soviet children were sent to the US to become super-spies. This is what Darrow is meant to be, however, at his core, he still retains the morals of his family, and he might be one of the few people on the surface of Mars who actually knows how wrong all the propaganda they are all fed is. As he fights to survive, he finds allies and enemies among his new race, and the ultimate price - death - does not scare him in the least.
I really enjoyed the way Red Rising is written, from Darrow's point of view, the readers really feel all he is going through, both the bad and the good. As he grows, it is impossible not to root for him, and I was hoping he would be able to keep his humanity and his Red soul as he experienced so much heartache I think I would have completely given up if I were in his shoes. A quite quick read, even if the story is very dense, Red Rising is a wild ride, showing the most base of human morality. How power beseeches more power, and the fact that building a society based on the sacrifice of some people does not bother those in charge.
In some ways, Red Rising also made me think of The Testing, even if the world and the way it works is different. The ruthlessness of the leaders is what made me feel this connection, and I have to say that even with all its gory darkness and desolate view of humankind still held some kind of hope, and I was surprised at the many twists and turns the story took before it was completed.
Darrow is an awesome hero, even if he is sometimes ruled by his anger and anguish, he still keeps what has always been important to him close to his heart, and that is one of the things that made him seem very real - and very human. The other characters are well fleshed out as well, both in their strengths and their weaknesses, and the overall plot is well done, too. Although Red Rising is very violent, the urge to read on never weaned, and I can't wait to see what will happen next, if Darrow will indeed manage to rise among the Golds, and if he will still have soul if and when that happens.
If you enjoy reading dystopia, and to see how little we have really learned from history and wars of the past, you will probably enjoy Red Rising as much as I did. The world building is excellent, and even when I didn't agree with the characters and their choices, it was possible for me to understand why they acted the way they did. Through all the horror and fighting, the tiny glimmer of hope never disappears, and I found myself wishing for a better world along with Darrow. The whole premise is a hard, harsh story showing just how unhuman humans can possible be.
I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.
"Power must be claimed. Wealth won. rule, dominion, empire purchased with blood. You scarless children deserve nothing. You do not know pain. you do not know what your forefathers sacrificed to place you on these heights. But soon, you will. Soon, we will teach you why Gold rule mankind. And I promise, of those among you, only the fit for power will survive."
To be a Helldiver, they say your fingers must flicker fast as tongues of fire. Mine flicker faster.
Her face is aglow as she watches me, laughing as I fall to my knees and suck in the scent of the grass. It is a strange smell, sweet and nostalgic, though I have no memories of grass.
They are humans. But they've been made differently. Carved differently. A pretty young girl, no older than Eo, sits looking at me with emerald eyes. The wings of a white eagle sprout from the flesh of her back. She's like something torn from a fever dream, except she should have been left there.
There's more laughter across the square as he tells us to look at pathetic Athens, the birthplace of the cancer they call demokracy. Look how it fell to Sparta.
Others in my House may see animals of Earth, or curious creatures the Carvers decided to make for fun. But I see only food and clothing.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 8 January, 2014: Finished reading
- 8 January, 2014: Reviewed