Red Rising
Darrow is a Helldiver, a Red, one of the lowest color in a color-ranked Society that has terraformed Mars for humanity. He spends his days mining the isotopes his bosses say will one day make the surface livable, and he believes it, until the Society executes his wife Eo for singing a forbidden song of rebellion and he learns that Mars was made habitable generations ago. Taken in by the Sons of Ares, Darrow is surgically carved into a Gold, the ruling color, and inserted into the Institute, a year-long war-games academy where the children of the elite kill each other for position. Pierce Brown's 2014 debut pulls from Spartacus, Ender's Game, and classical tragedy to build a revenge-driven, class-war space opera that has only sharpened across its sequels.
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Darrow is a sixteen-year-old Helldiver in the deep mines of Mars, born a Red, the lowest caste. After a personal tragedy, he is rebuilt and sent in disguise to the academy where Gold heirs are trained.
Pierce Brown has published six Red Rising novels: Red Rising, Golden Son, Morning Star, Iron Gold, Dark Age, and Light Bringer. A seventh book is in progress, with the saga planned to span more than nine novels in total.
Red Rising is adult science fiction. Despite the teenage protagonist in book one, the series contains graphic violence, complex political themes, and mature situations that make it unsuitable for younger readers. Brown has stated he writes it for an adult audience.
Red Rising includes some on-page sexual content but romance is not the focus. The first book is fairly tame; later books in the series have more explicit moments. Most readers rate the spice level as low to moderate.
A film and television adaptation of Red Rising has been in development at multiple studios over the years. Pierce Brown has discussed the project in interviews, but no formal release plans have been announced as of 2025.
Red Rising was written by Pierce Brown, published in 2014 by Del Ray.
Red Rising is 442 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Red Rising takes most readers 7 to 10 hours to finish.
Red Rising is a standalone novel by Pierce Brown, not part of a series.
Red Rising is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
