If You Liked Ender's Game...
...then you should read RED RISING.
Pierce Brown's Red Rising is the first title in his dystopian science fiction trilogy. Taking place on the planet Mars at a time when mankind has begun to inhabit other bodies in our solar system, Darrow takes up the Sons of Ares's cause to fight the injustice of the Colors social hierarchy. Think Ender's Game meets The Hunger Games.
Ender's Game has been a favorite of mine since high school, and I swear, scouring the rest of the SciFi world, nothing else ever compared. No other book I tried was worth reading for more than the first few chapters because it just didn't deliver (unless we're talking Ender's Shadow because that I did actually get attached to). Ender's Game brilliantly mixes social and political undercurrents into this fantastic proposed future following Earth's alien defeat, all while being incredibly engaging. I mean, even as vile as brother Peter is, I still couldn't get enough of his plotting and scheming.
So when I had two separate recommendations for Red Rising based on my love of Ender Wiggin–trusted recommendations from a sister and a pop-culture fierce flatmate–I knew it was something worth looking into.
What I Loved
This novel is clearly asking the reader questions about social and political boundaries within our communities and economy, but the bit I really connected with was the personal journey Darrow takes; as he transforms into something he despises, there are some great prompts for the reader. When do the ends justify the means? What does it mean to lose your identity? What keeps you living when the thing that you lived for is gone? As Darrow is broken and remade, answering these questions for himself, we see him reshaping a society by living outside the current social divisions, then redefining them.
The plotting is beautiful as well. Brown crafts each step forward in a crescendo of intensity, and it builds right through the last word–so don't let yourself down by not having the next book ready (like I did). One bit I especially appreciated was giving the reader an understanding of how long Darrow's transition took within each act without bogging them down. Though the material could be termed heavy, Brown keeps it light and progressive.
Speaking of Darrow's changing, the character building here is phenomenal. Every bit of Darrow's arc is believable and he reads as a real person. His relationships with friends and family, encounters with changing situations and feelings, his growing knowledge of the big picture–in no way overdone (which I cannot say the same of in the YA boom of the last 10 or so years). Even the supporting characters are memorable because of the key purpose they play. The character writing keeps our main character's emotions in balance with his forward momentum, making the story all the more compelling.
Another driving piece of this novel is the linguistic world building, and it's poured on in buckets. In addition to the entire setup of culture and history, Brown shows the evolution of their language from modern times and takes it one step further. He creates speech types specific to status and relationships, which also play directly into the plot: purposeful rather than an embellishment. Yeah, this world building is pretty ace.
What Fell Short
Quite honestly, this book is more Hunger Games than Ender's Game (which isn't an assessment of the trilogy's following two novels). While definitely portrayed in its own unique light because of its astronomic setting and Roman history emphasis, the concept of setting children against each other is the same. I was hoping for more of that outward reach exhibited in Ender's Game, but Red Rising keeps its focus internal, its real purpose buried by a game which first must be won. Despite this, I didn't feel cheated by a reproduction of 'the game' because it was driven differently than Collins's version.
A (somewhat petty) note: this novel is written in first-person present tense, which again hails back to The Hunger Games. Quite frankly, I'm just not a fan of using present tense unless there is a specific purpose for it. Some say that it brings them into the action more vividly because it's scripted as happening now, but it doesn't have that affect on me, especially when the narrative position is from inside our character's mind. (I don't narrate my actions or of those around me needlessly, do you?) That being said, while I don't believe it added to the experience of the novel, it didn't necessarily detract from it either.
Lastly, in the first several chapters, which are saturated thoroughly with society-specific linguistics, I found it difficult to know just how many of the terms I needed to retain for future. There were enough that the reader couldn't possibly remember them all, and it pulled me out of the reading experience as I tried to puzzle it out; however, getting further in, the linguistics settled back and allowed me to re-immerse in the story's presentation. I recognized that much of the learning I'd just done was irrelevant (and actually never came back up in this book), though it had made suggestions about the scale of their societal problems. In companionship, the initial pacing of the novel was a bit slow and I felt the reader was wandering after Darrow until he finally found a purpose through tragedy; but at that point, it all clicked together quickly to move the story forward.
My Recommendation
I absolutely adored Red Rising. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh take on the dystopian setting or with an interest in the building and shaping of societies; however, those with a sensitivity to profanity (little-to-average use) may want to steer clear.
Do you have a different opinion on the novel? Then please share your insights in the comments!
Stay tuned for the next link in the bookchain!
-SB
Comments
Post a Comment