Book Review - Red Rising

Author: Pierce Brown

After his wife sacrifices herself for the rebellion Darrow, the lowest member of society, is carved into a pawn and placed on the hardest chess game imaginable, overthrowing a deeply hierarchical society that’s existed for almost a thousand years. Is Darrow just a boy with dexterous hands, the next step in evolution, or has he seen some shit? I don’t doubt for a minute that the street smarts, even as a child, that come with living in the lowest caste of society will teach you some politicking that most others won’t learn in a life time. Maybe it was the training to be a Gold, but I often found myself wondering how Darrow was leagues above his “peers”. And honestly, I buy all the Proctors and Scarred’s warnings - The Imperium is just school, is he really going to be that gifted at playing the Game of Thrones against people who’ve spent their whole life doing it? I’m not sure I want to finish the trilogy, but in reading the ending a deep part of me is hoping that he betrays the rebellion and settles into his life of privilege. Now that would be the most convincing story of trying to change the system from within i’ve read so far.