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Sons of Ares #1

Red Rising: Sons of Ares #1

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UPC: 725130258359 01021

From the world of the best-selling YA series Red Rising comes a story of love and loss and rage!

In the future, when mankind has spread across the stars, the hierarchy of man is dictated by the color of one's caste. The Golds rule all, but what will happen when one falls for a lowly Red? See how a forbidden love will set the course of events for the future and lead to the formation of the formidable Sons of Ares!

Written by author Pierce Brown (The Red Rising Trilogy) and Rik Hoskin (Heroes of Skyrealm, Brandon Sanderson's White Sand), with art by Eli Powell (Yakuza Demon Killers, The 13th Artifact), comes the in-continuity story of revolution and Red Rising!

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2017

224 people are currently reading
10738 people want to read

About the author

Pierce Brown

60 books55.5k followers
Hello. I'm Pierce Brown, the author of the Red Rising Saga, a NYT #1 bestseller.
I figured I'd write you myself than have corporate copy pasted below my totally natural author photo.

In my books you'll find stories of men and women finding their inner strength when all seems lost. You'll also find me exploring themes of love, violence, hope, and power--what it means, why people seek it, and how they hold onto it.




IG @piercebrownofficial
Twitter @pierce_brown

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5 stars
1,258 (36%)
4 stars
1,340 (38%)
3 stars
689 (19%)
2 stars
116 (3%)
1 star
58 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 268 reviews
Profile Image for Heidi Wiechert.
1,399 reviews1,527 followers
May 29, 2017
A comic that claims is going to give us the backstory of the Sons of Ares. But, in this entry, it just rehashes what goes on in the Gold school with an intro and conclusion teaser.

For anyone who hasn't had the chance to read Red Rising, you'd need that backstory. For someone like me, who has, I wanted more new details. I didn't get them.

I suspect that these comics, another coming out in June, are whetting the appetites of readers for the 2018 debut of Iron Gold. (Can't wait, by the way.)

The art is beautiful but not breath-taking or highly stylized like Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening.

The story takes place in a world I've come to love. But, it was only 32 pages and that was not enough.

On the other hand, I actually bought this comic. I wasn't patient enough to recommend it for purchase at the library and then wait to see if they picked it up. I had to have it NOW. That says something for how much I love it. Having worked as a librarian, I take my book purchasing very seriously.

If you're not a die-hard fan like me, you may want to wait until the libraries get their hands on it. As I said, this entry doesn't give the reader much beyond a small window into Brown's world. If you're satisfied with crumbs, buy it now.
Profile Image for Nima Kohandani.
Author 15 books320 followers
August 8, 2017
به ما آموخته‌اند که تمدن ضعف و ناتوانی را پرورش می‌دهد و انتخاب طبیعی را نابود می‌کند؛ آزمون گذرگاه نقش داس مصنوعی داروین را به عهده دارد؛ گذرگاه قصیده‌ایست که برای طبیعت می‌سراییم.
Profile Image for Chris Evans.
903 reviews42 followers
Want to read
December 7, 2016
I'm not usually one for Prequel series, but I'm willing to give Pierce a shot! I would have preferred; however, that he would go farther back instead. I would love to see the pre-Gold dominated society and the war where they concurred the solar system. (It could even have had droids :D ) But maybe that will be an actual book series in the future... or tv series!
Profile Image for Sarah.
3,361 reviews1,236 followers
January 6, 2018
1st read - May 2017
2nd read - January 2018

It's been years since I bought an actual comic but I'm a huge fan of Pierce Brown's Red Rising books so of course I preordered this prequel comic series the moment it was available (I even ordered the two different covers for each issue because I'm a geek and I just had to have them!). Let me start by saying that you really need to read all 6 instalments to get the full story, each issue is around 30 pages so when you combine them all together you're probably looking at roughly a graphic novel sized story (around the same length as a volume of Saga) overall but split into 6 sections.

I bought the comics as they were released because I wanted print copies and it hadn't been announced if there would be a bind up edition but I'm happy to say that there are now 2 different versions available to preorder, a normal hardback and a slightly more expensive signed edition. I think the comics are out of print now unless you want to purchase a digital edition so this is brilliant news for anyone who missed buying them sooner.

Now you've got more of an idea what you're actually getting let's get to the interesting stuff like the artwork and the story. This is a prequel so it's set before Red Rising but I definitely wouldn't recommend starting here - you'll end up giving yourself spoilers for the main books if you do. I do think fans of the series will love getting to see Fitchner's early years, how he met his wife and baby Sevro. It's very easy to see where Sevro gets his attitude from that's for sure!

The artwork is wonderful, quite dark in colour but that fits the gory and violent tone of the story perfectly. I love the added touch that each conversation bubble is coloured to match the birth colour of the character speaking. I really enjoying being back in this world but via a more visual format and it left me wanting to reread the rest of the series again. This is one of my all time favourite series so I'll jump at any chance for more from this world and this was a lovely addition.




A Covers for issues 1-6


B Covers for issues 1-6
_________________

FYI UK peeps who are new to buying comics (like me!) if you're not near a comic book store you can subscribe to the Sons of Ares comic at Forbidden Planet. The first comic is £2.65 and they charge £1 per issue shipping in the UK. At least by subscribing you know you'll never miss an issue!
Profile Image for Iloveplacebo.
384 reviews282 followers
March 25, 2023
3'5 / 5

Precuela de Amanecer rojo, donde conocemos un poco del pasado de un querido -aunque sea un poco cabroncete- personaje, Fitchner.

En este primer número no conocemos mucho de la historia, pero es un buen inicio, sobre todo para saber un poco qué tiene Fitchner en mente para .

El dibujo no me gusta especialmente, pero le va bien a la historia.

A ver si no me olvido de seguir con los siguientes números.
Profile Image for h o l l i s.
2,751 reviews2,311 followers
January 4, 2018
This review is actually for all six of the installments of the Sons of Ares series.

I definitely don't think this prequel series would work for anyone who hasn't already read the Red Rising trilogy. While it was an okayish storyline, I only actually sat up and took interest when a certain character made their debut. And said character doesn't even speak.

I didn't find the explanation of the world and the caste system to be as clear as it probably should've been, or rather I guess it was explained well enough but still felt jumbled, and I actually didn't like the style of art at all.

Overall, this didn't offer much for me as a fan except I felt almost required to like it when it became clear whose origin story this was. I absolutely recommend the trilogy, and am excited for what comes next from this author, but would probably not push readers to invest time or energy in these illustrated issues.


** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
Profile Image for Lucia.
756 reviews920 followers
September 28, 2017
As a huge fan of Red Rising series I was grateful for every new insight into this fictional world created by Pierce Brown. I did enjoy reading this graphic novel, yet I have to admit that I had expected so much more from it...

Recommended only for true fans of Red Rising trilogy!
Profile Image for Abdollah zarei.
199 reviews65 followers
January 3, 2019
آرس شخصیت محبوب و دوست داشتنی من. قطعا تمام دوستانی که مجموعه قیام سرخ رو خوندن باید این کمیک ها رو هم بخونن. قبل از خوندن سه گانه اصلی ای کمیک رو نخونید. یا حتما پسر زرین رو بخونید و بعد کمیک ها رو بخونین
Profile Image for Anali.
594 reviews112 followers
October 31, 2017
"They had put me in the House of Madmen...and so I obliged them by descending into madness."

Pierce Brown's Red Rising: Sons of Ares #1 es una novela gráfica como una precuela de la saga Red Rising. No había pensado en leerla antes, pero este primer capítulo ha sido muy intrigante.

La historia: Conocer la historia de Fitchner antes de la llegada de Darrow me parece bastante interesante. Su personaje siempre me pareció genial (raro y peculiar, pero cool) y luego de las otras novelas sentí que me faltó conocer más sobre él. Así que este corto capítulo ha sido el inicio ideal para relatar su vida y sus inicios.



El arte: Es bastante peculiar. No es de mis favoritos, pero creo que es adecuado para la historia. Impacta, es dramático e intenso. Además, realmente disfruté todo el gore. Me fascina. Fue ahí cuando la historia ne enganchó.

En general, un buen inicio. No estoy segura de porque Pierce Brown decidió contar esta historia en un comic y no en una novela corta, pero creo que fue una decisión muy acertada. Es muy recomendable.
Profile Image for Mitticus.
1,168 reviews241 followers
August 27, 2017
2.5*

En esta precuela en formato comic de Red Rising con 6 entregas, encontramos a Fitchner au Barca ( a saber, el futuro progenitor de Sevro) contando su historia por medio de flashbacks, mientras se encuentra en medio de una misión cuasi suicida de rescate. En su historia que presenta la vida de un Gold que no viene con recomendaciones de familia ni riqueza, y es , además, la gestión de una rebelión .

El arte no es de lo más recomendado, y , como diria una amiga, quizás seria mejor que esperaran leerlo en una biblioteca.

Ah, y digamos que el pasaje de Darrow en el Instituto, no fue lo peorcito que pudo pasar...

21b
Profile Image for  Charlie.
477 reviews221 followers
June 19, 2017
Beautiful art and a thrilling start to Fitchner's journey to become the man. Loved the use of the coloured speech bubbles to denote colour and class of those speaking.
Profile Image for Paras2.
333 reviews69 followers
September 12, 2017
well, it was alright. too short tho... i lost my tolerance for serialized stuff...

young Fitchner is just like my baby, Sevro... <3

read this if u have Red Rising fever :D
Profile Image for Brittany.
1,019 reviews117 followers
July 21, 2017
Let me preface this by saying that I am just starting to get into comics so I am not a huge comic book person. I know stories from the comics of many famous franchises but I am still trying to learn and weave my way through the world of comics. Wow this story. So if you followed me for awhile you know that I LOVED Pierce Brown’s Red Rising trilogy. I thought it was so interesting and I loved how he told the story and he made one of my favorite side characters ever, Sevro. When I found out he was coming out with comics about the Son of Ares who is a major player in Red Rising I knew that I wanted to read it. This was actually a really good comic, I loved the story telling because Pierce is a beautiful writer and I loved the artwork. It really brought the whole thing to life with the coloring and the way the characters are drawn. This first comic was definitely used to set up some backstory on the Son of Ares. In it you learn a lot about his past and why he has become how he is and I really did like that. I like learning the backstory of characters. That’s not to say that it isn’t devoid of action because there is definitely action at the end and it’s so interesting to watch because both Pierce and Eli didn’t hold back on the gore and guts that goes along with the series. I can’t wait to see where these comics are going to go because I thought this was a really solid start to this comic series.
Profile Image for Marshal (thebookishhowler).
123 reviews78 followers
July 31, 2020
Update August 20, 2017:
I couldn't wait any longer, I just had to read it asap, so I bought off the Kindle version first.

Well, it's bloodydamn nice to finally have to have an idea about Ares's past!
I don't read much comic other then Doctor Who but I LOVE this one. Storyline is quite a bit short though? I don't know, is it supposed to be like that?
But enough of that, I bloody still want more. I can't wait to know more about how Sons of Ares stared off. And can I say that the illustrations are just SO GOOD? It fits perfectly with the theme of Red Rising!

*I also suggest that you should finish at least Golden Son first before starting this. Because umm.... huge spoilers if you start with this one.



MAY 10???? I hope it'll be available in our country!!!
Profile Image for Ana M..
653 reviews151 followers
August 21, 2017
Novela gráfica muy muy cortita sobre Los hijos de Ares y sus comienzos. Quien haya leído los libros de Amanecer rojo sabrá sobre qué personaje trata.
Profile Image for Maedeh.
49 reviews41 followers
July 7, 2019
کامیک یا رمان فرقی نداره...پیرس فوق العاده است^^
Profile Image for Christian.
104 reviews9 followers
September 27, 2024
I’m absolutely obsessed with anything related to Red Rising which is in my opinion the best sci fi/space opera ever made. I decided to give this volume a try and it did not disappoint. Can’t wait for Red God! This short series is just awesome. Beautifully executed and amazing illustrations.
Profile Image for Mokuyo.
235 reviews9 followers
June 20, 2024
Ich mag den Zeichenstil nicht. Aber man hat hier ein besseres Gefühl für die "Farben" und deren optische Merkmale bekommen.

Aber ich werde Red Rising nicht als Graphic Novel weiterlesen.
Profile Image for Ella Zegarra.
630 reviews226 followers
dnf
November 10, 2017
dnf 50%

me siento mal al no darle una verdadera oportunidad a esta historia, pero no me siento en humor de leer sobre maaaás hombres.
Profile Image for Anthony Piska.
158 reviews1 follower
April 21, 2020
Sons of Ares is a nice, contained story that has just enough interesting characters and plot points to qualify as a decent tale, even to those who aren’t fans of the Red Rising series. That being said, these prequel comics are substantially better when viewed as a supplement to the source material. I got the most satisfaction out of this story through the visuals, like seeing the Razors in action. The gritty and minimalist art style set the mood quite well, yet there were certain scenes where it was somewhat difficult to tell characters apart or place who was who. Still, all is forgiven when we get to see everyone’s favorite little baby Goblin in all his cuteness!
Profile Image for Dimitri Halkidis.
26 reviews4 followers
May 31, 2017
NOT. LONG. ENOUGH.

I DESIRE MORE.

(Do not read if you haven't read the original series. That should come as a no-brainer)


Profile Image for Chris Snyder.
29 reviews
March 29, 2023
Solid prequel with awesome artwork. The writing just isn’t as strong as the books but it was still a bloodydamn fun read.
Profile Image for Reese.
140 reviews
August 26, 2025
Anything red rising and yeah ima read it
Profile Image for Javier Calle.
Author 19 books125 followers
August 27, 2025
Una interesante precuela en la que se cuenta el origen de Fitchner y de su hijo Sevro, dando un poco más de luz a esos personajes.
Profile Image for zoe ♡.
241 reviews129 followers
February 10, 2018
I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I'm a love reading comic books and I love reading Pierce Brown – so why am I only rating this 3 stars? First off, the art. It's not bad per se, but the sketchy style only works for some stories. Take Wytches, Volume 1 for example. The out of the lines, half drawn style works because we're dealing with unknown monsters who do leap out of the lines of reality. It just doesn't work when you're trying to talk politics. Because that's what this is. It's a fantastical political revolution and you need to be able to get a sense of the people involved for it to have an impact.

Nonetheless, the story itself was rather good. It was interesting to discover the background of some of our favourite characters. I didn't feel as attached to the characters as I did in the prose, but it was a nice little prequel. If you're a fan of Pierce Brown and his Red Rising series, this is a brilliant addition to the world. If you're just dipping into his universe, I suggest starting with Red Rising first.
Profile Image for Ray.
402 reviews46 followers
September 28, 2017
This was my very first comic book ever and I am so happy with it!
I definitely didn't regret picking this one up!
The characters were well drawn and interesting to look at and it was so pleasing to look at the pages and drawings and colors!
The story is interesting, I like where this is going and it's so good to see where Fitchner comes from and what he's been through, especially that I already know what happens to him afterwards.

The part where he had that flashback just ripped my heart out, it actually makes perfect sense that he revolted and wanted to tear that society apart. They treated him like shit!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 268 reviews

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