What do you think?
Rate this book
Red Rising Saga #5
Dark Age
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2019)For a decade Darrow led a revolution against the corrupt color-coded Society. Now, outlawed by the very Republic he founded, he wages a rogue war on Mercury in hopes that he can still salvage the dream of Eo. But as he leaves death and destruction in his wake, is he still the hero who broke the chains? Or will another legend rise to take his place?
Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile, has returned to the Core. Determined to bring peace back to mankind at the edge of his sword, he must overcome or unite the treacherous Gold families of the Core and face down Darrow over the skies of war-torn Mercury.
But theirs are not the only fates hanging in the balance.
On Luna, Mustang, Sovereign of the Republic, campaigns to unite the Republic behind her husband. Beset by political and criminal enemies, can she outwit her opponents in time to save him?
Once a Red refugee, young Lyria now stands accused of treason, and her only hope is a desperate escape with unlikely new allies.
Abducted by a new threat to the Republic, Pax and Electra, the children of Darrow and Sevro, must trust in Ephraim, a thief, for their salvation—and Ephraim must look to them for his chance at redemption.
As alliances shift, break, and re-form—and power is seized, lost, and reclaimed—every player is at risk in a game of conquest that could turn the Rising into a new Dark Age.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Morning Star returns to the Red Rising universe with the thrilling sequel to Iron Gold.
Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile, has returned to the Core. Determined to bring peace back to mankind at the edge of his sword, he must overcome or unite the treacherous Gold families of the Core and face down Darrow over the skies of war-torn Mercury.
But theirs are not the only fates hanging in the balance.
On Luna, Mustang, Sovereign of the Republic, campaigns to unite the Republic behind her husband. Beset by political and criminal enemies, can she outwit her opponents in time to save him?
Once a Red refugee, young Lyria now stands accused of treason, and her only hope is a desperate escape with unlikely new allies.
Abducted by a new threat to the Republic, Pax and Electra, the children of Darrow and Sevro, must trust in Ephraim, a thief, for their salvation—and Ephraim must look to them for his chance at redemption.
As alliances shift, break, and re-form—and power is seized, lost, and reclaimed—every player is at risk in a game of conquest that could turn the Rising into a new Dark Age.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Morning Star returns to the Red Rising universe with the thrilling sequel to Iron Gold.
800 pages, Hardcover
First published July 30, 2019
14516 people are currently reading
165445 people want to read
About the author
Pierce Brown
56 books53.7k followersHello. 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
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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 11,985 reviews
December 25, 2023
Second read finished on the 31st of July 2023.
4.5/5 stars
I am done with my second read-through of the entire Red Rising Saga in preparation for Light Bringer. I shall keep my old review attached below this paragraph for the purpose of giving hope and assurance to readers who felt disappointed with Dark Age on their first read. On my second read, I read Dark Age in close proximity to when I finished my second read of the previous four books in the series. The many names and characters Dark Age did not feel overwhelming anymore. Although a few new villain introductions still felt slightly forced, and I would have preferred the many character's death to ruminate longer for stronger emotional effects, I felt capable of fully appreciating Brown's design of bedlam in Dark Age compared to my first time reading it. This is why re-reading is always a fascinating activity for me. There is no doubt the words inside the book remain the same. But the different circumstances, reading moods, experiences in life, and familiar knowledge a reader attained could result in either an inferior or superior reading experience. Sometimes, it feels like we readers are competent at engineering our own adoration toward a series. And personally speaking, Dark Age was a huge upgrade for me. The death spiral and maelstrom of hazardous actions in the age of darkness were relentlessly merciless. However, it, too, shall pass. Dark Age is a necessary phase in Red Rising Saga. The deeper the characters fall into the darkness. The brighter the spark of light burns. I am ready to dive into Light Bringer.
Picture: Dark Age by Sam Burley
-----------------------------------------
First read finished on the 24th of August 2019
3.5/5 stars
Gory (literally) damn insane, violent, bleak, and ruthless. Helldivers, prepare your soul to be hell-drilled by Dark Age’s brutality.
Two things first. If it has been a long time since you’ve read Iron Gold or Red Rising Saga, I strongly recommend you to reread the entire series before you read Dark Age. I didn’t do this and I truly believe that my reading experience of this book suffered from it. Secondly, throughout the years since Red Rising publication, many people still insist that this series is for YA audience; by the time you read this book, you’ll probably be traumatized or maybe even loathe this book for its extreme darkness. Seriously, Dark Age is one of the darkest, bleakest, and goriest novel I’ve ever read in my life; the humor and heartwarming aspect of the series that’s usually common to find are close to non-existent in this installment. I will edit this review in the future when I’ve reread the series from the beginning in preparation for the sixth and—maybe—last book of the series, but for now, this is my thoughts and opinions on my first read-through Dark Age.
I’ve mentioned this before, out of all the books released in 2019, A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie and Dark Age by Pierce Brown are at the top of my most anticipated release list. I’ve pre-ordered Dark Age since February 2018, that’s one year six months ahead. I’ve never done that for any book, ever. My expectations for these books were extremely high, A Little Hatred exceeded it, but sadly, for the first time ever, I have to say that although I still enjoyed it overall, I didn’t find Dark Age, a book hailed by many of his fans as the best book in saga so far, as enjoyable as I hoped.
Dark Age is the fifth and penultimate installment of the Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown. By this point of the series, it’s safe to say that I can’t talk about the plot at all unless I risked spoiling the story, so I won't be talking about the plot at all. Let me just say there’s no happy moment for the protagonists, and everyone is constantly tortured, tormented, maimed, and killed. How about that? The title of the book pretty much implied the tone of the book already: full-throttle darkness, depression, gore, brutality, bleak, death, violence, violence, and violence; this is by far the bleakest and darkest installment in the series so far. I honestly never expected the series to ever become this dark, and with the escalation of darkness, the pacing of the book felt off to me. There were many moments of supposed intensity that felt desensitized because of everlasting pages of explicit gorefest with no break. Imagine reading attempted rapes, impalements, genital mutilations, drug abuse, maimed, gore, deaths; you name it and it’s all here, for hundreds of pages. After a while, the constant exposure to explicit details of violence ended up becoming boredom. Pierce Brown is at his best when he combined hope, humor, and heartwarming moments with despair and terror into his narrative that’s full of thrilling action sequences. Unfortunately, this brilliance was lost most of the time in this book. Do note that if you check my reading history, you should know that I don’t mind reading violence, gore, and grimdark SFF in heavy doses. They just need to be paced accordingly, and I—with sadness—can’t say that Brown nailed the pacing of his action sequences correctly this time.
Brown sacrificed many staple moments of the series such as fantastic character developments, clear and concise plot coherence, engaging banters, in exchange for the extreme bleakness. Plus, there’s a severe lack of appearances from my favorite characters of the series; characters for me to root for were truly lacking compared to the previous books. There were many instances where the POV of the new characters from Iron Gold felt like fillers put for the sake of adding pages count. What Brown tried to achieve with them became clearer at the end but even then I still believe that it didn’t require that many pages. Thankfully, there’s a new perspective character to follow here; her chapters were relatively small compared to the other four POV’s but her storyline was easily my favorite in this book. I would like to also add that plot device that revolves around dead characters being resurrected is a personal pet peeve of mine; sometimes they worked, most often they don’t. Let’s just say that the one that Brown pulled off here didn’t work for me.
I’ve rambled on about the things that didn't work for me here, but rest assured that it’s not all bad. It’s time for me to talk about the incredible parts of the book that I loved. I have always loved Brown’s prose, that didn’t change here. If it weren’t because of his writing style, I probably would’ve DNFed this book somewhere in the middle. Although I have complained about the excessive bleak and violent nature of the book that made the pacing awkward, I won’t deny the fact that there were several devastating scenes that, in my opinion, were written so damn well. These characters suffered, a LOT. The horrible things they have to endure were insane, to say the least. And I can’t help but feel empathetic towards the key characters of the series. It’s also satisfying to see how much of the series has grown in terms of scope. Dark Age is massive in scope; the level of escalation in its scale is something that took me by surprise, and I’m thankful for it.
One last thing before I close this review, Brown successfully ended Dark Age with a bang. The closing sections of Part 3 and the entirety of Part 4 was absolutely brilliant; tremendously immersive, the twists and turns were written with magnificent clarity. These sections were a return to the greatness that I loved from Brown’s storytelling style. Action scenes full of palpable intensity and fury told in a cinematic fashion that made every brutal scene damn vivid. If I were to rate this book based on these parts, I would give it 5 stars rating in a heartbeat. It was truly brilliant. Plus, it also set up every single plotline for the grand conclusion to come in the next and final book.
Dark Age may not be as entertaining and enjoyable as the previous books, but it was certainly bleak, heart-shattering, and epic in scope. Many fans have started claiming that Dark Age is the best book in the series so far; unfortunately, I have to disagree with this notion. However, from the way the story ended here, the next book might truly end up becoming the best in the series for me. I bloodydamn look forward to seeing how it all concludes. Until then, I will endure. See you there, Helldivers.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
4.5/5 stars
I am done with my second read-through of the entire Red Rising Saga in preparation for Light Bringer. I shall keep my old review attached below this paragraph for the purpose of giving hope and assurance to readers who felt disappointed with Dark Age on their first read. On my second read, I read Dark Age in close proximity to when I finished my second read of the previous four books in the series. The many names and characters Dark Age did not feel overwhelming anymore. Although a few new villain introductions still felt slightly forced, and I would have preferred the many character's death to ruminate longer for stronger emotional effects, I felt capable of fully appreciating Brown's design of bedlam in Dark Age compared to my first time reading it. This is why re-reading is always a fascinating activity for me. There is no doubt the words inside the book remain the same. But the different circumstances, reading moods, experiences in life, and familiar knowledge a reader attained could result in either an inferior or superior reading experience. Sometimes, it feels like we readers are competent at engineering our own adoration toward a series. And personally speaking, Dark Age was a huge upgrade for me. The death spiral and maelstrom of hazardous actions in the age of darkness were relentlessly merciless. However, it, too, shall pass. Dark Age is a necessary phase in Red Rising Saga. The deeper the characters fall into the darkness. The brighter the spark of light burns. I am ready to dive into Light Bringer.
Picture: Dark Age by Sam Burley
-----------------------------------------
First read finished on the 24th of August 2019
3.5/5 stars
Gory (literally) damn insane, violent, bleak, and ruthless. Helldivers, prepare your soul to be hell-drilled by Dark Age’s brutality.
“During war, the laws are silent.”—Quintus Tullius Cicero
Two things first. If it has been a long time since you’ve read Iron Gold or Red Rising Saga, I strongly recommend you to reread the entire series before you read Dark Age. I didn’t do this and I truly believe that my reading experience of this book suffered from it. Secondly, throughout the years since Red Rising publication, many people still insist that this series is for YA audience; by the time you read this book, you’ll probably be traumatized or maybe even loathe this book for its extreme darkness. Seriously, Dark Age is one of the darkest, bleakest, and goriest novel I’ve ever read in my life; the humor and heartwarming aspect of the series that’s usually common to find are close to non-existent in this installment. I will edit this review in the future when I’ve reread the series from the beginning in preparation for the sixth and—maybe—last book of the series, but for now, this is my thoughts and opinions on my first read-through Dark Age.
“With every new endeavor, there’s always the hope that you will find happiness, be less lonely.”
I’ve mentioned this before, out of all the books released in 2019, A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie and Dark Age by Pierce Brown are at the top of my most anticipated release list. I’ve pre-ordered Dark Age since February 2018, that’s one year six months ahead. I’ve never done that for any book, ever. My expectations for these books were extremely high, A Little Hatred exceeded it, but sadly, for the first time ever, I have to say that although I still enjoyed it overall, I didn’t find Dark Age, a book hailed by many of his fans as the best book in saga so far, as enjoyable as I hoped.
“I once thought the greatest sin of war was violence. It isn’t. The greatest sin is it requires good men to become practical.”
Dark Age is the fifth and penultimate installment of the Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown. By this point of the series, it’s safe to say that I can’t talk about the plot at all unless I risked spoiling the story, so I won't be talking about the plot at all. Let me just say there’s no happy moment for the protagonists, and everyone is constantly tortured, tormented, maimed, and killed. How about that? The title of the book pretty much implied the tone of the book already: full-throttle darkness, depression, gore, brutality, bleak, death, violence, violence, and violence; this is by far the bleakest and darkest installment in the series so far. I honestly never expected the series to ever become this dark, and with the escalation of darkness, the pacing of the book felt off to me. There were many moments of supposed intensity that felt desensitized because of everlasting pages of explicit gorefest with no break. Imagine reading attempted rapes, impalements, genital mutilations, drug abuse, maimed, gore, deaths; you name it and it’s all here, for hundreds of pages. After a while, the constant exposure to explicit details of violence ended up becoming boredom. Pierce Brown is at his best when he combined hope, humor, and heartwarming moments with despair and terror into his narrative that’s full of thrilling action sequences. Unfortunately, this brilliance was lost most of the time in this book. Do note that if you check my reading history, you should know that I don’t mind reading violence, gore, and grimdark SFF in heavy doses. They just need to be paced accordingly, and I—with sadness—can’t say that Brown nailed the pacing of his action sequences correctly this time.
“No god listens. There are only men. And what one does, another may undo. That is my only religion. That of the hand and the lever.”
Brown sacrificed many staple moments of the series such as fantastic character developments, clear and concise plot coherence, engaging banters, in exchange for the extreme bleakness. Plus, there’s a severe lack of appearances from my favorite characters of the series; characters for me to root for were truly lacking compared to the previous books. There were many instances where the POV of the new characters from Iron Gold felt like fillers put for the sake of adding pages count. What Brown tried to achieve with them became clearer at the end but even then I still believe that it didn’t require that many pages. Thankfully, there’s a new perspective character to follow here; her chapters were relatively small compared to the other four POV’s but her storyline was easily my favorite in this book. I would like to also add that plot device that revolves around dead characters being resurrected is a personal pet peeve of mine; sometimes they worked, most often they don’t. Let’s just say that the one that Brown pulled off here didn’t work for me.
“How many do not know you. How many will soon forget you. How many praise you today to offer contempt tomorrow. Permanence of fame, power, dominion of the individual, are illusions. All that will be measured, all that will last, is your mastery of yourself.”
I’ve rambled on about the things that didn't work for me here, but rest assured that it’s not all bad. It’s time for me to talk about the incredible parts of the book that I loved. I have always loved Brown’s prose, that didn’t change here. If it weren’t because of his writing style, I probably would’ve DNFed this book somewhere in the middle. Although I have complained about the excessive bleak and violent nature of the book that made the pacing awkward, I won’t deny the fact that there were several devastating scenes that, in my opinion, were written so damn well. These characters suffered, a LOT. The horrible things they have to endure were insane, to say the least. And I can’t help but feel empathetic towards the key characters of the series. It’s also satisfying to see how much of the series has grown in terms of scope. Dark Age is massive in scope; the level of escalation in its scale is something that took me by surprise, and I’m thankful for it.
“You know I believe we all begin equal parts light and dark. I fear you think your strength lies in your darkness. But the measure of a man is not the fear he sows in his enemies. It is the hope he gives his friends.”
One last thing before I close this review, Brown successfully ended Dark Age with a bang. The closing sections of Part 3 and the entirety of Part 4 was absolutely brilliant; tremendously immersive, the twists and turns were written with magnificent clarity. These sections were a return to the greatness that I loved from Brown’s storytelling style. Action scenes full of palpable intensity and fury told in a cinematic fashion that made every brutal scene damn vivid. If I were to rate this book based on these parts, I would give it 5 stars rating in a heartbeat. It was truly brilliant. Plus, it also set up every single plotline for the grand conclusion to come in the next and final book.
“But for all this new civilization’s love affair with technology, they’ve been seduced by their own cleverness and fail to understand the simple truth: lying is not a science, it is an art. And art will always be a human language.”
Dark Age may not be as entertaining and enjoyable as the previous books, but it was certainly bleak, heart-shattering, and epic in scope. Many fans have started claiming that Dark Age is the best book in the series so far; unfortunately, I have to disagree with this notion. However, from the way the story ended here, the next book might truly end up becoming the best in the series for me. I bloodydamn look forward to seeing how it all concludes. Until then, I will endure. See you there, Helldivers.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
August 24, 2022
‘the man is broken, but he is not allowed to break.’
but gorydamn, my goodman, this book broke me and then drowned me in my own tears.
i took the day off from work yesterday just so i could stay home and dedicate my full attention to reading this entire beast of brutality, with full focus and no distractions or interruptions. after meeting pierce brown last week and listening to him talk so passionately about this, i knew that was the only way i could show the complete respect this book deserves. and boy, what a day yesterday was.
a reviewer for NPR wrote, “browns plots are like a depth charge of nitromethane dropped in a bucket of gasoline. his pacing is 100% him standing over it all with a lit match and a smile, waiting for us to dare him to drop it.” no truer words have been written. in fact, pierce went and dropped the match in the prologue, because this crudely self-photoshopped meme is pretty much live footage of my reading experience.
you would think that, by now, i would know what im getting myself into every time i open a red rising novel. on the same level as ‘golden son,’ this new installment (in what is the most epic sci-fantasy series i have ever read) shows that intelligently crafted bedlam, anxiety-inducing chaos, and the absolute dissonance of violent oblivion can be a sweet, sick addiction.
i fall on my knees and bow down to the evil genius that is pierce brown. this story (and series) is unparalleled.
↠ every star in the gorydamn galaxy
but gorydamn, my goodman, this book broke me and then drowned me in my own tears.
i took the day off from work yesterday just so i could stay home and dedicate my full attention to reading this entire beast of brutality, with full focus and no distractions or interruptions. after meeting pierce brown last week and listening to him talk so passionately about this, i knew that was the only way i could show the complete respect this book deserves. and boy, what a day yesterday was.
a reviewer for NPR wrote, “browns plots are like a depth charge of nitromethane dropped in a bucket of gasoline. his pacing is 100% him standing over it all with a lit match and a smile, waiting for us to dare him to drop it.” no truer words have been written. in fact, pierce went and dropped the match in the prologue, because this crudely self-photoshopped meme is pretty much live footage of my reading experience.
you would think that, by now, i would know what im getting myself into every time i open a red rising novel. on the same level as ‘golden son,’ this new installment (in what is the most epic sci-fantasy series i have ever read) shows that intelligently crafted bedlam, anxiety-inducing chaos, and the absolute dissonance of violent oblivion can be a sweet, sick addiction.
i fall on my knees and bow down to the evil genius that is pierce brown. this story (and series) is unparalleled.
↠ every star in the gorydamn galaxy
August 19, 2025
“I would die for the truth that all men are created equal. But in the kingdom of death, amidst ramparts of bodies and wind all of screams, there is a king, and his name is not Lune. It is Reaper.”
Im crippled. By far the darkest, most traumatizing, and deeply upsetting book I’ve ever read in my entire life. I am not okay. I feel empty inside. I have zero hope left at this point. Everything’s fucked and now I’m just left here depressed, sleep deprived, dehydrated, and sick to my stomach. But hey…… it was hands down one of the best books I’ve ever read and truly a work of art, so…….. obviously I will be going back for more.
My only issue was completely a personal problem and no fault of the book, and that was that I fear I am a bit too soft hearted for books like this. Like the sheer bleakness of it all with zero reprieve from the pain and no remotely positive moments was too much for me to handle at times but like hey…. WE ENDURED AND WE MADE IT OUT HALF ALIVE!!!! I also think my heart hardened a bit through this journey so that’s good. I think?
Also I personally struggled to keep track of all the villains at times, like there’s just SO MANY BAD GUYS, I really had to focus and be locked in with each word. But I also found it really rewarding as a reader to challenge myself so deeply mentally and emotionally with a book. This might sound so dumb but I truly am proud of myself for finishing this and being able to see it for the masterpiece that it is. Yes this book is immensely gruesome and violent and graphic and has scenes that will haunt you for the rest of your life, but it was so necessary to the overall storyline and needed to happen to push things forward. Pierce brown is a genius but also enjoys ruining our lives. I don’t trust him for a second and I still have zero hope that anything will ever be okay but I wouldn’t change a thing…. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME????
Okay I need sleep before light bringer I feel like death.
Im crippled. By far the darkest, most traumatizing, and deeply upsetting book I’ve ever read in my entire life. I am not okay. I feel empty inside. I have zero hope left at this point. Everything’s fucked and now I’m just left here depressed, sleep deprived, dehydrated, and sick to my stomach. But hey…… it was hands down one of the best books I’ve ever read and truly a work of art, so…….. obviously I will be going back for more.
My only issue was completely a personal problem and no fault of the book, and that was that I fear I am a bit too soft hearted for books like this. Like the sheer bleakness of it all with zero reprieve from the pain and no remotely positive moments was too much for me to handle at times but like hey…. WE ENDURED AND WE MADE IT OUT HALF ALIVE!!!! I also think my heart hardened a bit through this journey so that’s good. I think?
Also I personally struggled to keep track of all the villains at times, like there’s just SO MANY BAD GUYS, I really had to focus and be locked in with each word. But I also found it really rewarding as a reader to challenge myself so deeply mentally and emotionally with a book. This might sound so dumb but I truly am proud of myself for finishing this and being able to see it for the masterpiece that it is. Yes this book is immensely gruesome and violent and graphic and has scenes that will haunt you for the rest of your life, but it was so necessary to the overall storyline and needed to happen to push things forward. Pierce brown is a genius but also enjoys ruining our lives. I don’t trust him for a second and I still have zero hope that anything will ever be okay but I wouldn’t change a thing…. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME????
Okay I need sleep before light bringer I feel like death.
August 7, 2023
The age really do be dark
May 25, 2020
Not sure I can read a sixth book in this series. Senseless violence, mass killings, savagery, gore, torture, rape, baby killing: a truly grim commentary on society by Pierce Brown. The writing is good, but there did not seem to be a coherent plot, which is exacerbated by the multiple POVs. And despite a character summary at the beginning, it was hard to keep track of the good guys and the ever expanding roster of bad guys. Asking readers to keep track of multiple names for the same characters is an unnecessary burden too. It is even annoying how many times characters return from the dead and/or recover from mortal wounds.
Occasionally I finish a book and think this would have been much better if it has been 100 pages shorter. Not this one though, it needed to be 300+ pages shorter, focusing on the major storylines. Shame on Brown's editor, Tricia Narwani, for not pruning this monster down.
Occasionally I finish a book and think this would have been much better if it has been 100 pages shorter. Not this one though, it needed to be 300+ pages shorter, focusing on the major storylines. Shame on Brown's editor, Tricia Narwani, for not pruning this monster down.
Want to read
November 2, 2025Soft dnf'ing (not because we're not liking it or have no motivation, but we don't have the time to give it the attention it deserves 😔)
___
I'm equally terrified and excited to start this!! I heard this is the book that really elevates this series 🙂↕️ also my tbr must be tearing up in joy because I have had this book in my tbr since 2021 😭😭
Buddy reading with Rowan
___
I'm equally terrified and excited to start this!! I heard this is the book that really elevates this series 🙂↕️ also my tbr must be tearing up in joy because I have had this book in my tbr since 2021 😭😭
Buddy reading with Rowan
January 5, 2023
I really liked the book before this (Iron Gold), but this one wasn't as good. The pacing felt off, the plot felt slow and it was too long. I had trouble paying attention at multiple points because honestly it's kind of boring to read about violence and battle in so much detail. Not sure if I'm going to read #6.
August 15, 2019
Plus
+ Lyria's character development is so good (despite having very little page time compared to the other POV characters)
+ I would die for Lyria, Ephraim, and Volga
Minus
- Soooooooooooo many dead LGBT+ characters
- There's no plot. It's 750 pages of no plot
- Violence for the sake of violence. It's like Pierce Brown is just using shock factor to make up for the lack of plot
- It feels like after finishing the original trilogy, Pierce wasn't ready to let go of the characters or the world, but he didn't actually know what he wanted to do with them, so now it's just one long meander from disaster to disaster and he's just getting carried away trying to outdo the violence and darkness of the original trilogy
- It feels like either it was written by a completely different author, or Pierce has just lost all respect for his own characters
- It's just grim. All the way through. And not in an 'oh it's just realistic' way. There is literally nothing happy about his book. The original trilogy, though very dark and violent, still had a lot of hope running through it. There's none of that in Dark Age. The characters are just tired and defeated and depressed and it's depressing to read
- There's too many villains, so there's not enough time to fully develop any of them or even get familiar with them and I just didn't care. There's nothing like the sinister but compelling character of the Jackal, whose motivations you understand and enjoy reading about despite what he's doing. All I can tell you about Atalantia is that she has a pet snake and she's an abusive child groomer
- The whole thing just feels extremely messy and like no thought was put into it at all
- I literally just didn't care at all by the end. I'm so done
- Nowhere near enough Sevro to make up for any of this bullshit
CW: An extreme amount of violence. Multiple mentions/threats of rape. Paedophilia. Grooming. Incest. Forced marriage. Cannibalism. Child murder. Bury your Gays. Pregnancy/birth
+ Lyria's character development is so good (despite having very little page time compared to the other POV characters)
+ I would die for Lyria, Ephraim, and Volga
Minus
- Soooooooooooo many dead LGBT+ characters
- There's no plot. It's 750 pages of no plot
- Violence for the sake of violence. It's like Pierce Brown is just using shock factor to make up for the lack of plot
- It feels like after finishing the original trilogy, Pierce wasn't ready to let go of the characters or the world, but he didn't actually know what he wanted to do with them, so now it's just one long meander from disaster to disaster and he's just getting carried away trying to outdo the violence and darkness of the original trilogy
- It feels like either it was written by a completely different author, or Pierce has just lost all respect for his own characters
- It's just grim. All the way through. And not in an 'oh it's just realistic' way. There is literally nothing happy about his book. The original trilogy, though very dark and violent, still had a lot of hope running through it. There's none of that in Dark Age. The characters are just tired and defeated and depressed and it's depressing to read
- There's too many villains, so there's not enough time to fully develop any of them or even get familiar with them and I just didn't care. There's nothing like the sinister but compelling character of the Jackal, whose motivations you understand and enjoy reading about despite what he's doing. All I can tell you about Atalantia is that she has a pet snake and she's an abusive child groomer
- The whole thing just feels extremely messy and like no thought was put into it at all
- I literally just didn't care at all by the end. I'm so done
- Nowhere near enough Sevro to make up for any of this bullshit
CW: An extreme amount of violence. Multiple mentions/threats of rape. Paedophilia. Grooming. Incest. Forced marriage. Cannibalism. Child murder. Bury your Gays. Pregnancy/birth
May 20, 2023
Red Rising Saga is unlike anything I have ever read and this fifth instalment only proves it. There is some gorydamn excellent writing craftmanship at play because Pierce Brown weaves multiple POVs in magical way that leaves you spellbound by this book and consumes all your waking thoughts. What other proof of greatness do you need than the fact that I read this 752-pages-long mammoth of a book inbetween taking care of hyperactive toddler in just couple of days? I may be sleep deprived but it has been worth it.
All of you military strategy and war battle fans rejoice, this book will give you your fill and then some. War is raging in Solar System and Pierce Brown's storytelling makes it all come alive on the pages of this book, never shying away from showing us its horrors and despairs.
Tone of this book, as title suggests, is a dark one. Pierce Brown takes his readers through roller coaster of emotions and as per usual spares us nothing. In my opinion, Dark Age is the most profound instalment of the saga to the date - the scale on which Pierce Brown plays his game is enormous and thought-out to the tiniest details to evoke all the feels from his readers. So prepare to expect the unexpected.
I am excited for and simultaneously dreading what is waiting for us in the next (final?) book.
PRE-REVIEW:
"Alea iacta est."
The die is cast and I am super excited to see how Pierce Brown is going to play this game!
Iron Gold felt like it was "only" a setup for bigger things to come and I truly cannot wait for this book.
All of you military strategy and war battle fans rejoice, this book will give you your fill and then some. War is raging in Solar System and Pierce Brown's storytelling makes it all come alive on the pages of this book, never shying away from showing us its horrors and despairs.
Tone of this book, as title suggests, is a dark one. Pierce Brown takes his readers through roller coaster of emotions and as per usual spares us nothing. In my opinion, Dark Age is the most profound instalment of the saga to the date - the scale on which Pierce Brown plays his game is enormous and thought-out to the tiniest details to evoke all the feels from his readers. So prepare to expect the unexpected.
I am excited for and simultaneously dreading what is waiting for us in the next (final?) book.
PRE-REVIEW:
"Alea iacta est."
The die is cast and I am super excited to see how Pierce Brown is going to play this game!
Iron Gold felt like it was "only" a setup for bigger things to come and I truly cannot wait for this book.
September 19, 2019
George RR Martin called and would like his lack of conscience back, PB. Dark Age makes Golden Son look like child’s play.
October 21, 2025
♾️⭐️
I knew this is going to be HEAVY but still didn’t expect THAT heavy. It is a Masterpiece!
The way Mr. Brown writes “ villains “ has me question if they really are villains because each character has different beliefs and motivations and when I was reading their POV I kinda felt for them and understood them 🤷♀️.
Needless to say IF something happens in the future to Victra and Sevro I will probably never recover.
I have never felt so many emotions while reding a book.
And as per usual I took a break between book 4 and this and managed to forget everything so for first 60 pages I didn’t know who is fighting who🤷♀️.
Great book!
I knew this is going to be HEAVY but still didn’t expect THAT heavy. It is a Masterpiece!
The way Mr. Brown writes “ villains “ has me question if they really are villains because each character has different beliefs and motivations and when I was reading their POV I kinda felt for them and understood them 🤷♀️.
Needless to say IF something happens in the future to Victra and Sevro I will probably never recover.
I have never felt so many emotions while reding a book.
And as per usual I took a break between book 4 and this and managed to forget everything so for first 60 pages I didn’t know who is fighting who🤷♀️.
Great book!
August 3, 2025
It took me 2 weeks to read the first 500 pages of this book bc I was so bored, and then 1 day to read the last 250 bc it was so good. There was no in between 😅
September 3, 2025
By far the darkest and bleakest book in the series❤️🩹No one was safe, not even me💔
This was longer than it needed to be but I genuinely do not care because these characters have become a part of me and I don't know how I am even supposed to read something other than this series💔
Hail Libertas
Hail Reaper
This was longer than it needed to be but I genuinely do not care because these characters have become a part of me and I don't know how I am even supposed to read something other than this series💔
Hail Libertas
Hail Reaper
August 14, 2019
Okay, folks. This is a big book in a number of ways. It's not only huge, physically, but it's dense with action from the alpha to the omega.
And it is BRUTAL. Just look at that title.
Now assume that the death count will be on par with the Black Plague. Only it's just super-soldiers in mech armor with genius IQs sporting the most massive war-erections ever conceived and both sides are willing to cut no corners to annihilate each other.
I'll be honest, I haven't been in much of a mood for total grimdark lately, but when it is done well, it is done well. And this SF Space-Opera is GRIM. WAY beyond it's YA roots, firmly in the territory of massive gore, mutilations, babies nailed to trees, sliced-and-diced monster horses, and so many wonderful characters slaughtered to the Blood God.
I got to know and love new characters among the old, grew with them, and I died with them. What a nightmare. And sometimes it was too much for me. Almost everyone in these books is harder than nails, unable and unwilling to give an inch, and willing to kill everyone for any number of reasons. Revenge doesn't even begin to cover it. This is pure nightmare chaos. Nevermind the high idealism of the previous books or the eventual dark fall that came with the previous.
This one will simply wash you in blood.
Happy reading!
And it is BRUTAL. Just look at that title.
Now assume that the death count will be on par with the Black Plague. Only it's just super-soldiers in mech armor with genius IQs sporting the most massive war-erections ever conceived and both sides are willing to cut no corners to annihilate each other.
I'll be honest, I haven't been in much of a mood for total grimdark lately, but when it is done well, it is done well. And this SF Space-Opera is GRIM. WAY beyond it's YA roots, firmly in the territory of massive gore, mutilations, babies nailed to trees, sliced-and-diced monster horses, and so many wonderful characters slaughtered to the Blood God.
I got to know and love new characters among the old, grew with them, and I died with them. What a nightmare. And sometimes it was too much for me. Almost everyone in these books is harder than nails, unable and unwilling to give an inch, and willing to kill everyone for any number of reasons. Revenge doesn't even begin to cover it. This is pure nightmare chaos. Nevermind the high idealism of the previous books or the eventual dark fall that came with the previous.
This one will simply wash you in blood.
Happy reading!
December 21, 2022
I don’t know if I’ll ever give under 5 stars for this series because I’m always left in absolute awe by the end. The rollercoaster of emotions, the high stakes plays, the malice of so many characters, and the philosophical topics sprinkled throughout are apparently the perfect combination for me.
August 8, 2019
DNF at 209
Continuing this series was a mistake
It’s great that we had to wait 5 books for a Mustang PoV only to end up with her being brutalized and assaulted by a group before being publicly humiliated. #lovethatshit
Could have done without Darrow nearly being raped too but I guess I’m really asking too much at this point
That one specific plot twist was stupid and lazy. Bad storytelling I’m out
Also Lysander “the pro slavery golds are honorable” au Lune can eat my entire ass
Continuing this series was a mistake
It’s great that we had to wait 5 books for a Mustang PoV only to end up with her being brutalized and assaulted by a group before being publicly humiliated. #lovethatshit
Could have done without Darrow nearly being raped too but I guess I’m really asking too much at this point
That one specific plot twist was stupid and lazy. Bad storytelling I’m out
Also Lysander “the pro slavery golds are honorable” au Lune can eat my entire ass
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2025
I had the opportunity to interview both Pierce Brown and John Gwynne together!
I don't know how Pierce Brown is just getting better and better. Dark Age grabbed me with both hands and refused to let me go. THIS is why I love reading. It has everything; from the strong prose full of identity to some of the most iconic characters in literature. There is so much emotion between these pages, scenes that literally had me shouting out loud in shock... do yourself a favour and get stuck into this series!
I don't know how Pierce Brown is just getting better and better. Dark Age grabbed me with both hands and refused to let me go. THIS is why I love reading. It has everything; from the strong prose full of identity to some of the most iconic characters in literature. There is so much emotion between these pages, scenes that literally had me shouting out loud in shock... do yourself a favour and get stuck into this series!
September 14, 2024
*I’m sorry I originally gave this masterpiece 4.5… it’s definitely a 5⭐️ book since I think about it almost every day lol… it’s called dark age for a reason 🙃*
4.5⭐️
This book was brutal, heartbreaking, exciting, happy, epic, etc etc. I legitimately think I felt every single emotion possible reading this. I am emotionally exhausted after this hook. My brain is exhausted after this book. This series and these characters live rent free in my brain 24/7.
This book was leaps and bounds more violent than the others. It is centered around a brutal war, so it does make sense. Just be prepared for some uncomfortable imagery.
The main reason I’m not giving this five stars is that it felt a little too long. I loved everything else about it. The character development, conflict, betrayal, politics, action, etc. I think this stands as my third fav book in the series.
As always, I’m in absolute awe at Pierce Brown’s mind and this world he’s created.
!!!!!!!!HAIL LIBERTAS!!!!!!
SPOILERS BELOW
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
There was not nearly enough Sevro in this book. Pierce if you kill him I will never forgive you. Actually leave the rest of the characters alone I can’t take another death
CASSIUS IS ALIVE??? I was sob crying at the end of that chapter
Another gripe I had with this book is he didn’t let main character’s deaths linger for the full emotional depth. Alexander dies and we brush by. Sefi is brutally murdered and we just carried on. Daxo???? Orion’s death wrecked me but I had no time to grieve lol
Victra’s birth is engrained in my brain for all eternity
It actually broke my heart that all the mercy Darrow displayed throughout multiple books was thrown in his face. Sparing Lysander’s life, feeding and medicating the prisoners, etc resulted in his men dying and him almost losing his life. It truly wrecked me.
4.5⭐️
This book was brutal, heartbreaking, exciting, happy, epic, etc etc. I legitimately think I felt every single emotion possible reading this. I am emotionally exhausted after this hook. My brain is exhausted after this book. This series and these characters live rent free in my brain 24/7.
This book was leaps and bounds more violent than the others. It is centered around a brutal war, so it does make sense. Just be prepared for some uncomfortable imagery.
The main reason I’m not giving this five stars is that it felt a little too long. I loved everything else about it. The character development, conflict, betrayal, politics, action, etc. I think this stands as my third fav book in the series.
As always, I’m in absolute awe at Pierce Brown’s mind and this world he’s created.
!!!!!!!!HAIL LIBERTAS!!!!!!
SPOILERS BELOW
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
There was not nearly enough Sevro in this book. Pierce if you kill him I will never forgive you. Actually leave the rest of the characters alone I can’t take another death
CASSIUS IS ALIVE??? I was sob crying at the end of that chapter
Another gripe I had with this book is he didn’t let main character’s deaths linger for the full emotional depth. Alexander dies and we brush by. Sefi is brutally murdered and we just carried on. Daxo???? Orion’s death wrecked me but I had no time to grieve lol
Victra’s birth is engrained in my brain for all eternity
It actually broke my heart that all the mercy Darrow displayed throughout multiple books was thrown in his face. Sparing Lysander’s life, feeding and medicating the prisoners, etc resulted in his men dying and him almost losing his life. It truly wrecked me.
June 16, 2020
I forgot to write a Goodreads-specific review, so here's what I posted on my tumblr. Suffice to say, I will not be reading the final book.
My main takeaway, for those who don’t want to be spoiled or don’t want to read a long rant, is this: Dark Age read very much like what must happen every time Quentin Tarantino and the tv show creators of Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead are given money to make all of their 12-year-old straight white male fantasies come true. It was an excuse for gore and violence, with only a very thin veneer of justice or honor on the top. In her video review, Piera Forde called this book “one big masturbatory ‘look how great I am’”. I completely agree.
My issues fell into two broad categories: violence and sexism. This got really effing long, and I’m not sorry.
My main issue with this book was the extreme violence. I read books with violence all the time. I read the original trilogy, obviously. I read more adult books than YA. I’ve read books in which the main plot point is domestic violence. I’ve read books in which the main theme is rape culture. My problem with the violence in DA is that it literally served no purpose, and it was so common and gratuitous that I ended up laughing out loud at the ridiculousness.
You can’t have every single moment in a book have the same amount of extreme impact, because all of those moments will cancel each other out. There’s a reason that books build towards climax. This book was all climax, to the point that it was flat.
There is a difference between a plot being fast-paced, and… whatever this was. It was one big indistinguishable fight scene after another. I grew so bored that the shocking moments lost all of their shock value.
It was um, how do you say… POINTLESS. Much like 95% of the violence in this book. And that’s the thing that pissed me off. Violence is whatever. I don’t look for it in a book, but I’m fine if it happens. There just needs to be a reason, and I don’t mean in the metaphysical “what’s the meaning of life” way. I mean that there needs to be a reason in terms of plot, world, or character. Every time one of these things happened in the book, I came up empty on all three counts.
Admittedly, I am much more of a character-driven reader than plot. But this… this wasn’t even plot. I mean, what happened? None of this needed to take 750 pages. Maybe some people like a battle scene that takes 140 pages to get through (and I don’t see any difference between talking a lot about the battle and then actually having the battle. It’s all still about this one battle.) I’m not one of those people.
A final note before I move on to my next issue: I don’t care if the violence was “realistic”. If I want realistic, I wouldn’t be reading science fiction. “It’s realistic” is a really shitty yet common excuse for various problematic themes in fiction, which is ironic since it’s… fiction.
My next issue was: sexism! While women have always been “strong” in this series, and I still adore Virginia, Victra, etc., something has been niggling at the back of my mind since the start of the series. There was something off about the incongruity of their strength and the extremely masculine context of the society. And I finally put my finger on it, after getting a couple of female POVs in this book.
It would be really easy to say that Pierce is a woke feminist because some of the most badass characters in this series are women. It would be really easy to say that hey, because one of the MCs is Virginia, who is arguably the most intelligent of the bunch, who becomes the sovereign, who can more than hold her own in a fight, he must be trying to show that women are equal in this society. Right?
Wrong. Masculinity still rules the day in this series. Femininity is consistently shit on, berated, insulted. Physical inferiority, intellectual inferiority, they are to be avoided at all costs. Emotional awareness or sensitivity have little to no value. And that’s the real reason I know that any feminism in this series is performative and misguided.
Can women be strong? Yes. But they have to do so on someone else’s terms. They have found strength by being like the men in their society, rather than finding strength in their femininity. This is still very much a patriarchy; it’s just one in which women have largely figured out that they must eschew their feminine traits in order to succeed. Do they have feelings? Obviously, or they wouldn’t be people. But when the society as a whole constantly berates anyone who is sensitive, disdains anyone who cares about family rather than personal glory, then it’s still a society based on masculinity, much of it toxic. Just because they have learned to play using the master’s tools doesn’t mean they are equal.
Is this a problem across the board? Pretty much. It’s basically the Golds who feel that way towards emotions, displays of “weakness”, etc. But even when you look at the Reds, they may be more humble and family-oriented (in the caring sense, not the honor sense), but they are still homophobic and focused on getting their women to breed asap. While the Golds may be the exemplar in terms of promoting masculinity and masking it in equity because women can be masculine too, the other colors have bought into the myth. Even characters who are seemingly asexual, or agender, are still buying into this hierarchy.
The thing that initially kicked off my rage at this book was a combination of the two issues above - violence and sexism. I was really hyped to read this book because we were finally going to get Virginia’s POV. However - it seems like the only reason we had her POV, and Lyria’s, for that matter, was for Pierce to expose himself. It had to turn sexual, because the only way that Pierce can signal to us that he is writing a female character is to make it sexual.
Women are more than their sexuality. There is a sense in this book that in order to make women strong, you need to write them like men. Any reference to their sexuality or femininity is a liability, or a weakness.
As I was writing this rant, I realized that Pierce has made it incredibly hard for me to critique this book while *not* dichotomizing gender into m/f. That’s just another sign of the utter lack of understanding of anything that isn’t incredibly masculine. I’m not sure where this issue is coming from, but… honestly I’m tired of writing this and don’t care enough to unpack the issue. This is one of the 93 books I’ve read so far this year, and I’m ready to move on.
My main takeaway, for those who don’t want to be spoiled or don’t want to read a long rant, is this: Dark Age read very much like what must happen every time Quentin Tarantino and the tv show creators of Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead are given money to make all of their 12-year-old straight white male fantasies come true. It was an excuse for gore and violence, with only a very thin veneer of justice or honor on the top. In her video review, Piera Forde called this book “one big masturbatory ‘look how great I am’”. I completely agree.
My issues fell into two broad categories: violence and sexism. This got really effing long, and I’m not sorry.
My main issue with this book was the extreme violence. I read books with violence all the time. I read the original trilogy, obviously. I read more adult books than YA. I’ve read books in which the main plot point is domestic violence. I’ve read books in which the main theme is rape culture. My problem with the violence in DA is that it literally served no purpose, and it was so common and gratuitous that I ended up laughing out loud at the ridiculousness.
You can’t have every single moment in a book have the same amount of extreme impact, because all of those moments will cancel each other out. There’s a reason that books build towards climax. This book was all climax, to the point that it was flat.
There is a difference between a plot being fast-paced, and… whatever this was. It was one big indistinguishable fight scene after another. I grew so bored that the shocking moments lost all of their shock value.
It was um, how do you say… POINTLESS. Much like 95% of the violence in this book. And that’s the thing that pissed me off. Violence is whatever. I don’t look for it in a book, but I’m fine if it happens. There just needs to be a reason, and I don’t mean in the metaphysical “what’s the meaning of life” way. I mean that there needs to be a reason in terms of plot, world, or character. Every time one of these things happened in the book, I came up empty on all three counts.
Admittedly, I am much more of a character-driven reader than plot. But this… this wasn’t even plot. I mean, what happened? None of this needed to take 750 pages. Maybe some people like a battle scene that takes 140 pages to get through (and I don’t see any difference between talking a lot about the battle and then actually having the battle. It’s all still about this one battle.) I’m not one of those people.
A final note before I move on to my next issue: I don’t care if the violence was “realistic”. If I want realistic, I wouldn’t be reading science fiction. “It’s realistic” is a really shitty yet common excuse for various problematic themes in fiction, which is ironic since it’s… fiction.
My next issue was: sexism! While women have always been “strong” in this series, and I still adore Virginia, Victra, etc., something has been niggling at the back of my mind since the start of the series. There was something off about the incongruity of their strength and the extremely masculine context of the society. And I finally put my finger on it, after getting a couple of female POVs in this book.
It would be really easy to say that Pierce is a woke feminist because some of the most badass characters in this series are women. It would be really easy to say that hey, because one of the MCs is Virginia, who is arguably the most intelligent of the bunch, who becomes the sovereign, who can more than hold her own in a fight, he must be trying to show that women are equal in this society. Right?
Wrong. Masculinity still rules the day in this series. Femininity is consistently shit on, berated, insulted. Physical inferiority, intellectual inferiority, they are to be avoided at all costs. Emotional awareness or sensitivity have little to no value. And that’s the real reason I know that any feminism in this series is performative and misguided.
Can women be strong? Yes. But they have to do so on someone else’s terms. They have found strength by being like the men in their society, rather than finding strength in their femininity. This is still very much a patriarchy; it’s just one in which women have largely figured out that they must eschew their feminine traits in order to succeed. Do they have feelings? Obviously, or they wouldn’t be people. But when the society as a whole constantly berates anyone who is sensitive, disdains anyone who cares about family rather than personal glory, then it’s still a society based on masculinity, much of it toxic. Just because they have learned to play using the master’s tools doesn’t mean they are equal.
Is this a problem across the board? Pretty much. It’s basically the Golds who feel that way towards emotions, displays of “weakness”, etc. But even when you look at the Reds, they may be more humble and family-oriented (in the caring sense, not the honor sense), but they are still homophobic and focused on getting their women to breed asap. While the Golds may be the exemplar in terms of promoting masculinity and masking it in equity because women can be masculine too, the other colors have bought into the myth. Even characters who are seemingly asexual, or agender, are still buying into this hierarchy.
The thing that initially kicked off my rage at this book was a combination of the two issues above - violence and sexism. I was really hyped to read this book because we were finally going to get Virginia’s POV. However - it seems like the only reason we had her POV, and Lyria’s, for that matter, was for Pierce to expose himself. It had to turn sexual, because the only way that Pierce can signal to us that he is writing a female character is to make it sexual.
Women are more than their sexuality. There is a sense in this book that in order to make women strong, you need to write them like men. Any reference to their sexuality or femininity is a liability, or a weakness.
As I was writing this rant, I realized that Pierce has made it incredibly hard for me to critique this book while *not* dichotomizing gender into m/f. That’s just another sign of the utter lack of understanding of anything that isn’t incredibly masculine. I’m not sure where this issue is coming from, but… honestly I’m tired of writing this and don’t care enough to unpack the issue. This is one of the 93 books I’ve read so far this year, and I’m ready to move on.
March 30, 2023
فکر کنم این کتاب، اپیک ترین جلد در مجموعه قیام سرخ تا به امروز باشه.
نفسگیر، نفسگیر، نفسگیر!
از ۸۰۰ صفحه، حدود ۴۰۰ صفحه(۲۰۰ صفحه اول و ۲۰۰ صفحه آخر)شرح جنگه. جنگی بین سیاره ای، در فضای بی کران و با خشونتی بی بدیل.
در این جلد: دارو، ویرجینیا، لایسندر(لعنت آرس بر او باد!)، اِفرام و لیریا راویان داستان هستند و همین تفاوت و تقابل زاویه دید درک بهتری از داستان و احزاب مختلف موجود در مجموعه به خواننده می ده.
برخلاف جلد پیشین که چپترهای لیریا اندکی برای من حوصله سر بر بود، توی این جلد جذابیت به چپترهای لیریا اضافه و این شخصیت به کرکتری دوست داشتنی برای من تبدیل شد.
توی این جلد هر اونچه که از قیام سرخ انتظار می ره، موجوده. جنگ و صحنه های نبرد با توصیفات نفسگیر، مذاکرات و مناظرات سیاسی، توطئه و دسیسه چینی، دیالوگ هایی که سیاست و مذهب رو به چالش می کشه، پلات توییست های غیرقابل حدس، نمادگرایی و طعنه به سیاست جهانیِ امروز، و طنزی که هم شیرینه و هم تلخ.
ما از جمهوری نوپایی که به چالش کشیده می شه، می خونیم. از قشر دموکرات خواهی(وکس پوپولی)که با طلب دموکراسی مطلق، نظام جمهوری جدید رو با معضلاتی رو به رو می کنه. از سلطنت طلبانی که با چنگ انداختن به وارث به جا مانده از حکومت پیشین(لایسندر)، در تلاشن تا جمهوری رو از بین ببرن. از دیکتاتوری(آتلانتیا)که نظام بین سیاره ای رو با بی رحمی خودش به طور تمام و کمال زیر سوال می بره. از مرزنشینانی که خواه ناخواه پاشون به سیاست های درون مرزی و مرکزنشینان باز می شه. از قومی بربر(ولسونگ فا و گروهش)که در آشفته بازار موجود، فرصت رو برای پنجه انداختن به مسند قدرت غنیمت می شمره. از هرج و مرج خواهانی(ملکه ملخ ها و گروهش)که تنها در صدد انتقام، نظام فعلی رو به آشوب می کشن. از انقلابیون پیشینی(هارمونی و گروهش)که آرمان خودشون رو گم می کنن و خود به یکی از دشمنان همون جمهوری که برای ساختنش قیام کردن، بدل می شن. و از گروه و ملیت هایی(سفی و قومش)که خود به بازیچه دست گرداننده ای بزرگتر در صحنه بازی سیاست و قدرت بدل می گردن. ما از تموم این ها در این جلد می خونیم.
برای من یکی از نکات جالب، اشاره به این موضوع بود که در زمانه پیشین زرین ها با پدید آوردن فرهنگ های مختلف برای سایر رنگ ها، زمینه دشمنی و عدم اتحاد رو فراهم آوردن تا مبادا روزی رنگ های مختلف جامعه با هم، هم پیمان بشن!
مثال: در فرهنگ سرخ همجنسگرایی رو قبیح جلوه دادن، و در فرهنگ سایر رنگ ها بلامانع(هشتگ جوامع مسلمان و جوامع غیرمسلمان امروز)یا در فرهنگ زغالی ها زن سالاری رو باب کردن و در فرهنگ سرخ و رنگ های دیگر مرد سالاری، و سایر تفاوت های فرهنگی و دینی و مذهبی ریز و درشتی که همه و همه توسط یک قدرت بزرگ و کنترل کننده برای عدم تشکیل اتحاد بین جوامع انسانی ساخته شدن. اما اون ملیت های کوچک تر و رنگ های مختلف جامعه خیال کردن و می کنن که این فرهنگ تمام و کمال از جوهره وجود خود و نیاکانشون اومده. غافل از اینکه تموم این ها ابزاری برای رقصوندنشون به ساز همون قدرت بزرگتره!!!
🔴🔴🔴🔴در ادامه کمی درباره چپترهای هر شخصیت صحبت می کنم که حاوی اسپویله:
دارو: کرکتری که از جلد نخست قیام سرخ تا به امروز راوی بوده و ما شاهد رشد شخصیتیش در جلد به جلد مجموعه بودیم. در این جلد هم بار حماسی و جنگی داستان بیشتر بر دوش دارو هست و پیرس براون با فراهم آوردن دوراهی ها و تصمیم گیری های اجتناب ناپذیر یک رهبر برای این کرکتر، چالش های مختلفی ایجاد می کنه. یکی از جذاب ترین بخش ها، دوراهی بود که دارو بر سر کشتن اراین داشت.
لایسندر: درسته که چپترهای این کرکتر هم پر از صحنه های جذاب نبرده و به کل از خوندن سیر اتفاقات در چپترهاش لذت می برم، اما از خود کرکترش متنفرم. لایسندر بی ابهت، نامرد و دغل باز، شخصیتی به دور از جوانمردی و شرافت و مقصر مرگ دو تن از محبوب ترین کرکترهام(الکساندر و کسیوس تا پیش از اینکه مشخص شه زنده مونده)هست و به همین دلیل تا خط آخر مجموعه با وجود اینکه هر اتفاقی ممکنه در جهت رشد شخصیتیش پیش بیاد، ازش متنفر می مونم! چطور دلت اومد با اون نامردی الکساندر شریف رو بکشی تخم جن؟!؟!
افرام: قند نبات مجموعه! با خوندن تک به تک چپترهاش لبخند به لبم می نشست. رابطه ش با پکس رو دوست داشتم. دوستی که با ازگارد داشت شیرین بود و جدالی که با الکترا بینشون اتفاق می افتاد، بار طنز داستان رو بیشتر می کرد. یکی از بامزه ترین صحنه ها مربوط به وقتی بود که با جارو در خط مقدم نبرد حاضر شد😂 و اه پیرس براون. از دست تو مرد بی رحم... چطور دلت اومد این قند نبات رو بکشی تا توی دو جلد بعدی نباشه؟💔
ویرجینیا: شدیدا منتظر بودم تا توی یکی از کتاب ها ویرجینیا هم راوی بشه و بالاخره در دوران تاریک این اتفاق افتاد. هوش و ذکاوت و ادبیات کلام ویرجینیا همیشه برام جذاب بوده. وقتی که با آدریوس و لیلاث رو به رو شد، مثل خودش نفس من هم حبس شد و حیرت توی چشمام نشست.
لیریا: لیریا در این جلد به شخصیتی قدرتمند و باهوش تبدیل شد و از یک پیشخدمت ساده به شخصیتی تغییر کرد که در اتفاقات آینده نقش کلیدی خواهد داشت. مخصوصا با تکنولوژی که باهاش پیوند خورد. از رابطه ش و گروهی که با ولگا و ویکترا تشکیل دادن، واقعا خوشم اومد.
از جذابیت های این جلد، حضور شخصیت های شریفی مثل کسیوس، الکساندر و دیومیدوسه. این سه شخصیت واقعا برام اصیل و باشرافتن و باعث می شن کمتر از کثافتی و بی شرفی کرکترهایی مثل لایسندر، آتلانتیا و آژاکس حرص بخورم.
آخ که چقدر خوشحال شدم وقتی کسیوس برگشت، هرچند از جلد قبل با توجه به شرافت دیومیدوس مطمئن بودم که کسیوس نمرده و یه جایی برمی گرده❤
همچنان معترضم که سورو در داستان کمرنگ شده و دلم میخواد در جلد بعدی، جای خالی چپترهای افرام رو پر کنه.
خدا به دو جلد بعدی رحم کنه. با وجود ویلن هایی چون لایسندر، آتلانتیا، آژاکس، لیلاث، آدریوس و ولسونگ فا چه آشی بشهههه!
پ. ن: رابطه سم فقط آدریوس و لیلاث😂توی سه گانه اول لیلاث معشوقه آدریوس بود. حالا مادر آدریوسه😂و همچنان می خواد معشوقه ش باشه😂سم خالص!
پ. ن ۲: با مرگ الکساندر، سفی، ازگارد و افرام زار زدم. حیف بودن😭از دست پیرس براون💔
پ. ن ۳: میشه درباره این مجموعه و خصوصا این جلد تا فردا صبح حرف زد. ولی کافیه دیگه😂همین الانشم طومار شد...
نفسگیر، نفسگیر، نفسگیر!
از ۸۰۰ صفحه، حدود ۴۰۰ صفحه(۲۰۰ صفحه اول و ۲۰۰ صفحه آخر)شرح جنگه. جنگی بین سیاره ای، در فضای بی کران و با خشونتی بی بدیل.
در این جلد: دارو، ویرجینیا، لایسندر(لعنت آرس بر او باد!)، اِفرام و لیریا راویان داستان هستند و همین تفاوت و تقابل زاویه دید درک بهتری از داستان و احزاب مختلف موجود در مجموعه به خواننده می ده.
برخلاف جلد پیشین که چپترهای لیریا اندکی برای من حوصله سر بر بود، توی این جلد جذابیت به چپترهای لیریا اضافه و این شخصیت به کرکتری دوست داشتنی برای من تبدیل شد.
توی این جلد هر اونچه که از قیام سرخ انتظار می ره، موجوده. جنگ و صحنه های نبرد با توصیفات نفسگیر، مذاکرات و مناظرات سیاسی، توطئه و دسیسه چینی، دیالوگ هایی که سیاست و مذهب رو به چالش می کشه، پلات توییست های غیرقابل حدس، نمادگرایی و طعنه به سیاست جهانیِ امروز، و طنزی که هم شیرینه و هم تلخ.
ما از جمهوری نوپایی که به چالش کشیده می شه، می خونیم. از قشر دموکرات خواهی(وکس پوپولی)که با طلب دموکراسی مطلق، نظام جمهوری جدید رو با معضلاتی رو به رو می کنه. از سلطنت طلبانی که با چنگ انداختن به وارث به جا مانده از حکومت پیشین(لایسندر)، در تلاشن تا جمهوری رو از بین ببرن. از دیکتاتوری(آتلانتیا)که نظام بین سیاره ای رو با بی رحمی خودش به طور تمام و کمال زیر سوال می بره. از مرزنشینانی که خواه ناخواه پاشون به سیاست های درون مرزی و مرکزنشینان باز می شه. از قومی بربر(ولسونگ فا و گروهش)که در آشفته بازار موجود، فرصت رو برای پنجه انداختن به مسند قدرت غنیمت می شمره. از هرج و مرج خواهانی(ملکه ملخ ها و گروهش)که تنها در صدد انتقام، نظام فعلی رو به آشوب می کشن. از انقلابیون پیشینی(هارمونی و گروهش)که آرمان خودشون رو گم می کنن و خود به یکی از دشمنان همون جمهوری که برای ساختنش قیام کردن، بدل می شن. و از گروه و ملیت هایی(سفی و قومش)که خود به بازیچه دست گرداننده ای بزرگتر در صحنه بازی سیاست و قدرت بدل می گردن. ما از تموم این ها در این جلد می خونیم.
برای من یکی از نکات جالب، اشاره به این موضوع بود که در زمانه پیشین زرین ها با پدید آوردن فرهنگ های مختلف برای سایر رنگ ها، زمینه دشمنی و عدم اتحاد رو فراهم آوردن تا مبادا روزی رنگ های مختلف جامعه با هم، هم پیمان بشن!
مثال: در فرهنگ سرخ همجنسگرایی رو قبیح جلوه دادن، و در فرهنگ سایر رنگ ها بلامانع(هشتگ جوامع مسلمان و جوامع غیرمسلمان امروز)یا در فرهنگ زغالی ها زن سالاری رو باب کردن و در فرهنگ سرخ و رنگ های دیگر مرد سالاری، و سایر تفاوت های فرهنگی و دینی و مذهبی ریز و درشتی که همه و همه توسط یک قدرت بزرگ و کنترل کننده برای عدم تشکیل اتحاد بین جوامع انسانی ساخته شدن. اما اون ملیت های کوچک تر و رنگ های مختلف جامعه خیال کردن و می کنن که این فرهنگ تمام و کمال از جوهره وجود خود و نیاکانشون اومده. غافل از اینکه تموم این ها ابزاری برای رقصوندنشون به ساز همون قدرت بزرگتره!!!
🔴🔴🔴🔴در ادامه کمی درباره چپترهای هر شخصیت صحبت می کنم که حاوی اسپویله:
دارو: کرکتری که از جلد نخست قیام سرخ تا به امروز راوی بوده و ما شاهد رشد شخصیتیش در جلد به جلد مجموعه بودیم. در این جلد هم بار حماسی و جنگی داستان بیشتر بر دوش دارو هست و پیرس براون با فراهم آوردن دوراهی ها و تصمیم گیری های اجتناب ناپذیر یک رهبر برای این کرکتر، چالش های مختلفی ایجاد می کنه. یکی از جذاب ترین بخش ها، دوراهی بود که دارو بر سر کشتن اراین داشت.
لایسندر: درسته که چپترهای این کرکتر هم پر از صحنه های جذاب نبرده و به کل از خوندن سیر اتفاقات در چپترهاش لذت می برم، اما از خود کرکترش متنفرم. لایسندر بی ابهت، نامرد و دغل باز، شخصیتی به دور از جوانمردی و شرافت و مقصر مرگ دو تن از محبوب ترین کرکترهام(الکساندر و کسیوس تا پیش از اینکه مشخص شه زنده مونده)هست و به همین دلیل تا خط آخر مجموعه با وجود اینکه هر اتفاقی ممکنه در جهت رشد شخصیتیش پیش بیاد، ازش متنفر می مونم! چطور دلت اومد با اون نامردی الکساندر شریف رو بکشی تخم جن؟!؟!
افرام: قند نبات مجموعه! با خوندن تک به تک چپترهاش لبخند به لبم می نشست. رابطه ش با پکس رو دوست داشتم. دوستی که با ازگارد داشت شیرین بود و جدالی که با الکترا بینشون اتفاق می افتاد، بار طنز داستان رو بیشتر می کرد. یکی از بامزه ترین صحنه ها مربوط به وقتی بود که با جارو در خط مقدم نبرد حاضر شد😂 و اه پیرس براون. از دست تو مرد بی رحم... چطور دلت اومد این قند نبات رو بکشی تا توی دو جلد بعدی نباشه؟💔
ویرجینیا: شدیدا منتظر بودم تا توی یکی از کتاب ها ویرجینیا هم راوی بشه و بالاخره در دوران تاریک این اتفاق افتاد. هوش و ذکاوت و ادبیات کلام ویرجینیا همیشه برام جذاب بوده. وقتی که با آدریوس و لیلاث رو به رو شد، مثل خودش نفس من هم حبس شد و حیرت توی چشمام نشست.
لیریا: لیریا در این جلد به شخصیتی قدرتمند و باهوش تبدیل شد و از یک پیشخدمت ساده به شخصیتی تغییر کرد که در اتفاقات آینده نقش کلیدی خواهد داشت. مخصوصا با تکنولوژی که باهاش پیوند خورد. از رابطه ش و گروهی که با ولگا و ویکترا تشکیل دادن، واقعا خوشم اومد.
از جذابیت های این جلد، حضور شخصیت های شریفی مثل کسیوس، الکساندر و دیومیدوسه. این سه شخصیت واقعا برام اصیل و باشرافتن و باعث می شن کمتر از کثافتی و بی شرفی کرکترهایی مثل لایسندر، آتلانتیا و آژاکس حرص بخورم.
آخ که چقدر خوشحال شدم وقتی کسیوس برگشت، هرچند از جلد قبل با توجه به شرافت دیومیدوس مطمئن بودم که کسیوس نمرده و یه جایی برمی گرده❤
همچنان معترضم که سورو در داستان کمرنگ شده و دلم میخواد در جلد بعدی، جای خالی چپترهای افرام رو پر کنه.
خدا به دو جلد بعدی رحم کنه. با وجود ویلن هایی چون لایسندر، آتلانتیا، آژاکس، لیلاث، آدریوس و ولسونگ فا چه آشی بشهههه!
پ. ن: رابطه سم فقط آدریوس و لیلاث😂توی سه گانه اول لیلاث معشوقه آدریوس بود. حالا مادر آدریوسه😂و همچنان می خواد معشوقه ش باشه😂سم خالص!
پ. ن ۲: با مرگ الکساندر، سفی، ازگارد و افرام زار زدم. حیف بودن😭از دست پیرس براون💔
پ. ن ۳: میشه درباره این مجموعه و خصوصا این جلد تا فردا صبح حرف زد. ولی کافیه دیگه😂همین الانشم طومار شد...
October 1, 2019
I'm not going to write a big review for Dark Age but that should definitely not be looked upon as a reflection of the books quality. I just struggle with reviews for books I really loved! Dark Age was my most anticipated read of all of 2019 and I was delighted it lived up to those high expectations. I'm sure this will be my best read of the calendar year and it definitely confirmed the whole Red Rising series as one of my all time favourite series. This series has the perfect blend of action, drama, romance, and shock happenings that keep it absolutely addictive reading. The story is pretty dark and intense, but that is mitigated by the humour and the undercurrent of hope that ran through the story. All in all it has pretty much everything I want in a story and it helps that Brown has an engaging writing style!
I loved the fact that this 5th instalment of the series was by far the largest yet. It was nearly 34 hours long. The second longest book, Iron Gold, was only 23 hours long so it was quite the increase in length. It worked well though as Dark Age packed in a ton of action and cool happenings and had the feel of a true epic of the genre. I hope all the Red Rising books are this length going forward. There is more than enough going on in this world to justify the page time as Pierce Brown seems to have a knack for being able to create memorable and interesting characters and stories.
I loved the stories of all 5 POV characters and felt like they all gave something different to the story which helped flesh out the worldbuilding and that in turn helped give the story a deeper and more complicated feel. We also met a few great new secondary characters in this one. The best being the villains Atlas and Ajax. My standout secondary character of this instalment was Alexander Au Arcon. He popped up in Iron Gold but I really felt like he came into his own in this book.
All in all I loved this and cannot wait for the next instalment in the series. Hail Reaper!!!
Rating: 5 stars. The easiest rating I've given all year!
Audio Note: I might not have had much to say about the story itself but I've got a bunch to say about the audio and the crappy decisions made by Recorded Books! The 4th book in the series saw Recorded Books add three new narrators to the cast (to voice the three new POV characters). I felt that was not a great decision but it was one I ended up OK with as two of the three new narrators turned out to be pretty good (John Curless who voiced Ephraim and Aedin Moloney who voiced Lyria) while only Julian Elfer (who voiced Lysander's parts) was poor quality. This time around Tim Gerard Reynolds and John Curless returned to voice Darrow and Ephraim. I had no issue with that as both guys gave fantastic performances. We had to get used to a new narrator for the newly added Virginia POV. I believe it was Rendah Heywood. I think she did an OK job. The biggest issue was that Recorded books decided to recast the Lyria and Lysander parts. Moira Quirk was a decent enough narrator but her version of Lyria was so different from Moloney's version that it was definitely a bit jarring. The biggest issue was that Recorded Books botched the Lysander bits for the second time in as many books. The good news is that this time they actually cast a talented enough narrator in the form of James Langton. The bad news was that the production was awful and nobody at Recorded Books appear to have bothered to check that Langton was on board with accents and pronunciation of characters and names. Poor quality stuff from Recorded books. I felt Langton was actually a big upgrade on the awful Julian Elfer but his pronunciation of Cassius and the voice he gave to Darrow were both flat out horrific. None of it ruined my enjoyment of the story but it definitely does not reflect well upon Recorded Books. As a company they do not seem to care about the enjoyment of their customers. Let us hope they stick with this batch of narrators or just go back to having TGR do it solo as the last thing we need is more bloodydam recasting of the audio!
I loved the fact that this 5th instalment of the series was by far the largest yet. It was nearly 34 hours long. The second longest book, Iron Gold, was only 23 hours long so it was quite the increase in length. It worked well though as Dark Age packed in a ton of action and cool happenings and had the feel of a true epic of the genre. I hope all the Red Rising books are this length going forward. There is more than enough going on in this world to justify the page time as Pierce Brown seems to have a knack for being able to create memorable and interesting characters and stories.
I loved the stories of all 5 POV characters and felt like they all gave something different to the story which helped flesh out the worldbuilding and that in turn helped give the story a deeper and more complicated feel. We also met a few great new secondary characters in this one. The best being the villains Atlas and Ajax. My standout secondary character of this instalment was Alexander Au Arcon. He popped up in Iron Gold but I really felt like he came into his own in this book.
All in all I loved this and cannot wait for the next instalment in the series. Hail Reaper!!!
Rating: 5 stars. The easiest rating I've given all year!
Audio Note: I might not have had much to say about the story itself but I've got a bunch to say about the audio and the crappy decisions made by Recorded Books! The 4th book in the series saw Recorded Books add three new narrators to the cast (to voice the three new POV characters). I felt that was not a great decision but it was one I ended up OK with as two of the three new narrators turned out to be pretty good (John Curless who voiced Ephraim and Aedin Moloney who voiced Lyria) while only Julian Elfer (who voiced Lysander's parts) was poor quality. This time around Tim Gerard Reynolds and John Curless returned to voice Darrow and Ephraim. I had no issue with that as both guys gave fantastic performances. We had to get used to a new narrator for the newly added Virginia POV. I believe it was Rendah Heywood. I think she did an OK job. The biggest issue was that Recorded books decided to recast the Lyria and Lysander parts. Moira Quirk was a decent enough narrator but her version of Lyria was so different from Moloney's version that it was definitely a bit jarring. The biggest issue was that Recorded Books botched the Lysander bits for the second time in as many books. The good news is that this time they actually cast a talented enough narrator in the form of James Langton. The bad news was that the production was awful and nobody at Recorded Books appear to have bothered to check that Langton was on board with accents and pronunciation of characters and names. Poor quality stuff from Recorded books. I felt Langton was actually a big upgrade on the awful Julian Elfer but his pronunciation of Cassius and the voice he gave to Darrow were both flat out horrific. None of it ruined my enjoyment of the story but it definitely does not reflect well upon Recorded Books. As a company they do not seem to care about the enjoyment of their customers. Let us hope they stick with this batch of narrators or just go back to having TGR do it solo as the last thing we need is more bloodydam recasting of the audio!
February 27, 2025
3.5⭐️
😦😦😦😦 my face the entire book.
Ok so when I finished this book I was just straight up pissed off and needed to think about what to rate this book I think it was a bit too long and honestly hot take I liked Iron Gold more😅
😦😦😦😦 my face the entire book.
Ok so when I finished this book I was just straight up pissed off and needed to think about what to rate this book I think it was a bit too long and honestly hot take I liked Iron Gold more😅
May 23, 2021
Dios. De mi puta. Vida.
December 18, 2020
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!
I don't know that I have ever experienced so many different emotions in one book before now. Pierce Brown wreaked havoc on my mental state with this one and I still loved every second of it. I felt more love for some characters (Lyria & Victra) than I did in IG and felt more hate for others...Lysander.
I wanted to throw this book across the room more than once, but I also had to know how it all turned out.
This entire series is pure AMAZING!
I don't know that I have ever experienced so many different emotions in one book before now. Pierce Brown wreaked havoc on my mental state with this one and I still loved every second of it. I felt more love for some characters (Lyria & Victra) than I did in IG and felt more hate for others...Lysander.
I wanted to throw this book across the room more than once, but I also had to know how it all turned out.
This entire series is pure AMAZING!
Read
June 29, 2023Full video review here: https://youtu.be/1NBad-pDzj8
By far the bleakest Red Rising book that is probably the most realistic depcition of war and its aftermath that I've ever read. This is the book that will make or break Red Rising fans on if they want to continue with Darrow's adventures in the sequel series. Me? I can't wait.
Full thoughts in the linked video above.
By far the bleakest Red Rising book that is probably the most realistic depcition of war and its aftermath that I've ever read. This is the book that will make or break Red Rising fans on if they want to continue with Darrow's adventures in the sequel series. Me? I can't wait.
Full thoughts in the linked video above.
May 8, 2024
5/5
“I would die for the truth that all men are created equal. But in the kingdom of death, amidst ramparts of bodies and wind all of screams, there is a king, and his name is not Lune. It is Reaper.”
Pierce Brown has done it again. Words cannot begin to express enough how incredible Dark Age is. He has finally eclipsed Golden Son for me. There isn’t a single thing I can criticise about this book, nor a thing I would change. To me, it is perfect. A masterpiece. I find myself ever so slightly concerned with how he could possibly even up the game with Light Bringer; but I’d be silly to doubt the man as I know he can do it.
I’m not going to ramble on too much about this, I’m just going to talk in superlatives because that’s what Pierce, and Dark Age deserve. This is the best Red Rising book so far, and one of, if not, the best book I’ve read this year. The only book that comes close is Fool’s Fate. Right now I’m feeling exactly how I felt when I first read Fool’s Fate. That I was reading something incredibly special and that it would be very hard for any book to replicate that feeling - but here we are.
The pacing here is spot on, with a grippingly intense part one focused solely on a bloody siege and a desperate attempt of survival. Following this with part two, we’re thrust head first into the lions den of the politics of this incredible world. The world building continues to astound as do the characters, until we’re finally exposed to scenes that would give the famous Red Wedding a run for its money. After this, Dark Age just goes from strength to strength as Pierce delivers even more iconic moments to rival that of the series past, harrowing scenes that will make your skin crawl, and exceptional character developments.
I can’t talk about exceptional character development though and not mention Ephraim ti Horn. I mentioned in my review of Iron Gold that Ephraim was perhaps the best new addition to the series as a POV character. The character only solidifies that thought with this book. Ephraim’s development is a thing of beauty. The man’s character arc is scintillating. It’s incredible how Brown delivers a character that so masterfully straddles the line between comical and whimsical, and profound and heartbreaking. His redemption is the pinnacle of Dark Age. In a book that is rife with epic battles, intricate political schemes, mesmerising monologues, and holy shit moments - the character and redemption of Ephraim ti Horn is what I will think of when I think of Dark Age.
As I’ve already said - an absolute masterpiece. This is everything you could ever want from an epic Sci Fi Fantasy series. Dark Age is the pinnacle of this incredible series. I am so unbelievably excited to get into Light Bringer.
Hail Reaper.
“I would die for the truth that all men are created equal. But in the kingdom of death, amidst ramparts of bodies and wind all of screams, there is a king, and his name is not Lune. It is Reaper.”
Pierce Brown has done it again. Words cannot begin to express enough how incredible Dark Age is. He has finally eclipsed Golden Son for me. There isn’t a single thing I can criticise about this book, nor a thing I would change. To me, it is perfect. A masterpiece. I find myself ever so slightly concerned with how he could possibly even up the game with Light Bringer; but I’d be silly to doubt the man as I know he can do it.
I’m not going to ramble on too much about this, I’m just going to talk in superlatives because that’s what Pierce, and Dark Age deserve. This is the best Red Rising book so far, and one of, if not, the best book I’ve read this year. The only book that comes close is Fool’s Fate. Right now I’m feeling exactly how I felt when I first read Fool’s Fate. That I was reading something incredibly special and that it would be very hard for any book to replicate that feeling - but here we are.
The pacing here is spot on, with a grippingly intense part one focused solely on a bloody siege and a desperate attempt of survival. Following this with part two, we’re thrust head first into the lions den of the politics of this incredible world. The world building continues to astound as do the characters, until we’re finally exposed to scenes that would give the famous Red Wedding a run for its money. After this, Dark Age just goes from strength to strength as Pierce delivers even more iconic moments to rival that of the series past, harrowing scenes that will make your skin crawl, and exceptional character developments.
I can’t talk about exceptional character development though and not mention Ephraim ti Horn. I mentioned in my review of Iron Gold that Ephraim was perhaps the best new addition to the series as a POV character. The character only solidifies that thought with this book. Ephraim’s development is a thing of beauty. The man’s character arc is scintillating. It’s incredible how Brown delivers a character that so masterfully straddles the line between comical and whimsical, and profound and heartbreaking. His redemption is the pinnacle of Dark Age. In a book that is rife with epic battles, intricate political schemes, mesmerising monologues, and holy shit moments - the character and redemption of Ephraim ti Horn is what I will think of when I think of Dark Age.
As I’ve already said - an absolute masterpiece. This is everything you could ever want from an epic Sci Fi Fantasy series. Dark Age is the pinnacle of this incredible series. I am so unbelievably excited to get into Light Bringer.
Hail Reaper.
October 9, 2024
Pierce brown put his PUSSY INTO THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!! it might be one of my fave reads of all time!!!!! His writing continued to exponentially improve throughout this series (which is a hard feat for book FIVE!!) and the character povs are so crazy bc I dislike some of the main characters for obvious reasons but he writes them in a way that makes them so inherently complex and grey and lowkey impossible to TRULY hate. I love his takes on humanity and human nature, this book has truly impacted me and my worldview… crazy good
August 1, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★+
Synopsis
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Morning Star returns to the Red Rising universe with the thrilling sequel to Iron Gold.
For a decade Darrow led a revolution against the corrupt color-coded Society. Now, outlawed by the very Republic he founded, he wages a rogue war on Mercury in hopes that he can still salvage the dream of Eo. But as he leaves death and destruction in his wake, is he still the hero who broke the chains? Or will another legend rise to take his place?
Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile, has returned to the Core. Determined to bring peace back to mankind at the edge of his sword, he must overcome or unite the treacherous Gold families of the Core and face down Darrow over the skies of war-torn Mercury.
But theirs are not the only fates hanging in the balance.
On Luna, Mustang, Sovereign of the Republic, campaigns to unite the Republic behind her husband. Beset by political and criminal enemies, can she outwit her opponents in time to save him?
Once a Red refugee, young Lyria now stands accused of treason, and her only hope is a desperate escape with unlikely new allies.
Abducted by a new threat to the Republic, Pax and Electra, the children of Darrow and Sevro, must trust in Ephraim, a thief, for their salvation—and Ephraim must look to them for his chance at redemption.
As alliances shift, break, and re-form—and power is seized, lost, and reclaimed—every player is at risk in a game of conquest that could turn the Rising into a new Dark Age.
Review
How in the world do you sum up your thoughts on a book that you have been awaiting for what seems like a decade? (it as only been a little over a year and a half BUT IT FEELS SO MUCH LONGER). Is the hype real? Was it worth diving into the second I received it, devouring it in less than 2 days (it is 776 pages afterall), and not giving myself a second to ponder on what I read so I could bring my thoughts to you? YOU BET YOUR GORYDAMN ARSE IT IS WORTH IT.
I finished Iron Gold (loved it) and slowly ramped up the anticipation for Dark Age once the cover was revealed and a solid date was announced.
Then it was delayed. But you know… I wasn’t upset about it. People have been waiting so much longer for Winds of Winter, The Doors of Stone, and The Thorns of Emberlain. We are talking YEARS, peeps. Pierce Brown can take all of the time he needs to perfect this book.
And by jove did he perfect it.
Dark Age is going to go down as the BEST book in the series. I never thought anything could top Golden Son, but this thick tome puts it to shame. Not only is it almost double the length, but Dark Age doesn’t take its foot off of the accelerator; it literally mashes it through the floorboard and into the base of the engine compartment. There isn’t a single second to take a breath before death, destruction, and bloodydamn mayhem are afoot and every single character you have come to know and love is at its mercy.
The best way to (as accurately as possible) explain this book is as so: Game of Thrones has a baby with The Expanse. Then, said baby, once it comes of age, starts to have feelings/longs for the offspring of Vikings and a mash-up of 300 and Greek/Roman Mythology. BUT THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO IT, YOU GUYS.
Not a single character is left untouched by the chaos that began in Red Rising, and much like the storylines of Iron Gold, we are matched with multiple POVs from the biggest names in the series and a couple we found last time around: Darrow, Lysander, Mustang, Lyria, and Ephraim. As story arcs cross, motivations become muddied, alliances shift, and love becomes an emotion for the lost, power and survival become the only focus, however impossible they may seem.
Massive and intense battles, universe-wide world-building, thoroughly fleshed-out characters, and a never-ending chess match being played across the galaxy. What more can you ask for?
No all in all or in conclusion. If you have been reading up to this point, you already have a copy or plan on it. If you haven’t given this series a try…
Synopsis
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Morning Star returns to the Red Rising universe with the thrilling sequel to Iron Gold.
For a decade Darrow led a revolution against the corrupt color-coded Society. Now, outlawed by the very Republic he founded, he wages a rogue war on Mercury in hopes that he can still salvage the dream of Eo. But as he leaves death and destruction in his wake, is he still the hero who broke the chains? Or will another legend rise to take his place?
Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile, has returned to the Core. Determined to bring peace back to mankind at the edge of his sword, he must overcome or unite the treacherous Gold families of the Core and face down Darrow over the skies of war-torn Mercury.
But theirs are not the only fates hanging in the balance.
On Luna, Mustang, Sovereign of the Republic, campaigns to unite the Republic behind her husband. Beset by political and criminal enemies, can she outwit her opponents in time to save him?
Once a Red refugee, young Lyria now stands accused of treason, and her only hope is a desperate escape with unlikely new allies.
Abducted by a new threat to the Republic, Pax and Electra, the children of Darrow and Sevro, must trust in Ephraim, a thief, for their salvation—and Ephraim must look to them for his chance at redemption.
As alliances shift, break, and re-form—and power is seized, lost, and reclaimed—every player is at risk in a game of conquest that could turn the Rising into a new Dark Age.
Review
How in the world do you sum up your thoughts on a book that you have been awaiting for what seems like a decade? (it as only been a little over a year and a half BUT IT FEELS SO MUCH LONGER). Is the hype real? Was it worth diving into the second I received it, devouring it in less than 2 days (it is 776 pages afterall), and not giving myself a second to ponder on what I read so I could bring my thoughts to you? YOU BET YOUR GORYDAMN ARSE IT IS WORTH IT.
I finished Iron Gold (loved it) and slowly ramped up the anticipation for Dark Age once the cover was revealed and a solid date was announced.
Then it was delayed. But you know… I wasn’t upset about it. People have been waiting so much longer for Winds of Winter, The Doors of Stone, and The Thorns of Emberlain. We are talking YEARS, peeps. Pierce Brown can take all of the time he needs to perfect this book.
And by jove did he perfect it.
Dark Age is going to go down as the BEST book in the series. I never thought anything could top Golden Son, but this thick tome puts it to shame. Not only is it almost double the length, but Dark Age doesn’t take its foot off of the accelerator; it literally mashes it through the floorboard and into the base of the engine compartment. There isn’t a single second to take a breath before death, destruction, and bloodydamn mayhem are afoot and every single character you have come to know and love is at its mercy.
The best way to (as accurately as possible) explain this book is as so: Game of Thrones has a baby with The Expanse. Then, said baby, once it comes of age, starts to have feelings/longs for the offspring of Vikings and a mash-up of 300 and Greek/Roman Mythology. BUT THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO IT, YOU GUYS.
Not a single character is left untouched by the chaos that began in Red Rising, and much like the storylines of Iron Gold, we are matched with multiple POVs from the biggest names in the series and a couple we found last time around: Darrow, Lysander, Mustang, Lyria, and Ephraim. As story arcs cross, motivations become muddied, alliances shift, and love becomes an emotion for the lost, power and survival become the only focus, however impossible they may seem.
Massive and intense battles, universe-wide world-building, thoroughly fleshed-out characters, and a never-ending chess match being played across the galaxy. What more can you ask for?
No all in all or in conclusion. If you have been reading up to this point, you already have a copy or plan on it. If you haven’t given this series a try…
September 14, 2022
Finally, Im done!
I feel exhausted reading this.
Giving all the stars!
I feel exhausted reading this.
Giving all the stars!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 11,985 reviews