Book #132 of 2018:

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown (Red Rising #4)

A thrilling return to the Red Rising series, set ten years after the conclusion of the original trilogy. This time author Pierce Brown is juggling three new character perspectives in addition to his returning hero Darrow, the slave who rose up to topple an empire and must now face ruling in a tentative peace amid the remnants of his enemies. The new characters are equally engaging, and I love how they continue to expand the scope of this universe, taking us places that Darrow can’t see. The chapters set in the outer rim of the solar system in particular offer some excellent worldbuilding to contrast with the familiar society of Mars and Luna where we’ve previously spent most of our time.

My one criticism is that these four narratives don’t intersect much (although two become more closely linked halfway through), and there’s no apparent rhyme or reason for which chapters fall where. That’s by no means a trait unique to this story, but it results in the novel sometimes feeling like the middle seasons of Game of Thrones, where nothing truly connects the disparate storylines beyond their nominally happening in the same fictional world. I hope that as this series continues, Brown finds more ways to have these characters interact with one another. Overall, though, this is an outstanding continuation of a great sci-fi saga.

★★★★☆

Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter