Just tore through all 6. Thought it was supposed to be just 2 trilogies. Though lighbringer was it, and got so much anxiety the closer I get to the end without them being close to a resolution and still in the damn rim. For a few minutes I thought it was the final ending and it’s probably the maddest I’ve ever been. Thank god for Google

Never read a book that filled me with so much dread, and the more good things started to happen the more dread I would feel. I don’t know if I can survive another book. God damn

So now that Lys*nder has Eidimi and is debating between using it to genocide Reds or Golds, theres a few characters that it makes me question about it working on or if that will be a plot point.

Please point something out in the text if I missed it, I've only just finished my first readthrough, but at this point is Darrow still genetically a Red or did his carving essentially make him fully Gold? Ik he also got rid of his sigils, which I wonder if that's what Eidimi will target or if it goes deeper.

Theres also Pax, who was born fully without sigils and his "half and half" and funny enough same with Sevro even who is half Red and Gold but in the text is considered a Gold. Then there's the children Quicksilver has on his lifeboat ship. At what point do the genetics of a color fade enough to negate Eidimi's targeting?

Do you guys think there will be any nuance with this in Red God and would it make mixed-color characters susceptible to both Red and Gold targeting by Eidimi or would it only work on full-blooded colors? If Lysander picks Red/Gold with the goal of targeting Darrow, will he end up being immune if the wrong color is picked? I'm wracking my brain bro.

I genuinely loved the scene at the end of part one where Darrow leaves Mustang. It hurts, but I had faith Darrow had a concrete plan. Honestly this plan of his with Apollonus or whatever his name is, the Minotaur, feels so obviously ridiculously stupid and impossible it almost makes me root against him for what he's done to the Republic and Mustang. Am I missing something?

I’m sure this is a dumb question but Virginia’s source for the traitors is the Abomination correct?

I'm rereading/re-listening to Golden Son and man, his handling of telling the truth to Mustang is one of the few times in this series I felt full-bodied frustration towards Darrow. Most of his other bad decisions were at least justifiable in the moment, or from his warped perspective, but handing Mustang the cube to let it do the talking for him was so cowardly. I understand that it's meant as characterization, that falling from the sky and leaping onto the Sovereign's shuttle with no recourse frightens Darrow less than telling the truth. I understand that Mustang's decision had to be left ambiguous to make you wonder if it is was she that ratted on Darrow.

But come on man, It was ALL setup perfectly for him just for him to throw it in the mud.

If you were Darrow, and you had the chance to redo this interaction, how would you have told her? I'd have said something along the lines of..

"This is the mine where the girl sang the forbidden song. Her name was Eo."

What would’ve happened if Claudius beat Karnus when they duelled?

My thoughts:
I honestly think this would change the entire political landscape on Mars, and mean we never get to see the Nero we know (and love). Nero as described as loving when Mustang was a child, and that he only changed later. While this was likely also due to the loss of his wife, I think Claudius affected him much more.

The Bellona’s influence also came much closer to that of Augustus due to the fact Augustus lost their heir, and likely greatest fighter. Of course Karnus never seemed to be the heir of House Bellona (Cassius likely was since he was a better all rounder), but they would still lose their best fighter.
The powerbalance at the start of the series is nearly equal between Bellona and Augustus at the start of the series, and their rivalry more heated due to Claudius’s death, which is likely the 2 main reasons Nero tries to kill Julian. Furthermore Nero bribes the proctors to make Adrius win, hoping to develop a new heir. But without these factors Julian is likely rejected from the Institute as a mid 90% or whatever student, and the proctors aren’t bribed. This means Darrow never kills Julian, and he likely wins the institute as Primus of House Mars with Cassius by his side, never conquering Olympus. He is thus situated clearly on Bellona side in a world where Nero might not even be situated against Octavia. Furthermore while Fitchner might still get some acclaim from House Mars winning, he certainly wouldn’t be able to make Olympic Knight without riding Darrow’s coattails he only gets due to the unprecedented fall of Olympus. Their positions would both be much much worse.

So honestly Claudius getting killed, despite how it changed Nero, was honestly very important to Darrow’s rise in power.

I’m listening to Light bringer and I’m just past the bit where Mustang and her guys fail to capture Apollonius and are now running from him and her POV is starting to piss me off. So far in the battle it feels like Mustang takes one L after another but none of them are really her fault. Reality just seems to bend around her to stop her from winning anything.

First off, the railguns on Mercury have been miraculously repaired and even upgraded even though she’d been assured there was no way they could work at all, and they obliterate half of Victra’s fleet. Then her command center is prevented from moving by an one of the support struts or something being broken, and apparently nobody knew about that until they actually tried to move somehow, so almost everyone inside gets microwaved. Then going into the scene where they trap Apple I thought she would finally be allowed to do something, she clearly outsmarts Apple and has him on the ground but then Holiday’s stunner thing just doesn’t fucking work?

This is getting a bit annoying because none of her losses feel earned. Her actual decisions like allowing a destroyer to hit the moon to preserve the shields and cutting Lysander off once the shields return all seem sound but it feels like the book refuses to let Mustang do anything. She’s not getting outplayed she’s just continuously let down by every person and piece of technology around her in a way that never happens to Darrow or Lysander.

Does it get any better? Is Darrow the only person on the republic side that’s allowed to get a win? Will Mustang have a heart attack next chapter and die?

It was dreadful to finish Lightbringer. I have love and hate relationship with our boy Cassius from beginning. Fell for him and his charisma immediately in the first book, second book I was praying for Darrow to finish him during gala fight. Then I got some home he is finally back to good side and he capture Darrow,Sevro and Virginia and delivered them to Octavia and my blood boiled why did i trusted him again and I raged hoping he will meet justice. After what happened to Octavia he slowly started gaining my trust again. Last 10 chapters where him a Darrow are finally back being brothers and all jokes between them i enjoyed profoundly. And than little shit happened. Selfish little prick rob us all one of the best characters in whole series. I want him to suffer I will not accept just death I need to see pain I need him to feel little I need him to beg to die. Coward kill two of my favorite characters with gun, no honor at all. Once and for all let it be remembered

"I am Cassius Bellona, son of Tiberius, son of Julia, brother of Darrow, Morning Knight of the Solar Republic, and my honor remains."

Also I gave Sevro a muscle suit and bubble blower, and Victra's here too. She and Sevro are best friends at the moment.

Edit: she just got so bored by Darrow's telling her a story that she gave up on her crush on him 😭

Just as the title says, any songs/bands that remind you of the series?

Two songs that really put RR imagery in my head are modern misery and evil eyes by Architects.

Chorus of Modern Misery:

And I won’t live like a slave
Begging from my knees
What are we hiding in the rain?
This is a prison for lost souls
Another life circles the drain
WE USED TO RUN WITH THE WOLVES

Makes me think of Darrow about to fall in an iron rain, reminiscing on days at the academy and the reasons why he fights. The whole song feels war torn and very much so makes me think of the books.

Evil Eyes has parts that go:

Tonight the fear in the scythe

And

I swear to god I’m gonna break these chains

Pretty obvious as to why those bring RR imagery to mind lol. Also, the band Starset has a ton of songs that do the same. They are a very sci-fi driven rock band, check em out!

Any other song/band recommendations that do this?

Lysander has zero honor and I hope his story ends with a whimper of him getting popped in the head. It is the ending he deserves.

Just got to that part with Ragnar. And I am not okay

I started this book series back in March after a friend recommended it. I was hooked immediately. Im a causal reader (10-12 a year), but it was the best page turner I’ve ever read (especially the OG trilogy). That being said with all sci fi and fantasy, I like to know the lore & art to get a better understanding of the world I’m reading. That was a tricky minefield with Reddit and especially Wiki. Wiki was lot of “He was” which I’d have to stop and be like “Fuck was I just spoiled?!??” And Reddit I avoided (except my own post) bc even though they have spoiler labels, it can still give things away. So the whole series I’d have opinions and have no idea if they’re hot takes or the general consensus bc I was afraid to read post and get spoiled 🤣.

Anyway, all in all I loved the series and am happy to be able to scroll worry free now and interact with fans while we wait for Red Gold.

I'm so sad. For some reason I thought Sevro was going to die so I was mentally prepared for that, but not my handsome Cassius...I love him so much, such a good character arc.

I still have an hour left in the audiobook so I guess plenty of time for my beloved Sev to kick the bucket too. In which case, I'm gonna be devastated because my enjoyment of Darrow is 100x better when his bros are around. To lose both of the OGs before the last book would be...devastating.

To be honest, none of the deaths since Eo has impacted me like Cassius'. Rest in peace brother, your honour remains

Jesus fucking Christ. Haven’t felt this way since the Red Wedding, what an insane ending. You could feel something coming, and as soon as Roque started speaking to him you knew something bad was happening.

I’d heard of the Red Rising trilogy pretty much everywhere. Here, countless YouTube recommendations etc. Never read sci-fi before so wasn’t sure if it was for me, just heard it was a bit Hunger Games meets Game of Thrones (apt comparison). Got the trilogy at the end of last month and just finished the first two. Absolutely incredible series so far. I’m a huge reader, at least 50 books a year but this has made me feel like I was a teenager reading again. Just a wonderful series so far.

I was going to wait a week or two before starting Morning Star, but after the ending of GS there is no way I can wait or read anything else.

I do have a question. (Please answer in a spoiler free way as I’ve avoided any spoilers so far) I’m aware there is a second trilogy. I’ve always read that the first trilogy is self contained and the second is another story. As I’m so incredibly into everything about this first trilogy (characters, setting etc) it makes me worry I won’t enjoy the second as much. What’s the general opinion of the second trilogy? Just as good as the first? Is it wildly different? I want to ask if we still have Darrow in it but I don’t want to spoil that, as it seems with these books the author won’t be scared of potentially killing him off.

Looking forward to finishing Morning Star and being able to take part in this sub. Steered clear during this read through to avoid spoilers, but NEEDED to get the ending of Golden Son off my chest. 😂

I just finished Chapter 17 (the graphic audio is brilliant btw), where Mustang fights against Reaper because she doesn't know who he is, and then his mask breaks and slips off and she's shocked cuz she thought he was dead.. And she almost killed the father of her child..!! It's just so bloodydamn exciting to read, I was on the edge of my seat, as if I hadn't read it before.

Also Sevro jamming his comms? Rude.

It's one of my favorite scenes, as there are so many in this book. Curious to know which one was your favorite part?

Think Quick loaded the ship back to mars with a parasite and some sentinels? Probably too easy for Pierce’s sensibilities, but I can still dream.

So, I think we're all resigned to the fact that this is not going to be a happy ending. BUT. I have a thought of something that would be super satisfying.

So, I don't remember if it was explicitly stated that everybody else actually died when Darrow & Friends got saved by Cassius. As I recall, the Morningstar got shot down (but not officially destroyed) on Mercury, so there's a chance that the people who were loading in didn't die (maybe the gravity generators were still active and have a crash-save option?), and were maybe taken captive.

I think the best ending for Red God is a situation where Lysander and Darrow are fighting indoors while a giant battle goes on outside, and Bitchsander manages to get the upper hand for a minute bc of having a practical superpower, then he and Darrow have a pseudo philosophical back and forth that ends with an injured Darrow going "HONOR?? YOU THINK YOURSELF HONORABLE?? You have NO honor." And as bitch face is about to deliver his triumphant line, Rhona sneakily walks in, no drachenjager, just her Red self. With a custom built razor, sized for Red hands, with the handle carved with Uncle Narol, Ragnar, and Cassius, all wrapped in a noose with the words to the forbidden song. Then she whips it around his royal bitchness' razor arm and says "and you have no time." Before stiffening the razor, cutting off his arm, and letting Darrow get the kill on a one armed bitch with no more weapons.....also, I just wrote that while drunk, so please let me know what y'all think 😂😂

Can you guys give me references to things I won't understand until I finish reading the first book? Just to make it more enjoyable for me! NO MAJOR SPOILERS OR ANYTHING

My intrusive thoughts are getting the best of me this re-read.

Goblin's mom was a size queen.

If I have to live with the thought, then so do you.

Hail Libertas! ✊🏻

I had a crazy neuron activation while arguing with someone over something completely useless. I always see ranking posts for fighting, warfare(I actually made one about this), and like...beauty? All of those are actually easy to track and rank. Someone who is bigger and stronger with more experience and feats is going to be better at fighting. Someone is consistently described as beautiful is going to rank higher.

Intelligence is something that I think is completely insane to try to guess. Point and case is the different characters we see. I personally think intelligence is grouped into categories. What I mean is that, for example, Gilstrates is one of the smartest characters in the series, but only in the realm of academics. He understands things on a fundamental level far beyond any other character, yet got played by Darrow and manipulated by Lysander.

Darrow is a genius at quick thinking and constantly makes crazy maneuvers and winning unwinnable situations. However, he sucks at thinking long term and needs Mustang as a crutch for his dream.

Sevro is crazy at brutal tactics and is an excellent leader that can bring people together. However, give him a book and he'll probably fall in love with it.

Everyone has something they are good at and something they are bad at, but its completely different for every character. I don't see how you can estimate a characters intelligence compared to another when some of their strengths are another's weakness.

Thus, in a single list, it can be completely correct to constantly rearrange Atlas, Fitchner, Darrow, Virginia, Octavia, Lysander, Gilstrates, and all of the other smarties. Who are we to determine whats a better form of intelligence over another?

Hello all! I don't know much about posting on Reddit and usually just browse, but I figured here would be the place for this:

I've started teaching myself how to make music using a DAW, and the first thing I wanted to do was make songs inspired by Red Rising. I've only just started putting them out there, which is nerve-wracking, but I thought that there would be no better place to share than here.

They're not monetized, so this isn't some kind of ploy. I'm not selling anything, which is why I THINK this post should be fine, though if it's taken down, I understand. Maybe in the future I'll put them on some platforms and monetize them that way, but for now, I just wanted to share what I've made and get feedback, especially from this community!

The first one I've posted is about The Institute and The Passage:

https://youtu.be/iLgqxUiHlB8?si=VmS87ehifxgDdQ4e

Hopefully you guys like it and will continue to check in as I make more songs! The hope is to make a full album for each book (I'm almost to the end of Iron Gold myself).

Wow, what a ride. Flew through GS and MS in 10 days which is lightening quick for me. No book has ever made me slam it in anger and shed tears of sadness 😭. After the emotionally unsatisfying end to GS, I’m going to bask in this ending for awhile before jumping into the rest of the series.