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amir_hamza 's review for:
Iron Gold
by Pierce Brown
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Book good.
While certainly not on the same level as Golden Son and Morning Star, I still found this to be an awesome read. It's far from the worst book in the series and while I have technically ranked it second last it's still several steps above the first book in the series.
This is the first book in the de facto sequel series and it already feels extremely different. The series was always quite dark, with a constant vein of dread pulsing through it, but the rush of heroic adrenaline cut against it in the trilogy due to our myopic view of the events through Darrow's eyes. Here, the world has opened up, and just as our lens has been peeled away from Darrow's eyes only, so too peeled away has been the warmth that came with his adrenaline, leaving us exposed to the harsh, cold darkness. This here is a tale that is grimy, gory and crass and doesn't hold back from showing the ravaging consequences of Darrow's actions. In fact, he almost feels like an antagonist here.
First Law is advertised as the go to read for any ASOIAF fan but to me, Red Rising is fitting the bill better with every new entry. It's not that just the books are getting grimmer and darker and more extreme, but the writing quality is somehow still improving exponentially. Gone is the trademark tryhard Hunger Games aping dystopian YA edge, and it its stead sits something that can be hauntingly poignant or crudely visceral. The shocking violence, both by content and explicitness, now frequently reaches points First Law and ASOIAF only occasionally climax at but those stirringly introspective monologues and character moments help ground the events to be...human and tragic lest the story uncontrollably spins away to just be an immature gorefest. Darkness without light just makes the darkness terribly dull, after all. And Pierce Brown knows how to show you just enough light to keep you hoping while he smirks at you. Knowing him, I doubt this observation is entirely speculative.
I am aware this book is just supposed to be a setup entry in this new arc and so feels somewhat unfinished. I don't mind though. This book is written to serve a specific purpose, and I think it does so expertly.
8.5/10
While certainly not on the same level as Golden Son and Morning Star, I still found this to be an awesome read. It's far from the worst book in the series and while I have technically ranked it second last it's still several steps above the first book in the series.
This is the first book in the de facto sequel series and it already feels extremely different. The series was always quite dark, with a constant vein of dread pulsing through it, but the rush of heroic adrenaline cut against it in the trilogy due to our myopic view of the events through Darrow's eyes. Here, the world has opened up, and just as our lens has been peeled away from Darrow's eyes only, so too peeled away has been the warmth that came with his adrenaline, leaving us exposed to the harsh, cold darkness. This here is a tale that is grimy, gory and crass and doesn't hold back from showing the ravaging consequences of Darrow's actions. In fact, he almost feels like an antagonist here.
First Law is advertised as the go to read for any ASOIAF fan but to me, Red Rising is fitting the bill better with every new entry. It's not that just the books are getting grimmer and darker and more extreme, but the writing quality is somehow still improving exponentially. Gone is the trademark tryhard Hunger Games aping dystopian YA edge, and it its stead sits something that can be hauntingly poignant or crudely visceral. The shocking violence, both by content and explicitness, now frequently reaches points First Law and ASOIAF only occasionally climax at but those stirringly introspective monologues and character moments help ground the events to be...human and tragic lest the story uncontrollably spins away to just be an immature gorefest. Darkness without light just makes the darkness terribly dull, after all. And Pierce Brown knows how to show you just enough light to keep you hoping while he smirks at you. Knowing him, I doubt this observation is entirely speculative.
I am aware this book is just supposed to be a setup entry in this new arc and so feels somewhat unfinished. I don't mind though. This book is written to serve a specific purpose, and I think it does so expertly.
8.5/10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Gore, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Rape