Morning Star (Red Rising Series)

This is a fantastic finish to an amazing book trilogy. I won't give away any spoilers but will rather speak to the merit of the book. For his first series, the Red Rising Trilogy went so far above and beyond my expectations that I am truly amazed. So many new series and trilogies start strong but face and fizzle as you progress from start to finish. If anything, I would say this series gets stronger as it progresses rather than weaker and by the climax, I find myself wondering if he could have finished it any better. Brown beautifully builds up to the conclusion and leaves his readers satisfied and fulfilled. This series is everything you want the Hunger Games to be but its just so much better. As I worked my way through Morning Star I found myself sharing the book with anyone that would listen. I ended up getting my wife, brother, sister, and sister-in-law to all read the series and not a one of them was disappointed. If you are looking for an amazing new series, this is the trilogy you should be reading. I am a certified English teacher and I have read several reviews of his work that criticize his writing which is just asinine. I love fantasy and science fiction, but I also have a great appreciation for classic literature. I have read everything from Dickens to Melville to Dostoevsky, so I know what beautiful writing looks like. I am not saying that Brown is on the same level as the aforementioned authors, but he is nothing to scoff at. His writing flows well and he also has a knack for developing enthralling characters and intertwining plot lines. There is nothing not to like about this book and if you see people leaving negative comments then just disregard them, fools and less talented people will always find reasons to complain or nitpick the genius of others. Red Rising was great, Golden Son was a worthy successor, and Morning Star is the perfect conclusion. My prediction is that this series will blow up in the next year or two once we get closer to seeing a Red Rising movie. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

Hands down my favorite book of the series so far (I have yet to read past the first trilogy) and one of my favorite books I read in 2024. Conclusions aren't often my favorite of a series, but this one was perfect for me. Where to begin my gushing? Let's start with characters. I loved Darrow's character arc in this book. I liked him in the first two books, but I prefer him here. A few of the side characters also get really good arcs, something I'd been hoping for. The worldbuilding and politics continued to expand throughout as well, and I loved getting to see parts of the solar system we hadn't explored before. The pacing was a good balance of pulse-pounding action and quieter relationship moments between the characters. The conclusion and the execution of the themes we were building towards in this first trilogy really worked for me. And now because I loved Morning Star and its ending so much, I'm scared to read Iron Gold... But this book does fully conclude this story arc, and if you choose to stop here, you won't feel like you're missing anything. I highly recommend this series to readers looking for a space opera with awesome action, sci-fi that feels a little fantasy, and characters you will love. Content: Romance - kissing; heavy innuendo; allusions to intimacy Foul Language - heavy swearing and crude language throughout Violence - high levels of violence, gore, and death, including suicide; torture; cannibalism (mostly off-page)

Review: Wow. Wow. Wow. This book. This series. This author. The Red Rising Saga has officially made it into my top five favorite book series of all time. The writing is superb, the complex characters are unforgettable, and the plot twists are jaw dropping. Plot: Original. Let me say that again. Brown has created an original story. I tire of reading the same plot with the same characters disguised as a new title. Thankfully, author Brown didn’t follow that trend. In the third installment of the Red Rising Saga, author Pierce Brown weaves an eloquent and brutal tapestry of heartbreaking themes. Betrayal litters the pages, questioning every character’s loyalty to Darrow. The pacing is fantastic. It ebbs and flows with the perfect amount of breathing room after heart-thumping action sequences. Though Brown guides you effortlessly through the galaxy, Morning Star is not for those who struggle with extravagant world-building. The cast of characters is long, and the complexity of the different planets is dense. As a writer, I have learned valuable tips and tricks from the talented Pierce Brown. Now, I will say this. The biggest plot twist was a gut-wrenching scene. I never saw it coming and neither did Darrow, or so I thought. Pages later, you discover that this horrible incident was planned by the Reaper and his pals all along, something I struggled to comprehend. Why? Because the book is written in first person present tense. If the protagonist has a secret, the reader has a right to know. Darrow expressed every emotion throughout the book, but suddenly withholds information so the author can trick the reader into thinking his beloved characters are all in grave danger. Hmm. Is this cheating? Perhaps. This is why I docked a star from my rating. Brown wanted the reader to feel a deep anguish, which I did, but once you discover the ruse, the shock value diminishes, transforming into irritation. Characters: Darrow, Servo, Mustang, Cassius, Ragnar, the Jackal…the list goes on and on. The characters Brown created don’t linger in your mind after reading, they stay imprinted forever. The emotional connection I felt toward these brave, morally grey, loyal, and twisted souls rattled me in the way literature should. Brown’s cast is deeply flawed. Their internal struggles are relatable, even though they live in a fictional world. Writing: Pierce Brown is my new gold standard author. His ability to create vivid details without boring fluff had me taking notes. His dialogue is never forced. It flows naturally. He varies his sentence structure, uses vocabulary that elevates his literature without sounding pretentious, and leaves you wanting more and more of the characters and worlds he created. Final Thoughts: I can’t say enough about Morning Star, the third book in the Red Rising Trilogy. It hit every mark for epic science fiction. Writers, I encourage you to read Pierce Brown’s work if you want to improve your own writing. Triggers/Warnings: graphic violence, adult language Plot: 4/5 Pacing: 5/5 Escapism Factor: 5/5 Emotional Connection: 5/5 Character Development: 5/5 Star Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Completed Read: November 2021

It’s a page turner. It adds a necessary layer of complexity to the overall story, and all the dilemmas that arise when you play the “change the world” game. Are heroes pure? How does a hero rise?

Inhalt Darrow hätte in Frieden gelebt, doch seine Feinde brachten ihm den Krieg. Als Roter war Darrow dazu bestimmt, sein Leben in den Minen von Mars zu verbringen. Doch die Hinrichtung seiner große Liebe führte dazu, das Darrow als Goldener wiedergeboren wurde. Erfolgreich infiltrierte er die goldene Gesellschaft und gewann schließlich die Schlacht um Mars. Doch der Moment, der Darrows größter Triumph sein sollte, wurde zu seiner schrecklichsten Niederlage: Verraten von ehemaligen Freunden, befindet er sich in der Gefangenschaft seines grausamsten Feindes. Doch trotz des vernichtenden Schlages, der Darrow und den Söhnen von Ares zugefügt wurde, lebt die Revolution noch immer. Als Darrow endlich frei ist, findet er die Revolution im Zerfall vor, während seine mächtigen Feinde gnadenlos und ohne Skrupel handeln. Um zu gewinnen muss Darrow einmal mehr die im Dunkeln Gefesselten dazu bringen, ihre Ketten zu sprengen und die Welt umzustürzen, die ihre grausamen Meister geschaffen haben. Kann Darrow die Revolution hinter sich vereinen und zum Sieg führen? Meinung Was ich schon an den vorherigen Bänden mochte, wird hier nun ganz deutlich: Es gibt keine strahlenden Helden, an ihrer aller Händen klebt das Blut. Zudem ist der Grat zwischen Revolution und Terrorismus ein nur zu schmaler. Darrow beweist sich im dritten Band als Realpolitiker und schreckt nicht davor zurück, seine eigenen Leute zu opfern oder „false flag“-Operationen durchzuführen. Es gibt Führungskrisen und Meutreien, die ungewöhnliche Lösungen erforderlich machen. Und natürlich immer wieder wunderbar ausgebuffte Pläne, die für einen Plottwist nach den nächsten sorgen. Im Vergleich zu den vorherigen Bänden werden hier verhältnismäßig wenig neue Charaktere eingeführt, dennoch hat Pierce Brown auch dieses Mal einige faszinierende Figuren geschaffen. Während Darrow in den ersten beiden Bänden die Verbündeten scheinbar nur zu zuströmten, muss er zudem in diesem abschließenden Teil hart dafür arbeiten, Neue für sich zu gewinnen und Alte an seiner Seite zu halten. Denn je größer die Revolution wird, desto fragiler wird das Gleichgewicht zwischen den Lagern. Insgesamt gibt es auch im finalen Band wieder all die geschätzten Zutaten, die schon die beiden Vorgänger so groß machten, genannt seien halsbrecherische Aktionen, wagemutige Diplomatie und epische Weltraumschlachten. Was ich besonders an der Trilogie liebe, ist der Realismus: Statt eines einsamen Helden ist die Zusammenarbeit vieler nötig, um das Imperium zu stürzen – und mehr als einmal scheint Darrow alles um die Ohren zu fliegen, bevor es zur finalen Schlacht kommt. Auch der Schluss gefiel mir gut: Es herrscht nicht eitel Sonnenschein, sondern es ist allen bewusst, dass dies nur ein Etappensieg war. Ich verbeuge mich an dieser Stelle vor Pierce Brown, denn mit dieser Trilogie hat er aus meiner Sicht ein Meisterwerk geschaffen. Ein Meisterwerk, dass Krieg in all seiner Grausamkeit zeigt und was der Kampf für eine gerechte Sache kostet. Diese Trilogie ist am Puls der Zeit. In einem Satz Der epische Abschluss einer fantastischen Trilogie, die selbst auf den letzten Metern noch immer wieder Plottwists vollführt. 5 Sterne

Sin dua una de las mejores sagas de siencia ficccion, una historia epica espacial, recomendadisimo.

This series was recommended by a friend. Book one was great but I felt the story drag a bit. Not a problem with book 2! The pace of progression keeps you on your toes and easily gets you lost within the pages of the book. Great character development and an exciting ending that leaves you yearning to know what will happen next! This is a great page-turning series, and one that will easily leaves you saying "just one more chapter"

Ainda sem palavras para descrever esse livro. Um dos melhores que já li. É brilhante e te deixa arrepiado do início ao fim. Muita ação, plot twist, emoção, nervosismo, poesia, empolgação, triunfo, derrota, lealdade, amizade, coragem, romance, tudo misturado. De roer as unhas, e depois as cutículas. Terminei o livro quase sem os dedos. Que livro! Esse autor é genial. As reviravoltas são impressionantes. As emoções, o medo, a impetuosidade... tudo é sentido ao extremo durante a leitura. Recomendo a série Red Rising fortemente para QUALQUER PESSOA que não tenha problemas cardíacos rsrsrsrs. É uma das melhores que já li. É um desses livros que você fica pensando como o autor conseguiu escrever, de tão bom que é.