![]() ![]() Something a lot of stories about poor people forget is that no matter how poor someone is, they’re still humans with desires and wants. Still, it’s nice while it lasts! Songs and Dances ![]() Of course, once we get to the surface, it’s far less interesting: terraforming has basically turned it into Earth but with lower gravity, which the book seems to forget about most of the time anyway. It’s an excellent combination of an alien environment with a familiar system of marginalization. In the night cycle, they pool resources or hit the black market for critical supplies like clothes and medicine. In the day cycle, * they weave cloth from genetically engineered silkworms. Those Reds who don’t work the mines still have to put in a full work week in addition to their domestic labor. These themes continue even when Darrow clocks out for the day. ![]() There’s also an obvious sense of desperation, as many Reds feel the need to take dangerous risks so their families won’t starve. The aptly named “frysuits” are supposed to provide protection against the elements, but the best they can usually manage is to turn a fatal injury into a debilitating one. The Reds’ equipment is not only uncomfortable but also prone to failure. ![]() The dangers of gas pockets and cave-ins are ever present, and Brown uses disagreements between the miners as a natural way to explain how things work.Įven better, we see the effects of class marginalization right away. We get lots of sensory data about the environment, from the pungent smells of hard labor to the dangerous heat produced by Darrow’s equipment. It’s a subterranean world where Reds are born, live, and die without ever seeing the surface, something inherently alien.īrown doesn’t skimp on the details here. However, from a worldbuilding perspective, this is probably the most interesting part of the story. Plot-wise, this section is deadly dull, as a bunch of bad things happen that Darrow has no agency in. Red Rising starts with protagonist Darrow working on his mining drill along with a team of other Reds. Even the worst books usually have some gems if you know what to look for. The GoodĪs eager as I am to pick this color-themed mess apart, it’s important to start by acknowledging where Red Rising’s worldbuilding is actually good. If some of these problems are addressed in later books, and that’s great if so, it still doesn’t retroactively fix them in this book. And before you head to the comments section, please remember we’re only looking at the first book today. With luck, Brown’s poor choices can serve as a cautionary tale for the rest of us. Red Rising is a story of systemic oppression, class struggle, and revolution, all topics that are on a lot of people’s minds these days. 1: It’s very popular, and 2: In addition to the mediocre plotting and one-note characterization, the worldbuilding is bad in interesting ways. I wasn’t originally planning to write about this book, but then I noticed two things. There’s also a lot of rape, which is very bad and not nearly as much fun to critique. Brown, I’m begging you, learn another way to resolve your conflicts! We have a whole list for you. Just hidden plans over and over again until the book is completely devoid of tension and satisfaction. The protagonist is driven entirely by toxic masculinity, the plot doesn’t start until nearly 20% of the way in, and conflicts are only ever resolved via a hidden plan reveal. Let’s get one thing out of the way up front: Red Rising is a very bad book. Between these two extremes, a host of other colors are genetically engineered to fit specific roles, from Obsidian supersoldiers to Violet artists. Ruling Golds strut around their mansions in command of vast fleets, while lowly Reds toil in the mines and are paid in scraps. There’s just one problem: a rigid, color-coded caste system ensures the constant oppression of those at the bottom for the benefit of those at the top. Red Rising by Pierce Brown imagines a far future where humanity has spread across the solar system. ![]()
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