Dark Age

As published on "Intercoastals"The following is a review of Dark Age, the fifth book in the Red Rising Saga. This review contains mild spoilers, but is intended for all readers. We will post a full spoiler discussion during the Great Red Rising Re-Read, which will commence at a later date in preparation for Book 6. Cover art courtesy of Howler Life.RIDE, RIDE TO RUINLet’s just get this out of the way upfront: Dark Age - the fifth entry of the New York Times bestselling Red Rising Saga - is the Les Miserables of science fiction. With this latest entry, author Pierce Brown evolves his flagship series once and for all from a young adult story of revolution into a deeply mature science fantasy that mercilessly examines the reality of war, and the consequences of our most well-intentioned mistakes. Compelling, brutal, superbly written and populated as ever with some of the best characters this side of Westeros, Dark Age is the best science fantasy I have read since I first encountered Dan Simmons’ Hyperion in 2013. It also marks an irrevocable change to the DNA of the Red Rising saga, and whether that change is good or catastrophic will depend entirely on who you ask.But before we get to that, let’s focus on the book. To describe Dark Age as an epic almost cheapens the truth of the matter. At its best, Dark Age feels almost mythological in its scope. For reference: Brown’s cast of characters going into this book (as dutifully presented in his Dramatis Personae) includes nearly 70 characters. Each of these characters is colorful, unique, and memorable - and somehow, they are all woven into a coherent narrative.And what a narrative it is. After opening with a 150-page battle as told from two perspectives, Dark Age only ever gets faster, meaner, and darker. This one battle - known in the book as the Battle of the Ladon - commences with a nuclear holocaust. Being a science fiction, Dark Age presents this holocaust through a lens so intimate it teeters on nauseating. After the battle is over, we witness firsthand the reality of what war does to a city, reading nightmarish scenes straight out of historic battles such as Dunkirk, Thermopylae, and the battle of the Bulge.None of this is by accident, of course. As brilliant, crafty, and precocious as ever, author Pierce Brown ransacks the shelves of history, literature, poetry and politics to thread the tapestry of his narrative with allusions, clues, and easter eggs. Some of these winks to the audience are heady: at one point, a character’s inner monologue on liberty echoes the treatises of Robespierre; at another point, a character’s true nature is foreshadowed by their Athenian namesake. Others take the form of easter eggs rooted in pop culture, such as nods to intergalactic graphic novel series Saga, and legendary British comedy troupe Monty Python. All of this, and more, Brown presents in his usual kinetic prose that manages to be somehow simultaneously readable and pyrotechnic. It is, in a word, a marvel.STATE OF THE SAGASimply put, however, all of this violence, darkness, and brutality comes at a cost. I can point at a specific moment, late in the novel, where Dark Age lost a lot of its readers. When I read this sequence for the first time (and for those of you who have finished the book, I’m referring to the part with the tree) I had to put the book down and take a break for the evening, despite the fact that I’d only read for an hour - and still had two more hours available to me.For the uninitiated, that’s like setting down a Harry Potter book when you’ve still got two more hours to read it. For a moment, I was genuinely frustrated with the author - and not in a shallow, “you hurt my favorite character, I’m mad at you” kind of way, but rather because it felt like he’d blundered in a book where he’d hit nothing but net, and the narrative was cheapened because of it. I slept on it, and finished the book, ultimately having a change of heart.Yet others, I’m sad to see, never had that change of heart - and the book certainly didn’t get kinder after that point. The chief complaints I’ve heard from the book’s detractors circle around the words “excess,” “gratuitous,” and “cheap”. One reviewer went so far as to call the book’s violence masturbatory. Another reader had this to say (represented here with his permission):"Bad guys [in this book] have cheat codes . . . This is my least favorite book. The least compelling. The lamest. The worst. I hope [Pierce] can save it all with the next one. If he’d written four of these before this, no one would read them."...woof.What’s worse is, Reader B was not rooting for Dark Age to fail. He wanted to love Dark Age - and not only did he not love it, he felt like the Saga was losing its way because of it. Were he the only person to voice such emotions, I would not have brought it up. Having read through the Red Rising subreddits and Goodreads review boards, however, I’m noticing a trend. Most people either loved this book (like I did) or they hated it. I haven’t really seen many people who were indifferent to it, which was a problem that plagued Iron Gold. Regardless of what I feel about Dark Age’s parade of villains and violence - and we’ll get back to my thoughts again in a minute - this dichotomy of reactions is bad for the health of the series.ROMANS, LEND ME YOUR EARSI remember quitting A Song of Ice and Fire in 2015 because it felt like author George Martin had written himself into a corner, and trapped thusly by the Gordian knot of his own narrative, chose to torture characters because he had nothing better to do. (I would return to Westeros years later, but it took a while.)I don’t think this is the case with the Red Rising Saga. The suffering we endure here was thoroughly foreshadowed as far back as Morning Star (hell, maybe even Golden Son), and effectively builds the groundwork for a firecracker of a finale. Characters behave exactly as expected, and the stakes are never too low. In short: everything is going exactly as it should. So what gives?My diagnosis of the issue is that rather than writing one cohesive saga, Pierce Brown has written two very different trilogies. Just because you love one, doesn’t mean you’ll like the other. I feel lucky to be a fan of both.With Dark Age, Red Rising becomes the saga I always wanted it to be. From what I’ve gathered about Brown - by reading his posts and listening to interviews with him - I think it’s safe to say that with Dark Age he finally got to tell the story he’s always wanted to tell. It’s a shame, therefore, that it’s not the kind of story some of his most devoted fans wanted to hear.Speaking on behalf of those who survived Dark Age (a book so lethal it apparently murdered a third of its audience) - I couldn’t be happier with this book, and with what Brown is trying to build. I liked Iron Gold very much, but Dark Age reminded me what a book can be at its finest: absolute in its vision; stunning in its narrative twists and turns; soul-shaking in its violence; and deeply cathartic in its oh-so-rare instances of hope. Dark Age is the first stroke of a master coming at last into the fullest expression of his craft. I could not be prouder, or more inspired. To author Pierce Brown, thank you. I look forward to Book 6 with enormous excitement. Until then:Hail libertas.Hail Reaper.VerdictA legendary contribution to the science fantasy canon that will prove controversial.10/10

Zero stars. Not enough Diomedes.I kid, I kid. I'll give the same warning here as I did at the beginning of Iron Gold. If you would like to remain completely blind as to which characters live through the original trilogy simply ignore this review. 'Spoilers' of that nature will be included. Spoilers for this book however will be either hidden or absent completely.Now then. WOW! Wow. Mr. Brown you've done it again. Red Rising is one of my favorite series. My brother, father, and I await the releases eagerly and tear through them as soon as we are able, all the while discussing, mourning, and asking many times 'What chapter are you on??' A new installment is a big deal, and Dark Age proved to be among the best. Having just finished, and absolutely loving it, I am eager to proclaim it the very best of the bunch. But I don't want to be hasty as this series is full of phenomenal moments across all five books. It just may be that Dark Age sets itself apart from the rest.I will say this. In sheer horror, in dread, in unbelievable, jaw-dropping moments of brutality and punch-you-in-the-face level shocks, it reigns supreme. In every sense of the phrase, this book lives up to the title. The original trilogy was a struggle of will, violence, and righteousness to topple a dictatorship. The fourth book, after a gap of about ten years, was Pierce pulling back the veil and making us say, 'Hmm, maybe things are going to get worse before they get better.' Here in the fifth we ask, 'Will they get better at all?' This one is dark. I don't think I've witnessed a kill count like this since I was in the middle of the Malazan series. I literally started a list of the fallen in my phone notes to keep track. I may even post that below under a spoiler tag in remembrance. So be warned all ye Howlers; all is not well in the Republic. Not by a long shot.It is important to note however that while this book is unceasingly bleak at times, it contains all of those things that catalyzed my love affair with the series, and then some. An absolutely breakneck pace. Tight plotting. Incredibly well-written and complex characters; new and old. The feeling of it. You just feel it. There's something about spending time in this world, in Pierce Brown's head, that makes me feel a certain way. It's just how he writes. He infects you with an enthusiasm for a world that might otherwise seem ridiculous. A science-fiction book full of larger than life characters who fancy themselves Roman gods? And their eyes are different colors? Huh? But it's just so good. And the crazy thing is it's just going to keep going. After the insane ride that was Dark Age, the stage is set for even further craziness in the future. So much so that one wonders if Pierce will just continue to up the ante with each installment and keep putting out better and better work. It didn't seem possible but here we are.I realize that I've given no specifics about the book. I'm not necessarily sure I want to at this point. I've said enough to get my point across all without mentioning anyone by name even, but I guess I'll dive into it a little.Lysander's chapters stood head and shoulders above the others in Iron Gold as my favorites of the bunch. Not so here. And not because they weren't phenomenal; they were. It's just that Lysander is no longer so removed from the other characters that I was forced to view his piece of the story as a separate entity. He's in the mix now, and it's every bit as satisfying as one would hope. Darrow remains a force of nature. It is quite something to have witnessed the creation of a legend. But that is just what he is. We watched it happen. And now Darrow is given the same respect, the same fear, that legends before him like Lorn au Arcos, the Ash Lord, Nero au Augustus, Aja au Grimmus, etc were given. It's satisfying to watch. Lyria and Ephraim both pull their weight in this one as much as anyone, and we are even treated to some Virginia chapters, so as to get a look at what our beloved Sovereign is up to while her husband makes war on Mercury (speaking of which, Part One in its entirety was just phenomenal, some real Abercrombie's 'Heroes' vibes there).My feelings about Lysander are much more conflicted now that he's entered the fold. But that's the name of the game with this book, and maybe the series at large. We are no longer witnessing a story for which it is easy to take sides. Now, given several points of view, we are forced to realize that characters we deemed utter monsters are people too. Shocking, I know. Seriously though, we now face, on a regular basis, the ugly truth that the characters we love are the ones who have to make the hard decisions. Darrow has to make hard decisions. Lysander has to make hard decisions. We may not agree with them. We may rail against them with everything we have. But Pierce has the hooks in deep. We watch in horror as the characters we love.. kill each other. Kill others. Kill lots of others, indirectly or no. And what do we get? Well, conflicted emotions in my case. But that is where true magic lies in a story. Make me regret loving someone. Make me love hating someone. Pierce does it like it's second nature. Maybe it is.'The tragedy of the gifted is the belief they are entitled to greatness, Lysander. As a human, you are entitled only to death.'

Dark age is book 5 in the red rising series and book 2 in the 2nd trilogy, needless to say this isn’t the place to start if you haven’t already been reading the series.Pierce brown is my favorite author he had been in the top three or four anyway but with Dark age he cements his place at the top, it’s not just that he is a great writer and a amazing storyteller, which is not always a given in a author even a successful one, but it’s the consistency of the series he writes that make me think that make me laugh, that they trill me, and yes at times break my heart, 5 books on and not one I would judge less then 5 stars.Dark age is about consequences and as with the series as a whole it is about chains a frequent motifs in the series where it mean freedom from slavery in the books it hides a deeper meaning in the chains our own nature impose our greed our lusts our avarice and cycles of violence and behavior we are doomed to repeat and above all about the legacy, good and bad, that our parents leave us.Like the other books it what the author describes as science fantasy, or I would as extremely well written space opera, so Space ships and robots abound mankind has been segregated and bred into castes defined by color with gold at the top and red at the bottom. Despite the advances most conflicts are resolved by hand to hand combat , and there’s an actual cavalry charge at one stage why I call it space opera, though often lyrical in its prose and possessing a intelligence and wit often lacking in that sub genre though rather them aimed at the science or how everything works it’s spent on observations about human nature.essentially this is a Greek myth come to life Demi gods and all both if the first trilogy was Homers Iliad a paen to the glory of war then this is Virgil’s Aeneid with a sting in the tail.Like iron gold this book contains multiple points of view if the first trilogy was about throwing off the chains of oppression then the 2nd is about happens when the consequences of our actions come home when we pay the price for youthful hubris.So ephraim, Darrow , Lyra, Lysander are again the major POV characters with Virginia being a another view point character the strength of the novel is again it’s villains both expected and unexpected its weakness few save that I wish the author would expound a bit more on the differences between the different strains of man when he does it’s more for the strains we don’t have a POV character such as the whites through Xenophon and the blues through Orion and colloaway also I am a bit ambiavielent about how the Syndicate story resolved lots to love in one way with a character I adore returning but it seems a bit forced? And possibly disconnected from the main storyline however that said there are more then a few hints that a different game is being played in the shadows.The secondary cast grows again with the unsworn, the fear knight and Faa being a particular highlight, also pax and Electra come into there own here as Demi gods in training.I would love to go onall I want to do is discuss this book to death but since I don’t want to spoil and it’s hard to discuss any of the ongoing storylines which are continued from iron gold without doing so all I will say is bloodydamn this is a fantastic read.

An extremely frustrating read focused on delivering continual twists, turns, shocks and surprises instead of developing characters or building a coherent narrative. Earlier books with smaller casts of characters were much more affecting and interesting. Several events in the book seemed to quite literally come from nowhere and ultimately lead to frustration being the overwhelming emotion when reading the book. On a technical level, Brown's inept use of descriptive similes also contributed to rising frustration with the book.Obviously, Brown wants to depict the negative and chaotic consequences of societal upheaval, but for me this desire simply results in an almost unendingly depressing and dispiriting read - while previous books managed to skilfully intertwine hope and despair, book 5 has an unbalanced focus on pain, anguish and torment.Overall, a disappointing follow-up to the previous books as Brown's use of continuous and illogical narrative twists creates frustration, antipathy and distrust in the reader.

Fifth novel in the ‘Red Rising’ series of science fiction books. A story of conflict in the solar system of the far future, when it’s all modelled on ancient Rome.This is not a jumping on point. New readers should start with Red Rising. Regular readers, read on.This book runs for seven hundred and fifty two pages. It has four parts and is further divided into ninety six chapters.It does not end the story. There’s clearly more to come.There’s copious violence, some adult moments, and a handful of bits of strong language. So it’s just for the grown ups.There is a cast of characters at the front. And a map of one key location.Picking up from the end of the last book, Darrow is now an outlaw. And is at the centre of conflict on Mercury. Can he win again, or is his time done?Oh dear.This is a middle book. And then some. Letting things happen. Setting a lot more up. But it serves no more purpose than that.In addition to Darrow, there are four other viewpoint characters. It will tell you at the start of each chapter who it is in the one you are reading.Everyone narrates in first person present tense.I can see what this is trying to do. It’s cool to be epic, which it has to be in showing the sheer scope of the narrative. But you can get a little too epic for your own good. Which this alas is guilty of.The big problem is the prose. And the print. All the viewpoint characters do talk and think in the same way, so if not for the name at the start of each chapter, you could easily get confused as to whose chapter it is. I actually did on one occasion.The way it’s all written, the present tense and lots of short descriptive sentences, coupled with small print size, means this becomes a complete slog at points. The prose really didn’t hold me at all, and I had to take it very slowly to try and make it keep my attention. But that was a chore at times, not a pleasure.When the focus is on Darrow, it’s okay. The first part does actually come very close to clicking towards it’s end.But then he rather vanishes from the tale in the middle. Far too much time is given over to two other characters, whose stories don’t really go as far as you would hope and seem like diversions from the central story at times, so it’s easy to lose your focus there.It does slightly come back together in the final part where all plot points do converge and some things develop. But that’s where the middle book problem comes in. Because all this has done is be grim gritty and depressing for hundreds of pages, and leave so much up in the air.There are a few too many miraculous bits of tech just happening to come into play at key points, as well.As seems to be a common problem these days, you really wonder how much editing was done on this. If at all.Just gets two stars because of it’s ambition and occasional moments of clicking, but I am afraid this series has rather lost it’s way for me. I will consider reading any future one, but it needs to be a bit shorter and much less indulgent to make me want to.

I toyed with giving this only 4 stars - still a respectable rating! The overall plot themes remain the same; plans, politics, epic battles, betrayals-upon-betrayals, brinksmanship, last minute salvation... all of which Brown executed perfectly in the first trilogy. So what's different here? Simple. Brown's storytelling and writing have grown along with the theatre of characters we now follow. Yes, the themes and objectives are the same. But it's a delight to see new goodmen and women take the limelight away from Darrow and his neverending quest for equality in a solar system of Romanic tyrants. And what tyrants we are treated to here! Obscene and grotesque dance with nimble and sly. If you are at all a fan of Brown's earlier books, it is safe to say you won't be disappointed with this latest entry.And to anyone still considering the Red Rising series? Well, if you like science fiction, space opera, Roman history, Vikings and political thrillers, these books are for you.

Definietly much better than book 4. The plot thickens further with many twists and several of the main characters end up paying the bill for their earlier actions be it softness or bad choices.The first qtr of the book is somewhat slow with a lot of fillers, to be honest i put the book down for a while, then to return later due to curiosity. Several of the later scenes are epic, others are just brutal (truly a society in the dark ages).Can't wait for the conclusion of the story in book 6. Bringing this story to the silver screen/tv will be no small feat.