4.5 stars
Just up front, there will be some minor plot spoilers in this review, but most of it is also revealed in the official synopsis of the book from the publisher. Any details of the plot I give, only cover the first third or so of the book. Still, if you prefer to go in completely cold, and have managed to stay ignorant of the premise of a book published several years ago, you may want to skip this review and just take my word for it that it’s very good. Brutal and not really your run of the mill YA dystopian, but very good indeed.
Ok, if you’re still reading, I’m assuming your fine with knowing the bare bones of the plot. Darrow works deep under the surface of Mars, mining for precious minerals. He is a Red, one of the pioneers and hard workers sent to Mars, told that their work efforts are crucial to aid in the terraforming of Mars and other planets for those left behind on Earth. Working conditions are extremely tough, hardly anyone lives to a ripe old age. Food is scarce, unless you live in the town that always seems to manage the highest quotas every month. Darrow’s father was publicly executed after he encouraged some other workers to do a pacifist protest against working conditions, so he and the rest of his family have been careful to be model workers. Now Darrow’s young wife Eo has started voicing dissent against the system and Darrow is worried.
When they are caught trespassing in a restricted area, both are sentenced to public flogging, to be broadcast on the video feed all around Mars. The ArchGovernor of Mars, the most powerful man on the planet, just so happens to be visiting as the sentence is to be carried out. Darrow takes his punishment stoically, then is shocked to realise that Eo is going to sacrifice herself to prove a point. Singing one of the songs of rebellion as she is being whipped, Eo is hanged and her death broadcast across the planet. Her last words are to “Break the chains!” Darrow is absolutely crushed and breaks the law by fetching down her dead body from the gallows and burying it somewhere hidden. He too is sentenced to hang, but wakes up after his execution, not dead at all. A resistance group tells him that Eo has become a martyr to their cause and they need Darrow to help them fight.
Quite a lot more on my blog, including my thoughts on fridging and whether Darrow is a Gary Stu.
“To me, the fridging of a female character is when she, though no fault of her own, usually just because she is the wife/girlfriend of the hero, is killed pointlessly. That isn’t what happened here. Eo chose to become a martyr.”
Thank you! I have seen so many people getting upset about her death, when to me she very clearly knew what would happen to her. I’m always frustrated when people talk about “fridging”, though (and Mary Sues) because I feel like talking about specific plot points in such general terms usually misses the real reasons the plots don’t work. It’s not helpful to me when you say, this character was fridged, this book is terrible! Instead, maybe just say, hey, this character didn’t get enough character or agency, and she really didn’t need to die, or if she did, here’s how it could have been done better, etc. Same with Mary Sues (which people don’t even use correctly anymore, and it’s taken a pretty sexist turn).
I will stop ranting now.
I’m glad you liked this, and I can’t wait for your reviews of books two and three!
Also, re: Darrow being a Gary Stu (because apparently I’m not actually done ranting), why are people so averse to the main characters of books being talented? It seems like you get a hero who can do something well and people start screaming MARY SUE GARY STU, etc.
I mean, these people complaining, do they just want to read about boring normal people all the time who aren’t talented in any way? That is so fucking boring to me.
I honestly think when people start in with the Mary Sue bullshit it’s just them reacting to and not liking the book, and instead of really understanding their own minds and why they aren’t liking it, they just start in on the Mary Sue business and leave it at that. It’s so frustrating I honestly might lose my mind the next time I encounter it.
I’m sorry for once again ranting and hijacking your comments. I’m sure you will understand, though, because you are wonderful and you are my book twin.
I am glad that what I wrote resonated so strongly with you. I also find accusations of fridging and every single competent protagonist ever being accused of being a Mary Sue/Gary Stu incredibly tiresome. Hence my points in the review. I’m really enjoying the series, but oh is it emotionally exhausting. Having now read two Julia Quinn romances after finishing Golden Son, I may actually also read the two Sanderson books before I tackle Morning Star. It’s not that I don’t want to find out what happens to Darrow and the others, it’s just that I need some time for my feels to recover after the battering they took towards the end of book 2.
Yes. I didn’t even notice that Eo could possible be categorized as “fridged” when I was reading this one, because she chose martyrdom. Like my favorite quote from Courtney Milan, she was done with things happening to her, and she was going to happen to things.
We also get character development for her, even though she is dead, throughout at least book two (I haven’t gotten to the library to pick up book three yet). As Darrow reflects on Eo, his past, Mustang, and his future we are given as much as we possibly can based on the POV.
But what are your feelings on Sevro? I know Alexis will be highly interested as am I. :)
Ah Sevro. He puzzled and annoyed me a bit at first, but has really grown on me. I love how incredibly angry he is at everything and everyone and naturally he also sort of scares me. All the Howlers do. I hope for good things for him in book 3. It seems unlikely to me that there are a lot of happy endings in a series like this, but it would be nice if at least some of the main characters gets something resembling one.
I hadn’t delved into the criticism of Red Rising, it was simply a book I loved and I quietly looked forward to later releases without knowledge that it was taking heat for fridging and Gary Stuness. But I wholeheartedly agree with your thoughtful analysis of why these things aren’t fair critiques.
I adore the violent but fully realized world Brown has created. It is challenging to keep track of all the characters as there are so many, they frequently die after given just enough screen time to start to like them, and the names can be hard to keep track of (was that Ragnar or Ragnok?).
Eo willfully and powerfully chooses her own death, using her life as a weapon against her oppressors. She also has a distinct personality and character arc beyond, “Darrow’s wife.” Her presence continues to resonate well into book #3. I also appreciate that the book is populated with many powerful female characters. They are depicted as being 100% on equal footing as the men, so much so that I frequently forget who is female at all. It’s almost as if gender doesn’t matter – wow what a concept :)
And Darrow isn’t all that likeable. Isn’t that one of the defining characteristics of a Gary Stu – beloved by all? He’s a raging beast of a man who is singularly focused on vengeance. Many of his decisions are questionable and most result in massive slaughter. We root for him and admire his proficiency, but he’s definitely not beloved.
I actually love a dark protagonist like this. The best example I’ve seen is Jorg from Prince of Thorns. He’s a hideous human being who does unspeakable evil. He’s also brilliantly capable and we root for him because of this. But you don’t like him and he walks a fine line of being UNlikeable. Which is for me, what makes him so interesting.
Dark distopia isn’t for everybody, but clearly it is for me :)