Iron Gold (Red Rising Series)

Many people consider Iron Gold the weakest entry in the Red Rising series, but I couldn’t disagree more. While I understand why some readers were initially put off by the shift away from Darrow’s single POV, I think this book showcases just how much Pierce Brown had grown as a writer. The prose is noticeably more mature and confident than in the original trilogy. The world feels larger, more complex, and more lived in. Instead of seeing the Society and the Republic solely through Darrow’s eyes, we’re finally given a broader perspective on the consequences of the revolution and how ordinary people, allies, and even enemies experience this new world. The multiple POVs were a refreshing change. After three books entirely inside Darrow’s head, stepping into the minds of Ephraim, Lysander, and Lyria made the solar system feel infinitely bigger. Each character offers a completely different lens through which to view the aftermath of the Rising. Ephraim’s chapters were especially compelling to me. Hyperion on Luna felt like something straight out of Blade Runner or Cyberpunk 2077—a sprawling neon metropolis drenched in noir atmosphere, corruption, and melancholy. Following a broken, morally gray thief through the underbelly of Luna gave the series a completely different flavor that I absolutely loved. It expanded the setting in a way the original trilogy never had the chance to. Lysander’s chapters were equally fascinating because they force the reader to confront uncomfortable questions about the Society. Through his eyes, we see why so many people still believe in the old order and why the Republic’s victory didn’t magically solve everything. Even when I disagreed with him, I found his perspective incredibly engaging because it added nuance and complexity to the world. He isn’t a cartoon villain; he’s a product of a different upbringing and worldview, which makes his chapters compelling and, at times, frustrating in the best way. And then there’s Darrow himself. Iron Gold strips away the mythic image of the Reaper and presents us with a weary, flawed man struggling under the weight of impossible decisions. Seeing him from both his own perspective and through the eyes of others makes him feel more human than ever before. To me, Iron Gold isn’t the weakest book in the series—it’s the book that transforms Red Rising from an excellent trilogy into a rich, expansive science-fiction universe. It’s slower and more deliberate, but that’s exactly why it works. It’s a book about consequences, perspectives, and the messy reality of trying to build a better world after a revolution. I think it’s one of Pierce Brown’s boldest and most underrated achievements.

Coming straight off of this book I am actually warring with my emotions...I am quite angry if I'm being honest with what was done with Darrow's character in that final chapter. I get it, but also I feel Darrow's character was robbed. In addition to that turn of events that blindsided me as a reader...I found Iron Gold to be a mix of hit and miss for me. There were some chapters that I found quite boring and even some that I thought were downright silly because it felt so dramatic. However, there were some really solid chapters throughout and a handful of characters that were so interesting! For me, this is what I enjoyed: -Apollonius, MVP of Iron Gold in my opinion! I actually don't recall his character (I remember him being Tactus' terrible brother) having actual interactions....so I may need to reread Golden Son and Morning Star to see if I have in fact already met this man. But, it felt like this was the first time meeting his character and I absolutely loved him; he seemed to steal the show when he entered the story! I felt like I could imagine him so easily and am interested in his role in the rest of the books. -Sevro and Victra, no big surprise here as I absolutely love the Barca's. They could never do any wrong for me and they continue to be feral, savage, and such a solid family that it made me so, so happy. -Electra, what a little bada**! I was completely convinced that she was a product of her parents and I was so, so happy to read all of her scenes and felt that it absolutely fit! I did want to mention that I found it a bit annoying with her being referred to as a "hatchet face". I chose to ignore that. -Volga, instant love with her! I felt so bad for her and she deserves all of the happiness. I certainly hope that she has a HEA. -Mustang, I felt that she grew appropriately and I felt that her role in this book was organic. -Lyria, absolutely loved her! She was a great addition and I appreciated how her character tied into the story. What I disliked: -Ephraim, I have no love for this character. I felt slightly blindsided by how unlikable he was for me. I fell so hard in love with Trigg (which says a lot because he had so little screen time)...that I was left scratching my head that Ephraim was the one that Trigg fell in love with...I understand Ephraim's despair, but a lot of his scenes had me eager to get through them and onto a different POV. -Telemanus', this one hurts. I really enjoyed the larger than life Telemanus' in the previous three books...but, they all sort of fell flat for me in this installment. -Lysander, I feel like I can't adequately put into words how meh Lysander was for me...he was just a boring character for me unfortunately. -Seraphina, unfortunately I could not stand this character. She was like nails on a chalkboard for me and the entire plot line surrounding her and her family was the silly, drama part of this book that I mentioned above.

2023-07-18 I remember feeling trepidation when Iron Gold was first announced. Trepidation that, I now believe, Pierce Brown himself felt as well. A continuation of Red Rising... The trilogy felt like such a complete package that I was worried Pierce didn't have more story to tell, or that he was forcing a continuation due to the success of the first three books. Oh, how wrong I was. Iron Gold, especially on a reread, in many ways feels like a necessity. An inevitability, even. Something that the original trilogy was leading toward all along. The book begins with a ten year time jump, and it reinvigorates the series on almost every level. It changes the stakes, the circumstances, and the passage of time is believable, something Pierce has always excelled at. This change to our setting, along with our new POV characters, injects something into the series that I didn't even know it needed until it was there. It's hard to quantify, but it's in the pages. The tragedy of the first trilogy is that after everything that Darrow and his allies did, after all they sacrificed to break the chains of the Society, all it gained them was war. That is what Iron Gold shows us. A Republic that has been at war for ten long years, harried by remnants of the Society at every turn, knowing no peace, even for their victory. And it is how Darrow fits within the Republic he helped build (or rather, how he doesn't fit) that makes the continuation of the series so interesting. As I said, Darrow's path here feels like some tragic inevitability. Just, as I hope, his redemption will be... The character work remains excellent here, and Pierce has expanded the story from one first-person point-of-view to four. Not everyone was on board for this, but I find it brilliant. It felt natural to me, expanding the breadth of Pierce's storytelling and allowing him to showcase how his writing skill has evolved since he began. I think that a full trilogy of just Darrow was actually too much Darrow, in a way. Not because you got sick of him, but because he is so cool, such a great character, that depriving you of him, even if just for a handful of chapters, makes him that much more effective once he returns. Iron Gold is in many ways a herald of the Dark Age to come. Just as, one hopes, Light Bringer will be a tonal reprieve. It's just over the horizon now, and I can't wait to begin. “This is not the end. I loved you before I ever met you. I will love you until the sun dies. And when it does, I will love you in the darkness." 2018-01-27 A few years ago I bought a book called Red Rising by Pierce Brown for 99 cents. I'd heard good things, and what's a dollar for a book? It turned out to be one of the best dollars I ever spent as my fervor for the story led me to buying Golden Son. That book earned the series and its characters a spot among my favorites, and resulted in both my brother and father diving into the series. It led to a brutal wait for Morning Star for all of us, then to excitement over the possibility that Pierce would continue the story later in the timeline, which led to a brutal wait for the fourth book in the saga and thus, Iron Gold. I will not be posting any blatant spoilers for the book below, however if you've not ready any of the other books and would like to remain in the dark about who lives through the initial trilogy, I would skip this review. The Red Rising saga is like coming home for me. Its world and its characters hold a special place and sinking back into the story was easy and comfortable. Pierce Brown changes things up this time in that we no longer have a single narrator in Darrow. Instead he is joined by three other POV characters, making this one of the only first-person books I've ever read that has multiple points of view. I had some initial trepidation about this approach, but it was unwarranted. Pierce handled it extremely well, and each character had their own distinct voice. Seeing Darrow again was like hanging out with an old friend, and my heart breaks for him. To witness his efforts and sacrifices in the initial trilogy earn him nothing but war and strife was very hard, but I am impressed that even after four books Darrow is still growing, with room to grow further still. Lyria, our only truly brand new character, was a joy. And in a way she reminded me of Eo, the catalyst of the entire series. Amazing that a rebellion begun in her name could spawn so many more people just like her. Ephraim was a worthy POV character, offering the Gray perspective and tying in nicely with Lyria's story. He is another victim of the Rising, and lost much to Darrow's rise. You can't help but feel his nihilism and depression is justified. Finally, our last POV character (and the only one I knew we'd be reading before the book's release) was Lysander. Heir of Empire, grandson of Octavia au Lune and Lorn au Arcos, and godson of Magnus au Grimmus, the Ash Lord. I was most looking forward to reading Lysander's chapters, and they did not disappoint, easily taking the spot of my favorite. The story in the Rim is incredibly compelling, and House Raa with their code of Honor over vanity and excess (so atypical of Gold society) is admirable. Diomedes au Raa has the potential to become my favorite character of this series. Beyond our POV characters it was satisfying to reunite with other old friends like Sevro, Mustang, the Telemanuses, and many more. Characters aside (if you can't tell I think Pierce excels there) the pacing and story were true to form. Iron Gold is no different than the other Red Rising books in that it is damn hard to put down. Twists and turns abound, and by the end it's clear that this is just a new beginning. The Dark Age comes. Now we must see how our characters will meet it. I couldn't more pleased with this new installment, and with Pierce's progression as a writer. Luckily, I believe that the fifth book is due out this year as well, a welcome surprise. I cannot wait. LUX EX TENEBRIS Hail Libertas. Hail Reaper.

I could not put this book down. All the new characters were so well developed and each chapter ended in such a way that I could not stop reading. I think it’s my favorite book of all the series so far!

4.25 🌟 I felt like a lot of this book was moving chess pieces around the board and setting up for a big move while taking out pawns (and one knight) in the process We’re introduced to a lot of new characters in this second half of the series, and have some new POVs. The beginning of this book was a bit of a whirlwind—I felt like I was thrown into a few different storylines with new faces and little to no context. But over time, as things develop, the bigger picture comes into focus and I really enjoyed these new plot lines (for the most part) Even though there seemed to be smaller plays and moving pieces around to set up for the big number there were plenty of jaw dropping plot twists, back stabs and betrayal, and Darrow doing what Darrow does I will say [redacted’s] death was so anticlimactic and unfitting of their character. I didn’t even like them but I felt like they were robbed of the emotional death their arc deserved I do think this book lost a bit of momentum after Golden Son and Morning Star, but it sets evening up for what I expect to be an exciting part two to the saga. I am both excited and terrified for Dark Age & will dive in soon enough

I was a little nervous about reading a sequel when there’s been a break, but Pierce Brown did amazingly. He answers the question: What becomes of the Reaper after so many years of war? He beings political intrigue and brings up hard questions because of the characters decisions. If you’re wanting a happy ending, you have the wrong book. But this is a great start to the sequel to see what happens to the world’s in Red Rising.

Where do I begin. Firstly. There are four story lines in this story and although I fall in love with the three new characters, Pierce decided to end all of them with a god damn cliff hangar! No closure to any of the damn story lines. So if you hate cliffhangers like me, better wait until the next book to buy this one. I just gorydamn hate cliff hangers. Especially when you have multi story-lines and you don't decide to end any of them satisfyingly. Spoiler territory here: Characters Darrow: Darrow is now a father to a ten year old and his character is the only one I care about at the beginning of the book but becomes the least one I care about by the end of the book. The problem with Darrow character and not person is that he hasn't mature at all. Ten years of war and he's the same man he was at the end of the red rising trilogy. Seriously if it wasn't for the red rising trilogy, I doubt anyone would like him in this book. How far he goes and how far his head is up his own ass. Servo said it best, "You cut corners, take shortcuts." And this would be good if this was twenty year old Darrow. This is thirty year old darrow. I'm near thirty and I could never see myself acting the way Darrow is. He becomes totally unrelatable in this book and since we don't go through the history with Darrow on why he hate the ashlord so much or why he needed to call down the Iron Rain on Mercury, it's hard to feel sympathy for him. Lyria: I love this girl. However her story arc was so insignificant that it could be left out the book wholly or added to Ephraim storyline. It would had been better if she actually did something other than moan about her problems. I get it, everyone she know is dead but her story arc revolves around brooding and walking a fox. I hope she is not dead and I hope she is most important in the next book or we going to have problems. Ephraim: I seriously hated this character and skipped a few of his chapters. His teddy bear companion Volga was the only reason I read his chapter. I love that damn girl and hope she isn't killed off. I only started to love him when he goes good and calling Servo kid a little psycho. Too bad it was too late in the story and too bad he burned Lyria on his way to kidnap Darrows and Servo kids. Yes! He kidnaps the little ones after brooding for several chapters. Seriously the brooding done in this book is absolutely tiring. Lystander: Now here is where the book should had focus. I could had done without the other characters but this kid story was interesting from page 1 to the last page. I was sad for Cassius death. I hated him in the red rising trilogy but here his death was so sad, so lonely, so unfulfilled. Not only that, but his corpse was desecrated by sore losers. I wished he would had found a new home, a new family, a new cause and a new love but Pierce is a cruel god of his crafted world. Lystander only flaw is that it feel like Pierce is trying to hard to make him seem like a morally grey character and with this try hard effort it makes him narrative untrustworthy. Maybe that was the goal but I'm not a fan of it. This book was like red rising, slow start, exciting finish, so I expect next book to be like Gold Son. I hope everyone is alive.

A great start to the sexond era of the Red Rising Series with lots of political intrigue, personal termoil and returning favorite characters along with some new ones. Pierce Brown continues to weave. Spectacular world centered around Darrow, a Red born on Mars, transformed into a Gold, who then sparked a revolution. Set 10 years after the events in Morning Star, Iron Gold joins Darrow 10 years into the revolution and things have not gone as well as it should have. There is political divide and The Ash Lord is still raging war on them. The biggest difference from the first three books is that the story goes from Darrow’s singular POV to a multiple POV, following both old and new characters. The multiple viewpoints bring a breath of fresh air to the storyline as well as helping to expand Brown’s intricately created universe. I am looking forward to reading the next book and cannot wait to see how graphic audio transform this book into the dramatized version! I switched between reading on kindle and listening to the audiobook. The narrators did a great job with the story and it is worth investing in the audio version for their performances alone!

I had my doubts about what looked like an easy cash in on a popular but finished series. But Brown delivers at a level that surpasses the original. Characters are more nuanced, writing more gripping, the action more epic and the universe (with the addition of new planets) more exotic and imaginative.

I'm only halfway through but this is probably my favorite book in the series yet, together with the first book (which starts really slow but I love the whole story at the insitute).

A great continuation of the Red Rising Series!! I loved all the new characters and the way the author keeps them connected!! Action packed with lots of twists and turns which the author is brilliant at creating!! A must read that I would highly recommend!!

The story seemed to drag on a little bit.... then I realized it's because there will be another book! Also since there was a bit of time between the 3rd and the 4th book, I had forgotten a lot of the names and events that happened so I was occasionally confused while reading it. Not a bad book of course, kept me interested. Excited to see how it ends!

After the original trilogy I wasn't sure what to expect and I like that PB really shook things up! This book is set 10 years on and is full of your favourite (surviving) characters from Morning Star. I really liked the jump forward in time. I like seeing how relationships and people have changed over time and what the Republic has achieved in 10 years. The biggest change is the multi POV style. This book follows two characters from the original series as well as two new characters, Lyria, a red from the Martian mines and Ephraim a disillusioned grey. PB is just so good at making you fall in love with characters (and then kill them!) I still love Darrow, Sevro and Cassius but Volga is my new favourite Obsidian and the Telemanuses and Sophocles will always be favourites. One thing I didn't enjoy though is I spent the whole book terrified PB is going to kill off my favourites, if he does then I will wish he just left it as the original trilogy... I've had enough heartbreak! A minor point is that Pacing seemed to be back to red rising style- slightly inconsistent. Some parts-amazing and gripping, others a little ploddy/filler-y. I guess with the multiple POV there was a lot of introducing the characters and their backstories-even the two you know. This world that PB has built is absolutely amazing, its so well thought out, the overall plots are intricate, complex, full of betrayals, policitics, action but I do think its the characters that will stick with me. Started Dark Age as soon as i finish this!!