Jayden Van
Purple
8/6/23
Red Rising, by Pierce Brown, is a book about the main character Darrow. Red Rising is
set in a future within a strict caste system that chooses your path in life from day one, from even
a biological standpoint. Darrow is a red, a member of the lowest caste, who works below ground
with the dangerous job of a helldiver. However, this is disrupted when his wife, Eo, acts in
rebellion against the system and ends up being executed by hanging, after which Darrow rebels
himself and is executed in the same way as well. But soon, he is reborn by a rebel organization
called “The Sons of Aries,” which reveals to Darrow how they are being used by the upper
classes, such as the golds, for their own personal agendas. Now his new life goal is to
completely destroy the caste system so that everyone is treated equally, but in order to do that,
he must turn into a gold. He then goes through a huge surgery which enhances his body to turn
it into that of a Gold. After going through a life-changing exam, Darrow is accepted into the
school of the future Gold Elite, the Institute, where he makes friends and fights enemies with his
fellow Gold teammates. Eventually, he finds corruption within the system due to the Golds in
charge of the Institute unfairly aiding certain students over others. Due to this, Darrow fights the
system as a whole and emerges victorious. After this, he is then chosen to become a Lancer
(knight) for the executioner of his own wife and the ArchGovernor of Mars, Augustus.
My favorite part of the book is chapter 42, War On Heaven, in which Darrow assembles
his team, the Howlers, and fights the people who overlooked the houses, the proctors, in order
to get revenge and rescue Mustang. They defeat all the proctors except one, Jupiter. Darrow
and him fight until Darrow reveals that he is recording everything Jupiter is doing and along with
this, tells him that he knows Jupiter is cheating and that Sevro is behind him, who stabs his
hamstrings.
The best thing I like about Pierce Brown’s writing style is the tension he creates with the
frequent twists in the plot. The biggest twist for me is when we find out that the proctors were
bribed by the father of the Jackal, the father being the same person who killed Darrow’s wife. I
really loved some characters and really hated some others, but that’s what made the book so
engaging and captivating.
The character who stands out the most to me in Red Rising is Paxton. At first, he is an
enemy of Darrow and is described as a giant that is so strong that he knocks Darrow out just by
“hugging” him. But when he becomes Darrow’s subordinate, he is so loyal and does anything to
protect his captain, and goes so far to the point where he sacrifices his life in order to save
Darrow from the Jackal.
Something that connects to me in the book is Darrow’s desire for the equality of
everyone. This connects with me because I have been volunteering for nonprofits that are
dedicated to ensuring that everyone has the same opportunities and tools for success.
However, the way I work towards the quality of all is very different from the way Darrow does.
