quote:

---

"So this kid is what? A predestined Alexander? A Caesar? A Genghis? A Wiggin?"

---

The book is Pierce Brown's "Red Rising" which is the first book in a new series. Its about a teenage boy named Darrow who belongs to a caste of human beings called Reds, the pioneers who mine Mars so that the planet can one day be terraformed to ensure the future of the human race. Its a hard, short, and dangerous life filled with hardship and deadly overseers, but Darrow commits to it entirely because he believes in their work. His wife is not so convinced and is killed for trying to open his eyes to the truth. Her death sends him of a mission of vengeance that proves his wife was right, they aren't pioneers but rather slaves, mining on a planet that has been fully teraformed for the benefit of the wealthy, highColor caste called the Golds.

He is recruited by a group that believes his rage makes him the perfect candidate to infiltrate the violent Golds who govern the planets and control the interstellar armies. What follows is part-Hunger Games, part-Ender's Game as Darrow is presented with a number of tests where even the right choices have terrible consequences.

Its a wonderful book and while it utilizes alot of the elements from other popular teen series, it does so in really imaginative and different ways.

I did take some issue with it being categorized as a "teen series" because of the language and brutal depictions of war, including the prevalence of rape as an act of power (thankfully none of these scenes are graphically described.) The death toll in the book is high it often makes the Hunger Games look tame by comparison.

Going back to my original quote, it was a wonderful surprise to see "Ender's Game" so clearly referenced, as if they exist in the same universe. In the context of the story though, its not clear if they're referring Ender or Peter. Darrow is like Ender in that he's naturally intelligent, but he also has all of Ender's potential for violence and then some.

Unlike many books where morality is rewarded and cruelty punished, "Red Rising" plays with the idea that moral choices can still have terrible consequences and immoral choices can appear the right ones if the ends justify the means. Darrow is a character who struggles with whether its okay to make slaves of slavers, who is repeatedly faced with the decision whether its allowable to sacrifice one to save the many, etc.

ANYWAY...it was a fantastic read and fun surprise quote. Thought OSC fans would find the reference interesting and if anyone reads it, I'd love to hear their opinion.
 

---

Posted by stilesbn (Member # 11809) on :
 
It sounds interesting. I put it in my queue but I probably won't get to it for a while.
 

---

Posted by dansigal (Member # 12661) on :
 
Really enjoyed the book, it's been getting a lot of buzz as the next "big thing" It certainly meets the formula of what most big YA trilogies (though this books is not really YA, it's a bit more sophisticated) are doing...young protagonist, dystopian future where people are split up into castes. But the story itself certainly isn't formuliac.

I also caught the reference when I read it, which was a lot of fun.
 

---

Posted by Vasslia Cora (Member # 7981) on :
 
I really enjoyed it too! I bought it on a whim without seeing anything about so I was pretty upset when I found out it wasn't already an established series, I want the next book dagnabit.
 

---

Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
 
I thought it was a standalone. I'm glad I'm not stuck waiting a year, but January is still pretty far off. Can't wait to read the fallout of his choice at the end of book one.
 

---

Posted by beatnix19 (Member # 5836) on :
 
"I also caught the reference when I read it, which was a lot of fun."

Not to be a jerk or anything, but the word your looking for is allusion, not reference. I teach jr. High reading and never get to use the term outside of class!

And thanks for the heads up on the series. I'm always looking for new books to read through and suggest to students.
 

---

Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
 
Yes, but allusions are in fact a type of reference, are they not? You are, actually, referring to another work. I wouldn't say the use of reference is incorrect, as I would consider allusion and reference to be synonyms. Allusion might be the more accurate word to use in this case, but reference is not technically incorrect, in the opinion of this particular Jr. high literature teacher.



Now, let's discuss whether metonymy and synecdoche can be used interchangeably, or if synecdoche is a type of metonymy. Ready??? Go!!!

(Not that I teach metonymy to my 6th-8th graders, we do well to grasp the difference between simile and metaphor.)
 

---

Posted by Thesifer (Member # 12890) on :
 
I have two copies of this book (Accidentally got a Second Print somehow) .. And started reading it recently, but then I got drawn into The Stormlight Archives and some Trades I need to catch up on. So it took a back seat for now.
 

---

Posted by millernumber1 (Member # 9894) on :
 
Loving the terminology discussion.

Have placed a hold on Red Rising at my library - looking forward to trying it out. Thanks for the recommendation, Shanna!
 

---

Posted by fifalove (Member # 13160) on :
 
(Post Removed by JanitorBlade. Utilitarian Spam.)

[ April 22, 2014, 10:35 AM: Message edited by: JanitorBlade ]
 

---

Posted by Mr. Y (Member # 11590) on :
 
Whistled.
 

---

Posted by millernumber1 (Member # 9894) on :
 
Finished the book a few weeks ago - really enjoyed it. It definitely feels a bit like a mix of Ender's Game and The Hunger Games. I'm hoping it's more like the former than the latter in its final resolution, but for now, I'm waiting eagerly for the next book!
 

---

Posted by Thesifer (Member # 12890) on :
 
Currently reading this, almost done with the first book. Pretty good so far. Darrow annoyed me at first, but I'm starting to be alright with him.
 

---

Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
 
Just got to that quote last night. I smiled. But I wish I were enjoying the book more. It's been a long, confusing swirl of murky action and so-so characterization. Every little while I have to remind myself that this is all happening in the Valles Marineris on Mars, which the author seems to have forgotten.
 

---

Posted by Thesifer (Member # 12890) on :
 
It's happening on a highly changed, terraformed Mars. I didn't have that much trouble following along with what was going on. I was only reading a chapter or two per night though. So I'd like to sit down and read it in a couple sittings instead. But overall I enjoyed it. It wasn't my favorite book, but I liked it.
 

---

Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
 
Yeah, I'm aware it's on a terraformed Mars, and I have no problem with that. I like it to be on Mars. It's just that, for the entire middle third of the book, the author seems to forget that this is supposed to be happening on Mars, not just some random Earth-like planet. Every once in a while there's a reference to being able to jump higher due to the lighter gravity, but that's it--and that's a strange thing for any of the characters to notice anyway, especially Darrow, since he's never lived anywhere else. The author does use Mars as a bigger factor in the story at the beginning, so I do have some hope for the ending.

I think I'm kind of hypersensitive about the setting, though, because for a while now I've been working on a novel set in and around the Valles Marineris on a halfway-terraformed Mars, and I've been trying to make sure that unique setting is always a major factor in the story.
 

---

Posted by Thesifer (Member # 12890) on :
 
I could see that, almost as if Mars was a character, but the character wasn't really adding to the story, it was just there because it was 'unique.' And therefore didn't matter if the story was on Jupiter, Earth, or anywhere.
 

---