The 400 Project

I recently wrote an article about Red Rising and the time that I met its author Pierce Brown. Having enjoyed the first book in the series, I decided to jump right into book two, Golden Son. It absolutely did not disappoint.

Golden Son picks up the story of Darrow as he continues in his quest to lead his oppressed people to freedom from their elitist overlords. Having now fully infiltrated the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down the Society from within and break the chains of the oppressed races that hold the Society together. Darrow will rely on his friends to continue his meteoric rise though the ranks, but can he live with keeping his secret from them? New obstacles and even more powerful Golds await in this high-action tale of a man trying to live for more.

Red Rising had its challenges with pacing chapters and the overall story. Golden Son puts all of those challenges in the rear view mirror. Pierce Brown manages to craft each chapter together so seamlessly that this instalment is extremely hard to put down. Golden Son keeps some of the fantasy/medieval vibes that were present in Red Rising but builds on its the sci-fi focus. The story expands across more of the galaxy allowing the reader to experience more of what the worlds and people of this series have to offer. Look forward to space combat and larger scale battles, amping up the excitement. Pierce Brown does a great job of further developing the technology introduced in Red Rising, giving even further depth to the story. You can easily picture the armour, razors, and spaceships of Golden Son. New characters are introduced and old ones return in all their glory. Just don’t get to attached to anyone, because with Pierce Brown no character is safe!

It is not often that a trilogy not only gets the second story right, but exceeds the first. Golden Son builds on what came before, while raising the stakes and introducing the reader to more of this amazing universe. You will meet new friends and foes while following Darrow further through his tale of subterfuge.

Golden Son is a great read that I would recommend anyone to pick up!

Now it is on to book three, Morning Star, for me. Stay tuned to the 400 Project for my thoughts in the final instalment.

Hic Sunt Leones!