SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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Group Reads Discussions 2015
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"Red Rising" by Pierce Brown - continue or not?
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Shifting this over to the folder we have for this book.
Sorry Kim, didn't realise there was a section for this. First time posting in this club. Thought this was the right place.
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The big fame to this book is its plot twists that kind of are worth getting to. I agree about the main character. He's kind of that way throught the whole series.
It took me four years to read this book. It's not bad, just a lot of "been there, done that."
I almost stopped towards the start too, but I feel like it got a lot better as the story progressed, so I'm glad I continued with the book/series.
I personally loved Red Rising. The protagonist is arrogant, and some might say without his flaws, but I've never minded that kind of character. But to answer your question, I think it probably is worth pushing through for some of the other characters in the book. Servo is the best.
Ok, thanks everyone. I think I'll try to push through a bit more and see how it goes. Hope he doesn't stay as a Mary Sue.
I know what you mean about the protagonist being arrogant. I stopped after the first one also but everyone who has read the other two say they get much better.
I thought the first book was good, not great, good. But the 2nd was a solid 5 star read.. if you're into space opera, stick with it, it pays off!
Follow up question - it seems very YA - is it or is that just the marketing? I've stayed away because I can only take so much YA-ness
Rachel wrote: "Follow up question - it seems very YA - is it or is that just the marketing? I've stayed away because I can only take so much YA-ness"Sometimes it is tough to know what parts of a book make it YA for any particular reader.
The writing isn't very complex - could be YA
The good vs bad, true love themes on the surface could be YA
The brutality, gore and betrayal - definitely not YA
Mustang in particular has some very complicated motives which I wouldn't have understood as a kid.
I wouldn't recommend it to my 12 or 14 year old and I try out a bunch of inappropriate sounding books on them :)
It's a really slow start but picks up from the middle and never stops being captivating
It was not intended to be YA by the publisher. I can't remember if it was adult or New Adult. I'm guessing the latter.
Keep on reading! It definitely gets better as you go along. I'm currently reading the final book of the series and enjoying every minute of it.
I would recommend you continue to read, it picks up quickly thereafter and is brutal. I didn't consider it YA despite the simple sentences and fast pace. And it gets gruesome. For me this and its sequel, The Golden Son was a guilty pleasure, just for the violence. And I was more intrigued by Sevro and Mustang more than Darrow. Darrow will remain somewhat annoying but I didn't really bother me.
Honestly, unless you don't like not finishing books, I wouldn't bother continuing. You aren't missing much. There're so many books but so little time... Go read something you'll actually enjoy instead!And FYI, YA books are aimed at 14-25 year olds. So the "it can't be YA because it's too violent or sexually explicit" argument doesn't really work. A teenage protagonist fighting against the establishment... you can't get more YA than that.
it beats chewing the fingernails....or throwing tropes in a blender or smacking ones own hand with a ball peen hammer or...
An online search shows "RED RISING is an adult book --- it is being published by Del Rey, an adult imprint at Random House."
I wouldn't call it YA, but then I'm not overly conversant with the current parameters of that fake genre.If a book isn't engaging you, go on to something else. So many books, so little time.
I'd recommend reading Gordon Dickson's Wolfling instead. It's the same story told in a more efficient package. Bonus: it has lightsabers nearly a decade before George Lucas wrote Star Wars.
Sarah Anne wrote: "An online search shows "RED RISING is an adult book --- it is being published by Del Rey, an adult imprint at Random House.""I don't trust marketing. Too many times burned by books claiming to be like Game of Thrones. :P
If it reads like YA, it is YA. And apparently 1689 users agree with me, lol.
Also, you don't do interviews with teenreads if you don't want to appeal to that audience.
I consider it YA due to the themes, the characters, the plot, and the writing style. And I didn't like it because it was yet another in the teen dystopic YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE books that thankfully seemed to have died down a little. Probably because the movies are all bombing.
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All of that, yes. Spot on.
It particularly seems to fit the Hunger Games mold, but with a male protagonist.
I thought the first book was awfully derivative of other things I had read in recent years. I had trouble getting into it, but I did think it picked up in the second half and I decided to continue the series. I thought each successive book was a little better than the previous one. The series still had its issues, though. I think my biggest complaint with the whole series was how the author repeated the same pattern of events to the point that the story became predictable even while being twisty. You might not always know exactly what the “big surprise” that’s about to come up will be, but you can sure as heck predict when it will happen and make some good guesses about its general nature.
Also, for any fans of the series who might not already know, there will be a follow-up book. Some sites have indicated it will be another trilogy. In any case, the first book is Iron Gold, due out in January 2018. http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/boo...I’m not planning to read it, but I’ll be interested to see the reviews from those who do.
Kim wrote: "I consider it YA due to the themes, the characters, the plot, and the writing style. And I didn't like it because it was yet another in the teen dystopic YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE books that thankfull..."Well, I dove back in, but I think Kim is spot on, this plus the simplistic nature of the writing is enough for me to put it aside. There's definitely a good story and interesting characters in there, but I'm just not jelling with the way it is written.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
I finished it but was disappointed. I expected it to be better due to the high ratings. I think the Mars books by Kim Stanley Robinson are much better, especially if you like Hard Sci Fi & Robinson's books are definitely not YA.
Barb wrote: "I finished it but was disappointed. I expected it to be better due to the high ratings. I think the Mars books by Kim Stanley Robinson are much better, especially if you like Hard Sci Fi & Robinson..."I think the only thing those books have in common is Mars as a setting, but vastly different Mars. On the other hand I found Red Mars to be one of the most boring books I've ever picked up, but that's for another discussion.
The first 50-75 pages of this book flat out suck. I nearly quit but made it. This book in general was just enough to get me to read the next book in the series but it took me 6 months to do so. The final two books were great. I still don't love his writing and I think even when he does try to put empathy into his characters it comes off choppy but I do think it's worth continuing.
If you know something about the ancient Roman Republic than the recreation of Rome on Mars is kind of interesting. It's not literature, but its a fun read.
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Thanks.