Red Rising Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Red Rising | 2014 | Buy |
| Golden Son | 2015 | Buy |
| Morning Star | 2016 | Buy |
| Iron Gold | 2018 | Buy |
| Dark Age | 2019 | Buy |
| Light Bringer | 2023 | Buy |
Pierce Brown was 25 when Red Rising was published in 2014. He’d spent years trying to break into Hollywood as a screenwriter, working as an assistant at NBC while writing scripts that never sold. The novel began as a way to prove he could tell a complete story. It worked better than he expected.
Red Rising imagines a solar system colonized by humanity and stratified by color. Golds rule. Reds mine beneath the surface of Mars, believing they’re making the planet habitable for future generations. Darrow, a Red miner, discovers the surface has been terraformed for centuries. His people have been lied to. He infiltrates Gold society to destroy it from within.
The first trilogy follows Darrow’s transformation from miner to revolutionary. Brown’s prose is immediate and visceral, influenced by his screenwriting background. Fight scenes read like they’re already storyboarded. The pacing rarely lets up.
The second trilogy, beginning with Iron Gold, expands the point of view to multiple characters and deals with the aftermath of revolution. It’s darker and more politically complex than the original books. Brown has said he wanted to explore what happens after the hero wins, when the real work of building something new begins.
Universal Pictures acquired the film rights. As of 2025, the project remains in development. Brown continues writing the series, with one more novel planned to conclude the saga.