Mary's Reviews > Golden Son

** spoiler alert ** Real Rating: 4.5

"Hopefully you'll grow old enough to realize that Achilles was a gorydamned fool. And we're fools all the more for not realizing he wasn't Homer's hero. He was his warning. I feel like men once knew that."

Was this book as good as Red Rising? Hm, no. But Red Rising is my favorite book in the last six years. There was a fuck ton to contend with and Golden Son certainly made an admirable effort and would have succeeded if not for a few things.

In the below review, there will be some things labeled as spoilers. If you're like me, then sometimes you click on the spoilers without having read the book because you have terrible self-control.

DO NOT DO THIS! THIS IS YOUR WARNING! I WILL NOT GIVE YOU ANOTHER ONE! (That's a lie, I'll probably give you other warnings.)

Golden Son picks up a few years after Red Rising and Darrow is finishing up at the Academy. And then things go to hell because when do they not in this series? Cassius still hates Darrow, Darrow keeps being badass, Mustang keeps being fucking brilliant, and Sevro is still the best damn character since I don't even have something to compare him to because I love him that much. Since probably Sirius Black and my love of Sirius Black runs deep to the point where the fifth book never happened in my mind.

Darrow has what he needs in power, influence, and charisma and then, of course, it's stripped from him.

Plot

Let's not beat around the bush here, the plot of Red Rising made up for a few of its faults. The plot was so engaging, so perfectly executed, that it didn't matter if Darrow made followers a little too quickly or if he was a little too perfect.

The plot is engaging still in Golden Son, but not nearly to the point of Red Rising. There were still some parts that were absolutely phenomenal (view spoiler)[like Cassius's fight with Darrow literally made me say "Oh shit!" out loud, to the amusement of my husband. The ending. Ares. (hide spoiler)] But this book focuses far more on Darrow's character and building him up into Achilles now, instead of Alexander the Great.

Maybe it's my love of Alexander the Great, but I'd really much rather read about him than Achilles.

Because the plot was a bit less engaging--not much, seriously--it made it easier to find some of the faults I ignored in Red Rising.

First, seriously Darrow is good at everything he tries his hand at to the point where I'm sure people are going to call Gary Stu, if they hadn't in Red Rising already. However, Darrow for all his perfection, is real real dumb. Real. Real. Dumb.

Second, there are few plot holes which I'm not sure if they're plot holes, or if I maybe just missed the explanation for them.

Everyone that comes across Darrow seems to know him from the Institute, children included. Which ought not to be, because no Gold knew what the Institute entailed until they got there, right? Was it just because Darrow destroyed the thing that it got broadcast? But if that were the case, then I think we'd have an entirely different story on our hands because everyone would know the ArchGovernor cheated.

The next plot hole is the one that makes me want to pull my rating down to a four. And here's your second warning, because it has everything to do with the ending and if you spoil the ending for yourself, then I can't help you with your life decisions.

(view spoiler)[Darrow gives Mustang a video of his Carving. That's not what I have a problem with. I have a problem with a video of his Carving existing at all and it all has to do with Ares's backstory. We find out how Ares's wife dies. It's because evidence exists of her Carving so the Golds can find her and execute her.

So why the fuck would Ares make it so there's evidence of another Carving?! Evidence of the Carving on the guy that you're hoping for most of all to succeed? Evidence of the guy who literally has the best chance at doing what you've been working at for twenty years?

No. That knowledge lives and dies with Mickey. And maybe it was Mickey that actually said something, but that's not what it seems like.

Ares isn't new at this sort of shit, either. He's been working at it for twenty years (view spoiler)[if we go by the age of his son (hide spoiler)] and has evaded any suspicion.

Not to mention, Ares gives Darrow a network of people that outmatch Jackal's. Makes sense, right? I mean, Ares has age over the Jackal. But if that's the case, then how did the ending even happen? Someone would have tipped Darrow off if the network was at his command.

There also seemed like too many people on Darrow's side at the whole thing for it to happen as flawlessly as it did.

I don't know. For all the characters being so damn intelligent throughout the series, it just seems like they lost that intelligence for the ending to happen. And that makes it feel like a reverse deus ex machina.

I still love the ending, I just wish we'd come at the ending a different way. (hide spoiler)]

For all that have complained about the plot though, don't be fooled. This is still a hell of a plot. Lots of Ender's Game allusions, especially in the beginning. Then Darrow is a badass. Then he's a badass again. Then Sevro is a badass. Then Mustang is a badass. Then Darrow is real real dumb. Then Mustang is real real dumb. Then Darrow is dumb, Sevro is clever, and the book ends.

And I want the next book. Now. Not in five minutes, not in one month, not in two years.



Characters

Sevro is still the best character. Then Mustang. Then Darrow. Then Pax and no, I'm still not over it. I'm not crying, you're crying.

Darrow gets a lot of character development, which I think will come to fruition in the last book. The Institute looks tame to the real world, where in the real world his friends don't get a glorious death but instead die in the mud. Darrow comes to realize that his war isn't as pretty or as glorious as he wants it to be.

So Darrow goes from Alexander the Great to Achilles and at the end becomes Hector. And I am all fucking about Hector.

Sevro is not as crazy as he was in the first book, but that's really because he doesn't have the opportunity. I mean, he still is crazy, but he's toned down a bit. That doesn't mean that the Goblin is gone. Oh dear me, no! He's just a different sort of crazy, one that works well in the outside world.

(view spoiler)[Also, a hells yes to Goblin's parentage. It's so great. Hells yeah. (hide spoiler)]

Mustang is also a genius. I was feeling a bit down on her in the beginning because she started to fall into the whole love interest thing. Which is fine, I guess, but Mustang is a strong independent Martian who don't need no man.

And she proves it.

"Good. Now shove that idea up your ass." Her lips make a hard line. "I'm not some frill-wearing tramp. I am a genius. I say this because it is a fact. I am smarter than any person you've ever met, except perhaps my twin. My heart does not make my brain a fool."

I'm sorry I doubted you, Mustang.

The ending sets these three up perfectly, too. What are they going to do? So many wounds were opened, so many impossible tasks before them, but I have a feeling it'll be these three together in the end at the last book.

Also, if anything happens to Sevro in the last book, I will drive to Pierce Brown's house and punch him. (Not really, I should mention. Reviewers and authors are getting to this point and I want you to know that I would never do that. I'm entirely too lazy.)

Writing

Are you there Pierce Brown? Because you and I are going to talk woman-to-man on the writing of this book. I have no previous qualifications to judge you, except that I have edited at least forty of my friends' novels, three of which went on to be published. I do this for no money--so not professionally--because I can be bribed by chocolate brioche and it's a weakness I'm currently working on.

As a forewarning to everyone, because I edit in my spare time, I'm really fucking nitpicky to a degree that isn't really warranted. To a point where I've lost friendships over it but...eh. What can you do?

First, bra-fucking-vo on the dialogue, my goodman. I really can't think of a book where I stopped to appreciate the dialogue as much as I did in Golden Son. From Darrow to Mustang to Sevro to even the smallest of side characters, they all sounded like real people. Real distinct people.

Seriously. I could take away the dialogue tags and still know who was talking. It was absolutely phenomenal. What that means is character development was on a new playing field of awesomeness. Since that was a large part of the book, it was essential and you fucking nailed it.

Second, you do have a slight problem. It's not major, but it feels cheap and the only instance that it works is the ending. Wait, it also works with the bag scene, but the two scenes warranted its use. There were at least seven other uses though, by my count, and by the third I think it became a problem. It works well in films, but doesn't translate well in books. Sort of like it doesn't work in this paragraph, you know? Tension by omission is all fine and dandy in doses, but when used often it feels a bit cheap. Especially when you're going to reveal the answer in the next few paragraphs. Maybe even the next few sentences.

It works in the ending, clearly, because it's the mother fucking ending. (Bravo on the ending paragraphs, by the way.) It also works with the bag scene because it's done over a long period of time.

It doesn't work when Darrow refers to 'her' and then we find out 'her' two paragraphs later. If it was going to be so soon, why didn't we just get the name off the bat?

Third, you have the best understanding of in late out early that I've seen. I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get to see more of the Academy, but I understand why it was done and it was played brilliantly. Also, the ending tops the ending of Red Rising, even if I did have a few problems with it.

And I sort of hate you for it because I need to know what happens. But the ending could not have ended on a better note from a writing standpoint, so bravo for that. You bastard.

Last, I'm not joking about Sevro. Don't touch him.



Conclusion

If you liked Red Rising, you'll like Golden Son. It's a different beast in tone, but that's to be expected. Darrow has been living in this society for maybe three years or so. He doesn't have to learn the rules like he did in the Institute. He just has to exploit them.

I can't wait for the third book. While I didn't like Golden Son as much as Red Rising, it's still in my top ten books of the last few years.

The whole book was wonderful and while I had problems, they weren't enough to over shadow the book, which was amazing. A worthy sequel to one of my favorite books of all time.