Dark Age by Pierce BrownMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
"A dark glass slides over the world.
I will never be the same."
Gory damn. This 752 page tome took over my life for a little over two weeks (lifting it was a workout unto itself!) but finally I have finished it!! And I am left feeling bereft at the thought that there is just one more book to wait for, until the end of this most epic of series.
The word "epic" is used too liberally, but in this particular case, it's too small a word to contain the magnitude of the entire universe Pierce Brown has created. And I now fear that he has spoiled this reader for any other sci-fi/ fantasy books, because this fifth book of his was an example of prime perfection.
By any measure of good literature (pacing, premise, stakes, etc.), this one scores at the highest percentile!
It was sweet agony to finish it, knowing I have to wait an unknown number of years until the next and last book comes out. But oh, how I look forward to re-reading the other books in the series! And I almost never re-read, so this is an indicator of how good this book is. I want to savor the witty repartee, the gory battle scenes, the twists and turns reminiscent of the best and worst of Greek gods and Roman emperors.
He makes a cast of more than thirty characters come so vibrantly alive, in all their pettiness, their cruelty, and yes, the majesty that each one is capable of. (And for the inevitable memory gap, thank Jove for the fanmade wiki at https://red-rising.fandom.com/wiki/Re...!)
Oh, if only I were a full-time academic so I could write a thesis about Pierce Brown's novels, and draw references between great classics and his! I predict that his novels will be included in THE CANON and will be studied fifty years from now in colleges and universities. I called it first!!
Do yourself a favor and start with Book 1 of the series right away. And never mind how long the other novels are. They're worth the investment.
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