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  • Golden Son

  • Book II of the Red Rising Trilogy
  • Written by: Pierce Brown
  • Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
  • Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (1,901 ratings)

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Golden Son

Written by: Pierce Brown
Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
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Publisher's Summary

With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender's Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown's genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within.

A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown's continuing status as one of fiction's most exciting new voices.

©2015 Pierce Brown (P)2015 Recorded Books

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  • Ace
  • 2019-02-21

Somehow better than the first.

Less time spent building a universe more time on adding depth to a great story.

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9 people found this helpful

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great mix

I'm a big fan of history, particularly Roman history. I'm also a big fan of Sci-fi so when I started this series I was excited to see them both blended together.

This series is a chilling example of history repeating itself. recommend

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into light

these books bring to light to truth of humanity that many avoid or ignore. we are savages.

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Third time through

Third time and even better than before. Especially after reading the two new books. Bloodydamn brilliant.

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Engrossing page-turner

Well worth the listen, the world building is captivating. Seeing the world through the eyes of the main character and feeling to be in dire straights right along side him is the heart and master stroke of the work. The problem solving and out-the-box sort of solutions to "change the paradigm" will keep you wanting more.

Strongly recommend you check it out. The social commentary on class divide and economic stratification and role of media are particularly relevant in the post-COVID world so I would say this work was actually a bit ahead of it's time despite being recent. Hopefully a classic.

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The Other Half ... Almost Succeeded

Futuristic dystopian view of humanity in the stars that is centered around the irrepressible human spirit ... but systems, tech and intrigue always seem to get the way. A realistically slightly depressing critique of humanity...

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Better Than The First

Golden Son is a remarkable improvement over some of the issues I had with Red Rising. The writing and plot are noticeably stronger. The characters are fleshed out more. The action and suspense are cranked up several more notches. Really, I couldn't ask for more in a sequel.

Fixed Issue #1: Super Slow Beginning

First off, unlike Red Rising where I struggled with the first 100 pages, Golden Son starts off strong with plenty of action to keep the reader interested. Since the pesky job of world building has been taken care of long, it gave Brown the opportunity to focus on what really mattered: making heads roll. What surprised me with Golden Son was just how many heads actually did roll, but more on that later.

The majority of this novel focuses on Darrow outside the academy and the war he purposefully started. We find out a lot more about the Sons of Ares and the inner workings of the politics of the Golds. I was a little wary about that because a ton of political intrigue can lead to boredom. But in this case, that was not something that ever happened.

Fixed Issue #2: Treatment of Female Characters

My biggest issue with Red Rising was the treatment of female characters, specifically Mustang. I felt she was put into deliberate situations that forced Darrow to swoop in and save her lest her virtue be ruined. I'm so over that trope in books, so I was disappointed to see it in Red Rising.

The good news is that Brown clearly took more care with showing us Mustang's strength. (slight spoilers, but not really) There's one scene in Golden Son where Darrow finally has a chance to talk to Mustang after certain events have pulled them apart and she ends up close with Cassius. He claims that he understands how she must feel, but she quickly corrects him. This is my favorite scene in the entire book:
"Now, I'm sure you understand that I felt lost. One, because I thought I'd found someone special in you. Two, because I felt you were abandoning the idea that gave us the ability to conquer Olympus. Consider that I was vulnerable. Lonely. And that perhaps I fell into Cassius's bed because I was hurt and needed a salve to my pain. Can you imagine that? You may answer."

I squirm on my cushion. "I suppose."

"Good. Now shove that idea up your ass." Her lips make a hard line. "I am 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 met, except perhaps my twin. My heart does not make my brain a fool."

I really love how confident Mustang is in that scene and how unashamed she is about it. In that same scene, she goes on to tell him that he is not as invincible as he thinks and how he needs her if he has any hope of winning the war.

I just really wished Darrow listened more. (view spoiler)

Fixed Issue #3: Darrow's a Super Gary Stu

This can't be denied. No matter how much I admit to liking Red Rising, there was no doubt about it: Darrow was a Gary Stu in every possible way. He's The One. The Only One who can bring down the Golds and help the Reds rise. He can overcome any situation, no matter how horrible or impossible. I can completely see why this may bother some readers even if the novel contains intense fight scenes and dramatic rescues. It just gets to a point where you start to say, "COME ON ALREADY."

Golden Son completely crushes that. Right from the first scene in the book, we see Darrow failing at something important and non one wants anything to do with him besides Roque. It was a little jarring to see Darrow that low, considering how far he had fallen. But shortly after, Brown played an interesting hand that *somewhat* annoyed me and the Gary Stu-ness returned in Full Gundam Force. However, just like in Red Rising, this didn't bother me much because I was too focused on fact that Darrow was busy giving someone the ass beating of a lifetime. What can I say? Priorities, I've got them.

What's interesting is how the other characters continually call Darrow out on his apparent invincibility several times. My favorite one being this quote:
“You are but a mortal," Roque whispers in my ear, riding his horse alongside the chariot, as per tradition.
"And a whorefart," Servo calls from the other side.
"Yes," Roque agrees solemnly. "That too.”

OMG THE ENDING THO.

When the ending finally came, I realized Brown had me right where he wanted me (get your minds out of the gutter). After thinking that Darrow could pull through out of anything that opposed him, I was not prepared for the ending. Truly, the last 25% of this novel is what bumped my rating from 4 starts to 5. There was so much death in that scene that it made Red Rising look like child's play. And that took balls. It made me angry, shocked, confused and immensely distraught. I absolutely have no idea how Darrow is supposed to pull through this mess. It's that bad.

My feelings are so conflicted about the ending, it can only be described by way of Kanye and Jay-Z lyrics.

Ball so hard.
Dat shit cray.
BITCH BEHAVE.

Then there's my ship. Mustang and The Reaper. I really need this to work out. This is my OTP. My ship that I might just go down with. Unfortunately, Brown hasn't said anything to calm my fears and I'm sitting on the edge of my seat in fear.

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Another Banger

The second of the series, Golden Son is equally as good, if not better than the first. No longer confined to the institute, this book is much larger in scope, and the action all the bigger for it. The narration is again, top notch, with clearly defined voices for each character, and excellent dramatic flair for emotional or terse moments. Highly recommended.

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The true beginning of an incredible saga

While the first book (Red Rising) did a great job of introducing this fascinating world, the second book is truly where the story begins to reveal it's potential. The scope of things enlarges tenfold and the drama really picks up in intensity.

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recommended!!

I would recommend this series as it is entertaining, funny, action packed full of excitement and aw. It kept me wanting more and very in tune with the story. Hope they come out with a movie or a tv series!! #audible1

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  • Jim "The Impatient"
  • 2016-03-24

IS THIS A JOKE? DO YOU SEE US LAUGHING?

PRIDE IS JUST A SHOUT IN THE WIND
At times I thought of The Gladiator, Outlander, Dune, Game of Thrones, and several fantasy epics. The book has a lot of good sparks to it and Brown is a very smart guy. The book has about everything, space battles, sword fights and lots of politics.

EVERYTHING IS POLITICS
The first two hours are excellent and did remind me of The Gladiator. Brown humiliates his main character, in what seems beyond repair. That was followed by two hours of inner strife. Than there is a really good sword fight. The next seven hours was mostly politics and conversations. Like most fantasy epics, there is a lot of talk about this family, that family, the histories of these families and the violence they did to each other and why they hate each other. I don't mind a little inner strife or even the history on certain houses, but not seven hours of it. If you stick with this occasionally something exciting will happen, you just might have to wait several hours. The politics got confusing and I had trouble figuring out who I was suppose to be for and who were the bad guys or why I should care. After twelve hours I lost patience and moved on to another book.


HORIZONTAL DIPLOMACY
The narrator is very good, he does a great Scottish accent. He did not have a huge range of voices and at times I was confused on who was speaking.

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  • HMW
  • 2015-01-09

A Modern Classic Which Will Endure

Where does Golden Son rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Golden Son is among the finest audiobooks I have ever read. My reading habits tend somewhat towards classics, and I am frequently disappointed by modern fare. I took a chance on Red RIsing, and couldn't get the characters out of my head when I finished. Golden Son is a greater achievement in every way when compared to its predecessor. The plot pulls the reader frantically from set piece to set piece as Darrow struggles with failure, guilt, disillusionment, and hope. The characters, introduced well in the first novel, become organic in this novel in a way I have not experienced in a novel since reading The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.While I was reading, I briefly forgot about the world outside as I was so invested.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Roque, the warrior poet of the first novel, returns to this world in grand fashion. His continually deepening alienation with Darrow makes the reader compulsively question the state of that friendship even when reading about other characters. While the love story between Virginia and Darrow was compelling, it was practically an obligatory aspect of the novel. Roque's growth as a character was highly original. I had no idea what he would do until he acted. At the same time, I fully empathized with his situation and understood his motivations for his actions once he acted. He is a masterfully executed character.

Which character – as performed by Tim Gerard Reynolds – was your favorite?

Ragnar was voiced wonderfully. While the character was essentially a replacement for Pax, the voice acting imbued his journey with dignity, grace, and magnificent resonance. However, each character was read well. I could not imagine simply reading a book like this. It must be experienced through audio.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending. All I will say.

Any additional comments?

This is my first review on audible.com, as this is the first time I have felt so strongly about a book that I needed to share my opinion. It is a work that takes the best of current trends from novels like The Hunger Games and adds the power and philosophical complexity more commonly found in classical literature. Pierce Brown, if you are reading this, please take your time in completing the third book. This trilogy has the potential to truly endure once it comes to the public at large's attention, but a slapped together finale could easily destroy the world you have so carefully built.

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  • Keri
  • 2015-05-16

Extraordinary work

Exceeds the first in its brilliance--well worth the credit. It is books like this that create a void in their wake as I try to find something half as good (an experience that I love as I'm listening and hate as the book ends and i scrabble around for something else). I can count on one hand out of hundreds of series the times I have felt this way--and this is one of them. Other fingers listed below.

Four other audible series I've had the same reaction to:
The Kingkiller Chronicles by Rothfuss: the Name of the Wind and the Wise Man's Fear
The Stormlight Archives by Sanderson: The way of Kings and words of radiance
Raven's Shadow novels by Anthony Ryan: Blood song/tower lord
The Outlander Series, some better than others but in the end an amazing 300 hours of listening bliss

I'm glad to add another series to my "I really can't stand the wait" list. Now if only someone could give me a list--like this--of books I've never read and they'd work for me as well as these!

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  • Em
  • 2015-06-24

The Second Book Is Better than the First

Don’t get me wrong. I am RAVING about Red Rising to everyone I possibly can around the office. And if you haven’t picked up this series yet, you need to start at the beginning. But Golden Son is even better than the first book – which is such an unheard of rarity and a delightful surprise that I had to review this book first. I don’t want to give away any spoilers here, and it’s hard to say much without doing so, but I can say that this series is a total genre-bender: I’d call this “Post-apocalyptic-dystopian-YA-crossover-military-sci-fi-with-history-and-general-awesome-geniusness”. All these elements shimmer here and meld together into one whip-smart saga that stays with you for months after finishing it. Needless to say January (when the third and final book in Brown’s trilogy releases) can’t get here soon enough.

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  • Justin
  • 2015-01-07

You liked the first one? You'll like this one.

If you could sum up Golden Son in three words, what would they be?

gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, action

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ragnar. His monologue near the end.

What does Tim Gerard Reynolds bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Reynolds is well-known, his reading is gripping and his voice exceptional.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"BRING SOME TISSUES"

Any additional comments?

It's worth the bloody damn credit.

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  • David
  • 2015-01-09

Amazing 2nd Book

The notion that this series remains unknown is a travesty. These are some of the best books, the best story, of any genre. The young adult classification simply means these are books for anyone. I recommend them to everyone.

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  • Jeff Reese
  • 2016-02-15

A Decline in Quality

The intelligent story of Red Rising continues with Golden Son, which moves off of Mars and details a painfully boring war across planets. Yes, it's difficult imagining that would be boring, but this story manages it. Having enjoyed Red Rising, I never would have expected to reach the last hour of Golden Sun with absolute apathy in my heart for whatever was going to happen next. Not caring whether one character lives or died. Without the spine of Red Rising's war games, Golden Suns degenerates into one spat of violence after another, with every character in the galaxy hopelessly incompetent save for the story's hero--who is mind numbingly good at breaking every record ever all the time without even knowing it. Golden Son is not like its predessecor, a smart grounded scifi, but merely the story of a god crushing two-dimensional plywood cutout characters.

Save your money and remember Red Rising fondly.

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  • Gus
  • 2017-05-28

i love this story

I love the way this book flows and ends. My heart aches, my blood pumps, and the hair on my arms stands tall.

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  • Kate M.
  • 2019-06-24

A bit disappointed

I found this sequel to be a bit disappointing. I'm not sure if it was the length or the lack of depth, but I just didn't connect with it nearly as much as I did with Red Rising. Also, contrary to what The Empire Strikes Back would have us believe, middle stories need an ending, too. The book should stand on its own rather than relying on the knowledge that there will be a continuation of the series, and should have some sort of conflict resolution, rather than starting an entirely new conflict in the last ten pages of the book. But what do I know? Clearly I'm not an author.

All I can say is, I enjoyed Red Rising much more than this book, and I hope that Morning Star is a vast improvement over it.

3 stars.

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  • M. B. Jones
  • 2018-02-03

never trust anyone

The theme of this book is "betrayal." Everyone is backstabbing everyone else. After the 3rd time, you'd think that it'd be over, but no. It just continues on the entire book. It becomes a game of "Who is going to backstab Darrow now?" You start to get numb to it by the end. Ulg. I don't want to go on to the next book because it's all so depressing.

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  • Client d'Amazon
  • 2023-02-05

Wasted potential

Can't stand the whining stupid heroes anymore. Pierce is good for heroic stuff though

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