Light Bringer - Pierce Brown

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⭐ 8.5/10

This is the sixth (!?) Red Rising book, and all of them have been solid 8/10s... until now! The back half of this book was phenomenal, with exciting action and dramatic turns, I was completely absorbed in a way I haven't been since the first trilogy.

Let me back up. This book also took me 3 months to read. I found the first half a huge slog, and like I mentioned in Dark Age I think I just forgot too much in the long gap between books. I think part of that is the author's fault, since the naming sucks! I get that this is Roman Empire but in space, but that means all these names are hard to distinguish from each other since they all sound Roman! I was thinking again of the genius of George R.R. Martin, or obviously Tolkien, names that sound regional, and in ASOIAF just knowing a last name tells you so much about what they value and what their motivations are. I finished this book and beyond Darrow and Sevro I don't really know what side most people are on. That's a problem! You could name any other character and I would probably be unable to tell you who they are, what their history is, what they want as of the end of this book. I think naming is actually the issue here, and that might be an over simplification, but its brutal and my biggest complaint in these books.

The back half was amazing because we are getting POV from our main guy Darrow, and his rival Lysander, as they get closer to each other. Very simple, with some incredible action. There is a fight in here that I was so gripped by, reminded me of when I got into Wheel of Time, or some of the fights in ASOIAF that I remember vividly. Well choreographed without being completely prescriptive (Sanderson), artistic without being completely flowery (Rothfuss). Been a long time, and it reminded me of why I love this genre. The combination of my imagination painting the epic action on page made me feel like a kid again.

 The finale is devastating, setting up the final book, which I am now excited for because all this is so fresh. I can't help but feel that I would love these all even more on reread, actually remembering names and stuff. I read Red Rising years ago, and I have forgotten all those early connections. Sometimes I read the wiki and its like somebody wiped my brain, its all gone. I think in a true masterpiece that could never happen, like ASOIAF, but its hard to compare because a TV show also gives you faces for each name.

I don't understand Lysander, and he's huge in these books. I think I know his goal, but don't understand his alignment. Darrow is easy, he's the good guy, and I like that his path to victory is being criticized and undermined in these books. I think I know exactly how this series will end, and if I'm right that would be cool, not because it makes me feel smart but because it feels like the natural conclusion to this space opera.

These books feel more popular than ever, I have been seeing them online a bunch, and I wouldn't be surprised if an adaptation is coming. I've had random friends that I haven't talked to in forever reach out to ask me about them! So anecdotally these are huge, and while I am not their biggest fan I think part of that is my fault (slow reading). I would recommend to almost anyone.

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