I would die for the truth that all men are created equal. But in the kingdom of death, among the ramparts of bodies and wind all of screams, there is a King, and his name is not Lune! It is Reeper!! Chills every time.
So, just wanted to put this out there, the way I read Dancer's change of mind, he was under the impression that the republic could form a peace with the ash lord. Maybe not a lasting one, but one that would give them time to clean up their own mess internally. The reveal of the manipulation told him that the golds were never going to actually give them that time. Either it was going to be outright war or such toxic manipulation of the senators that the republic would never function. So he chose war, and he chose to trust in Darrow. Dancer wasn't given much screen time in the new series, but I have a suspicion that it was agonizing for him to be against Darrow, particularly when it came to abandoning him on Mercury. So all it took was evidence that his plan wasn't going to work and he was on board.
Yes I thought about that too, but between that and the selfish reason I don't know which one it really is. I'm gonna pay close attention and make up my mind on re-read !
I don't really understand the hate of Iron gold from you guys, I thought it was easily on par with Dark age, a 4 digit difference is just crazy. I think Iron gold and dark age work like a singular, long book, as Iron gold doesn't really have an ending and there's no time skip between it and dark age, unlike every other book in the series. Every single sub-plot and plot-point in Dark age is a direct continuation of Iron gold.
When I read dark age and the jackal appeared I couldn’t help but think “wow, they’re just stacking the L’s on us.” This was further supported by the other threats in the books and darrow’s eventual loss. This was still my favorite book but it really did feel at the time like pierce just wanted to make the readers depressed.
One of my favorite situations in the entire series happened in Iron Gold: The Howlers breaking Appolonius out of Deepgrave. I absolutely love Appolonius as a character. We need more of him.
The thing with Cassius is we didn’t see him die and his body just “disappeared.” So I was waiting for him to come back. If I’ve learned anything from this series it’s if we don’t see the character die, then they are probably not dead.
Personally, Cassius was the only character in the whole series where I simply just didn’t feel like he was dead, just like, he did allll of that I feel like if Pierce was gonna kill him off he woulda made Lysander witness it just for the added trauma. Also the part of him being mentioned before also had “the same man who told us the rim was coming” and like none of the others went to the rim 🦦
The best book of the series so far to me, looking forward to starting Lightbringer next. I was blown away by Darrows sections in this book, from the very start Pierce had me hooked Hail Reaper!
Fair! Definitely a correlation there, but I’d say the dialogue/prose for Dark Age was my favorite part about the book - rated it higher than any other category this time around 🤓I Actually bumped my emotional impact up to a 9 bc even though I had an issue or two here and there with a character or plot point (very very few issues), prose just blew me away and kept me engaged. And yea I cant wait, just started Lightbringer last night - haven’t been this excited to start a book in a long time
@@2ToRamble Oh, I agree totally the prose and dialogue was better. It's just that saying Iron Gold and Morning Star have worse writing than Red Rising is just something I don't understand. It's just opinion at the end of the day, though, and I am excited for your Light Bringer review!
@@Bluenamii Cheers!! And yea good point -- I'll take a look back at all my thoughts once I'm through with the series -- I have reasons as to why they were lower that I probably poorly explained in the videos, but maybe it's not enough to justify that big of a drop. Will note this for future ratings, thankya!
Very late, but this book really made me appreciate Pierce Brown's simple diction that was prominent in previous books. Obviously this book's diction was a little more complex, but it still had that snappy Pierce Brown charm that I've learned to love from these books. It allowed me to keep track of all the things going on because of how simple it is. I love his straight forward approach to writing ESPECIALLY when it comes to Darrow.
Great video as always guys! Regarding Richard's problem with the Red Hand and them not making sense; While I totally get why to an outsider their actions may appear illogical so far as they do nothing to further their supposed goals of freeing reds, I think their existence in their current form is reflective different kinds of tensions that manifest within real movements. I think the religious themes of the red hand were apparent so I'll use that to demonstrate. For instance, the view on the ground within many religions is that people of the same religion who follow a sufficiently different sect or church are worse than non belivers despite the obvious agreements they have on core ideas. In these context sides sometimes use a kind of original sin myth where the other side commited something heretical that made them almost irredeemable (think Sunni vs shia muslim conflict with who should succeed the prophet) for the red hand that original sin was Ares being a gold which they felt was irreconcilable with their system of belief. Now the reds who accept Ares' rising are not just regular folks but agents spreading heresy and as such they present an even bigger threat than the society to the red hand. The fact that the republic is the more popular sect also incentivizes the red hand to become more extreme and dogmatic because the fear helps keep people in extreme movements. Anyway sorry for the long comment.
Yo I really like the religious angle you see here, I always just saw the red hand as an analogy to revolutionary movements that turned on their people, like the Japanese red army, or the shining path of Peru, especially with their "death to collaborators" chants. Maybe more specifically an analogy to movements that claim to be militant/for the people but are in it more for personal gain of power, or just about the general hobby of leftists to create a million splinter groups based on minimal disagreements and the splinter groups all mainly work against each other instead of working together
45:40 where you talk about Darrows motives... Its really interesting to see that come full cirlce to how he was at the start of the first book. All he wanted in the first place to be have a family and love them and he is coming back to that simplicity.
Thank you for the video :) I am fresh from reading the book, and I would like to bring a bit of clarity on Dancer. First thing, it was not red hand but syndicate (doesn't not matter too much, the bad guys). For me, it was an emotional moment because when they first showed to Dancer the clip of him and the Duke of syndicate, he thought that they (Mustang and Sevro) are blackmailing him because he is gay and this is not very "appropriate" in Reds culture. But they explain that they don't care about his sex life, and he didn't know that the guy is from syndicate. That's where they revealed that the kids were stolen by syndicate, and they figured out that Publius actually worked with syndicate. If they would disagree with Dancer on voting, there would be devision, and Publius would basically get to rule. As a side note, that also was the fun first moment for me when Sevro said, "What? He fucked with a terrorist. I can say what I want"
Okay so after listening to the whole video, I think it would be a fun structure for you to review the events of a book chronologically. I’m more interested to hear your takes on what happens in the book, and not so much your individual ratings. I also feel like you jump around a lot given your current structure. But hey, just do whatever you think is best.
Back on the concept of trust in Golden Son. I think the thrust is about the risks of trust, not if it was right or wrong, and the reasons for trusting someone. The outcomes of when Darrow (or other characters) do or do not trust someone seems chaotic. But it’s the motivation that counts. At the end of Golden Son we get both sides of the coin. Darrow chooses to trust Mustang because of love, because he wants to live for more, we know in the end that was right but Golden Son leaves it open to seem chaotic and leave questions in the mind of the reader. Darrow had been trusting Adrius out of necessity (not love, etc) and look how that ended. If you trust for the right reasons …
I LOVED the all tension build up at the end between Lysander and Darrow too ! Like you said I loved how Darrow knew something was up but was traped because he needed Gilraltes (I think I completly f***ed up his name but you get it x) )
Dancer realized his reasons for opposing Virginia were not entirely his. Dancer was fatigued by the 10 years of war and I think the Society used his war fatigue to create an anti war party to destabilize the Republic and when he was confronted by Virginia and Severo he realized it. That's what I got from this. Hope this helps change your mind and understand Dancer is a good guy, but became a single issue voter not completely of his own accord.
You guys got me to start reading Red Rising about two weeks ago. Just started Iron Gold! The series is so good! I've had a hard time actually reading the last few years and mostly listen to audiobooks, but I am devouring these books.
That’s a serious pace to be reading, I can understand it though for sure. The way I often look at the red rising series is just straight momentum. It’s so so fun to read and you often forget you’re flying through them.
Love your channel. I love the deep dives and discussions you guys have! You help me to see aspects of the characters, world, etc. that I may have not caught while I was reading. You bring an energy and excitement that I really appreciate too. Wow! Thank you guys!
31:30 He questioned what changed with dancer, but he forgot that dancer was a pacifist and Julia literally came to the Republic and told the senate the wanted to discuss an ceasefire but Darrow didn't tell them, then dancer was told pax was kidnapped and that guy was working for the core so they truly didn't want peace
It drove me a bit mad when Darrow didn’t kill atlas when he had the chance. I know it’s probably meant to show the consequences of inaction and mercy but it just drives me insane when protagonists let villains and potential villains go in the name of being better knowing full well they’re just going to escape and impale half their army again.
Finally chewed my way through this book and I'm absolutely in love with the changes implemented with the pacing and extra page time given to characters who shine in it, as mentioned in the video. Finally being clear to watch the full review is like opening a present on Christmas🙂↕️
Cassius showing up really wasn’t a deus ex machina. Let’s be real, nobody actually thought Cassius died in iron gold. Kavax gives Virginia information on the rim right before telling her that he sent “someone” to rescue Darrow on mercury. All of our other characters at this point are wrapped up in their own plots. So who was available? Who would have had information on the rim to give to kavax? And who is bad ass enough to send on a Darrow rescue mission? As soon as kavax said that he had info on the rim & sent someone to mercury, I thought it was extremely obvious that someone was Cassius.
About Lysander racism : the worst moment for me was his thoughts about Rhonna ! Disgusting ! I hated him sooo much in this moment ! (I mean I hate him anyway, but even more then !)
I’ve always found Dancer to be a little selfish. I also found it to be hypocritical that Dancer resented Darrow for betraying the Sons in the Rim but in Iron Gold was fine to accept peace with the Ash Lord and leave behind the slaves on Venus.
The ending with Cassius didn't surprise me at all, beyond the set up with the Tellemanus's I knew there was no way Cassius got off screened in Iron Gold and I knew he was going to be relevant some how, so my entire thought during part 4 was "Cassius is going to come in and rescue him"
Factual errors: - Lysander is not a gold maxi, he believes in the necessity of a hierarchy - neither reds nor golds terraformed the solar system, if anything it was the oranges :) - the solution to the color system is hinted at many times and simply relies on removing sigils and raising kids as equals
I felt the same about Dancer Richard ! So happy someone else pointed it out !! I also agree about Tactus ! When I re-read it and Lorn was saying "Some people are inredeemable" I was thinking like Austin : yes that's what we learn by the end ! And when Lorn said Darrow was right I was like "Nooooo" x)
I’m super late to the party but wanted to ask. What are your thoughts on Lysander besting thraxa and Darrow? It almost seemed too easy in my opinion. I believe it mentions in the book multiple times how Lysander isn’t a warrior/not a great fighter, etc. seemed weird to me but I understand it. Love the show!
Oo I (austin) did have rhat cross my mind, but I think the buildup of how depleted and forlorn and weak Darrow and his army was at that point made sense - he was on his very very last wind and didnt have much left in him. At least thats how I see it!
Golden Son was an exciting, fun read. Dark Age was one heavy blow after another! Really made the slog through Iron Gold worth it. 😄 I liked the way the different POVs were handled in this one MUCH better. I was surprised we went so long without hearing from Lyria. Still not a character I particularly care for, but I liked seeing her put herself in danger to save the girls. That was awful. The part where Victra swam out to sea made me think of The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, and I wondered briefly if she would swim back. But, of course she did, bc Victra is fierce, and she has other children who need her, and another child to avenge. I kept waiting for Ephraim to be rescued. Like, something's gonna happen, right? And it didn't! That shocked me. Not a favorite side character, but I liked how thry gave the "reason" of the zolodone making him callius, and that's how he could kidnap children. I DID really like Alexander, though. It was so sad tonsee him make it through all that, just to die like he did after all. OUCH! I really, REALLY didn't like Jackal, Jr. They did set it up with the fox, but it's too far-fetched for me. So much of your personality comes from the experiences you've lived. And, now we're supposed to be afraid of a ten year old? It would be like expecting an identical twin raised in a completely different world, to have the same drives, ambitions, world view. So, it was too much of a stretch for me. It was like Brown felt so lost without his best antagonist he felt it necessary to bring him back. I was just "meh" about it. I also didn't particularly like the Ascomani. I never understood if they were supposed to be a fully alien race, or something carved. They didn't grab me. I made a note of the same line forshadowing the return of Cassius. It's on pg 488, when Kavax tells Mustang, "I sent a man to Mercury to bring Darrow home if Heliopolis fall...[t]he same man who told us the Rim was coming." I knew Cassius was alive because I've learned in this series, unless we see a body and that body is 1000% for sure dead, there's still hope. I loved the prose in this book. I highlighted many of the same quotes you did. A couple others that resonated with me, one was on pg. 123, "They look like the last lords and ladies of a doomed age. *Two hundred and three against an army and the sea* Man. ❤ The beauty of the image paired with the rhyme. Just beautiful. Another line I absolutely LOVED was from Sevro, when he told Mustang, "I had Darrow's back until I had to have Victra's. You're theird in line, so don't keep asking. We'll get Pax back to you. That's an oath. But I gotta have my wife's back." ❤❤ Wow! I have always loved Sevro's loyalty. So few people are that way, and that's a very special thing. But, to see that as much as Sevro loves Darrow, his wife and kids come first. Man, that's beautiful. I see the reasons Mustang and Darrow acted the way they did, but, my feelings are more in line with Victra and Sevro: the universe can burn, I'm going after my kid. The one irratant I have with Brown's prose is that, in every single book, he has a line that pulls me right out of the book and reminds me I'm reading, like the "Bye, Felicia" line in whatever book that was. This time it was pg. 233, "...as if I'm about to pull a snake out of my boot." (All I heard was Woody).😄 and -- my personal favorite -- on pg 467 when Sevro says, "my babies'd *eat your heart out with a spoon* All I heard was Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham telling Robin he would "cut your heart out, with a SPOON!" 😂 Funny, but, really takes me right out of the story when he does that. There was so much to like about this book, so many things that hit home. One of the most powerful moments for me was when the man from Darrow's mine gives him soil from home. That choked me up. When I was about to have my baby, my mom brought up a shoebox of soil from my grandparent's pasture (our land joined theirs, and I spent my childhood roaming that land), so that my baby could be born over Texas soil, even though she had to be born 2,000mi away (military). And, now that my grandparents have died and the land split among the siblings...it hurts. I have always felt a kinship to this land. It's a part of me. So, I get carrying the soil with you. I'm sure I would, too. 😢 *deep breath* On to Light Bringer!
Jane - Austin here - I agree with so much of what you said, especially on Pierce’s prose. Masterful, but then those strange moments like in Morning Star as you mentioned. But wow Dark Age was something else. Glad you pushed through Iron Gold! And also a very touching last paragraph ❤️
Very strongly disagree with you about Dancer. Dancer didn't want to go to war because he thought the peace treaty from the Ash Lord and Julia au Bellona was sincere. He thought that they were actually very close to peace. He had grown distant from Darrow because Darrow was off to war. A lot of lowColours follow him fanatically, throwing themselves at the enemies and basically suicide killing themselves in this decade spanning war. And he felt helpless for people like Lyria, who were "liberated" from the mines but lived in slums still (only to be slaughtered by the Red Hand). And then he felt betrayed by Darrow because Darrow did Iron Rain over Mercury instead of even telling the Republic about the offer of peace. When Darrow's lie was revealed, he feared that Darrow had become a war mongering tyrant and that Virginia was in on it-or blinded by her love of Darrow or whatever. And when Virginia ambushed him with Darrow's mother, she should have presented her evidence better. Because for the Reds being gay is like illegal (I assume it was bred into them by Society so that they could reproduce more efficiently), so Dancer's first thought was that she was blackmailing him from his Red supporters. He changed his mind because Virginia revealed that there was never a real offer of peace and that they were being tricked by the Queen of the Syndicate and he was being used by the Duke of Hands. He realizes that Darrow was right, that peace with the Ash Lord was not an option.
I think you’re exactly right - I felt like there was a piece we were missing - couldn’t articulate this on the Pod and maybe that’s why I didn’t feel the way Rich did when reading this. When Rich sees this comment I’m sure he’ll feel differently too
The other important part is that Dancer and everyone else supporting the peace treaty didn’t know about the developments on Venus, they couldn’t foresee Atalantia’s takeover and the plan to surprise the fleet over Mercury. That along with the fatigue from war and the Republic’s general failure to uplift the low colours was what convinced him of peace.
Okay...I just finished Golden Son on Feb. 24th, and am about to start Morning Star. I was nervous, given that (spoiler free) review, then I saw you didn't like Iron Gold and I was VERY worried. But, seeing you BOTH excited for Dark Age has me so excited to push through because I thought RR was great and Golden Son (for me) was ABSOLUTELY 10/10!! Phew! I only watched this so far as seeing you both excited about it, so, on to Morning Star I go!! ❤
I'm catching up with the series. Looking forward to reading Red God before you manage to put a review out there. Austin, for my IG comments you said I would agree more with you guys in DA, and you were bloodydamn right! What an absolute banger of a book. A 600+ page turner of a book is e feat i didn't even believe Pierce Brown could pull off, and yet he did. Short notes: i loved the same things you guys loved in this book. I agree that the jackle clone did not seem amazing to me, but was also not bad. I loved the contrasting views between Darrow and Lysander of the same battlefield. The way Lysander planned and calculated their first encounter stranded in the desert, only to get overwelmed by Darrow so quickly that Darrow didn't even realise Lysander was someone noteworthy was so amazing. My only different takes: i liked Lyrias view and story. Giving the weakest character agency in this world is a really compelling narrative. I also enjoyed the obsidian story line, although i was only invested in Sefi and Ephraim and the kids. The word "Worthy" will forever have a sinnister undertone in my mind now. Lastly, I dont know if I just blacked out when you talked about it or if you somehow actually did not mention it... did you talk about Rhona and Alexandar and... Lysanders dishonorable murdering of one of my new favourite characters? Overall, this is my second favourite Red Rising book right after Golden Son. Can't wait to finish Lightbringer and watch your next review, tho regrettably the real world will stop me from finishing the next book quickly. See you lads in the next video
1:19:13 "After we cover Red Rising the first one next will be First Law" ..... Many promises but still nothing to show for them 🙃🤣🤣 Also, I agree with Austin's high rating of the writing/prose mostly because of Apollonius. Everything the man says is gold (pun intended 😂)
I disagree about Dancer because the consensus at the senate was that the golds want peace and the Bellona lady went as far as to propose a peace deal so I think he mistakenly but truly believed that coexisting was possible, and his view of Darrow soured after darrows betrayal of the rim sons of ares. He probably was manipulated into thinking that Darrow became a ruthless warlord and achieving peace/saving red lives was a possible reality if he opposed Virginia. But after it was revealed that he was being manipulated and the republic was being undermined by the agents of the society, he finally understood that the existence of the republic will never be allowed as long as the gold society remained, and that's when he agrees to side with Virginia. It wasn't a selfish decision, it was the shattering of his true beliefs.
There’s no greater feeling than watching Austin gush about Red Rising (the entire reason I checked out the series); I didn’t agree with your review of Iron Gold but I’m so glad you’re back on the hype train, hail Reaper baby!!
So glad that you liked it. It's a great book indeed. On the pandemonium thingy. I think it is simpler and more practical. While the pandemonium chair is a sophisticated intelligence and counterspionage tool, the scorpions are kind of only a torture thingy that will tell you when someone's lying. So morally, the benefits of the pandemonium chair and how it can help you protect an empire outweigh the cost of the torturous experience. Not so much for the scorpions. And yes. Cassius was a deus ex machina, definitely. Still loved it. Especially with the rest of Cassius story line in light bringer....(no spoilers).
I had an idea for the conflict resolution. Might work. Each color goes to a country, to solve the problem with the possibility of golds conquering the others, I suggest a solution based on Ulises idea previous to the war of Troy (works in-world also because of the fixation on ancient times). If a planet dates attack another, all the rest of them have to come in their aid. That way no planet would dare try and conquer, as it would have to defeat the rest of the solar system, with more resources and all that
See I LOVED the Cassius reveal. But I HATED the “I was secretly trained by Lorn” reveal. And I think the difference was how it was foreshadowed. Like with the training, the only thing we got was a brief mention of “oh well my friends want me to go to operas but I can’t” or maybe it was I don’t really like operas or something like that. Like it was internal. So I didn’t think much of it. With Cassius in this book, it was specifically said out loud from Kavax “hey I sent someone. It’ll be ok” and the ENTIRE BOOK I was trying to guess who it was. I think all I needed was just calling attention to the foreshadowing just a little bit more personally. The training thing didn’t have to be as explicit as Cassius but maybe like a scene where Darrow has to out loud tell his friends “sorry I can’t make it” would be enough
3 months late… first time I read IG it took me forever and I wasn’t feeling it. It wasn’t until I had read DA and then reread IG. Did I really actually appreciate the book at all. Totally get the apprehension. DA is just nutty
@@2ToRamble Ephraim! I thought he was such an interesting character, and he grew to be one of my favourites in Dark Age. Also as much as we all hate Lysander I loved his POV in Iron Gold.
I don’t know if this will change anything for Richard but mustang convinced or “proved” that the syndicate/ ash armada was trying to pin them against each other so I think he didn’t want to lean into there plan
I really want to read the books after the main trilogy, but for some reason Pierce’s writing makes me think he makes bad things happen to cause shock rather than organically making them happen. It seems he writes something and then he thinks,” okay something terrible needs to happen to keep people reading.” Still like the main series, but just how I feel.
Totally get that, he does focus on the gore/grittiness quite a bit. I (austin) think that’s where he shines but definitely a style that’s not for everyone. How far into the series are you and what kept you going if this doesn’t seem to be your style?
Will try to cut to wideframe more! And yes we typically are reading a few at a time - physical and audio. But I (Austin) try to finish a physical book before touching the next one
It's interesting that you asked yourselves if the colors are actually the same species because just today (after seing a post theorizing that Rhonna would be pregnant with Alexandar's child, which I don't believe at all) I realized that biologically speaking they technically aren't ! The definition of a species is that two individuals of the same species can reproduce and have children that are fertile, but it's explain in MS that different colors actually can't have a child together without being carved so technically...
You two are great. Your energies are a Beautiful Disaster. Dark Age was masterful. Just finished Light-bringer and grieving heavy. And I am all for Hyperion Supremacy. It is one of my favourite books of all time.
i dont read books all is audible, with dark age i was doing nothing, i mean i usually walking or cooking food or going in town buying stuff, but with this book yess.
It was a little dark and some of my favorite characters didn't do too much. I don't think they needed to bring back the same villain the universe is very large.
I try to think of Jackal 2.0 as more Voldemort than Palp, but definitely had that knee-jerk cringe reaction initially when Palp came to mind. The Lilath and Virginia dynamics were great though. Also, after those scenes he’s gone away for a while now, so I’m hoping something amazing is brewing there.
Oh my god dark age is just so insane i felt literal weight when i shut the book. I miss Alex so fucking much and im so happy cassius js back as darrows boyfriend
Wonderful first 7 min of a video, sadly I won’t be watching past that point until I get a chance to read the series. I will be wrapping up the Mistborn trilogy soon then Red Rising will be more of a priority for me.
If you think that each Colour has their own planet, where would Sevro and Pax live? Seeing as they are mixed Colours. Would Virginia and Darrow live on separate planets?
Richard here. Not thinking of segregation, just each color has their own home planet (what sefi tried to do) with an army and nukes. Basically, nato. Didn't put much thought into it.
Using the new Ramber Rating System, Iron Gold was a 2☆ "dissapointing" and "flawed" for me. So, I'm not enthused for Dark Age, but seeing Richard's praise for it is really encouraging. So, book in hand, here I go!
@2ToRamble I finished it yesterday, and yes, I loved it. Not as much as Golden Son, but felt like this was a proper Red Rising book, full of high stakes and tension. As soon as I finished I couldn't wait to sit down and finish your review. ❤
Ephraim definitely improved by dark age, his death came at the right time and I loved his interactions with pax/electra. I imagined his whole demeanour similar to Jeffrey dean morgans depiction of Negan
Love the content, one critique: Having scores out to the hundreds is so dumb.8.15 is an 8.2. The .05 is so worthless. But my mans a contrarian which makes the show work, so I guess its fine.
The way Lysander describes Darrow carving his way through the mob like a tiger through grass was pretty awesome too
The actions sequences, and basically the entire book, was so well written I felt like I was at a writing art museum
That idea/passage really stuck with me too, so effective and dreadful
From when they hear the howls, I had chills
I would die for the truth that all men are created equal. But in the kingdom of death, among the ramparts of bodies and wind all of screams, there is a King, and his name is not Lune! It is Reeper!!
Chills every time.
I can't believe they got through the whole dialogue/prose section without mentioning that line
@@hunterkeenan6268riiiiight!
What chapter is this I need to go back in the audio book and hear this part again
@@justinhuffman229 chapter 84
Right before lunes charge
So, just wanted to put this out there, the way I read Dancer's change of mind, he was under the impression that the republic could form a peace with the ash lord. Maybe not a lasting one, but one that would give them time to clean up their own mess internally. The reveal of the manipulation told him that the golds were never going to actually give them that time. Either it was going to be outright war or such toxic manipulation of the senators that the republic would never function. So he chose war, and he chose to trust in Darrow. Dancer wasn't given much screen time in the new series, but I have a suspicion that it was agonizing for him to be against Darrow, particularly when it came to abandoning him on Mercury. So all it took was evidence that his plan wasn't going to work and he was on board.
Yes I thought about that too, but between that and the selfish reason I don't know which one it really is. I'm gonna pay close attention and make up my mind on re-read !
I don't really understand the hate of Iron gold from you guys, I thought it was easily on par with Dark age, a 4 digit difference is just crazy. I think Iron gold and dark age work like a singular, long book, as Iron gold doesn't really have an ending and there's no time skip between it and dark age, unlike every other book in the series. Every single sub-plot and plot-point in Dark age is a direct continuation of Iron gold.
Best take on IG I’ve seen. Also an IG lover too tho
When Cassius shows up the book was in such a dark place that him coming in with his great personality made me scream like a girl hahahaha
How did u like lifhtbringer
My favorite part of finishing a red rising book is coming to watch your guys videos. Love you guys keep up the fire reviews 👍🏼
Thank you!
When I read dark age and the jackal appeared I couldn’t help but think “wow, they’re just stacking the L’s on us.” This was further supported by the other threats in the books and darrow’s eventual loss. This was still my favorite book but it really did feel at the time like pierce just wanted to make the readers depressed.
I thought dancer was sleeping with the pink from the syndicate not the red hand
One of my favorite situations in the entire series happened in Iron Gold: The Howlers breaking Appolonius out of Deepgrave. I absolutely love Appolonius as a character. We need more of him.
The thing with Cassius is we didn’t see him die and his body just “disappeared.” So I was waiting for him to come back. If I’ve learned anything from this series it’s if we don’t see the character die, then they are probably not dead.
same
Personally, Cassius was the only character in the whole series where I simply just didn’t feel like he was dead, just like, he did allll of that I feel like if Pierce was gonna kill him off he woulda made Lysander witness it just for the added trauma.
Also the part of him being mentioned before also had “the same man who told us the rim was coming” and like none of the others went to the rim 🦦
Even when you see them die sometimes they’re not dead
“ figment is interesting, we will see where that goes…” lol 😅
Uh oh im nervous now 😂
@@2ToRambleDo not be! Good shit ahead, Goodman.
The best book of the series so far to me, looking forward to starting Lightbringer next. I was blown away by Darrows sections in this book, from the very start Pierce had me hooked Hail Reaper!
not to get your expectations too crazy but i just finished lightbringer and IT WAS EVEN BETTER :D
I’m glad that Kyle’s magnificent voice was the definitive proof for you guys in the question of the existence of God
I think Austin just rates the Dialogue and Prose higher whenever he likes the book. Hope you like Light Bringer! I thought it was a great book myself.
Fair! Definitely a correlation there, but I’d say the dialogue/prose for Dark Age was my favorite part about the book - rated it higher than any other category this time around 🤓I Actually bumped my emotional impact up to a 9 bc even though I had an issue or two here and there with a character or plot point (very very few issues), prose just blew me away and kept me engaged. And yea I cant wait, just started Lightbringer last night - haven’t been this excited to start a book in a long time
@@2ToRamble Oh, I agree totally the prose and dialogue was better. It's just that saying Iron Gold and Morning Star have worse writing than Red Rising is just something I don't understand. It's just opinion at the end of the day, though, and I am excited for your Light Bringer review!
@@Bluenamii Cheers!! And yea good point -- I'll take a look back at all my thoughts once I'm through with the series -- I have reasons as to why they were lower that I probably poorly explained in the videos, but maybe it's not enough to justify that big of a drop. Will note this for future ratings, thankya!
Very late, but this book really made me appreciate Pierce Brown's simple diction that was prominent in previous books. Obviously this book's diction was a little more complex, but it still had that snappy Pierce Brown charm that I've learned to love from these books. It allowed me to keep track of all the things going on because of how simple it is. I love his straight forward approach to writing ESPECIALLY when it comes to Darrow.
Definitely agree with you!
Great video as always guys! Regarding Richard's problem with the Red Hand and them not making sense; While I totally get why to an outsider their actions may appear illogical so far as they do nothing to further their supposed goals of freeing reds, I think their existence in their current form is reflective different kinds of tensions that manifest within real movements. I think the religious themes of the red hand were apparent so I'll use that to demonstrate. For instance, the view on the ground within many religions is that people of the same religion who follow a sufficiently different sect or church are worse than non belivers despite the obvious agreements they have on core ideas. In these context sides sometimes use a kind of original sin myth where the other side commited something heretical that made them almost irredeemable (think Sunni vs shia muslim conflict with who should succeed the prophet) for the red hand that original sin was Ares being a gold which they felt was irreconcilable with their system of belief. Now the reds who accept Ares' rising are not just regular folks but agents spreading heresy and as such they present an even bigger threat than the society to the red hand. The fact that the republic is the more popular sect also incentivizes the red hand to become more extreme and dogmatic because the fear helps keep people in extreme movements. Anyway sorry for the long comment.
Yo I really like the religious angle you see here, I always just saw the red hand as an analogy to revolutionary movements that turned on their people, like the Japanese red army, or the shining path of Peru, especially with their "death to collaborators" chants. Maybe more specifically an analogy to movements that claim to be militant/for the people but are in it more for personal gain of power, or just about the general hobby of leftists to create a million splinter groups based on minimal disagreements and the splinter groups all mainly work against each other instead of working together
“Twitching meat carpet” was one of the most memorable and visceral parts of the book for me
Such a great scene
45:40 where you talk about Darrows motives... Its really interesting to see that come full cirlce to how he was at the start of the first book. All he wanted in the first place to be have a family and love them and he is coming back to that simplicity.
Thank you for the video :)
I am fresh from reading the book, and I would like to bring a bit of clarity on Dancer. First thing, it was not red hand but syndicate (doesn't not matter too much, the bad guys).
For me, it was an emotional moment because when they first showed to Dancer the clip of him and the Duke of syndicate, he thought that they (Mustang and Sevro) are blackmailing him because he is gay and this is not very "appropriate" in Reds culture.
But they explain that they don't care about his sex life, and he didn't know that the guy is from syndicate. That's where they revealed that the kids were stolen by syndicate, and they figured out that Publius actually worked with syndicate. If they would disagree with Dancer on voting, there would be devision, and Publius would basically get to rule.
As a side note, that also was the fun first moment for me when Sevro said, "What? He fucked with a terrorist. I can say what I want"
Okay so after listening to the whole video, I think it would be a fun structure for you to review the events of a book chronologically. I’m more interested to hear your takes on what happens in the book, and not so much your individual ratings. I also feel like you jump around a lot given your current structure. But hey, just do whatever you think is best.
Not a bad idea. We will have to mull it over. Especially for dense books with lots going on that is more true.
Back on the concept of trust in Golden Son. I think the thrust is about the risks of trust, not if it was right or wrong, and the reasons for trusting someone. The outcomes of when Darrow (or other characters) do or do not trust someone seems chaotic. But it’s the motivation that counts. At the end of Golden Son we get both sides of the coin. Darrow chooses to trust Mustang because of love, because he wants to live for more, we know in the end that was right but Golden Son leaves it open to seem chaotic and leave questions in the mind of the reader. Darrow had been trusting Adrius out of necessity (not love, etc) and look how that ended. If you trust for the right reasons …
I LOVED the all tension build up at the end between Lysander and Darrow too ! Like you said I loved how Darrow knew something was up but was traped because he needed Gilraltes (I think I completly f***ed up his name but you get it x) )
Dancer realized his reasons for opposing Virginia were not entirely his. Dancer was fatigued by the 10 years of war and I think the Society used his war fatigue to create an anti war party to destabilize the Republic and when he was confronted by Virginia and Severo he realized it. That's what I got from this. Hope this helps change your mind and understand Dancer is a good guy, but became a single issue voter not completely of his own accord.
You guys got me to start reading Red Rising about two weeks ago. Just started Iron Gold! The series is so good! I've had a hard time actually reading the last few years and mostly listen to audiobooks, but I am devouring these books.
Love to hear it - I swear, Red Rising is such a great way to get out of a reading slump, very glad it worked for you 👊
That’s a serious pace to be reading, I can understand it though for sure. The way I often look at the red rising series is just straight momentum. It’s so so fun to read and you often forget you’re flying through them.
Love your channel. I love the deep dives and discussions you guys have! You help me to see aspects of the characters, world, etc. that I may have not caught while I was reading. You bring an energy and excitement that I really appreciate too. Wow! Thank you guys!
Appreciate it!! Thank you for watching 🙏
But with Dancer… I think he didn’t believe the Ash Lord was involved but Virginia confirmed it, wasn’t it?
I agree I think he thought there was a chance at peace and Virginia showed him that there wasn’t so that’s why he changed his mind.
Ahh that makes sense if that’s the case - when Richard sees this I’m sure he’ll have thoughts
The beginning chapters of Light Bringer is literally set to the soundtrack of The Boys Are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy.
Oh hell yea. I accept these words.
Look forward to these every week! Would love to see y’all do more Discworld books 🤪
We will do this 👊
31:30 He questioned what changed with dancer, but he forgot that dancer was a pacifist and Julia literally came to the Republic and told the senate the wanted to discuss an ceasefire but Darrow didn't tell them, then dancer was told pax was kidnapped and that guy was working for the core so they truly didn't want peace
It drove me a bit mad when Darrow didn’t kill atlas when he had the chance. I know it’s probably meant to show the consequences of inaction and mercy but it just drives me insane when protagonists let villains and potential villains go in the name of being better knowing full well they’re just going to escape and impale half their army again.
I felt that bringing back clone jackal degrades the awesomeness of the original one. I don’t want to have a cheap knock off to be the final boss.
Finally chewed my way through this book and I'm absolutely in love with the changes implemented with the pacing and extra page time given to characters who shine in it, as mentioned in the video. Finally being clear to watch the full review is like opening a present on Christmas🙂↕️
Cassius showing up really wasn’t a deus ex machina. Let’s be real, nobody actually thought Cassius died in iron gold. Kavax gives Virginia information on the rim right before telling her that he sent “someone” to rescue Darrow on mercury. All of our other characters at this point are wrapped up in their own plots. So who was available? Who would have had information on the rim to give to kavax? And who is bad ass enough to send on a Darrow rescue mission? As soon as kavax said that he had info on the rim & sent someone to mercury, I thought it was extremely obvious that someone was Cassius.
Pro tip: when you know you have to read a "build-up" book to progress further into a series, listen to the audiobook instead.
How could he NOT remember the Ephraim mop scene??!! Did you even read the book? 🤣
For a character I didn't like that much, that was my favorite scene of his. -R
About Lysander racism : the worst moment for me was his thoughts about Rhonna ! Disgusting ! I hated him sooo much in this moment ! (I mean I hate him anyway, but even more then !)
I’ve always found Dancer to be a little selfish. I also found it to be hypocritical that Dancer resented Darrow for betraying the Sons in the Rim but in Iron Gold was fine to accept peace with the Ash Lord and leave behind the slaves on Venus.
Get ready for Light Bringer it’s INCREDIBLE
🤝
The ending with Cassius didn't surprise me at all, beyond the set up with the Tellemanus's I knew there was no way Cassius got off screened in Iron Gold and I knew he was going to be relevant some how, so my entire thought during part 4 was "Cassius is going to come in and rescue him"
Factual errors:
- Lysander is not a gold maxi, he believes in the necessity of a hierarchy
- neither reds nor golds terraformed the solar system, if anything it was the oranges :)
- the solution to the color system is hinted at many times and simply relies on removing sigils and raising kids as equals
I felt the same about Dancer Richard ! So happy someone else pointed it out !!
I also agree about Tactus ! When I re-read it and Lorn was saying "Some people are inredeemable" I was thinking like Austin : yes that's what we learn by the end ! And when Lorn said Darrow was right I was like "Nooooo" x)
Been WAITING for this one! I knew he’d get you back!
🤝
Already sad about @@2ToRamble's Light Bringer review though. ;)
I’m super late to the party but wanted to ask. What are your thoughts on Lysander besting thraxa and Darrow? It almost seemed too easy in my opinion. I believe it mentions in the book multiple times how Lysander isn’t a warrior/not a great fighter, etc. seemed weird to me but I understand it. Love the show!
Oo I (austin) did have rhat cross my mind, but I think the buildup of how depleted and forlorn and weak Darrow and his army was at that point made sense - he was on his very very last wind and didnt have much left in him. At least thats how I see it!
Lysander himself says that he didn’t beat Darrow he just kicked him when he was down
I am so pumped to see how Austin reacts to first law. How you guys enjoy it
🤝🤝
Golden Son was an exciting, fun read. Dark Age was one heavy blow after another! Really made the slog through Iron Gold worth it. 😄 I liked the way the different POVs were handled in this one MUCH better. I was surprised we went so long without hearing from Lyria. Still not a character I particularly care for, but I liked seeing her put herself in danger to save the girls. That was awful. The part where Victra swam out to sea made me think of The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, and I wondered briefly if she would swim back. But, of course she did, bc Victra is fierce, and she has other children who need her, and another child to avenge.
I kept waiting for Ephraim to be rescued. Like, something's gonna happen, right? And it didn't! That shocked me. Not a favorite side character, but I liked how thry gave the "reason" of the zolodone making him callius, and that's how he could kidnap children. I DID really like Alexander, though. It was so sad tonsee him make it through all that, just to die like he did after all. OUCH!
I really, REALLY didn't like Jackal, Jr. They did set it up with the fox, but it's too far-fetched for me. So much of your personality comes from the experiences you've lived. And, now we're supposed to be afraid of a ten year old? It would be like expecting an identical twin raised in a completely different world, to have the same drives, ambitions, world view. So, it was too much of a stretch for me. It was like Brown felt so lost without his best antagonist he felt it necessary to bring him back. I was just "meh" about it. I also didn't particularly like the Ascomani. I never understood if they were supposed to be a fully alien race, or something carved. They didn't grab me.
I made a note of the same line forshadowing the return of Cassius. It's on pg 488, when Kavax tells Mustang, "I sent a man to Mercury to bring Darrow home if Heliopolis fall...[t]he same man who told us the Rim was coming." I knew Cassius was alive because I've learned in this series, unless we see a body and that body is 1000% for sure dead, there's still hope.
I loved the prose in this book. I highlighted many of the same quotes you did. A couple others that resonated with me, one was on pg. 123, "They look like the last lords and ladies of a doomed age. *Two hundred and three against an army and the sea* Man. ❤ The beauty of the image paired with the rhyme. Just beautiful. Another line I absolutely LOVED was from Sevro, when he told Mustang, "I had Darrow's back until I had to have Victra's. You're theird in line, so don't keep asking. We'll get Pax back to you. That's an oath. But I gotta have my wife's back." ❤❤ Wow! I have always loved Sevro's loyalty. So few people are that way, and that's a very special thing. But, to see that as much as Sevro loves Darrow, his wife and kids come first. Man, that's beautiful. I see the reasons Mustang and Darrow acted the way they did, but, my feelings are more in line with Victra and Sevro: the universe can burn, I'm going after my kid.
The one irratant I have with Brown's prose is that, in every single book, he has a line that pulls me right out of the book and reminds me I'm reading, like the "Bye, Felicia" line in whatever book that was. This time it was pg. 233, "...as if I'm about to pull a snake out of my boot." (All I heard was Woody).😄 and -- my personal favorite -- on pg 467 when Sevro says, "my babies'd *eat your heart out with a spoon* All I heard was Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham telling Robin he would "cut your heart out, with a SPOON!" 😂 Funny, but, really takes me right out of the story when he does that.
There was so much to like about this book, so many things that hit home. One of the most powerful moments for me was when the man from Darrow's mine gives him soil from home. That choked me up. When I was about to have my baby, my mom brought up a shoebox of soil from my grandparent's pasture (our land joined theirs, and I spent my childhood roaming that land), so that my baby could be born over Texas soil, even though she had to be born 2,000mi away (military). And, now that my grandparents have died and the land split among the siblings...it hurts. I have always felt a kinship to this land. It's a part of me. So, I get carrying the soil with you. I'm sure I would, too. 😢
*deep breath*
On to Light Bringer!
Jane - Austin here - I agree with so much of what you said, especially on Pierce’s prose. Masterful, but then those strange moments like in Morning Star as you mentioned. But wow Dark Age was something else. Glad you pushed through Iron Gold!
And also a very touching last paragraph ❤️
Very strongly disagree with you about Dancer.
Dancer didn't want to go to war because he thought the peace treaty from the Ash Lord and Julia au Bellona was sincere. He thought that they were actually very close to peace.
He had grown distant from Darrow because Darrow was off to war. A lot of lowColours follow him fanatically, throwing themselves at the enemies and basically suicide killing themselves in this decade spanning war. And he felt helpless for people like Lyria, who were "liberated" from the mines but lived in slums still (only to be slaughtered by the Red Hand). And then he felt betrayed by Darrow because Darrow did Iron Rain over Mercury instead of even telling the Republic about the offer of peace.
When Darrow's lie was revealed, he feared that Darrow had become a war mongering tyrant and that Virginia was in on it-or blinded by her love of Darrow or whatever. And when Virginia ambushed him with Darrow's mother, she should have presented her evidence better. Because for the Reds being gay is like illegal (I assume it was bred into them by Society so that they could reproduce more efficiently), so Dancer's first thought was that she was blackmailing him from his Red supporters.
He changed his mind because Virginia revealed that there was never a real offer of peace and that they were being tricked by the Queen of the Syndicate and he was being used by the Duke of Hands. He realizes that Darrow was right, that peace with the Ash Lord was not an option.
I think you’re exactly right - I felt like there was a piece we were missing - couldn’t articulate this on the Pod and maybe that’s why I didn’t feel the way Rich did when reading this. When Rich sees this comment I’m sure he’ll feel differently too
The other important part is that Dancer and everyone else supporting the peace treaty didn’t know about the developments on Venus, they couldn’t foresee Atalantia’s takeover and the plan to surprise the fleet over Mercury. That along with the fatigue from war and the Republic’s general failure to uplift the low colours was what convinced him of peace.
Okay...I just finished Golden Son on Feb. 24th, and am about to start Morning Star. I was nervous, given that (spoiler free) review, then I saw you didn't like Iron Gold and I was VERY worried. But, seeing you BOTH excited for Dark Age has me so excited to push through because I thought RR was great and Golden Son (for me) was ABSOLUTELY 10/10!! Phew! I only watched this so far as seeing you both excited about it, so, on to Morning Star I go!! ❤
Hell yea! Curious what you think of the series as it continues!
I'm catching up with the series. Looking forward to reading Red God before you manage to put a review out there.
Austin, for my IG comments you said I would agree more with you guys in DA, and you were bloodydamn right! What an absolute banger of a book. A 600+ page turner of a book is e feat i didn't even believe Pierce Brown could pull off, and yet he did.
Short notes: i loved the same things you guys loved in this book. I agree that the jackle clone did not seem amazing to me, but was also not bad. I loved the contrasting views between Darrow and Lysander of the same battlefield. The way Lysander planned and calculated their first encounter stranded in the desert, only to get overwelmed by Darrow so quickly that Darrow didn't even realise Lysander was someone noteworthy was so amazing.
My only different takes: i liked Lyrias view and story. Giving the weakest character agency in this world is a really compelling narrative. I also enjoyed the obsidian story line, although i was only invested in Sefi and Ephraim and the kids. The word "Worthy" will forever have a sinnister undertone in my mind now.
Lastly, I dont know if I just blacked out when you talked about it or if you somehow actually did not mention it... did you talk about Rhona and Alexandar and... Lysanders dishonorable murdering of one of my new favourite characters?
Overall, this is my second favourite Red Rising book right after Golden Son. Can't wait to finish Lightbringer and watch your next review, tho regrettably the real world will stop me from finishing the next book quickly. See you lads in the next video
So glad you loved DA!! Im not sure if we mentioned Lysanders murder there - also, agreed its right behind Golden Son for me! See you next video 🫡🫡
In the beginning I was getting tired of Lysander & was wondering where the other characters were
1:19:13 "After we cover Red Rising the first one next will be First Law" ..... Many promises but still nothing to show for them 🙃🤣🤣
Also, I agree with Austin's high rating of the writing/prose mostly because of Apollonius. Everything the man says is gold (pun intended 😂)
Damnit we dropped the ball on this one!
I disagree about Dancer because the consensus at the senate was that the golds want peace and the Bellona lady went as far as to propose a peace deal so I think he mistakenly but truly believed that coexisting was possible, and his view of Darrow soured after darrows betrayal of the rim sons of ares. He probably was manipulated into thinking that Darrow became a ruthless warlord and achieving peace/saving red lives was a possible reality if he opposed Virginia.
But after it was revealed that he was being manipulated and the republic was being undermined by the agents of the society, he finally understood that the existence of the republic will never be allowed as long as the gold society remained, and that's when he agrees to side with Virginia.
It wasn't a selfish decision, it was the shattering of his true beliefs.
So hyped up just seeing the spoiler free reviews, Can't wait to get into the Red Rising series
Big fan of your channel
Love from India :)
🙌 Journey is going to be amazing. Hyped to have ya start
There’s no greater feeling than watching Austin gush about Red Rising (the entire reason I checked out the series); I didn’t agree with your review of Iron Gold but I’m so glad you’re back on the hype train, hail Reaper baby!!
Hail Reaper!
So glad that you liked it. It's a great book indeed. On the pandemonium thingy. I think it is simpler and more practical. While the pandemonium chair is a sophisticated intelligence and counterspionage tool, the scorpions are kind of only a torture thingy that will tell you when someone's lying. So morally, the benefits of the pandemonium chair and how it can help you protect an empire outweigh the cost of the torturous experience. Not so much for the scorpions.
And yes. Cassius was a deus ex machina, definitely. Still loved it. Especially with the rest of Cassius story line in light bringer....(no spoilers).
Makes sense - and Im very much looking forward to the Cassius storyline going forward. Cant wait for that
I had an idea for the conflict resolution. Might work. Each color goes to a country, to solve the problem with the possibility of golds conquering the others, I suggest a solution based on Ulises idea previous to the war of Troy (works in-world also because of the fixation on ancient times). If a planet dates attack another, all the rest of them have to come in their aid. That way no planet would dare try and conquer, as it would have to defeat the rest of the solar system, with more resources and all that
Guys are you have any plan to review of To sleep In A Sea Of Stars....
No plans yet! Will have to see if it’s highly requested
One of the best books of all time. It was so amazing. @@2ToRamble
Have you guys considered compiling your ratings on a list? I think it would make it pretty interesting.
We have! We’re doing thatvonce we get a rating website up and running which is in the works 👊
So excited to see this posted!! I’m starting Red Rising today.
Enjoy the journey! Hope ya love it 👊
So excited for first law!
I can’t wait for your review on:
Lightbringer
The Traitor
🙏
It’s finally here! Thanks guys 👌🏻
🫡
love the video! I cant wait for The Dragon Reborn review!
Coming as soon as we can!!
See I LOVED the Cassius reveal. But I HATED the “I was secretly trained by Lorn” reveal. And I think the difference was how it was foreshadowed. Like with the training, the only thing we got was a brief mention of “oh well my friends want me to go to operas but I can’t” or maybe it was I don’t really like operas or something like that. Like it was internal. So I didn’t think much of it. With Cassius in this book, it was specifically said out loud from Kavax “hey I sent someone. It’ll be ok” and the ENTIRE BOOK I was trying to guess who it was. I think all I needed was just calling attention to the foreshadowing just a little bit more personally. The training thing didn’t have to be as explicit as Cassius but maybe like a scene where Darrow has to out loud tell his friends “sorry I can’t make it” would be enough
I see your perspective on that - makes sende why one hit and the other didnt. They both really worked for me (austin) in different but great ways
3 months late… first time I read IG it took me forever and I wasn’t feeling it. It wasn’t until I had read DA and then reread IG. Did I really actually appreciate the book at all. Totally get the apprehension. DA is just nutty
I'm more into Lit books and all that, but I love the chemistry of this channel so much I can't help but watch it, love ya.
😭 thank you!
I actually really loved iron gold 🤣 I didn’t know that was an unpopular opinion.
Fair enough! What was your favorite POV?
@@2ToRamble Ephraim! I thought he was such an interesting character, and he grew to be one of my favourites in Dark Age. Also as much as we all hate Lysander I loved his POV in Iron Gold.
@@minaa107 From Iron Gold, Lysander was also my (austin) favorite POV!
1:09:00 Ummmm, do you mean the Master Maker??!!
I don’t know if this will change anything for Richard but mustang convinced or “proved” that the syndicate/ ash armada was trying to pin them against each other so I think he didn’t want to lean into there plan
I really want to read the books after the main trilogy, but for some reason Pierce’s writing makes me think he makes bad things happen to cause shock rather than organically making them happen. It seems he writes something and then he thinks,” okay something terrible needs to happen to keep people reading.” Still like the main series, but just how I feel.
Totally get that, he does focus on the gore/grittiness quite a bit. I (austin) think that’s where he shines but definitely a style that’s not for everyone. How far into the series are you and what kept you going if this doesn’t seem to be your style?
love this. do you lads like to read more than one book at a time?
p.s would love to see a widefram podcast so we can appreciate the backdrop! keep up the great takes
Will try to cut to wideframe more! And yes we typically are reading a few at a time - physical and audio. But I (Austin) try to finish a physical book before touching the next one
It's interesting that you asked yourselves if the colors are actually the same species because just today (after seing a post theorizing that Rhonna would be pregnant with Alexandar's child, which I don't believe at all) I realized that biologically speaking they technically aren't ! The definition of a species is that two individuals of the same species can reproduce and have children that are fertile, but it's explain in MS that different colors actually can't have a child together without being carved so technically...
Damn this book was crazy, my favourite of the series so far
You two are great. Your energies are a Beautiful Disaster. Dark Age was masterful. Just finished Light-bringer and grieving heavy. And I am all for Hyperion Supremacy. It is one of my favourite books of all time.
Thanks very much 🙏 - Light Bringer review coming out tomorrow so perfect timing!
damn. this book made me flexing my biceps with strong emotional drive
i dont read books all is audible, with dark age i was doing nothing, i mean i usually walking or cooking food or going in town buying stuff, but with this book yess.
I just felt like the years of war got to dancer & I felt like dancer starting switching side when Darrow sold out the red army & gave them up to die
I didn’t like the fact that they brought back that character either! 😂
When is the Lightbringer episode coming out!!!!??!?!?!?! Found you guys two days ago and dang I enjoy y’all’s podcast
Richard is finishing the book as we speak 👀 - will record as soon as he’s done! Thanks for enjoying out stuff 👊
Awesome!!!! I couldn’t put the book down! The way Pierce brown paces these books is nuts and this one is no exception
It was a little dark and some of my favorite characters didn't do too much. I don't think they needed to bring back the same villain the universe is very large.
When will drogon reborn review is coming 😅
I am waiting too...for it,
Are you reading wot right now or have read.?
It shall come! Waiting on Rich to finish his re-read and then we’re going to record hopefully within the next week
I try to think of Jackal 2.0 as more Voldemort than Palp, but definitely had that knee-jerk cringe reaction initially when Palp came to mind. The Lilath and Virginia dynamics were great though.
Also, after those scenes he’s gone away for a while now, so I’m hoping something amazing is brewing there.
It’s my most anticipated plotline for Lightbringer, along with Darrow and Cassius’ hopeful bromance
When are you guys reviewing Light Bringer???
Coming November!
Oh my god dark age is just so insane i felt literal weight when i shut the book.
I miss Alex so fucking much and im so happy cassius js back as darrows boyfriend
somehow Palpatine has returned is the first thing that popped into my head as well,
THIS BOOK IS EPIC
Wonderful first 7 min of a video, sadly I won’t be watching past that point until I get a chance to read the series.
I will be wrapping up the Mistborn trilogy soon then Red Rising will be more of a priority for me.
If you think that each Colour has their own planet, where would Sevro and Pax live? Seeing as they are mixed Colours. Would Virginia and Darrow live on separate planets?
Richard here. Not thinking of segregation, just each color has their own home planet (what sefi tried to do) with an army and nukes. Basically, nato. Didn't put much thought into it.
Ah okay. That makes more sense, though I still don't fully agree. Thanks for the clarification! 👍
Listened to this one on the spofy, have not read any of the series, but ya know what, I might now.
Lets go!!
Lightbringer is pretty great. Can't wait for that review.
🤝
Guess i gotta go read Dark age now 😂✌️
😁
Using the new Ramber Rating System, Iron Gold was a 2☆ "dissapointing" and "flawed" for me. So, I'm not enthused for Dark Age, but seeing Richard's praise for it is really encouraging. So, book in hand, here I go!
Really hope you love it! We both definitely did
@2ToRamble I finished it yesterday, and yes, I loved it. Not as much as Golden Son, but felt like this was a proper Red Rising book, full of high stakes and tension. As soon as I finished I couldn't wait to sit down and finish your review. ❤
@@janefan1216 Couldnt agree more!!
Lysander choices got me so angry 😅😅
I’ll call it the Red Rising Reading Rodeo 😂
Really Riveting Reply Ruben 😂
@@2ToRamble love your content guys! I’m on half way of Iron gold and I totally agreed on the slow process of reading this one!
@@Ruben86jz cheers, thanks a bunch! Hope it picks up for you, but regardless we think you’re in for a TREAT when you get to Dark Age
@@2ToRamble the lightbringers (wink wink if you got the reference) have spoken to me! Great Monday!
Ok. Godamitt. Time to finally get into Red Rising.
YES!
I love you guys, I hope you never divorce
Haha thankyou! *no promises*
Wow I felt the opposite with Ephraim. I liked him in Iron Gold. Did not care much for him in Dark Age. I looooooove Lyria though
Ephraim definitely improved by dark age, his death came at the right time and I loved his interactions with pax/electra. I imagined his whole demeanour similar to Jeffrey dean morgans depiction of Negan
Just wait. Lightbringer is going to rock your world.
Started it and ready for amazement 🤌
Love the content, one critique: Having scores out to the hundreds is so dumb.8.15 is an 8.2. The .05 is so worthless. But my mans a contrarian which makes the show work, so I guess its fine.
Have yall read lightbringer yet?
I have, just waiting on Richard to finish and then review coming 🙏
47:25 haha...