Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Dark Age

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Dark Age by Pierce Brown

24 reviews

jefferz's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The fifth book in Pierce Brown’s Sci-fi epic, this review assumes you have read the previous four books in the series. Spoilers specific to Dark Age will be hidden with spoiler tags, but any content covered in the previous books will not be hidden. Besides, why in the world would you be reading a review for a book in the middle of a long-running series, go read Red Rising first, it’s really good. Now on to the actual review-

The 2nd book in what’s considered the 2nd phase of Pierce Brown’s series, Dark Age needed to be solid to maintain the series’ momentum. Despite being an overall great book, I found the previous entry Iron Gold to easily be the weakest and most inconsistent book thus far. I acknowledge that a good portion of its length was required to both bridge the big time jump from Morning Star and to introduce what was perceived to be the new set of main characters. While Iron Gold accomplished what it needed to do, the reading experience for me felt disjointed with its jumping between three different plot threads and the overall direction felt lacking. Picking up after a short time jump, Dark Age lived up to its name, feeling like the darkest and most grim novel in the series. Recapturing the ridiculously twisty plotting of the Golden Son and reverting to violence and brutality rarely seen since the harshest parts of Red Rising, I loved it. Dark Age is another book that left me thinking “amazing, how does somebody come up with this stuff!”, with Pierce taking a tiny overlooked detail 0r gap in someone's history and making an amazing revelation out of it. However similar to and more extreme than Red Rising, Dark Age is not for the faint of heart (check for trigger warnings if you’re a sensitive later in this review). But if you can stomach the sheer amount of violence brought on by war, you will be rewarded by yet another stellar outing in this new classic space opera series.

I’m truly convinced that Pierce Brown is a wizard and really did attend Hogwarts before being an author (a reference to his early cheeky author blurb in Red Rising prior to JK Rowling’s fall from grace). Either this guy has a sixth sense or he and his editing team are best in class, I'm constantly amazed by how hyperaware Pierce Brown is with what his readers like and want out of his books. Similar to how Golden Son improved off of Red Rising, Dark Age literally took every single item critiqued in
my review of Iron Gold and chucked it back in my face with the intensity of a pulseFist. Dark Age’s story goes where the reader hopes it won’t and will prey on any attachment you have to your favorite character (within reason, more on that below).

First off, the setup and pacing. I noted that Iron Gold felt fragmented due to the story being split across four different plot threads and focal characters. While some story arcs were certainly more interesting than others, collectively they often would derail the momentum building with each part back to back. While all four parts were within the same “world”, they each featured different characters on different planets and of different affiliations that felt fragmented. To make matters worse, three of the four arcs focused on newly introduced characters which varied in likeability and the only arc featuring Darrow was by far the least substantial and most repetitive from a narrative standpoint. Despite obviously being fan-favorite characters who most readers want to follow post time-jump, Darrow’s arc felt tedious and Mustang/Virginia was barely present at all. While I loved Ephraim’s character and story, I was less interested in Lysander and the Outer Rim the more it progressed and I outright did not like and understand why Lyria’s arc was given so many pages compared to the others. Midway through when Lyria and Ephraim’s stories finally converged, Iron Gold started to find its footing, but it never reached the intensity of past books.

Dark Age rectifies those issues by immediately opening with Darrow’s survival arc on Mercury from the get-go and instead of switching between storylines each chapter, each arc is given its own self-contained part for considerably better flow, only alternating when relevant in the final part. Iron Gold was also lighter in terms of action and fight scenes compared to Dark Age’s copious amounts all in the first quarter of the book. And while Virginia was less present in books two through four, she is front and center here with an entire arc focused on the Sovereign’s role and her strategic planning on Luna. While I found Darrow’s endless skirmishing on Mercury to be slow to read, I found Virginia’s story on Lune to be refreshing and her shrewd plotting similar to Golden Son’s best strategic outplay moments. I really think Virginia is an underrated and fascinating character, and Dark Age gave us by far the biggest glimpse into her head.

The two remaining arcs were those I had me completely invested in, focusing on Ephraim and Lyria. Ephraim’s arc and his abduction of the kids was already one of the highlights of Iron Gold, but Dark Age managed to build on that even further, all while simultaneously giving the reader an introduction to the Obsidian tribe culture and dynamics. That, coupled with Ephraim's banter and heartwarming godfather-like relationship with Pax sealed the deal with being my personal favorite part of the story. While intentional by design, Ephraim and Pax’s relationship served as a perfect foil to what Cassius and Lysander could’ve been if not for Octavia’s influence and Lysander’s gold upbringing. And lastly, Lyria’s arc on Mars following her capture by Victra’s forces was easily the most surprising arc that changed my opinion on the character (helps that a new gimmick makes her less useless). Unlike the other arcs, Lyria and Volga’s arc is non-stop high-stakes fugitives on the run, focusing on a rather unexpected duo that I wouldn't have expected back in Iron Gold. This part was also coupled with Victra’s grand return (Victra was another character completely absent and underused in Iron Gold) and the results were spectacular. Encompassing ruthless oppression, misogynistic wife slavery, forced enlistment, child abuse, it’s impressive how much Pierce was able to cram into this one arc. The back-half of Ephraim’s arc in Olympia and Lyria/Volga/Victra’s arc at the Cimmeria mines are also by far some of the most brutal and heart wrenching moments of the entire series so far.

Related to brutality, another one of my criticisms of Iron Gold was that the ever expanding cast was getting too big and difficult to keep track of. Incorporating every character that didn’t die in the uprising in Morning Star, Iron Gold introduced even more political and social groups than before, each with numerous figures. Each novel included a listing of the notable characters and their affiliations for reference with earlier novels listing maybe 20-30 names at most. Dark Age’s listing had 68 names, and that’s pared down from what easily could’ve been 80. While I initially thought the story and plot was getting out of hand while reading Iron Gold, I’m now convinced this was purposefully setup so Pierce Brown could cut them all down in Dark Age and leave the reader contemplating life. Iron Gold also suffered from having far too many political social groups in play and although Dark Age introduces one more party, it thankfully reduces some

such as the Red Hands and the shrinking/merge of the Syndicate

, making it easier to keep track of all the moving pieces.

Dark Age was absolutely ruthless in terms of violence and death. While I didn’t notice it at the time, in retrospect both Morning Star and Iron Gold were relatively light in terms of character deaths and loss. Ragnar’s death was immense in Morning Star and I can understand why the only other notable “good guy” deaths were Trigg (brief appearance and small role within that novel at the time) and Roque/Thistle (formerly good guys), but when you think about it, few characters actually died in what was one of the biggest political upheavals. Iron Gold was also light with only Wolfgar and Romulus's deaths who were both narratively important characters that didn’t have a lot of actual screen time. However I’m willing to give Iron Gold pass considering it also had Cassius’s “death” which would’ve more than made up the low body count (I would have been very upset had I not been accidentally spoiled that he doesn’t actually die in Iron Gold). Coming off of those two novels, Dark Age truly felt dark as more than 12 “good guys” are killed off.

Again I really think Pierce Brown is a mind-reader as it felt like he knew exactly what he could get away with while still destroying readers’ emotions. Beloved characters or those that had existed in the Red Rising universe longer generally received more elaborate and substantial ends while characters that debuted in Iron Gold and onward were given less impressive deaths. In particular, certain characters that were either generally disliked, forgettable, or had little impact on the story were kicked out of the story unceremoniously, sometimes unintentionally comically (or was it intentional…? You never know with Pierce). A perfect example is

Seraphina who I believe wasn't very popular in Iron Gold for her questionable morals and had vague character ambitions. Her death is delivered so amusingly nonchalant like “and then suddenly half her body was gone having been shot through by a random particle gun (though Lysander would later reflect on her demise on several later occasions). I did not like her at all in Iron Gold and literally laughed out loud at the way Pierce wrote her out.

While not disliked but certainly less developed than other howlers,

Min-Min was another character that was killed towards the end of Dark Age swiftly as an emotional blow to Sevro, C. She was another supporting character added in Iron Gold who never got the same spark or growth compared to Clown or Pebble who were established howlers way back in Red Rising. I also didn’t understand what role or purpose Tongueless was supposed to do in Iron Gold who frankly felt quite random and unnecessary to me. Perhaps Pierce also agreed (or changed his mind about his planned character arc), deciding to kill him immediately at the beginning of the book with little fanfare. And while his character has existed in all the books thus far, Daxo was one that didn’t really feel as developed compared to other Republic Golds and his death made perfect sense for as a character moment for Virginia without excessively traumatizing the reader (maybe).

On the other hand, if there’s a popular or beloved character who needs to die for narrative purposes, Pierce also delivers thoughtfully, all while giving them resolution and a proper sendoff.

While being at odds with Darrow and Virginia during all of Iron Gold, Dancer was a crucial mentor in the first trilogy and his resolution and alliance with Virginia prior to his death came full circle. Orion is also given an entire backstory via the book’s prologue that explains her actions and psyche that contributed to her ultimate death. And after portraying her as a lone wolf and hot/cold figure to Darrow, the way Pierce humanized Sefi during Ephraim’s stay in Olympia before her brutal and shocking death was excellent.

However, Dark Age is the first book since Red Rising to kill off one of my personal favorite characters that came as close to destroying me as a book can do, which sounds over dramatic since I’m generally not a very emotionally invested reader.

I could see Pierce Brown preparing the noose for Ephraim the moment Pax started looking up to him as a mentor and he and Volga had a touching moment where they acknowledged they are truly family in every way except for blood. Still, Ephraim’s death caught me off guard as he was the first main character whose perspective the reader follows to die. Honorable and cheeky to the end, his brutal death in Olympia was shocking but so perfectly pitched and planned that I can’t even be upset at it, especially after his fantastic character growth (one of the series best).

As soon as you can see everything starting to work out and fall into place for someone, you know he’s about to chop them to pieces (damn you Pierce for being so good at what you do).

Besides character deaths, Dark Age had some of the most triggering content not seen since Red Rising’s Institution arc. I’ll spoiler tag these as some of them are sure giveaways and spoilers, but I would caution readers that are triggered by

child abuse, infant death (the brutality also shocked me), referenced off-screen rape via plundering, one consensual but brief sex scene with an age gap, traditional forced women gender roles

and of course violence, gore, torture, and maiming that’s per the usual for this series.

Despite the dark content and certain elements that I know some sensitive booktoker is going to call out for being misogynistic, Dark Age is not all dark and violence. Despite the dismantling of certain female characters by male oppressors and some forced traditional gender roles, Dark Age still retains the positive liberal and queer representation that this series has become known for. The misogynistic setup and harsh elements are an effective conflict that Lyria, Volga and Victra triumph over in the most intense arc of the book. Despite having a relatively large female cast and the Obsidian tribe being female dominated previously, Dark Age also has the most notable and important female characters of any Red Rising book so far with the trio already mentioned plus Virginia (and they are badass, no damsels in distress here). Unlike past books, Darrow’s strongest battlefield ally is a woman for a change (Thraxa), the biggest perceived threat is another woman (Atlantia), the Republic's two most powerful characters are Virginia and Holiday, I could go on.

Another less obvious theme is that of family and perceived responsibility. Previous books also touched on that (some examples being Virginia vs her father and the Jackal, Victra vs her sister) and Iron Gold set the groundwork for it, but Dark Age really pushes it further. Despite being uninterested and hesitant about war and glory, Pax’s growth and discovering his own kind of strength while slotting into his father’s role (against Darrow’s hopes I might add) was great to see. Lyria becoming something (surpassing my expectations and dislike for her I’ll also add) was also satisfying, there’s nothing I love more than being proven wrong supported by backstory and details! And finally there’s Lysander’s gradual descent away from being neutral and making a name for himself.

The only slightly negative comments I had with Dark Age was that despite likely needing to have more Darrow content in the book to satisfy many long-time fans, Darrow’s content and endless combat felt like the weakest material in the book. Darrow’s arc was also paired off with Lysanders which serves as a parallel and opposite perspective on the other side of the battlefield. While I understand their purpose to show Darrow's doom and Lysander’s crucial character shift, the entire Mercury arc as felt like it went on for far too long for too little development. Perhaps that’s purposeful to show that war isn’t always glorious and can be slow and arduous, but the reading experience shouldn't also drag like that. On it’s own the content is far from bad, but it just shows how good the rest of the book was by comparison.

While Darrow’s perspective was generally well done albeit repetitive, Lysander’s perspective felt like it had a lot of good ideas that were either underdeveloped or felt mishandled. Maybe I missed or forgot something in the five months since I read Iron Gold, but I remember Lysander being less focused and really only having the belief that Golds know what’s best and should govern the rest of the colors. I don’t know what it is but something about Lysander’s characterization felt odd from the get-go and while his gradual shift in morality and outlook makes sense given what occurs on Mercury, it still feels a bit conveniently forced and inconsistent (again, that’s a back-handed compliment considering how amazing Pierce usually is at transitions and wildly complex plotting). His backstory and repertoire with Kalindora felt like it was meant to be meaningful, as exhibited during the closing chapters of the book, yet the emotional impact and conflicting feelings Lysander and the reader were meant to experience didn’t feel earned and authentic. I believe Kalindor needed more screen time to leave an impact and to show the reader why she’s called “The Love Knight” (Lysander relationship with Cassius felt more substantial by comparison). And while Lysander’s prospective provides valuable information and insight into the Society’s forces, there were a lot of characters introduced back to back with not enough time devoted to each; specifically Scorpio, Cicero, Rhone who for the life of me I can never remember, Seneca that randomly pops up to be brutal and nothing else. In general, the pacing and focus in Lysander’s arc felt misplaced and further muddied the already weakest arc in the book (it also doesn’t help that I am personally apathetic to what happens to Lysander).

Despite a few negative points, if it wasn’t already obvious from my excessive rambling, I loved Dark Age. Besides it’s excellent strategic plotting and fantastic storylines, Dark Age was also the first book in the series where I noticed Pierce Brown’s improvement as a writer (content aside). While fully functional for an action adventure saga, the level of visual details, particularly grandeur, have really come a long way. Compared to Red Rising’s constant action, later books have equally strong introspection and versatility. I remember commenting while reviewing Red Rising how it felt like Darrow angry, Darrow smash, Darrow will rise and conquer, and not much else. The diversity in character personalities, mannerisms, diverse culture and customs, not to mention now Lysander’s frequent poetic and philosophical quotes, it’s really good stuff. I’m going to need a bit of a break and a lighter read after this to recover before continuing along with Lightbringer, but Dark Age has successfully erased any doubts I had during Iron Gold about the trajectory and quality of this series. It’s easily one of the best action-adventure oriented books I’ve read since getting back into reading.

Content Warnings

entropyseeker's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

I dropped this series 8 or so years ago because Darrow's decline from a man of the people into a man of war made my heart too sad. Picking this book up after so many years later and I forgot just how gruesome the Red Rising series can be. I know it's called Dark Age, but goddamn, read the content warnings. Once again, characters you love die and things only get worse for our cast. Fingers crossed that it eventually looks up.

Content Warnings

mfrichter10's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

ember17's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a long time coming. I put off reading this book for so long. Finally, I have conquered it. And it certainly lived up to its name. This book was dark. It was sad. It was miserable. There were hardly any happy scenes. This book was war and death and slaughter and more war and murder and more death. It was not enjoyable, but at the same time it was so compelling. That’s the thing about Pierce Brown. These books aren’t happy, but they suck you in. The characters are such geniuses in some senses, and so lacking in other areas. All of our characters have their biases and are utterly convinced of their own righteousness. It’s fascinating.

Content Warnings