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A review by zepp1978
Light Bringer by Pierce Brown
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
After an incredibly long wait, Light Bringer is finally here. I had my fingers crossed for an ARC but the publisher ghosted me for whatever reason. But when I had Pierce Brown on the channel he said “I got you” and that he did. I was sent an uncorrected proof by Pierce personally in exchange for an honest review.
With so much time between books the theory crafting and speculation can go a little crazy. 4 years is a long time but definitely not in the Song of Ice & Fire kinda long wait that made my theories and speculation dry up. I had many coming into this book and I gotta say; I was wrong on all of them.
What Pierce has done in this book is take the series back to its roots in that this is Darrow’s book. One of the gripes in Iron Gold and Dark Age was too much time away from the OG. Darrow gets the bulk of the page time outside of one stretch in part II where he’s gone for almost 100 pages. But trust me, it’ll be worth it.
We spend so much time with Darrow and his companions (you’ll find zero spoilers here!) that you feel a bond like you haven’t felt those early days back at the Institute. Pierce gives me some team ups and group adventures I’ve been waiting for since Golden Son. And it’s just special.
On the other hand, I do wish we had gotten more Victra and Kavax in this one. Part II has maybe the biggest space battle the series has ever had and it’s amazing, but if you’re hoping for a lot of Victra like we had in Dark Age you might be missing her a little. Characters go MIA the second half of the book but I think it’s for good reason.
The events happening in each Part (4 parts in total) are paced in such a way that to hop across the solar system might be a little jarring. When you’re in a massive space battle over Ilium, the last thing you want is to jump to Luna for a territory dispute. Less hopping makes the book more cohesive but you will miss some of those side characters for long stretches.
I don’t like to say too much, but the last 50 pages of Light Bringer hit me harder emotionally than any other similar stretch in the series. While I didn’t sob I will say that I rolled a manly tear but if I wasn’t at my office I may have wailed. Pierce continues to write a sci-fi epic that hits emotionally every bit as hard as he does with his action (clang clang clang! …you’ll see 😏). That’s what makes this series so special. In the end, he always examines his characters humanity and what makes them tick.
For those worried this will feel like a “bridge” or set up book, fear not. Pierce has delivered another stunning volume to what is my favorite modern sci-fi series and has taken things in a direction I didn’t expect but I’m anxious to see the conclusion for in Red God. Pick this one up on day one because you don’t want that final act spoiled for you. Hail Reaper.
With so much time between books the theory crafting and speculation can go a little crazy. 4 years is a long time but definitely not in the Song of Ice & Fire kinda long wait that made my theories and speculation dry up. I had many coming into this book and I gotta say; I was wrong on all of them.
What Pierce has done in this book is take the series back to its roots in that this is Darrow’s book. One of the gripes in Iron Gold and Dark Age was too much time away from the OG. Darrow gets the bulk of the page time outside of one stretch in part II where he’s gone for almost 100 pages. But trust me, it’ll be worth it.
We spend so much time with Darrow and his companions (you’ll find zero spoilers here!) that you feel a bond like you haven’t felt those early days back at the Institute. Pierce gives me some team ups and group adventures I’ve been waiting for since Golden Son. And it’s just special.
On the other hand, I do wish we had gotten more Victra and Kavax in this one. Part II has maybe the biggest space battle the series has ever had and it’s amazing, but if you’re hoping for a lot of Victra like we had in Dark Age you might be missing her a little. Characters go MIA the second half of the book but I think it’s for good reason.
The events happening in each Part (4 parts in total) are paced in such a way that to hop across the solar system might be a little jarring. When you’re in a massive space battle over Ilium, the last thing you want is to jump to Luna for a territory dispute. Less hopping makes the book more cohesive but you will miss some of those side characters for long stretches.
I don’t like to say too much, but the last 50 pages of Light Bringer hit me harder emotionally than any other similar stretch in the series. While I didn’t sob I will say that I rolled a manly tear but if I wasn’t at my office I may have wailed. Pierce continues to write a sci-fi epic that hits emotionally every bit as hard as he does with his action (clang clang clang! …you’ll see 😏). That’s what makes this series so special. In the end, he always examines his characters humanity and what makes them tick.
For those worried this will feel like a “bridge” or set up book, fear not. Pierce has delivered another stunning volume to what is my favorite modern sci-fi series and has taken things in a direction I didn’t expect but I’m anxious to see the conclusion for in Red God. Pick this one up on day one because you don’t want that final act spoiled for you. Hail Reaper.