Pierce Brown is the author of the Red Rising series, which consists of Red Rising, Golden Son, Morning Star, and soon, Iron Gold. I actually read the first 3 books of the series and found them to be quite interesting, and I’m looking forward to reading the latest installment when it comes out. I had no idea that the author had decided to venture into the world of graphic novels, as well, but I thought it would be a great avenue for the story! Here is my review:
N.B: The story takes place before Red Rising. In the future, when mankind has spread across the stars, the hierarchy of man is dictated by the color of one’s caste. The Golds rule all, but what will happen when one falls for a lowly Red?
I would highly recommend reading this after you have read the Red Rising series. Although this is a prequel, it really expects you to know the Red Rising world in order to understand its implications. This is the story of how Ares becomes the face of the rebellion.
I really liked the art used here. It wasn’t as beautiful as some other graphic novels I’ve read, like Monstress by Marjorie Liu, but it was interesting and worked for the story being told. I loved how the text boxes were different colours depending on who was speaking: if it was a gold, the box would be gold, if it was a red or a green, it would be their affiliated colour. Not only did it serve as a reminder of the distinction between the different classes that are part of the world created in the series, it also helped the reader keep track of who was talking.
I really liked the backstory that was given for Ares. However, I don’t think this comic really added to the story. There was nothing really knew here that I wouldn’t have gotten from the story and the theme was the same one as in the series. I understand that the theme being the same was a unifying factor but there weren’t even subtle nuances to give it some depth. It was also too short to have the detailed back story to the rebellion that I was looking for.
Overall, this was an interesting medium to portray the series, but it wasn’t unique enough for me. I’m giving it a 3/5 for creativity and artwork.
Thank you to Edelweiss for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Happy reading ~
