I had a hard time writing this review. Balancing between what should remain unspoiled and what I absolutely had to talk about in detail to share the moments I found so compelling was a tough process. Doubly so because I don’t think I’ve reviewed a sequel in a long time. The last I must have written about was ‘The Green Bone Saga,’ and that was months ago. Anyway, I tried my best. Hope you enjoy my thoughts on this epic, tragic, and poignant series so far.

This book starts with a bang after Darrow, who has fought his way to the highest level of the Gold’s institute (often bending the rules along the way) gets caught in a space battle of epic proportions. What should be a sure victory in the institute’s simulated battle school quickly devolves into a terrifying escalation after his sworn rival, Cassius au Bellona, pulls a dirty trick on par with the Reaper’s own past exploits. An unseen ship launches itself straight for Darrow’s flagship, puncturing the belly and ripping the entire kilometer-long structure in half. During his narrow escape, Darrow tries to save the day by loading himself into a mechanized space suit, climbing into a torpedo shaft, and tricking his escape craft into turning him into a human projectile aimed straight for the Bellona flagship’s bridge. This is all within the first twenty pages or so. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hooked harder than just about any novel I’ve read before. But the Institute’s proctors are fed up with Darrow’s death-defying exploits, and shut down his plan before it can begin, disabling the craft and handing him his second major loss to Cassius since the first betrayal that left him near-death in the first book. To add insult to injury, the Bellonas gang up after the fact to beat Darrow to a bloody pulp while he’s taking a bath. Despicable behavior, but Darrow has done his own share of rule-breaking to get where he is. Whether or not his opponents were already cheating is besides the fact.

At the beginning of the book Darrow’s reputation, standing, and morale, are at an all time low. Darrow’s patron, Nero au Augustus, who once held him up as the peak example of Golden superiority, is greatly displeased by Darrow’s loss to the Bellona, who gain a sizeable fleet under Cassius’ name. These scenes after the hectic fighting of the first book, and the disastrous opening, give the reader a little break to process what is going on. And its bad. Darrow is essentially screwed, as Augustus announces that he’ll be releasing Darrow’s contract after the gathering on Luna called the Summit, where thousands of Golds meet to gather political and wartime allegiances, trade contracts, and generally backstab each other. Augustus’ politico, a snake named Pliny, piles onto Darrows failures with a combination of deceit and social manipulation, driving further into the metaphorical grave. Cassius and the other Bellonas are out for his blood, leaving Darrow with his only true remaining ally; poetic, beautiful, and trustworthy Roque, who offers to buy out Darrow’s contract at great personal expense. This is not to be however …

And here’s where I start running into spoilers too big to give away. I think this opening sequence is one of the strongest I’ve ever read, leading straight into a second inciting incident that calls Darrow to rebellion and reminds him of his true purpose as a Red. To rise, of course. Trying not to give too much away, I’ll say that I think Darrow’s critical decision in this first part of the novel cements his character as not only a badass action hero, but a strategic mastermind as well. This is what really sets Darrow apart from characters in some of the other, similar dystopian stories I’ve read over the years. Often times, these characters reach a certain height, and then get swept up in their own rebellion by forces bigger than themselves. Not so with Darrow. He’s always pushing for his own goals even as he’s being manipulated from all sides, playing the game his own unique way. Everyone gets a few of these moments, but in ‘Golden Son,’ its almost every single scene where Darrow proves his own proactivity time and time again, and you know what? I just can’t get enough of it.

Right through to the end, Darrow pushes for civil war, at first obliquely, then directly, then, in the epic final third of the book, in all-out battle against the ruling structure. The warfare lasts for so long, almost a third of the book, yet never gets stale. There’s always some new conflict between the trade-offs and shady deals, rising and falling friendships, internal intrigue and external power struggle. Pierce Brown is also more than happy to inject as many awesome sci-fi concepts as he can. My personal favorite are the Razors, whip-like dueling swords that only Golds may wield as symbols of their power and superiority. Darrow makes this symbol his own with a unique twist, literally, by using a curved blade. It is simultaneously a tool of war and a call-to-arms. This symbol of the Gold’s power becomes an instrument of rebellion when Darrow puts it in the hands of those who were never meant to wield these terrifying weapons, defying the power structure both symbolically and literally. His ability to turn the Gold’s power against themselves is his greatest strength, but the chink in his armor too …

His romantic interest in the deadly, ingenious, and beautiful Mustang that has been growing since the first book leaves him at a serious impasse by the end of the book, forcing him to make a choice that could make or break the rebellion. Their relationship is the beating heart of the story, the morale beneath the carnage, and the key to Darrow’s internal conflict. Brown’s ability to weave these plot threads together in surprising ways always kept me guessing. The twists he creates on the back of shifting allegiances were hard to predict, and yet, I always knew something was coming from the array of enemies and friends he kept too close. I won’t spoil any more, but man. It’ll blow your socks off.

I can’t wait to read the third one!

Thank you for reading,

Benjamin Hawley