The second book I have started to read in the Born to Read class is Red Rising by Peirce Brown. It takes place in a dystopian world where people have colonized Mars after Earth has become uninhabitable. The citizens are ranked by colors with "Golds" being the leaders and "Reds" being the enslaved miners who live underground
Something I have enjoyed so far in the book was the idea of making the setting a different planet without seeming fake. You do have to suspend your beliefs a little at the mention of the genetically modified animals who roam the planet. I'm also enjoying the large amount of plot twists that i have found in the first third of the book alone.
Nonetheless, I did have some problems with the book. First off, it follows the template of the new dystopian books exactly: a hero is living a fairly uncomfortable life as a grunt in a society that has replaced our own, something bad happens to the hero or their family because of the cruel leadership of the society, so they start a rebellion. Also, some of the characters are mentioned briefly enough to remember them, but seldomly enough they can be confused with other secondary characters.
So far, I am overall enjoying Red Rising. The setting is unique but still believable, and the plot leaves you wondering when you put the book down. I hope it stays as intriguing as it is now.
Yes, I think that it is fairly difficult in any genre not to become formulaic. It sounds as if the author manages to (mostly) overcome this, though.
ReplyDeleteHave you read "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury? Also, a little bit of a stretch, but the Martian series by Edgar Rice Burroughs is also very creative about living on a different planet - the first book is "A Princess of Mars" and no, it's not girlie!
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