Iron Gold (Red Rising Series #4)

by Pierce Brown

Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In the epic next chapter of the Red Rising Saga, the #1 bestselling author of Morning Star pushes the boundaries of one of the boldest series in fiction.

“Mature science fiction existing within the frame of blazing space opera . . .  done in a style [that] borders on Shakespearean.”—NPR (One of the Best Books of the Year)

They call him father, liberator, warlord, Slave King, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the war-torn planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-third of his life.
 
A decade ago Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk all he has fought for on one last desperate mission. Darrow still believes he can save everyone, but can he save himself?
                 
And throughout the worlds, other destinies entwine with Darrow’s to change his fate forever: 
                 
A young Red girl flees tragedy in her refugee camp, and achieves for herself a new life she could never have imagined.
                 
An ex-soldier broken by grief is forced to steal the most valuable thing in the galaxy—or pay with his life.
                 
And Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile to the Sovereign, wanders the stars with his mentor, Cassius, haunted by the loss of the world that Darrow transformed, and dreaming of what will rise from its ashes.
                 
Red Rising was the story of the end of one universe. Iron Gold is the story of the creation of a new one. Witness the beginning of a stunning new saga of tragedy and triumph from masterly New York Times bestselling author Pierce Brown.

Don’t miss any of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga:
RED RISING • GOLDEN SON • MORNING STAR • IRON GOLD • DARK AGE • LIGHT BRINGER

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425285916
Publisher:	Random House Worlds
Publication date:	01/16/2018
Series:	Red Rising Series
Pages:	624
Sales rank:	29,470
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.80(d)

About the Author

Pierce Brown is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Rising, Golden Son, Morning Star, Iron Gold, and Dark Age. His work has been published in thirty-three languages and thirty-five territories. He lives in Los Angeles, where he is at work on his next novel.

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Excerpted from "Iron Gold"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Pierce Brown.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

★ 02/05/2018
Brown adroitly builds upon the intricate future he introduced in his Red Rising trilogy with this accessible space opera, set in a near future where the fledgling Solar Republic has freed Mars from the villainous ruling Society, and is attempting to do the same for several other planets in the solar system that are still under the sway of a military leader called the Ash Lord. The novel combines elements of The Expanse and Game of Thrones: the plot lines include world-shattering developments, but Brown’s focus on crafting memorable individuals means that events such as a devastating attack on Mercury are very emotionally affecting for the reader. That assault was launched by Darrow, the military leader of the Solar Republic. His bombing campaign enabled Mercury to join other free worlds under the Republic’s banner, but his actions were not officially sanctioned, and his wife, Mustang, may face repercussions in her role as sovereign. The repercussions of Darrow’s rogue operation alternate with the situations that three other major characters confront. The most memorable involves Lyria, a Martian, for whom the liberation of her planet was not a happy ending: she faces even more trauma at this book’s outset, “two years and a thousand broken promises” after the Republic’s rise. Fans of thoughtful blends of action, intrigue, and prosaic human drama will find this hits the spot. Agent: Hannah Bowman, Liza Dawson Associates. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR PIERCE BROWN AND THE RED RISING SAGA
 
Red Rising
 
“[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender’s Game. . . . [Red Rising] has everything it needs to become meteoric.”—Entertainment Weekly
 
“[A] top-notch debut novel . . . Red Rising ascends above a crowded dystopian field.”—USA Today
 
Golden Son
 
“Brown writes layered, flawed characters . . . but plot is his most breathtaking strength. . . . Every action seems to flow into the next.”—NPR
 
“In a word, Golden Son is stunning. Among science fiction fans, it should be a shoo-in for book of the year.”—Tordotcom
 
Morning Star
 
“A page-turning epic filled with twists and turns . . . The conclusion to [Pierce] Brown’s saga is simply stellar.”—Booklist (starred review)
 
“Brown’s vivid, first-person prose puts the reader right at the forefront of impassioned speeches, broken families, and engaging battle scenes.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher

05/01/2017
Just when it looks as if Darrow and the Rising are about to defeat holdout Golds and end their world's cruel color-coded caste system, a new foe comes along, which makes this fourth "Red Rising" book the first in a new trilogy. Last year's Morning Star topped the New York Times best sellers list.

Library Journal

2018-01-23
Brown is back with Book 4 of his Red Rising series (Morning Star, 2016, etc.) and explores familiar themes of rebellion, revenge, and political instability.This novel examines the ramifications and pitfalls of trying to build a new world out of the ashes of the old. The events here take place 10 years after the conclusion of Morning Star, which ended on a seemingly positive note. Darrow, aka Reaper, and his lover, Virginia au Augustus, aka Mustang, had vanquished the Golds, the elite ruling class, so hope was held out that a new order would arise. But in the new book it becomes clear that the concept of political order is tenuous at best, for Darrow's first thoughts are on the forces of violence and chaos he has unleashed: "famines and genocide...piracy...terrorism, radiation sickness and disease...and the one hundred million lives lost in my [nuclear] war." Readers familiar with the previous trilogy—and you'll have to be if you want to understand the current novel—will welcome a familiar cast of characters, including Mustang, Sevro (Darrow's friend and fellow warrior), and Lysander (grandson of the Sovereign). Readers will also find familiarity in Brown's idiosyncratic naming system (Cassius au Bellona, Octavia au Lune) and even in his vocabulary for cursing ("Goryhell," "Bloodydamn," "Slag that"). Brown introduces a number of new characters, including 18-year-old Lyria, a survivor of the initial Rising who gives a fresh perspective on the violence of the new war—and violence is indeed never far away from the world Brown creates. (He includes one particularly gruesome gladiatorial combat between Cassius and a host of enemies.) Brown imparts an epic quality to the events in part by his use of names. It's impossible to ignore the weighty connotations of characters when they sport names like Bellerephon, Diomedes, Dido, and Apollonius.For those who like their science fiction dense, monumental, and a bit overwrought.

Kirkus Reviews