Golden Son

hands Pierce Brown my gory eviscerated heartOk, to be fair, I was not quite as gutted reading Golden Son as I was with [b:Red Rising 15839976 Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, #1) Pierce Brown https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1369153188s/15839976.jpg 21580644]. Red Rising was like being smacked across the face repeatedly. Golden Son was more like a slow twisting of a knife. You know its coming. The stronger Darrow's heart grows, the more he loves the people at his side and yet holds them at arm's length in order to protect his mission, the clearer it becomes that some shit is gonna go down and its not going to be pretty.So to get my feels out of the way: Oh god, Roque. Again, you know its coming. Oddly enough, even through the first book I found myself inwardly poking fun at Roque and Darrow's bromance (I hate that word, but these boys remain stubbornly heterosexual, so it will suffice). There isn't a whole lot of in-text substance behind it, but they love each other dearly and aren't afraid to express it. The problem is Roque's very nature demands a level of intimacy in a relationship that Darrow cannot allow him. Every interaction of theirs they slip further and further down a hole, and I found myself rereading each of their scenes in a way to hold on to the beauty and sweetness of what they had. Because I knew it would be gone by the end of the book. I just didn't think Roque would do it with the Jackal at his side. Golden Son has the same beautiful writing, the strong characters and emotion that I've come to expect from the series. It also has a lot of military and political strategy. Like, a lot. I don't want to say that that stuff necessarily bores me, especially the way Brown does it, but....it's a lot. It's the majority of the book, in fact, which caused it to drag a bit for me. But that's a matter of taste and interest I think. Its a lot less personal than Red Rising as well. In the first book, Darrow pretty much knew everyone he was killing, and as such so did we as readers. In Golden Son, seas of people go to their deaths, soldiers and civilians and children. Brown makes an effort to make you acknowledge the gravity of war and death, and he does a very good job. But it doesn't have the same intimacy and brutality of the first book. Which in some ways is a good thing, if you want to be able to survive this series with your sanity in tact, like I hope to.And there are so many twists and turns. Plans change on a dime, especially throught the first act, when Darrow is trying to reclaim his place in Gold Society. Golden Son takes its time telling you what kind of book it plans to be, which is exhilirating and dizzying. It paints a world that is absolutely terrifying, not just through physical violence but through espionage and intrigue. The fact that Darrow keeps barrelling forward shows the quality and value of his character - there are not enough characters like this in fiction. But this kind of setting demands this kind of hero. And kudos to Brown for being to house all this in his pretty head.Also, on a technical note, would it kill them to put in a glossary? There are a couple pages listing each of the characters and the Colors, but those are the easiest things to remember for me. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I still only have the vaguest idea of what a razor or a slingBlade is. Also that capitalization nonsense is adorable and it makes me wonder if Pierce Brown randomly capitalizes combined words in real life.In short, Golden Son is a powerful follow up to Red Rising. As Darrow comes into his own as a warrior and a leader, the story trades his more intimate moral quandaries for grand scale battles and plans to conquer planets and overthrow tyrants. But these books will always be built on relationships and the love he has for the people around him, regardless of their Color or loyalty.