Red Rising: From Skeptic to Serial Reader

I have a rule for books that I follow pretty seriously: if I’m not totally engrossed after reading 25% of a book, then I quit reading. Life is too short to read bad fiction or non-fiction that should have been a blog post.

And it usually serves me pretty well. But every now and then I’m glad to be proven wrong.

Everyone has that book (or series) that friends seem determined to evangelize. For me, it was Red Rising, the sci-fi saga that has captured the attention of a strong niche of sci-fi readers (and somehow has not been made into a Netflix series). In short, it’s the story of a low-class miner who infiltrates the elite ruling class on Mars in order to ignite a revolution against a brutal caste system. Think Heinlein mixed with Game of Thrones.

I was discussing books with a co-worker, and when he found out I like sci-fi, he said I had to start Red Rising, and I told him I’d give it a shot.

To be honest, I tried. Twice. Each time, I would get about a third of the way through and stall out. It felt like such a slog. There were no stakes. I didn’t really care about the characters. It was as if in trying to show how good he was with language, the author forgot to craft the story.

And then one of my college friends and current gaming buds would not stop asking about it. Every time I talked to him, the first thing he asked was “Have you finished Red Rising yet? I’ll send you a copy. Do you have a Kindle? I can let you borrow it on your Amazon account. Do you listen to audiobooks? I’ll lend you my Audible version.”

So I finally decided I’d just finish the first book.

And now I’m halfway through book three and can’t put it down.

What changed?

The story opened up. There were stakes that matter. I met characters I fell in love with. There were betrayals. Friends died and we mourned them.

For all of the wild sci-fi and imaginative plot, Red Rising is ultimately a story of friendship. It’s about learning that one has to be a good friend in order to nurture and grow our friendships. And that without our friends… we’re nothing.

But it also has a Game of Thrones-worthy plot and characters as good as any you’d find in a good fantasy series.

So. Have you read Red Rising yet? My friend will probably lend you his copy. What are you waiting for?

What else am I reading?

The World in Which We Live by Nassim Taleb. A unique perspective from one of the singular thinkers of our time.

The Death of the Corporate Job An accurate, if not obvious take on my generation.

A quote I’m pondering:

Until next time