For the first few chapters, I thought the gaps in character and world building were intentional. But after the romance went from clumsy to 21st century teenage hormonal awkward, and the challenge course was ripped straight out of Ninja Warrior I doubted whether there was anything holding the gaps together. After a few GR reviews and plot summaries, it seems there isn’t. So thank you goodreads community for saving me from the other, banal, 80%.
I probably blasted through this too fast, but enjoyed it. I’ll be reading the series. I appreciated the commentary on translation, the first person AI perspective, and the gender ambiguity, although the empire felt too close to the Chronicles of Riddick, and the Presger seemed a lot like the Consu from Old Man’s War.
I was tempted by a tagline calling this book a combination of Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones. This book is not like Game of Thrones, and making such a comparison isn’t good for Red Rising. The worldbuilding was shallow and the politics dubious. Yet, like Ender’s Game or Hunger Games, once the games began, it was easy to keep the pages turning. As far as pure entertainment goes, this is probably the best book I’ve read this year. I appreciated the tone of anger and guilt that ran through the whole novel, and have already started in on the second book.