Red Rising Saga #3
I really struggled with Morning Star. I wasn’t a massive fan of books 1 and 2, so it took me a year to get around to book 3. I know there’s a lot of love for the Red Rising series, but this series might not be for me. This book isn’t full of cool scheming to defeat a tyrannical upper class; it’s some kid being angsty and then making spur-of-the-moment decisions.
Book Information
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Imprint: Del Ray
First Published: February 8 2016
Format: e-book
Source: Library
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Red Rising #3
I figured I’d get back up to speed pretty quickly, but even once I understood where the story was at, it still seemed so horribly disjointed and incoherent. The struggle with the book’s pacing and coherence was a personal one, and I believe many readers might relate to it. There were logistical improbabilities, like how are they fueling/resupplying their space ships? Do they have unlimited amounts of ammunition? There are problems like this throughout the series, but I found it really obvious in Morning Star.
Darrow is such a Gary Stu. I get that Darrow was carved to be an absolutely stunning specimen with extraordinary physical attributes and reflexes, etc., but it’s just too much. Darrow has no idea what to do or what’s going on, and then SNAP, he’s got a highly complex plan that everyone just goes along with. This kind of character development, or lack thereof, disappointed me.
With the levels of backstabbing, betrayal, and divided allegiances, I wonder how the characters have any confidence in their ability to rely on anything or anyone. While loyalty is repeatedly driven home as essential, characters routinely switch sides because of a perceived slight or an action that couldn’t be avoided to maintain the best outcome. Yet, some characters forgive every slight and dismissal. It is wildly incoherent and not at all deliciously morally ambiguous.
I’ve been told Morning Star is more of a wrapping up of loose ends for the trilogy, and the next set of books is a big improvement. It feels like too much was put into this book, with poor pacing and insufficient tension building. Of course, I’ll be checking out the next books, and I’ll remain hopeful that sticking it out is worth it.