Golden Son Review: The Sci-Fi Sequel That Left Me Speechless

I got the entire collection on Kindle, but I am really hoping they release the rest of the books with illustrated hardcovers, like the one I have of Red Rising.

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By his left tit… for once, even I am speechless. I haven’t been so shocked by a book since A Storm of Swords. And yes, for those of you who have read both—it is for the exact same bloody reason!

Recently, I took a challenge upon myself for 2026: to finish five massive fantasy book series. I know, I know, don’t get your panties in a twist. I’m fully aware the Red Rising series is technically science fiction. BUT—and that’s one giant "but"—if you read my review of Red Rising by Pierce Brown, you know I genuinely feel this saga is much closer to epic fantasy like The Way of Kings than to traditional sci-fi. The fantasy community has officially adopted it as their own, and I support this decision with both hands.

Well, I just finished Golden Son, the second installment in the saga, and we are officially crossing over into pure, unadulterated, chaotic sci-fi territory.

The Book at a Glance

• Title: Golden Son

• Author: Pierce Brown

• Series: Book 2 of the Red Rising Saga

• Genre: Sci-Fi / Space Opera

• My Rating: 5/5 Stars

• My Status: Finished (And immediately bought Book 3 on my Kindle).

The Academy and the Fall from Grace

Golden Son picks up right after the events of the first book. Darrow (or Reaper, as he’s affectionately called now by both friends and enemies) has become the ArchPrimus of the Institute, winning a very lucrative position in the house of the ArchGovernor of Mars—who is none other than Mustang and the Jackal’s father.

Now, the real challenge begins. Darrow enters the Academy, the second institution of "learning" for the Peerless Scarred. Here, Golds are tested yet again, and those found worthy ascend to the rank of Praetor. This is Ares's master plan: give a Red the power to control large military units and wreak havoc on Gold society.

What I particularly enjoyed is that Golden Son doesn’t just rehash the plotline of the first book. The author could have easily milked an entire novel showing us Darrow competing through Academy challenges and slowly building toward a confrontation with Cassius. Instead, he skips it.

The book starts with the final moments of Darrow’s time at the Academy. Months have passed. Factions are broken. Darrow is moments away from securing a victory over Cassius’s older brother to win his Praetor rank. But instead of a quick, easy win... Reaper is defeated.

What follows is a total, utter fall from grace. He is shunned from Gold society, regarded as a one-hit wonder, and suffers a humiliating, televised gang-beating by Cassius’s family. Darrow is literally days away from death, scrambling to find a way out of the hole closing in around him. I loved this approach. Reaper was getting way too comfortable with winning; he needed to be brought down a peg for his character to be truly tested.

What I Loved: Pacing, Twists, and Characters

To avoid spoiling the entire Golden Son book, I won't recap every event, but here is exactly why I speed-read this in two days:

• The Relentless Pacing: Things happen non-stop. If it isn’t physically tense, it is emotionally tense. There are zero dull moments.

• The Massive Reveals: Who Ares actually is, who else gets recruited by the Red Sons, how Darrow learns to duel (and who teaches him!), and exactly who makes it to the end.

• The Ending: Quite literally the twist in the last chapter. It is the biggest cliffhanger in the history of suspense. I haven't gaped at a page this hard since the Red Wedding.

The Standout Characters

The Red Rising books live and die by their cast, and this installment introduces some absolute heavyweights alongside old favorites.

• Sevro au Barca: I stand by the fact that if any Gold ever hailed from Balkan DNA, it would be Sevro. Sevro Red Rising scenes are just an absolute joy to read. Every time the Goblin is on the page, things get beautifully chaotic.

• Ragnar Volarus: I love Viking lore, books, and aesthetics. Finding out there is an entire Color (the Obsidians) dedicated to Viking culture—and that the Golds created actual mythological monsters for them to fight—hyped me up beyond belief. Ragnar is a "Stained," the absolute pinnacle of martial prowess, able to go toe-to-toe with elite Golds. He is awesome.

• The Jackal: Mustang’s brother is a beautifully written, high-functioning sociopath. (Yes, I know we’re supposed to call them some politically correct term now, but I always forget what it is and I’m too lazy to Google it. So you’re stuck with "sociopath." If we ever get an editor for the blog, perhaps they can bother to word-check me). This is what a true sociopath in power looks like. He doesn't just torment victims; he builds a media empire that controls the flow of information across the solar system. He is incredibly cunning, manipulating the reader into doubting his true nature until the very end.

The One Thing That Irked Me (Spoiler Warning!)

There is really only one thing I found strange, and it involves the lowerRed society on Mars. (Skip to the rating if you want to avoid spoilers!)

When Darrow wins the battle for Mars (the Iron Rain) and descends to his old colony, everyone knows who he is. Not his true identity, but they know about the Gold who defeated Octavia. Yet, life just goes on as it always has. This bugs me to no end. Wasn’t the entire point of the Red Rising infiltrating Gold society to prove to the Reds that they are being duped? That the surface is colonized and they are slaving away for nothing?

They see this conquering Gold on the news, and nobody gets pissed at the realization of what’s going on? They just continue life as normal? Maybe I missed something, or maybe it gets addressed in the next book, but it struck me as incredibly strange.

The Final Verdict

I am giving that one strange plot point the benefit of the doubt, because the rest of this novel is phenomenal. This is a flawless 5/5.

I finished the last page, sat in stunned silence, and clicked "Buy Next" on my Kindle within milliseconds. I have been itching to see how that cliffhanger gets resolved, but I had to write my thoughts down before my brain merged the plotlines. Now that I have, let’s see what Morning Star has in store for me!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Golden Son better than Red Rising? For many fans of the Red Rising book series, Golden Son is considered the strongest entry. It takes the relatively contained, academy-style plot of the first book and explodes it into a massive, solar-system-wide political space opera.

Do I need to read the books in order? Absolutely. You cannot jump into the Golden Son book without having read the first installment. The political betrayals, character motivations, and world-building rely entirely on the foundation set in book one.

Does the series turn into full sci-fi? Yes. While the first book reads a lot like an epic fantasy with its medieval-style Institute battles, the sequel fully embraces its sci-fi setting with space armadas, advanced technology, and planetary warfare.