Just kidding of course, idgaf if smth is woke. I just want to voice my appreciation how Pierce Brwon wrote the gay relationship of efron. Its not about that he is gay, if you were to start with Iron Gold without prior knowledge you wouldnt even realise it. Just a guy feeling the depression from loosing a loved spouse, no agenda, just two people loving each other

Hi all,

I'm very close to finishing Dark Age, exceptional book, but I just have one question (if this gets answered in the future of the series, obviously just tell me that it's spoilers). When Darrow meets up with Screwface after he reveals his cover, Darrow wonders why Screwface hadn't contacted him about Atalantia's plans earlier? As far as I can remember, this has not been answered since. I don't know if this was something that PB just forgot about, or if I simply missed the explanation, but if it's the latter, I would love to be corrected!

Any opinions on this? I'm still working on it. https://str0ud.com/labs/red-rising-characters/#electra

I'm on Golden Son right now at the part where Darrow stops the brown with the EMP from being shot. The brown is clearly an enemy combatant and is about to disable his entire force and get them killed, but his thought seems to have been "I'd rather let my entire group get killed rather than defend myself."

I understand this is the author illustrating Darrow's moral struggle, but it gets annoying when time and time again he makes the "morally correct" choice and then people die from stupidity.

Have seen this done a couple of times and wanted to do it myself so heres the list and reasoning. Ranking is solely based on skill with a razor, so someone like Rhone ti Flavinius who is an incredibly skilled marksman and close combat fighter won’t be making the list. This is my personal opinion so please share if you think someones missing from the list or should be moved.

1. Darrow O’Lykos - uncontested in terms of razor skill and mastery except by Lorn. Darrow is currently the strongest in universe and has way more potential as hes just created breath of stone

2. Lorn au Arcos - creator of the willow way. Basically every notably powerful character copies his technique except diomedes and thraxa. His reputation alone was enough to freeze an entire room of peerless scarred in Golden Son including a fury and an olympic knight.

3. Aja au Grimmus - most dangerous woman in the solar system before her death. The greatest student of Lorn, which makes her the greatest student of any razormaster. Took Cassius, Darrow, Virginia, and drugged up Sevro (albeit all armorless) to take her down.

4. Diomedes au Raa - one of the shades of the rim. Everyone has gotten used to the willow way and some like Apple and Volsung Fa know how to beat it. Shadowfall is a secretive form known to only a few trusted people from the rim and Diomedes is its pinnacle. Lysander thought Cassius wouldnt stand a chance to him and wasn’t even sure if Ajax could beat him.

5. Ajax au Grimmus - genetically superior to most on this list, being the offspring of a grimmus and a raa. The best closer in the whole series, and able to go toe to toe with Darrow in the time between Morning Star and Lightbringer. In Dark Age, Ajax managed to do a 13-move onset, making him just as fast as Lorn was, an unparalleled feat.

6. Apollonius au Valii-Rath - like Darrow, he had a huge increase in power from Dark Age to Lightbringer. He now knows how to beat the willow way and is one of the 3 people (atlas, lysander, and himself) who possess the mind’s eye. He destroyed Darrow in a 1-on-1 on Venus and has physical capabilities that rival that of Darrow, a genetically enhanced gold.

7. Cassius au Bellona - Darrow’s second razormaster. Morning knight of both the society and the solar republic. Stated by Darrow to be more of a duelist. He was one of the 4 who took down Aja, and also killed 2 olympic knights in Morning Star. Stated by Darrow to be a top 50 razormaster in the core at the time of Morning Star, and his skills have greatly improved since then.

8. Alexandar au Arcos - probably one of the hottest takes on this list. Alexandar was the eldest grandson of Lorn and Darrow’s arch-lancer. In the time from Iron Gold to Dark Age he was stated to be an even better warrior than Darrow when Darrow was his age, which was around the time of Darrow’s iron rain over Mars. Lysander also decided to shoot him in the head instead of dueling him, knowing he would lose despite having the Mind’s Eye knowing the secret to beating the willow way and being a decent duelist.

9. Atlas au Raa - the Fear Knight, Darrow’s greatest opponent from the society. He was able to go toe to toe with Cassius at the end of Lightbringer which is when he was the strongest, not only physically but mentally as well with Lysander at his side. He also has the Mind’s Eye and the willow way.

10. Bellorophon au Raa - about the same level as Cassius in Iron Gold. Was actually winning the duel until he made one error which cost him his life. Has the shadowfall and is the son of Atlas, making him a pretty strong razormaster.

11. Volsung Fa - absolute powerhouse. Father of Ragnar Volarus, a top 3 obsidian fighter. Trained under Atlas au Raa and knows how to beat the willow way. He can wield huge weapons and really heavy armor making him almost impenetrable.

12. Leto - also kinda a hot take. ArchLancer of Nero au Augustus, basically his replacement for Claudius who was supposedly the perfect gold. Said to be a younger Lorn au Arcos. Was about to effortlessly cut down Karnus au Bellona until the Jackal intervened. At the time of Golden Son he was so high above every other character in Darrow’s entourage in terms of power.

13. Fitchner au Barca - Ares. Has killed multiple peerless scarred in one-on-one duels. Fought his way into the Rage Knight position, formerly held by Lorn au Arcos. Took Cassius and Aja to kill him at the end of Golden Son.

14. Victra au Julii - Also a genetically enhance peerless. She and Thraxa managed to kill Ajax, who is much higher up on the list. Comparing this to armorless sevro cassius virginia and dattow killing Ajax, Victra is probably about as strong as any 1.5 of the 4 people who took down Aja during the time of morning star.

15. Nero au Augustus - killed the Hearth Knight and almost escapes from Fitchner and Cassius before being subdued. Other than that there are not many feats from him but killing an olympic is impressive enough.

Honorable Mentions:
Sevro au Barca - more of a guerrilla fighter who uses bombs guns and sharp things instead of razors. He could probably place on this list but since razors aren’t really his specialty i thought itd be better not to include him.
Lysander au Lune - uses the Willow Way and has the mind’s eye, but also struggled to Rhone one-on-one which is kind of embarassing for a decedent of Silenius and someone trained under Cassius.
Thraxa au Telemanus/any telemanus - unmatched size, and thraxa specifically uses windsweeper, a very different razor style which most people don’t study, except evidently Diomedes au Raa.

She’s killing Lysander. Everyone says it’s gonna be Darrow or Sevro, but that’s just not likely. I can’t envision either of them doing it. The most I see happening in RG is them defeating Lysander and either Rhonna assassinating him or some other plot point. It just makes sense for her to do it.

Posted it earlier but just wanted to post again. I have a ticket available to Cheltenham Literacy Festival and the talk with Pierce Brown on Friday at 9:00 p.m. If anyone can make it, I would like it to go to a good home and somebody who can actually get there. Give me a shout.

Hi all,

I’m deathly unwell and won’t be able to make the Edinburgh’s Q&A tonight. It’s pretty last minute but I’m happy to send the QR code to another howler for their enjoyment.

The brain fog is real so will give to the first comment I see.

I sure hope nothing soul crushing happens

I had read like 100 pages of dark age after which I stopped reading books for a while and now today I started reading dark age again and boom..... Orion dies, like wow this is the first thing that happens as soon as I return to reading

History shows us what humanity is capable of. Fiction just gives us more ways to explore it.

Starting my journey into Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Something tells me this one's going to be a ride.

No spoilers, please. I'm just getting started. 🔴

Pierce Brown in Edinburgh today

This is a piece of art I had commissioned by the wonderful Najda (on Intsa) depicting the negotiations between the rim, core and rising prior to the Battle of Ilium! Featured in it are Romulus, Mustang, Roque and Darrow, and I think it turned out absolutely beautiful!

Only after seeing Darrow from someone else's perspective do I see how scary it is to fight the guy, like yeah we know he's strong and all but seeing Darrow from someone else's perspective is a whole different thing

So, I have finally finished the Day of Red Doves arc and I kinda wanted to talk about it and my thoughts!

It has been the most traumatizing read thus far and caused me to take nearly a week off from reading lol. Also, it makes me want to cry at the bar (so serious rn about that). I loved it. And I loved Virginia throughout it! Her rationalizations, inner monologues, her worries and fears. Perfection! If there is no Mustang defender, then I have perished! Having to pick being the Sovereign over friend or wife. I wanted to CRY! Deanna caring for Virginia like her daughter? Oh my GOD! Almost crying into my drink, I’m so serious rn!

But also, a complaint. Or, a kind of complaint anyways: Publius. I will say there’s a bittersweet irony to Publius dreaming of equality and becoming a literal slave, again. BUT! I kinda wish his character had gone down swinging (even if it would’ve been worthless in the end). I feel like the entire Abomination arc robbed a bit of agency from the lowColors. I did NOT hate the Adrius reveal fwiw! I enjoyed it. Thought it was a perfect amount of creepy, but not as creepy as the Ascomanni reveal (talk about nightmare fuel!). And it complimented Virginia’s character growth too immensely.

Listening to the audiobook of RR. On the third book now, but it hit me so hard when listening to Fitchner speak in two specific parts and couldn't help picture Lord Flashheart from Blackadder.....all he needed was a "WOOF!" at the end of a sentence.

Could someone who attended the PB events on the 15th, 16th and the upcoming one with John Gwynne please give us any Red God updates in case he brought it up?

Crazy book, it was slow in places but great book. I have like 6 chapters leftish.

Ephraim is the FUCKING GOAT. Honestly I didn’t really like him in Iron Gold until half way through. I wish we could see him interact with the Reaper.

Sefi got STRAIGHT BELTED. I didn’t really care much for her tbh, but the way she died was insane. She was a good queen though. Rip

I’m so disappointed that Fa is a fucking Gorgon. It was pretty obvious cuz Atlas was gone for so long but bruh. I wanted him to be a demon, and have the obsidians not always be ruled or controlled from one gold or another. I have high hopes for him, and what Sefi said is true. REAPER GON GET THAT GETBACK!!!

No disrespect to Pierce but wtf brother. Why are we killing Alexander? Ragnar was a good death, Eph was a good death even Sefi. Alexander is such a wasted character. He and LyFRAUD could have a rivalry like young Darrow and Cassius it would have been peak. Such a stupid and nonsensical and waste of a GOAT. He was more of a man at 20 than his fraud grandfather “the bystander” Stoneside.

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t hate Lysander. He’s a pixie no doubt but he did what was in his best interest. If he stayed and dueld, he would have got captured and BELTED.

Final words/ Quesrion.

Who do I guys think would have one the duel?

I think pretty obviously Alexander because he was in constant war for so long and the reapers primary lancer. But LyFRAUD was trading with Cassius the whole time. Also he has the mind eye plot device so yeah. Let me know what u think. Alexander UR THE FUCKING GOAT