This post written by editor, Ashley Goodnow.
In Golden Son by Pierce Brown, Darrow stands on ever-shifting ground, and in this sequel to Red Rising, it’s more unstable than ever. As Darrow tries to navigate the world of the Society that glories in betrayal and misbalanced power, his natural distrust for people can keep him out of trouble or just as easily drive his closest friends away. Darrow is always on his toes with his friends, enemies, and new allies.
For the past couple years, I’ve been thinking about what makes a good sequel, and while Golden Son uses the common points that are widely discussed about sequels: new characters, new information, new places, escalation of stakes, it also hits on a point I haven’t seen discussed much: shifting alliances, priorities, or views. This shift in the characters’ established relationships, priorities, or views of the world is a commonality I’ve noticed among sequels, but it can be hard to pull off. Readers like the first book because they like the relationships, views, and conflict that it established. They don’t want things to change, but sequels are about change and expansion. And Golden Son handles these changes or shifts well.
These shifts in Golden Son happen frequently, friends become enemies, students become masters, relationships are questioned, priorities shift with unpredictable events. Some shifts are permanent. Some retract to their original position. Others remain unresolved. The biggest thing about these shifts is that they work organically with the plot and characters. They also deepen our understanding and exploration of the established world and relationships.
A shift in priorities occurs when Darrow finds a new person commanding the rebellion, Harmony. Harmony has different plans than her predecessor, Dancer. In chapter 11, page 94, Darrow struggles with whether he agrees with Harmony or not:
“But no matter the anger I summon by reminding myself, I cannot burn away the fear that I steer the rebellion toward a cliff.
This will not be for Eo’s dream. It will be for the satisfaction of those living. To sate their lust for vengeance rather than honoring those who have already sacrificed everything. And it will be irreversible.”
This shift in views is organic since Darrow’s initial incentive for joining the rebellion was revenge. Dancer had larger plans for the rebellion; he wanted to change how Society functions. In the first book, Darrow finally recognized the benefits of Dancer’s plan. But Harmony only wants those who’ve wronged the lowColors (lower classes) to suffer, and she can easily dissuade Darrow to join her if she promises him the revenge he originally wanted. Golden Son far exceeds the expectations that Red Rising set up. I love how the writing style blends into a voice that’s both philosophical and visceral. I enjoy how organically the author builds the world of the story, and in Golden Son we get a deeper look into the hierarchy of the Colors and different Colors’ upbringing, belief systems, and purpose. We also meet dynamic new characters, Ragnar and Orion being some of my favorites. It also has some amazing examples of elements commonly found in successful sequels.
Find Golden Son on Amazon or add it to your Goodreads shelf.